JULY 8 
(THE RURAL 
457 
TWimts. 
“ROUNDING UP.” 
The Stock Interests of Southeastern 
Colorado, and Northeastern New 
Mexico. 
MESSRS. HOLMES AND SWEETLAND. 
[Special Correspondents of the RtmAi, Nkw-Yorxrr.] 
The stock business of Southeastern Colo¬ 
rado anrl Eastern New Mexico is confined 
almost entirely to cattle and sheep, for which 
the mild and equable climate and the une- 
qualed amount of nutritious grasses for pas¬ 
tures render the country peculiarly favora¬ 
ble. Resides this, the region being hut sparsely 
settled, wiMi considerable distances between 
cities, the range is as large ns could be desired. 
It is roughly estimated that th»re are in the 
Territorv of Nevr Mexico 500.00(1 cattle and 
10.000 000 Fh°ep. with nmole range for mil¬ 
lions more. The pnrposeof range feedingand 
herding is to prepare cattle for corn - feeding in 
Kansas, where thnv come to fuller maturity. 
In San Miguel County alone, which is about 
100 miles wide by 200 long, there are some 
200.000 hea l of cattle, which graze the year 
round. Tbev find orineipallya home market, 
and were selling at the time of our visit at $20 
per head. There is ahout the same nnmberof 
sheep as eattle, and considerable care is being 
taken in raising the grade of both kinds f 
stock. Mexican native sheep yield only from 
two to two-and-a-half pounds of wool to the 
clip, while the grades will yield from fiye to 
six pounds. 
Las Vegas, the county seat of San Miguel 
County, is the chief stock center of New 
Mexico The land grant system, which lias 
been a very serious detriment to the Territory, 
is now assuming shape for further settlement. 
Grants have been made to one or two men, 
notably to the Maxwells, which are larger 
than many of th“ Eastern States. When 
opened, all thi« trade will contribute to Las 
Vegas. The city is also an important com¬ 
mercial center. It has over 8,00(1 population, 
six churehps and eight congregations, good 
schools, with several new and expensive ones 
in process of erection, two active and enter¬ 
prising daily papers, besides a numher of 
weeklies and monthlies; a good musical or¬ 
ganization, six secret societies, two banks, a 
telephone, streetcars, gas and water works, no 
debt, light taxes, immenm quantities of nine 
timber in the tributary country, coal near at 
hand, abundance of briek clay, and a variety 
of small manufacturing institutions, which 
might he largely augmented. 
The Las Vegas hot springs, situated a few 
miles from th« city, are of world-wide repu¬ 
tation, and certainly the most delightfully 
located in the world. By the time this article 
appears the railroad will be completed from 
Las Vegas to them. 
We had the pleasure of meeting quite a 
numberof large cattle owners of Southeastern 
Colorado, and from them learned that the 
general char cteristics of the country under 
our pencil were uniform excepting perhaps in 
water privileges We learned from D. L. 
Taylor, who has 10,000 head of cattle graded 
up from Texans by thoroughbred Short horn 
bulls and high grade stock, that he usually 
turns off steers when three years old, market¬ 
ing them in Kansas City. The grazing is 
Buffalo Grass (Bochloe Dactyloioes). Several 
different grasses in the Rocky Mountain re¬ 
gion have received this name. It is a very 
low grass, growing in extensive tufts or 
patches, spreading largely by means of stoles 
or off shoots, like Bermuda Grass. It is hardly 
necessary to recapitulate the virtues of this 
widely-celebrated grass; it is safe-growing, 
and furnishes nutritious feed the entire season. 
For getting herds together the “rounding 
up,” commences in May. and continues until 
the last of November, or the first of December. 
During thn process the stock are all gone over 
three times, gathering them all in, and brand 
ing the calves. Every stock owner has bis 
individual brand, and this is registered with 
the county clerk, The working force in the 
round up averages about one herder aud six 
to eight horses to each thousand cattle. Two 
year-old steers will average, when they leave 
the herd,about 000 pounds, and three y ar olds, 
about 1,100 pounds. About one-tenth of the 
entire herd is turned off each year, usually in 
October or November. 
