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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..852d43a --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50420 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50420) diff --git a/old/50420-8.txt b/old/50420-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index d56dfe3..0000000 --- a/old/50420-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3286 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of History of the Beef Cattle Industry in -Illinois, by Frank Webster Farley - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: History of the Beef Cattle Industry in Illinois - -Author: Frank Webster Farley - -Release Date: November 10, 2015 [EBook #50420] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BEEF CATTLE INDUSTRY--ILLINOIS *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, The Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - HISTORY OF THE BEEF CATTLE INDUSTRY IN ILLINOIS - - BY - - FRANK WEBSTER FARLEY - - - THESIS - - FOR THE - - DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE - - IN AGRICULTURE - - IN - - THE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE - - OF THE - - UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS - - 1915 - - - - -UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS - - - May 22, 1915 - - THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT THE THESIS PREPARED UNDER MY SUPERVISION BY - - _Frank Webster Farley_ - - ENTITLED _History of the Beef Cattle Industry in Illinois_ - - ______________________________________________________________ - - IS APPROVED BY ME AS FULFILLING THIS PART OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE - DEGREE OF _Bachelor of Science in Agriculture_ - - ____________________________________________________ - - _~Henry P Rusk~_ - Instructor in Charge - - APPROVED: _May 27, 1915_ - - ~Herbert W. Mumford~ - HEAD OF DEPARTMENT OF Animal Husbandry - - - - -INDEX - - - I. Introduction - Topography of the Land - People - Cattle and cattle feeding - - II. Cattle Feeding Industry - The first silo in Illinois - The Chicago market - - III. Cattle Barons and Pioneer Drovers - John T. Alexander - Jacob Strawn - Benjamin Franklin Harris - Tom Candy Ponting - - IV. The Range Industry - Texas cattle - - V. The Pure Bred Industry - T. L. Miller - Thomas Clark - - VI. Cattle Plagues - - VII. The Feed Industry of the United States. - - HISTORY OF THE BEEF CATTLE INDUSTRY IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS - - - - -I. INTRODUCTION - - -_Topography of the Land_ - -"As a whole, the surface of the State of Illinois is nearly level. -The prairie regions which cover a large part of the state are only -slightly rolling, except in those places where streams have worn -valleys. These are shallow in the eastern and the northern parts of -the state, deepening gradually as the great rivers are approached. -Nearly all the waters of Illinois find their way to the Mississippi -river. Along this river, as also along the larger streams of the state, -the lands are cut into abrupt bluffs or sharp spurs which, nearing -the sources of the streams, gradually become softened into rounded -hillocks, sinking at last into the low banks. Through such waterways -as these form, flow streams usually gentle in current, often sluggish, -and sometimes becoming even stagnant. Over a large part of the state, -ponds and "sloughs", or marshes, formerly abounded. In these the water -was renewed only by the rains that fell occasionally. Under hot suns -these ponds, having neither inlet nor outlet, quickly became foul, -particularly where stock resorted to them to drink and cool themselves, -as they did almost universally throughout the state a few years ago, -and do even now in some parts. - -"For years such ponds furnished the principal, almost the only, water -supply for stock in large areas of this state. The constant use of -such impure water greatly injured the quality of the milk and butter of -cows, and doubtless had a baneful effect upon the health of the animals -that drank the foul water and those who used the milk and butter. - -"With the drainage of the land and the introduction of a pure supply -of water, came the disappearance of certain diseases of cattle and of -human beings, particularly the so-called milk sickness and kindred -maladies, and a marked improvement in the flavor and keeping qualities -of milk and butter. Although the change thus far has been great, there -are yet districts in which there has been little improvement in the -conditions of the land, of the water supply, or of the people. Stock -are still compelled to depend, for their water supply, upon streams and -pools that almost invariably become stagnant in the warm and dry days -of the latter part of summer each year."[1] - -Inquiries addressed to hundreds of intelligent and careful observers, -nearly all of whom were practical stockmen, elicited information -showing the following: - - Number of District Chief Source of Water - Counties Supply - - 8 Northwest or Postal Streams and wells; - District springs furnish a - considerable part of - it; few ponds used; - three instances of - tile drains. - - Central Northern Wells chief source; - Counties springs, streams, - and tiles used to a - considerable extent. - - Northeast Counties Streams, wells, and springs - used about equally. - - Eastern Counties Wells chiefly; streams next; - ponds and tile drains - follow in the order named; - nine instances of springs. - - Central Counties Forty-nine districts report - wells; forty report - streams; thirty-five tile - drains; twenty-five ponds; - twenty-four springs. - - Western Counties Wells and tile drains equal; - springs next; ponds in a - few instances. - - 4 Southern Counties Ponds and streams equal; six - report wells; five report - springs; four tile drains. - - 21 Central S. Counties Ponds chiefly; streams next; - wells next; springs and - tiles in the order named. - - Southeast and - Southwest Counties A like condition: ponds, - streams, and springs. - -"From all parts of the state, correspondents wrote that the ponds and -streams become stagnant in the warm months of summer, a few making -exception of those years in which rainfall has been heavy during the -summer months. Stagnant water is found more generally in the southern -than in the northern part of Illinois; chiefly, perhaps, because the -cultivation and drainage of the land has not become almost universal as -it has in the northern districts." - -In several counties artesian wells afford a most copious supply of -water of good quality. In Iroquois and other eastern counties, such -wells have been bored to a depth of from 150 to 200 feet and obtained -an unfailing flow of water impregnated with minerals. Stock show a -strong liking for such water after becoming accustomed to its use, -and it is the belief of those who have had opportunity for observing -the effects of its continued use, that this mineral water serves to -keep the animals free from disorders which formerly prevailed in that -region. This seems to be especially apparent in regard to malarial -disorders. - - -_People_ - -About 1820, the State of Illinois was being rapidly settled by -people from the eastern states. Prior to this time, very few white -settlements had been made in the state. These early pioneers, drawn -from the population of the eastern states, were composed of almost -all nationalities. They pushed their way across the mountains of -Pennsylvania and Virginia in crude wagons, drawn by oxen, bringing -with them their household goods and a few milk cows. They came into -Illinois, built new homes, and laid out new fields on the broad, -unsettled prairies.