CATTLE RAISING ON THE PLAINS. 17 
ber of as yet unnamed diseases (at least unnamed by the stock 
men) exist on the range, and whenever an animal acts queer it is 
called “locoed.” 
The remedy usually applied is to take the animal away from 
the range upon which it has become diseased and feed it plenty of 
nutritious food. 
Financial Results oj Stock Raising. The main question 
at issue is, “Does stock-raising on the Plains pay?” The answer 
cannot be a definite “yes” or “no.” The results of a venture de¬ 
pend upon the man behind the business, and also upon the condi¬ 
tions which he happens to meet in the work. We have known 
some men who made money raising cattle when prices were low¬ 
est and have met others who have broken up when prices of cattle 
were at the highest point. Close attention to details, an accurate 
acquaintance with the conditions existing upon the range used 
and good judgment in buying and selling are all among the factors 
which give success. If the herd is small the cows must be milked 
in order to make the profits sufficient to support a family. A man 
with ten cows can make a good living for his family and get 
ahead financially if he selects cows which give a fair amount of 
rich milk, and milks and cares for them properly. This man can 
raise feed enough to feed seven months in the year and keep his 
young stock growing all the time. He has but a small amount 
invested, and therefore his taxes are light. His stock stay near 
home and the expense of hunting for strays is small. 
The man who has one hundred cows must hire some work 
done even if he raises no feed. He will be lucky if wintering 
does not cost him at least $3 per head in feed and losses from 
starvation. If he sells fifty head of cattle at $25 per head, his 
total income will be $1,250 per year. Out of this he must pay 
all store bills, feed bills, lumber bills, etc., and by the time he has 
paid all bills and the interest on his investment he may not be 
ahead of his poor neighbor who milks the cows. But one man 
cannot figure out the results in advance for either himself or an¬ 
other and get them as they will come out in actual practice. 
Taking it all around the personal factor is the main one in this, 
as in every other business venture. 