To give an iiDa of the vast cattle interests 
surrounding Trinidad, we will mention the 
number of cattle in a few important herds: 
W. A. Burnett’s 8,000; S. Horn’s 9,000; G W. 
Thompson’s 8,500; the San Juau’s 4,(KM); the 
Sam. Daw’s 10,000; Dr. T. E. Hone’s 10 500; 
James Willoox’a, 5.000; Furnish & Sons’ 6,000; 
Frank Glume’s 8,000; H ill & Hammett’s 5,000; 
Prairie Cattle Co.’s 75.000; S. W. Dorsey 
(herding in New Mexico), 30,000; besides 
numerous smaller herds, within a radius of 
160 miles. 
In regard to the sheep industry tributary 
to Trinidad, we had a conversation with 
George R. Swallow, president of the First 
National Bank of that city. He informed ua 
that Mr. F. D. Wight, former president, had 
a flock of 7,300 lambing ewes; 2,300 yearlings; 
10,000 wethers, and 150 merino rams; the labor 
is one man to 1,000 sheep; one horse to 2,000 
sheep, no dogs used. The clip is about six 
pounds per head per annum; value of the 
sheep ahout $4.00 per head; can keep the flock 
up to 20.000 head, and turn off about $15,000 
worth of sheep per annum. Wool is clipped 
in July, and the amount shipped from Trin¬ 
idad, unwashed, is 110,000 pounds to 115,000 
pounds per annum His original stock were 
Mexican ewes and Merino bucks; his present 
stock, three-fourths to seven eighths Merino, 
rest Mexican. J. G, Abbot and Jaffa Brothers, 
have a flock numbering 11,520, They were 
originally Mexican ewe;, improved for five 
years with Merino rams. The labor here is 
one man to 1,000 head; ten burros (Mexican 
jacks) and eight horses to the herd; average 
clip of twelve months per head five pounds; 
average value per head, including laraba, if 
sold in August or September, $3 50 to $2 75 
per head. The clip of 1SSI was 43,000 pounds, 
valued at $ 10,0l)0, The value of range suffi¬ 
cient to accommodate 25,000 head the entire 
year is $8,000. 
" The above,” said Mr. Swallow “is a fair 
average of the sheep industry within a radius 
of one hundred miles from Trinidad. I think 
over 150,000 sheep are kept within this cir¬ 
cuit. The stock of the country would now 
a verage three-fourths Merino and one-fourth 
Mexican, and this is about as fine as our sheep 
men want them. They are much better 
than full-blood Merinos brought from the 
East. The one-quarter or one eighth of Mexi¬ 
can blood gives them herding qualities and 
stamina.” The Hon. Casimiro Barela has 
6.0 (0 head, improved. Hon. George W. 
Thompson has a large herd. Edward West 
has 6 300, seven eiehths Merino, returning him 
an income of $18,000. Jose A. Salazar has 
9,000; A. A. Salas 5,000; Juan Vigil, 4,000; M. 
Apodaca, 5,000; S. T. Brown, 5,000; R. H. 
Purington, 10,000; Maldonados & Son, 7,000; 
and so we might go on, giving the names of 
parties owning from 5,000 down to 5,100, 
almost all of them making more mouey for 
the labor aud capital invested than the 
grain farmers of the East. 