[2] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -Beginning with the year of 1800, when there were only a few people in -the state, the population has increased very rapidly, as is shown by -the following statistics, taken from the United States Census Report -(special supplement for the State of Illinois): - - Year Population - - 1790 - 1800 5,641 - 1810 24,520 - 1820 147,178 - 1830 343,031 - 1840 685,866 - 1850 851,470 - 1860 1,711,951 - 1870 2,539,891 - 1880 3,077,871 - 1890 3,826,352 - 1900 4,821,550 - 1910 5,638,591 - - -_Cattle and Cattle Feeding_[3] - -When Illinois was first settled, almost the whole of the middle and -the northern parts of the state were covered with a rank growth of -native grasses, which furnished an ample supply and variety of forage -of fair quality. "In the southern districts were heavy forests, but in -the central and northern sections were but few groves or other timber -growths to afford shelter to stock." The prairie grasses that grew in -the central and northern districts were usually devastated by fire -during the fall. However, the general fencing and cultivation of the -land put a stop to the burning of these dead grasses of the prairies, -and soon groves of oaks sprang up and covered many uncultivated spots. -The leaves which stayed on these trees throughout the winter until -spring, furnished valuable shelter to stock from the raw winter winds. - - -At the beginning of the settlement of Illinois, very little attention -was given to the cattle interest. The pioneer settlers, however, -had brought a few milk cows with them from the eastern states, but -these cows were kept for milk only, no thought being given to beef -production. After a few years, a few pure bred cattle were brought in, -at which time some attention was given to beef, as well as to milk -production, not for the beef produced, however, but principally to give -a ready market for their grain crops. - -The practice of raising beef cattle to market grain continued from then -until near the end of the nineteenth century, when cattle feeding was -no longer profitable as a grain market, and the question was: "How much -beef can be produced from a bushel of corn?"[4] - -"Despite the seemingly adverse character of the climate, Illinois has -been, for some time, little, if any, behind other leading states of the -Union in stock growing. In 1850, this state stood sixth in milk cows, -and seventh in work oxen and other cattle. In 1860, it was tenth in -work oxen, fifth in milk cows, and second in other cattle. In 1870, it -was twenty-sixth in work oxen, fourth in milk cows, and second in the -supply of other cattle. In 1880, it stood thirty-sixth in work oxen, -second in milk cows, and third in other cattle. Iowa then had 240,280 -and Texas had 1,812,860 more cattle than Illinois. - -"The average value of milk cows in Illinois in 1884 was $35, and of -oxen and other cattle, it was $28.04, while the average value of milk -cows in Iowa was only $31.75, and of other cattle $26.00. The blood of -the Shorthorns was used more largely than that of any other breed in -the improvement of the cattle of the state. The first, and for some -years, the only representatives of pure races of cattle in this state -were Shorthorns, and to this date they exceed all other breeds in -number." - -The growth of the cattle interest in the State of Illinois, from 1850 -to 1884, inclusive, is shown by the following statistics, taken from -the United States Census Reports. The first figures of close accuracy -on the number of cattle in the state were those gotten in 1850. - - ----+--------------+-------------+----------------+----------------- - | Milch Cows | Work Oxen | Other Cattle | Total - Year|-------+------+------+------+---------+------+---------+------- - | No. |Inc. %| No. |Inc. %| No. |Inc. %| No. | Inc. % - ----+-------+------+------+------+---------+------+---------+------- - 1850|294,671| |76,156| | 541,209| | 912,036| - | | | | | | | | - 1860|522,634| 77.3 |90,380| 18.6 | 970,799| 79.4|1,583,813| 73.6 - | | | | | | | | - 1870|640,321| 22.5 |19,766|-78.1 |1,055,499| 8.7|1,715,586| 8.3 - | | | | | | | | - 1880|865,913| 35.2 | 3,346|-83.0 |1,515,063| 43.5|2,384,322| 38.9 - | | | | | | | | - 1883|716,102|-17.3 | | |1,253,765| -17.2|1,969,867| -17.4 - | | | | | | | | - 1884|919,404| 17.7 | | |1,471,191| 17.3|2,390,595| 21.3 - ----+-------+------+------+------+---------+------+---------+------- - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] Report of the Bureau of Animal Industry, 1885, p. 362. - -[2] United States Census Report and interviews with old settlers. - -[3] Report of Bureau of Animal Industry, 1885, p. 365. - -[4] Bureau of Animal Industry, 1885, p. 365-66 - - - - -II. CATTLE FEEDING INDUSTRY[5] - - -"When the farms of Illinois were first put into cultivation, the -attention of the farmers was almost entirely devoted to grain raising. -Wheat was cash and was the only product of the farm that could be sold -for ready money. The virgin soils of the state gave to the pioneer -large crop yields, but constant cropping soon began to tell on the soil -and each year the crop yield became lighter. This depletion of the -fertility of the soil by continuous cropping, together with a need for -a near market for the grain crops, soon gave stimulus to an idea that -cattle feeding would help restore the fertility of the soil and, at the -same time, market the grain at home." From this time on, the production -of beef in this state has been one of the most important phases of -agriculture. In the southern part of the state, however, which was -settled largely by French, and where the predominating cattle continued -to be the mongrel bred stock, little attention was given to cattle -feeding. These people turned their cattle out on the luxuriant grass -and relied upon the meat and milk produced in that way. - -"In the evolution or development of beef production that followed -in Illinois and other corn-belt states, there has been two distinct -stages, and it is now entering upon the third stage. The first stage -was that in which cattle were fed to market corn, and also to increase -the fertility of the soil, which was being depleted by the continuous -cropping. The second stage was that in which the ranges had been broken -up and the object was not to raise