III. NORTHWESTERN AND SOUTHWESTERN SHRINKAGE 
WORK OF 1911. 
By W. F. Wabd, 
Senior Animal Husbandman. Animal Husbandry Division. 
INTRODUCTION. 
The beef-cattle industry of the Northwest is still one of importance 
and contributes extensively to the supply of cattle sold on the Chi- 
cago. St. Paul, and Omaha markets. It is true that there are not so 
many cattle raised and shipped from that section as there were 
ten years ago. The invasion of the large grain farmers, the small 
farmers, the homesteaders or " squatters '* and the sheepmen have 
been a series of blows which have been felt very materially by the 
cattle industry. There are some people, even some of the older 
cattlemen, who seem to see the doom to their kind and death to their 
industry. In a way they are right. The " old tuners ?! must go, 
and with them their traditions and their methods. The ever-increas- 
ing values of some of the lands of the Dakotas, Montana. Wyoming. 
Colorado, and Nebraska, due to their settlement by farmers and 
their use for the production of grain, are naturally raising the valua- 
tion of the grazing lands, and thus raising the cost of producing beef 
under range conditions. The large ranges of the Northwest are 
being cut up into small farms wherever practicable, and draft ani- 
mals are replacing the tough and blocky ponies of that section. The 
many men with very few cows are taking the land from the few 
men with many cows. 
Although the number of cattle shipped from these ranges during 
the past year has dropped to less than half the amount of six years 
ago. it does not naturally follow that the decrease will continue until 
this section is no longer a cattle country. It always will produce 
a large number of cattle, since there are immense areas of this land 
which can be used for grazing only. Some* of it is not suitable for 
farming, and on these tracts cattle and sheep will abound. Then, 
too, the farmers, although they usually raise grain only, will have 
to begin raising some live stock to keep up the fertility of their soil 
and eventually to consume part of their grain. 
The >ame thing will probably happen here that came to pass in 
Illinois and Iowa. Many of the grain farmers will become stock 
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