While the cattle business is generally re¬ 
garded as attended with less risk and more 
certain in its results, many claim for sheep 
raising a larger profit. Those who have large 
experience and ample means of observation 
say that where it is desired to invest a large 
capital, without giving close personal atten¬ 
tion to the business, cattle would be prefera¬ 
ble, but where a man desires to invest a small 
or moderate capital, in either business and 
give it his whole time, more money and 
quicker returns would be made, by purchas¬ 
ing sheep. The prairies in this country, con 
trary to most prairie land in the world, vary 
in altitude from 4,500 to 8,000 feet above the 
the sea level while in the valleys, and for a 
small distance up the mountains the herbage 
is abundant and the grazing unexcelled. The 
only difficulty attendant on the raising of 
stock in this portion of the world, seems to be 
the lack of good water; therefore springs, or 
running streams are almost as much at a 
premium as big leads in the mining districts, 
or magnificent prospects. 
Trinidad is surrounded by one of the finest 
coal fields in the United States, to the extent 
of 900 square miles, so reported by Professor 
Hayden. The coal is bituminous, in three 
veins—the upper about four feet thick the 
middle, six to ten feet; the lower three feet. 
The veins are close together, and it is sup¬ 
posed they all run into one vein, when under 
the Raton Mountain. All of the gas-works in 
Colorado aud New Mexico use Trinidad coal. 
A tremendous enterprise has been inaugur¬ 
ate! by the differeut coal mining co < panies 
doing business about Trinidad in the pro¬ 
duction of coke which is u«ed all through the 
mining districts of the State for smelting pur¬ 
poses, ami there are over 500 coke ovens now 
in operation about Trinidad. Oue mine alone 
turns out 1,000 tons of coal every 31 hours, or, 
at least, it would be able to do so with the de¬ 
mand to justify it. 
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe R. R. 
Company obtain from mines near here all the 
coal necessary for their own use, and the Trini¬ 
dad coal is shipped as far east as Lamed, Kan¬ 
sas, and south to El Paso, Texas. The Trini¬ 
dad coal is void of ash, has but a trifle of sul¬ 
phur, and makes good hard coke, which in 
blast furnaces is capable of bearing up great 
masses of ore. 
Trinidad, the center of these great inter¬ 
ests, in Southeastern Colorado, has a popula¬ 
tion of about 3,500, although at the time of 
the census of 1880 there were only 2.150, The 
schools are fair, and a new school-house is al¬ 
most completed, to cost $15,000, The Trinidad 
Academy is preparing to build, but now it 
rents rooms. The convent school is well con¬ 
ducted, and well patronized. The Methodists, 
Presbyterians and Catholics own good church 
buildings. The Methodists South are now 
erecting a new one. The Episcopal society 
own eligible lots, and expect to build soon. 
They now hold services in the court-house, a 
good substantial building erected in 1881, at a 
cost of over $15,000. The town has gas and 
water works, the reservoirs being 250 feet 
above the city. The gas is very superior. A 
line of street cars will soon be running over a 
course one-and-one-half mile in length. The 
boom is still apparent in this pretty city. 
Jaffa block (#30,000), one hundred feet front, 
cut stone, two stories, is nearly completed. 
Thomas C. Stevens’s block (#30,000) will be 
finished thi3 year. The railroad company is 
putting up a splendid round house of stone, 
and anew passenger depot. The Grand Union 
Hotel about finished (#50,000), contains 80 
rooms and will soon be open. It has all mod¬ 
ern appliances. The Trinidad Stone Com¬ 
pany's works are kept running constantly, 
sawing out. the finest sandstone found west of 
Ohio. It is considered superior to anything 
yet found in the Rocky Mountains. Several 
of Denver’s fine buildings are faced with it. 
Quite a jobbing trade is done here. Some of 
the merchants carry from $30,000 to #40,000 
worth of stocks. There is one National and 
one private bank, both doing a good business. 
In passing over this part of the State, the 
agricultural interests should not be overlook¬ 
ed. Potatoes yield a tremendous crop with¬ 
out irrigation, and wheat, of good quality is 
raised. Four flouring mills are kept employed 
most of the time. Brick, fire clay and cement 
are found here in abundance. One of the im¬ 
mediate wants of the county is a medium- 
sized woolen mill, not an expensive one, but 
large enough to make blankets and heavy 
cloths. The immense product of wool, or at 
least, a portion of it tributary to the city 
would be utilized. 