cattle to market corn but to raise -corn to make beef." The third stage, or that upon which the industry is -now entering, is that of baby beef making. - -[Illustration] - -Seventy or eighty years ago, and for several years afterward, cattle -were bred and fed, not primarily for beef production, but to market -corn. The farmers of those days were accustomed to say: "I'll make -my corn walk to market," or "I'll condense my freight," or "I'll -grow packages in which I can condense my corn and put in the hay and -pastures as well." Statisticians figured that about six tons of corn -could be put into one ton of pork, about ten tons into one ton of beef, -and from twenty to twenty-five tons into one ton of butter. There -were very few railroads in the state at that time and farmers were -forced to haul their corn and wheat thirty and forty miles to reach -a station. And while freight rates were extortionately high on corn -and wheat in proportion to their cash value, railroads were racing -with each other to get the livestock trade. They gave passes, rebates, -and quick service, and many other things to get the patronage of the -cattle feeders and shippers. The country roads in Illinois were bad, -the bridges were few and poor, and the farmers, therefore, soon came to -realize that their corn must walk to market if it gave them any profit. - -"The growing of the so-called packages in which to condense freight, -and thereby sell corn to a better advantage, was an easy matter -in those days. In the newer sections, away from the main lines of -railroads, there was much open prairie land, which was covered with -luxuriant grass. Cattle could be herded on this free grass on the -prairies at a dollar a head from May to October, and then stalk -fields could be had for ten cents an acre. Usually these stalk fields -contained from twenty cents to thirty cents worth of corn per acre. The -only expensive months for feeding were March and April, when either -clover, timothy, or prairie hay had to be fed. The cost in the summer -was only about twenty cents a month per head, in the winter about -thirty-three cents. The total cost of growing a package was about -$6.00." - -The cattle herders in those days made contracts with the large -operators to graze so many cattle at so much per head during the -grazing season. The usual price for the entire season was from $1.00 to -$1.50 per head. These cattle ranged from three to seven years old by -the time they were ready for market and sold for about $25.00 per head. - -An instance of the cattle herding industry, as it may be termed, is -related by Mr. C. W. Yapp, now of Urbana, Illinois, who was one of the -early herders in that country near Mahomet: - -About 1855, at 13 years of age, Mr. Yapp began herding cattle for the -then large cattle feeders of that part of the country. In the early -spring of 1860, he started from Mahomet with a bunch of 12 cattle, to -meet a large drove that was coming up from the southern part of the -state. These cattle were native stock which had been collected over -the state. The entire bunch numbering around 900, were driven to -Drummer's Grove, near Gibson City. There they were branded and herded -on the open prairie during the spring and summer. In the fall, they -were returned to the lots of the large feeders, where they were fed -out during the winter. The feed during the winter consisted mostly of -shocked corn. - -Some of the large cattle feeders bought their packages to be filled -with corn, while others grew them. In either case, the primary aim was -not to make beef, but to market the corn crop at a much better price -than would be obtained if the winter was spent in hauling the corn to -market at the nearest town. Naturally, these feeders fed corn with a -lavish hand. They fed from twenty to thirty pounds to a steer per day, -and if the steer became gorged and mussed over it, it was thrown out -to the hogs. They kept corn before their cattle all the time. They -argued that if you want solid beef, beef that will weigh like lead, -give the cattle nothing but corn and water. They wanted big packages, -nothing less than two-year-old steers past would do, and three and -four-year-olds were preferable. They wanted steers that would be at -least four years old when ready for market and that would weigh from -1500 to 1600 pounds. These steers were desirable because they would -hold more corn than the smaller ones. Very little attention was given -to the finish of the steers sent to market. They were all driven out -together regardless of the degree of finish. It was not until some -time in the eighties and nineties that much attention was given to the -degree of finish in fat steers when sent to market. - -After the open prairies became settled up and there was no more free -grass at home, the feeders of Illinois and the adjoining states could -buy their packages on the ranges on the plains west of the Mississippi -river, or at the range cattle markets. Corn was still cheap and so were -packages in the shape of stockers and feeders. The reason for this was -that the great corn fields of Kansas and Nebraska were being opened -up and the great national pastures from Canada to the Texas Panhandle -had not yet become spotted and rendered useless by the homesteader. -Speculation in semi-arid land had not set in, and the term "dry -farming" had not been invented. - -The great drouths caused the price of corn to fluctuate but the -aggregate corn yield kept on increasing with increased acreage and -usually the year following a drouth was one of superabundance of corn. -Such was the year of 1895 following the drouth of 1894. The proportion -of cattle per thousand population steadily increased. Meanwhile our -cattle markets became centralized and were always full to overflowing. -Everybody wondered where the cattle came from. - -In the year of 1895, this system reached its climax. The question -confronting the farmer at this time was: "Why did he continue growing -corn and feeding cattle?" He grew corn because he could do it cheaply -and more certainly than anything else. The farmer had begun to realize -that the limit of good land watered by the rains of heaven would soon -be reached. He would, therefore, hold on to his land and gain back -all that he had lost in fertility by growing corn in the increased -price of land that was sure to come in the near future. He had been -feeding cattle to sell his corn with the idea also that cattle feeding -and cattle grazing were good for the land. The limit of good land was -not reached, however, nearly so soon as he had expected and when it -was reached, land advanced in price more rapidly than even the most -optimistic had anticipated. The year of 1895 marks the end of the first -stage of beef production in Illinois as well as in the other corn belt -states. - -[Illustration: _The Summer That the Rain Came Not_] - -In the nineties (1896), cattle feeding in Illinois and the other -corn belt states entered upon the second stage of its evolution or -development. The purpose of feeding cattle during this stage was not -to market corn but to make beef. The great corn crop of 1895 and 1896, -following the drouth of 1894, gave very cheap corn. Cattle were cheap -also. During the two years 1896-1897, business was on a standstill the -whole country over, but the next year, 1898, business started in full -blast; cattle began to advance in price, and the demand for feeders -increased. As a consequence, the whole country was scoured for them, -but it was found that the choicest ones had been sold off in 1894, and -the early part of 1895. Cattle feeders, anxious to secure cattle to -fill their feed lots, turned to other sources for their supply. They -went into Mexico, Oregon, Colorado, and Tennessee, and bought their -feeder cattle. When cattle went up in price, corn went up also, then -labor began to gradually go up. - -At that point began the advance in the value of land. The government -had no more choice corn land. The two acres necessary to keep a cow -during the summer and two more acres, the hay from which would keep -her during the winter, doubled in price within the next fifteen years, -but it did not increase in actual value as determined by the amount of -grass or grain it would produce. It was at that time the people were -confronted first with dear land, stockers, feeders, corn, hay, and -beef. This all led the cattle feeders and the corn growers to begin -studying out a method or system by which they could profitably grow -corn to make beef instead of growing beef to market corn. The prices of -fat cattle were very tempting, something unheard of ever before, but -when it came to buying feeders, the margin was very little greater than -it had been in previous years, and besides, corn was higher than it -had ever been. The problem then was, how to get the most beef out of a -bushel of corn. - -Experiment stations had been doing work along that line for several -years. They pointed out that the younger and smaller the animal is, the -less will be the grain required to sustain the life-giving forces, or -to run the machine, and a greater proportion will go to the building up -of body tissue, hence the greater the profit in feeding young animals. -Feeders began to drop out the two and three year old steers and replace -them with baby beeves. Many feeders tried it but somehow or other they -could not make it work according to the experimental evidence. They -found no profit in feeding any kind of cattle. Many feed lots became -empty and blue grass and clover pastures were plowed up and put into -corn fields. If corn was worth more outside of the steer than it was -in the steer, the farmer argued, why feed cattle? The landlord could -get more rent from corn land than from grass land devoted to cattle -grazing; therefore, he saw no profit in building expensive barns, -sheds, and fences for cattle feeding. - -In the summer of 1907, business was flourishing and packers were in -need of money. To meet their needs, they flooded the western banks with -commercial paper. They bought so few cattle that the price fell off -at least 30 per cent in three months' time. The loss accrued by such -a rapid decline in the price of fat cattle was so great that it paid -for the commercial paper that had been issued by the packers. Such -conditions as these hastened the process of depleting the feed yards -and decreasing the number of cattle on the market. - -"The cattle have left central Illinois and the grain elevator now -distinguishes the landscape. The vast blue grass pastures of the -ante-bellum period have disappeared, and corn tillage is the principal -occupation of the agrarian population. Down in Morgan and Sangamon -counties, even recollections of the cattle trade, as it existed in the -days of John T. Alexander and Jacob Strawn, are being rapidly affected. -A few cattle come in from the west to be fattened on corn, but summer -grazing is the exception and the interest of the occupant of the land -centers, not in the cattle market quotations, but in the price of -corn.[6] - -"All the evidence seems to point toward the conclusions that another -change in the corn belt system of beef production is imminent. - -"One of two things will happen or Illinois will quit the cattle -business. Either some new breeding and rearing center must be -developed, or Illinois feeders must return to breeding their own feeder -steers. - -"I believe that Illinois will not quit the cattle business. There is -too much at stake besides the mere success or failure of the cattle -business alone. First of all, this country needs the beef. The greatest -people of the earth have been meat eaters, and I believe that the -American people will continue to eat meat and will pay the price -necessary to make its production profitable. - -"Another consideration of vital importance, but too broad a subject -for discussion in this connection, is the value of livestock as an -aid to the maintenance of soil fertility. Then, too, for the sake of -our economic stability, the livestock interest of the country must be -preserved and encouraged. Professor Herbert W. Mumford is my authority -for the statement that 80 % of the corn grown in the United States is -fed to livestock. Picture, if you can, the effect upon corn belt land -value and our economic situation generally if the country suddenly lost -this market for 80 % of its corn crop. - -"Regarding the possibility of another breeding center being developed, -it may be said that there are other sections that can produce feeders -much more cheaply than Illinois. There are large areas of cheap lands -in some of the Gulf states with which Illinois could not compete in the -production of feeder steers. But these sections are not interested in -the production of cattle, and it is doubtful if the south ever produces -a surplus of feeder steers. Hence, it seems that the probable solution -of the whole question will be brought about by producing our own -feeders. - -"If Illinois does return to the cattle breeding business, it will not -be on the old extensive scale that prevailed throughout the state a -generation ago. Grass grown on these high priced lands is too expensive -to be disposed of with so lavish a hand as it was thirty or forty years -ago. - -"A return to cattle breeding in Illinois will be coincident with a -more general adoption of supplement for pasture. The use of smaller -proportions of permanent pasture, more extensive use of rotated or -leguminous pastures, the passing of the aged steers in our feed lots, -and the inauguration of what may be called intensive systems of baby -beef production."