- »♦» — 
RURAL BRIEFLETS. 
Prof. Bead’s statement in the Rural 
New-Yorker that one farmer raised to¬ 
matoes much earlier than his neighbors be¬ 
cause they were grown on poor land, reminds 
us of an experiment which gives pretty 
good proof that we need never look for heavy 
tomato yields on rich land. The soil for four 
plants was enriched with old farm manure, 
hen manure and several handfuls of chemical 
fertilizers. All were thoroughly mixed with 
the soil and the tomato plants set. When 
tho weather was dry, water was given plenti¬ 
fully. Wtien the plants were tall enough to 
need it, stakes about five feet high were 
driven about the plants, and cord tied about 
them, so as to give support to all the lateral 
branches. The growth of those tomato plants 
was something wonderful. After reaching the 
top of the stakes the vine fell over the top 
most cord, continuing to grow until the stake 
were concealed with foliage, and the plants 
were mounds of entaugled vines and leaves. 
They blossomed late, set few fruit, not one of 
which was ripe when frost killed them....... 
Of the three Wistarias cultivated as orna¬ 
mental vines the Chinese Purple is by far the 
showiest. But we derive great pleasure from 
the three being planted together. First, be¬ 
fore the leaves appear, blooms the Chinese 
Purple, then later, the American Purple, 
which is a darker shade, with smaller 
racemes, and finally the Chinese white ; so 
that the season of Wistaria bloom is prolonged 
into late June. The three cover the trunk of 
an old apple tree that was cut off six feet 
above the ground... 
Nothing that we ever have seen in the 
way of trees or shrubs equals in beauty and 
delicacy of finely cut 1 aves the Pur¬ 
ple Japan Maple. They are as finely 
divided as those of a delicate fern, and 
of a bright, purple color. We purchased 
one plant about five years ago. It was then 
about a foot h>gh. It grew in several years a 
few inches, but is now rather smaller than 
when purchased, and is likely to dwindle 
away in a few years longer. The same may 
be said of the rest of our specimen lot. Two 
are dead and the others are injurei by the 
cold season fufiy as much as they grow 
during the Summer. These beautiful Japan 
Maples—pretty enough for conservatory 
plauts—wifi not thrive at the Rural Grounds. 
Fat’s Prolific Currant is fluffing with us, 
the plant having been sent to us last Spring, 
or rather in the Spring of ’81. The cur¬ 
rants are large—the racemes of good length. 
In how far it may differ from the Cherry 
Currant, which it closely resembles, we shall 
be uhle to tell our readers later. 
Mr. Roe writes us, under date of June 17, 
that the Bidwell takes the lead in his grounds 
and wherever he has seeu it. In New Jersey 
he has seen nothme to compare with it. It 
surpasses Jersey Queen and Manchester, 
grown side by side. 
Pricklt Co.MKRRV—Tile careful editor of the N. Y. 
Tribune remarks thin P tokly Comfrey, which some 
folds were confident, three or four years ngo. was 
golnif to do such great things for our agriculture, 
eeins o havu Joined ihe mysterious d Isappo r». 
Ob, no! It has not disappeared. We have 
a clnmp of the Prick) ey that has heen grow ing 
in the same place for not less than five years. 
We keep it to show to people who have 
heard of it. It is now four to five feet high 
and in bloom. The flowers are handsome — 
purple. It is an ornamental plant. It is 
odd. One shonld not be without a clump of 
the Prickly. We call it “Prickly” for short. 
It is one of those plants “not, cultivated as 
much as it deserves to be.” This plant of 
ours we cut to the ground twice each season. 