[7] - -NUMBER OF BEEF CATTLE IN ILLINOIS BY YEARS FROM 1856 TO 1914. - - Year Number of Beef Cattle - in Illinois - - 1856 1 169 855 - 1857 1 351 209 - 1858 1 422 249 - 1859 1 336 565 - 1860 1 425 978 - 1861 1 428 362 - 1862 1 603 946 - 1863 1 684 892 - 1864 1 370 783 - 1865 1 568 280 - 1866 1 435 769 - 1867 1 486 381 - 1868 1 520 963 - 1869 1 584 445 - 1870 1 578 015 - 1871 1 611 349 - 1872 1 684 029 - 1873 2 015 819 - 1874 2 042 327 - 1875 1 985 155 - 1876 1 857 301 - 1877 1 750 931 - 1878 1 775 401 - 1879 1 862 265 - 1880 1 998 788 - 1881 2 045 366 - 1882 2 012 902 - 1883 1 959 867 - 1884 1 997 927 - 1885 2 166 059 - 1886 2 337 074 - 1887 2 480 401 - 1888 2 465 288 - 1889 2 398 191 - 1890 2 095 595 - 1891 1 853 318 - 1892 1 615 405 - 1893 1 812 924 - 1894 1 798 417 - 1895 1 782 158 - 1896 1 626 171 - 1897 1 753 371 - 1898 1 802 061 - 1899 1 886 933 - 1900 2 009 598 - 1901 2 372 710 - 1902 2 409 772 - 1903 2 325 980 - 1904 2 535 954 - 1905 2 301 519 - 1906 2 203 108 - 1907 2 065 816 - 1908 1 892 118 - 1909 1 691 686 - 1910 1 512 055 - 1911 1 473 741 - 1912 1 258 293 - 1913 1 170 628 - -"In reviewing the cattle breeding and the cattle feeding situation -in Illinois in 1894, Mr. J. G. Imboden stated that the outlook was -not very encouraging. The question was, "Are the men who are feeding -the grain and fodder crop of the farm any worse off than those grain -farmers who are selling their grain on the market, or even the butcher, -the grocer, the boot and shoe dealer, or the drygoods merchant?" They -undoubtedly were not at that time. Competition was very close, profits -small, and unless a business man was satisfied with a small profit, his -competitor did the business. Such were the conditions that faced the -cattle breeders and feeders at that time. - -"From 5 % to 10 % of the feeding value of the crops on Illinois farms -were left in the field; straw-stacks stood in the field where the -thresher left them; stover stood on the field after the corn was -husked, while on these same farms were stock that were shrinking from -exposure and lack of feed." - -The outlook for the feeder was very discouraging, but much more so for -the breeder. There were no hopes for success for the breeder until the -feeder had two or three years of success in order to make a market for -the cattle that were bred. Strong efforts were being made to devise -some methods of feeding the farm products more economically and in such -a way as would mean more grain and better profits for the feeder. - -"The cattle feeders of Illinois presumed that the time was nearing when -feeder cattle of the best grade for grazing and feeding purposes would -be hard to secure. While at that time there were plenty of cattle west -of the Mississippi river, in Illinois there was a scarcity of breeding -cattle to supply the demand. It was harder to buy a bunch of fifty -uniformly good steers, throughout central Illinois especially, than -it had been for fifteen years past. This was probably due to the fact -that feeders had quit raising their feeding cattle and the breeders had -changed from one breed to another in hopes of finding a breed that -would give them greater returns. Again, many breeders had become very -careless of the merits of the cattle on their farm."[8] - - -_The First Silo in Illinois_ - -"In 1881, Oatman Brothers, of Dundee, Illinois, built the first silo -in the state. At the eighth annual meeting of the Illinois State -Dairyman's Association, held at Dundee, Illinois, December 14-16, 1881, -Mr. E. J. Oatman read an article on "Silos and Ensilage."" - -Mr. Oatman stated that some agricultural paper in Chicago had been -agitating the building of silos in Illinois and had tried to induce -him to build one. The stories that the paper told about the value of -ensilage as a feed sounded too good to be true. The idea of cutting -up green fodder, packing it away in a hole, and expecting to see it -come out in first class condition, in the dead of winter, seemed to be -impossible. A great many objections arose to such "cow kraut" as some -called it. It would heat, ferment, and rot; therefore it was a very -difficult matter to make people see its value as a feed. - -Mr. Oatman, however, visited the farm of Messrs. Whitman and Burrell at -Little Falls, New York, on February 1, 1880, for the purpose of seeing -their silo and the condition of their ensilage. He made a thorough -investigation and thereupon became convinced that ensilage was a -success. He returned home to his farm at Dundee and made preparations -to build a silo. His first silo was 49 feet by 43 feet by 20 feet deep, -dug out into the ground. It was divided into three parts, all of -which were made of concrete. - -After the silo was finished, Mr. Oatman proceeded to fill it, which -required thirteen days with a force of ten men, at a rate of about -twenty-three tons per day. After it was filled, stone was placed on -top, at the rate of about 150 pounds per square inch. - -Mr. Oatman met with many discouragements with his new silo; the -community at large thought it was a very foolish idea. Some said that -if it did keep, the cattle would not eat it, and others still more -radical, even hoped that he would lose it all, and said that any man -who would try such a thing was crazy. - -When the time came to open the silo, Mr. Oatman found that the silage -was all fresh and nice with the exception of a few inches on top. His -cattle took to it readily, and he found that it greatly increased the -milk production of his dairy herd.[9] - -The use of ensilage as a feed for beef and milk production has become -so general in Illinois since the first silo was built in 1881 that -ensilage is now one of the staple feeds. While there are a few people -who still think that the use of ensilage in the production of beef -is a fad, practically every one agrees that it is economical in the -production of milk. - -Ensilage is a roughage and not a concentrate, and its profitableness in -a fattening ration depends not so much upon its nutritive value as upon -its succulence and palatability, the steers' ability to consume large -quantities of it, and the fact that it makes possible the utilization -of all of the corn plant, a large proportion of which would be wasted. - - -Every year sees a more general adoption of ensilage as a roughage, and -with the inauguration of the present intensive system of baby beef -production, and where the baby beeves are raised on the farm on which -they are to be fed, ensilage is the most economical feed that can be -used in maintaining the breeding herd. - - -_The Chicago Market_ - -"The situation of Chicago in the great agricultural center of the -United States brought it into prominence at an early day as the center -of the live stock trade. This position it has never lost. However great -may be the development of other sections of the country, Chicago can -not fail to continue to be the leader in this class of business. Its -location as a railroad center and its position as a distributing point -is made secure by the steadiness of its growth and the magnitude of its -present operations. There is greater competition in this market than -in any other. The Chicago market is the purchasing point, not only for -the local packers, large and small, the exporters, and the speculators, -but also for a great number of smaller packing houses scattered over -the country, and for the feeders and breeders of the most fertile and -largest agricultural sections of the United States."[10] - -Prior to the year of 1833, Chicago had no provisions to export, and as -late as 1836, an actual scarcity of food there created a panic among -the inhabitants. - -The first shipment of cattle products from Chicago was made in 1841, -by Newbury and Dale on the schooner, Napoleon, bound for Detroit, -Michigan. This shipment consisted of 287 barrels of salted beef and 14 -barrels of tallow. - - -_Statistics of Chicago 1837._ - - Population: - Whites 3989 - Colored 160 - Males 2579 - Females 1570 - ------ - Total 4149 - - Buildings: - Dwellings 398 - Drygoods stores 29 - Grocery stores 26 - Hardware stores 5 - Drug stores 3 - Churches 5 - -There were two weekly papers published in Chicago at this time: The -American, a whig paper, and the Democrat. - -The first market in the way of stock yards in Chicago was located on -the north branch of the Chicago river. These yards were used chiefly -for swine. In 1836, the first cattle yards were opened on a tract of -land near twenty-ninth street and Cottage Grove avenue. A few pens had -been erected here to accommodate the cattle trade. The first scales -for weighing livestock ever used in that country were used in these -yards.[11] - -In 1855, there were two regular stock yards in Chicago; one, called -the Merrick Yard, is now known as the Sherman Yards, and the other was -called the Bullshead Yard. A great many eastern people came to Chicago -at this time to buy fat cattle to take back east. Most of the cattle -they bought were driven over into Indiana to Michigan City, to be -shipped on east. John L. Hancock was the only packer in Chicago at this -time. Ice was not used, and packing was done during the cool seasons of -the year. - -One element of the success of Chicago as a market was the fact that -stock might be pastured without charge on the prairies near the city, -while the owners awaited favorable market conditions in the eastern -states. The cattle were herded on the open prairies just outside of the -city, and the buyers of Chicago rode out each day and bought the cattle -in such numbers as they needed. - -In 1865, the growth of the livestock traffic had increased so rapidly -that the several railroad companies that centered in Chicago, together -with the managers of the stock yards already existing, combined for the -erection of the Union Stock Yards. These were opened for business on -Christmas day, 1865.[12] - -"The meat industry of Chicago, from the purchase of the livestock to -the shipment of the meat, in either the fresh or the cured condition, -is carried on at the Union Stock Yards, which are located near the -outskirts of the city. The yards cover exactly a square mile of ground. -One-half of this area is covered with cattle pens, and the other half -by huge establishments of the packing houses. The pens are surrounded -by strong stockades, about shoulder high, and they are laid out in -blocks with streets and alleys, in much the same fashion as an ordinary -American town. The whole of this area, a half mile in width, and a mile -in length, is paved with red brick; and here we see the first notable -evidence of the effort to maintain the stock yards in a sanitary -condition. - -"The brick paving makes it possible to thoroughly clean both pens and -streets, and this is done at regular and frequent intervals."[13] - -"Whatever may have been the conditions in the past, it is a fact that -today the greatest care is exercised in the shipment and handling of -the stock from the time they leave the farms until they reach the -packing houses. The price that the animals will bring in the pens -depends upon the conditions they present under the eye of the buyer, -who represents the packing houses, and it is to the interest of the -farmers, the cattlemen, and the commission men, to whom the cattle are -consigned at the yards, that they shall receive the best food and the -most careful attention up to the very hour at which the sale is made. -They are shipped in special stock cars, in which they are carried as -expeditiously as possible to the stock yards, where they are unloaded -and driven to the pens. Here they are at once fed and watered, each pen -containing a feeding trough and a water trough, into which a stream of -fresh water is kept running. - -"The cattlemen consign their stock to the various commission houses, -and for receiving and selling the stock, there is a charge of, -respectively, twenty-five cents and fifty cents a head. The purchase -of the cattle is made by buyers, of whom each of the packing houses -maintain a regular staff." - -"About 1845, a bold editor left Buffalo, New York, then the greatest -lake part of the country, and bravely ventured as far into the rowdy -west as Chicago. Possibly the people here received him with generous -hospitality; perhaps they treated him with something even more warming -to the inner man; or it may be that as they filled him with solid chuck -and, perhaps, with less solid refreshments, they took occasion to -remark, with that modest and restrained hopefulness for which Chicago -people have justly received credit, that Chicago was destined to become -a town of some importance. Be that as it may, when that editor luckily -found himself once more safe within his sanctum, he gave vent to his -joy and overflowing gratitude by writing wild, enthusiastic predictions -concerning the future of the town, which was then aspiring to rise -above the rushes and wild rice of the Chicago river. - -"Reckless of the opinion of the readers of his paper, perhaps trusting -to their ignorance of the conditions of the out of the way place, this -bold editor predicted that the day would come when Chicago would have -an elevator capacious enough to hold 25,000 bushels of grain, and that -in a single winter season, 10,000 cattle, and as many hogs, would be -slaughtered and packed there. - -"Beef packing was the leading industry of Chicago at that time, but -no trustworthy statistics relating to the cattle traffic previous to -1851 have been preserved, and from 1851 until 1856 no account of the -receipts of cattle were kept. This was probably due to the fact that a -large number of those cattle that were brought to Chicago were held on -the open prairies until sold to butchers to supply the requirements for -local consumption. No accurate count of cattle disposed of in that way -could well be obtained." - -Statistics of the receipts of cattle at the Chicago Union Stock Yards -from 1851 to 1913, inclusive, and the shipments from 1852 to 1884, -inclusive: - - Year Receipts Shipments - 1851 22 566[14] - 1852 25 708[14] 77 - 1853 29 908[14] 2 657 - 1854 36 888[14] 11 221 - 1855 39 865[14] 8 253 - 1856 39 950 22 205 - 1857 48 524 25 502 - 1858 140 534 42 638 - 1859 111 694 37 584 - 1860 177 101 97 474 - 1861 204 579 124 146 - 1862 209 655 112 745 - 1863 300 622 187 048 - 1864 303 726 162 446 - 1865 333 362 301 637 - 1866 393 007 263 693 - 1867 329 188 203 580 - 1868 324 524 215 