It would produce a prodigious amount of 
fodder—as much as was claimed for it by its 
advocates five years ago. There is no other 
plant that can equal it in this respeet— 
no, not one, that is, not one other fodder 
plant. Let it be considered that onr clnmp 
has never received any manure of anv kind, 
and that it grows in rather a poor soil, and 
yet It hears heing cut twice each season. It 
is as perennial as Lucerne—as hardy and per¬ 
sistent as a Canada Thistle. It will grow 
a greater amount of succulent leaves and 
stems than Dr. Billerica's new ensilage com 
two to one. What a plant for ensilage! It is 
strange it has never occurred to anybody be¬ 
fore. Five years ago we served the leaves of 
Pricklev Comfrey to pigs, cows, horses and 
hens. We never found an animal that ate it, 
and we said so, much to the disgust of those 
who advertised it for sale, and who were cul¬ 
tivating It for sale. It was after awhile ad¬ 
mitted that farm animals would not eat it at 
first, hut that an appetite was readily ac¬ 
quired, a little starving being the method 
recommended. We have never tried this. 
M e simply coaxed our animals. We served 
it to them when the leaves were young and 
tender—when they were older and finally 
when tho plant was in hloom. Then we pull¬ 
ed off the leavps and left them to wilt, think- 
ing that this might mollify the asperity of the 
prickles of the Prickly. It was of no avail. 
We would not take considerable for our 
clump of this remarkable forage plant. 
Years hence there raav not be a clump of 
it in the country. Besides, with all its mer¬ 
its, it will surely be re-introduced some day. 
Then we shall have this clump for a drawing 
from life. No, we do not intend it shall join 
the army of “mysterious disappearers.” 
We have been continuing our experiments 
with Pyrethrum powder. Many of our fruit 
trees this year, as in late years, are infested 
with plant lice (aphides). A young cherry 
tree (eight years old) was last year nearly 
stripped of its leaves by these pests, and is 
now well infested again. The tree is about 
12 feet high, and it occurred to us that we 
would select it, upon whiah to test the effect 
of the insect powder upon the lice which ex¬ 
isted in such quantities as to curl up all of the 
terminal leaves. The air was quiet, so that a 
handful thrown up against the tree hovered 
among its leaves like a cloud of smoke. A 
pound of the Dalmatian powder was used in 
this way when it was evident that every leaf 
had received a share. Examining the tree 
the next day and since, it was found that the 
lice had not been materially lessened in num¬ 
bers... 
Our next test was upon the grubs (larvte) of 
the Potato beetle. A hundred of them were 
collected and placed in a tomato can with 
fresh potato leaves and a pinch of the powder 
sifted upon them. Closing the top, the can 
was gently shaken. At the end of 36 hours 
but one grub showed signs of life. We then 
dusted a plot of potatoes upon which t^e grubs 
were quite abundant. They were examined 
three hours after and not a grub was to be 
seen except upon a leaf here and there which 
the powder had missed. The next day, how¬ 
ever, it was found that many had returned, 
and that the powder which still remained upon 
the leaves no longer had any effect to harm or 
keep them away. It would seem that unless 
injects are so confi ed that they are obliged 
to breathe the dust, the Dalmatian Insect Pow¬ 
der is not fatal to them... 
We have already recorded our experiments 
with the perfect beetles. Many of them re¬ 
covered after remaining a day or so in an 
apparently lifeless state. We have since found 
that a larger quantity shaken up in the can 
with the beetles or a smaller quantity twice 
applied, kills them. 
CATALOGUES, &C. 
Premium List of the 24th Annual Fair of 
the Minnesota State Agricultural Society, in 
connection w ith several other State Associa¬ 
tions, to be held at Rochester, Minn., Aug. 31, 
Sept. 1 to S, inclusive. Competition open to 
the world. R. C. Judson, Farmington, Da¬ 
kota Co., Secretary. 
Noxious and Beneficial Insects of Il¬ 
linois, being the 11th report of State En¬ 
tomologists and the sixth of Dr. Cyrus 
Thomas. 
Storks’ Agricultural School, Mans¬ 
field, Conn. Order of closing exercises, 
W ednesday. Juno 28, at one o’clock p. m. 