987 - 1869 403 102 294 717 - 1870 532 964 391 709 - 1871 543 050 401 927 - 1872 648 075 510 025 - 1873 761 428 574 181 - 1874 843 966 822 929 - 1875 920 843 696 534 - 1876 1 096 745 797 724 - 1877 1 033 151 703 402 - 1878 1 083 068 699 108 - 1879 1 215 732 726 903 - 1880 1 382 477 886 614 - 1881 1 498 550 938 712 - 1882 1 582 530 921 009 - 1883 1 878 944 966 758 - 1884 1 817 697 678 341 - 1885 1 905 518 - 1886 1 963 900 - 1887 2 382 008 - 1888 2 611 543 - 1889 3 023 281 - 1890 3 484 280 - 1891 3 250 359 - 1892 3 571 796 - 1893 3 133 406 - 1894 2 974 363 - 1895 2 588 558 - 1896 2 600 476 - 1897 2 554 924 - 1898 2 480 897 - 1899 2 514 446 - 1900 2 729 046 - 1901 3 031 396 - 1902 2 941 559 - 1903 3 432 486 - 1904 3 259 185 - 1905 3 410 469 - 1906 3 329 250 - 1907 3 305 314 - 1908 3 039 206 - 1909 2 929 805 - 1910 3 052 958 - 1911 2 931 831 - 1912 2 652 342 - 1913 2 513 074 - 1914 - - -_St. Louis Stock Yards_ - -In April, 1869, a charter was granted by the state of Illinois to the -East St. Louis Stock Yards Company. This company was authorized to -issue stock to an amount not to exceed $200,000. The original charter -of the company, which later operated the National Stock Yards, fixed -the capital stock thereof at $1,000,000, which was, subsequently, -raised, by a vote of the stock holders, to an amount of $250,000, -to meet the requirements of the rapidly growing business. When the -National Stock Yards were completed, they were more convenient than -were any others of their kind in the country. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[5] Wallaces' Farmer, 1913, and thesis by Garver, "History of Dairy -Industry in Illinois." - -[6] The Breeder's Gazette, July, 1913. - -[7] Lecture by Professor H. P. Rusk on "Beef Production." - -[8] The Breeder's Gazette, Feb. 1894. - -[9] Thesis "History of the Dairy Industry in Illinois" by Garner, 1911. - -[10] "Facts and Figures," by Wood Brothers, Live Stock Commission -Merchants, Chicago, 1906, and Report of Bureau of An. Ind. 1884. - -[11] Prairie Farmer, 1887, p. 160. - -[12] Life of Tom C. Ponting. - -[13] Scientific American--The Meat Industry of America, 1909. - -[14] Estimated. - - - - -III. CATTLE BARONS AND PIONEER DROVERS OF ILLINOIS - - -Previous to the end of the first quarter of the nineteenth century, no -droves of cattle were seen in the country west of Ohio. The first drove -ever driven from Illinois was taken from Springfield, through Chicago, -to Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 1825, by Colonel William S. Hamilton. -Beginning with this date, the practice of collecting cattle into droves -and driving them to market soon grew from a minor occupation into an -industry within itself; beef cattle that were grown and fattened in -Illinois were gathered together into large droves by men who made it a -business, and were driven to the then great cattle markets on the sea -board. Foremost among these early pioneer cattlemen were: Jacob Strawn, -John T. Alexander, B. F. Harris, and Tom C. Ponting. In the scope of -their operations, Jacob Strawn and John T. Alexander exceeded many of -the conspicuous operators in the rise and fall of the range industry -in this state. These men owned hundreds of acres of the prairie land -of the state, on which they collected enormous droves of cattle. These -cattle were grazed here throughout the spring and summer, then were -fed during the winter. It was no uncommon occurrence for one of these -operators to buy all the corn for sale during one season in three or -four counties. The next spring these fat bullocks were trailed across -the level country to the eastern mountain ranges, over which they -climbed to reach Lancaster, Philadelphia, and New York. Cincinnati and -Buffalo received a few of these cattle, but most of them were driven -on through to the markets on the sea board, where better prices were -obtained. These cities bore about the same relation to the livestock -traffic of those days as Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, and St. -Joseph bear to the cattle trade of today; they were the collecting -points for the business and the slaughterers who bought them either -salted the carcasses down in barrels and casks or sold them to local -consumers. Other dealers, however, bought some of these cattle and -drove them on to smaller towns nearer the coast. "In the census of -1850, it was recorded that Illinois alone sent 2,000 head of cattle -each week to the New York market." - -While the cattle barons represented a large part of the beef cattle -trade of Illinois, there were hundreds of smaller dealers who fed only -a few cattle each year which added materially to the magnitude of the -beef cattle industry of the state. A few of these smaller operators -were found in almost every section of the state, especially in the -central and northern part. - -Cattle trailing continued until lines of railroad connecting Illinois -with the cities on the Atlantic coast were built. This made cattle -trailing unnecessary and greatly stimulated the production of beef in -the state by furnishing means for placing beef before the consumers of -the east quickly and, at a much less cost than that of the old method. -The long drives greatly decreased the weight of the animals, and, at -the same time, the meat of carcasses was inferior to that of the cattle -that were shipped by railroad, and slaughtered without having taken -such a long drive.[15] - - -_John T. Alexander_[16] - -[Illustration: JOHN T. ALEXANDER.] - -"Among the cattle operators of Illinois, John T. Alexander was probably -the greatest by reason of the magnitude of his transactions, but he -was antedated by Jacob Strawn, who located in Morgan County in 1827. -Alexander has been regarded as America's greatest cattleman in a -commercial sense. In the strict sense of the term, he was a pastoralist -and a trader, not an agriculturalist. His parents were native of -Ireland, who migrated to Virginia in 1818, and in 1824 joined the -exodus to the Mississippi Valley, settling in Jefferson County, Ohio. -John T. Alexander was the oldest of a family of eleven children. His -education was on the farm. He was endowed with that faculty called -cattle sense. At the age of fifteen, he was entrusted, by his father, -with the entire charge of a drove of cattle sent to Philadelphia. He -sold them to advantage, collected the money, and took it safely home. -At the age of seventeen, he was purchasing cattle in Illinois to -replenish his father's Ohio pastures. It is related that his search -took him down into Sangamon county, where he was so struck with its -natural advantages, from a cattle standpoint, that he determined to -migrate." - -In 1840, the Alexanders settled in Morgan county, then a cattle range -bounded only by the horizon. Mr. Alexander accumulated a herd of -steers, pastured them on the public domain, and for half a decade -prospered in a moderate way. As the country became settled, it soon -became evident that he must own land or get out of the cattle business -as far as that locality was concerned. In 1848, he purchased 3,000 -acres of land at prices ranging from 87 cents to $3.00 per acre. This -land was adjoining the half section that he had originally homesteaded. -In 1855, he acquired another 1,000 acres at $30.00 per acre. This -indicated how rapidly the price of land was advancing. In 1857, he -bought 700 acres more at $50.00 per acre, and in 1859, he acquired 1500 -acres of the Strawn estate at $30.00 per acre. In 1864, he secured 853 -acres at $60.00 to $70.00 per acre, making him the owner of 7,233 acres -of the choicest land in Illinois. In 1866, he purchased the stock farm -of Michael Sullivan in Champaign county, Illinois, containing 26,000 -acres at $11.00 to $12.00 per acre. - -It was during this period of purchase that John T. Alexander acquired -the title of "cattle king." His transactions were on an enormous scale. -His buyers searched every nook and cranny of the cattle producing -region of the Mississippi valley, and Alexander, on the Wabash railroad -in Morgan county, Illinois, was the largest cattle shipping station in -the world. Entire trains of cattle, destined for eastern markets, -were daily loaded there and almost the entire population was on the -Alexander pay roll. Thousands of other cattle, for which he paid but -never saw, were loaded at innumerable points for eastern markets. From -a pastoralist, he had emerged into a speculator on probably the most -gigantic scale the live stock industry has ever witnessed. He ruled the -markets of the East and was the Napoleon of the cattle trade. His name -was more familiar to the West than that of Vanderbilt or A. T. Stewart. -His annual cattle shipment for many years exceeded 50,000 head, and -in 1868, reached 75,000. For a lengthy period, his sales on eastern -markets exceeded $4,000,000 annually, and it is related that prior to -his Champaign county purchase, an inventory of his assets showed 7,233 -acres of land, averaging $75.00 per acre in value, $100,000 in bank, -7,000 cattle on his Morgan county pastures, and not a dollar of debt. - -Such speculative operations, however, had the result of entailing -financial embarrassment. In 1871, Alexander had to contract -his business and part with his Champaign county property. This -embarrassment was due to many causes, not the least serious of which -was cattle mortality by splenetic fever, by which he lost $100,000. -He also sustained heavy losses by shrinkage in cattle values, and the -Champaign county investment proved disastrous. He also became involved -in railroad complications. The railroads were keen competitors for -the livestock traffic and in 1871, Alexander severed his relations -with the Pennsylvania railroad, making a contract with the New York -Central, by which that company gave him a low rate conditional to -a specified tonnage. By way of resentment, the Pennsylvania railroad -put merely nominal rates into effect, thereby glutting eastern markets -and crippling Alexander's trade, which had become so colossal as to -be unwieldy. To carry on such gigantic operations, he was compelled -to trust to innumerable assistants, many of whom proved to be either -incompetent or unfaithful. Confronted with liabilities aggregating -$1,200,000, he was forced to make an assignment, but his estate was -sufficient not only to pay off every creditor, but leave him a large -sum for a fresh start in life. It was while energetically engaged in -retrieving his fortune that he died, in 1876. - -Those survivors of John T. Alexander, who remember his activity as -Illinois' greatest operator, describe him as being tall and commanding -in appearance. Even at the time of his death, he was hale and youthful. -He was of sanguine temperament, naturally impulsive, but quiet and -non-assuming in manner, sparing in speech, and undoubtedly one of the -great American captains of industry in his time, an outstanding figure -in a trade that boasts many conspicuous men. - -The old Alexander mansion in Morgan county, the greatest house in -the countryside half a decade ago, remains in a somewhat dilapidated -condition, and the decaying out-buildings convey a mournful hint of -vanished greatness. Here, during Alexander's time, Abraham Lincoln, -Stephen A. Douglas, Richard Yates, and others, whose illustrious -names adorn Illinois history, were the guests of America's greatest -cattleman. - - -_Jacob Strawn_ - -Jacob Strawn came from Ohio and settled in Morgan county in 1827, and -a few years later was probably the most extensive cattle dealer in the -world, but his operations were, to a large extent, local and his most -distant shipping point, Saint Louis. His pastures in Morgan county -embraced about 15,000 acres and his business reached its maximum about -1860. - -Survivors of that period recall Strawn's free handed methods. He -purchased cattle by the thousands, fixing the price on mere verbal -description as to quality and weight. Frequently, at delivery time, -nobody was on hand to receive the cattle, but they were driven into the -Strawn pastures and left with confidence that payment would be prompt. -Both Strawn and his successor, Alexander, were always ready to buy -cattle, in fact they were the market of that period. Strawn was at the -height of his career when John T. Alexander came on the scene. Strawn -produced beef as a feeder and grazier; Alexander contracted cattle to -be delivered in the future.[17] - -Mr. T. C. Sterrett relates that in the summer of 1856 he came to -Illinois and was informed that the largest cattle dealer in the state -was Jacob Strawn, living near Jacksonville, in Morgan county. He -visited Strawn's place and found a remarkably large brick house and -was astonished at the amount of brick paving about the house. Mr. -Strawn lived on a good farm at Orleans Station, east of Jacksonville. -He owned a lot of good horses and Shorthorn cattle. Piloted by the -foreman, Mr. Sterrett went out into a 1,200 acre pasture which was -fenced with rails and stocked with a fine lot of cattle. He was very -much struck with a hundred head of the finest general work horses that -could be found anywhere. This band of horses and cattle, the good -fences, and the general appearance of everything about the place, -indicated the power and ability of the owner. Mr. Strawn was by far the -greatest American cattleman of his time.[18] - - -_Benjamin Franklin Harris_[19] - -December 15, 1811--May 7, 1905 - -[Illustration: B. F. HARRIS at 55] - -"Benjamin Franklin Harris was born December 15, 1811, on a farm in the -Shenandoah Valley, near Winchester and Harper's Ferry, in Frederick -county, Virginia. He was the second of ten children of William Hickman -Harris and Elizabeth Payne (own cousin of Dolly Payne Madison from -England). His grandfather, Benjamin Harris, with two brothers, came -from England and settled on the eastern shore of Maryland in 1726. The -family were of Scotch-English extraction and Quakers; in this country -becoming fighting Quakers, then Methodists. He grew to manhood on his -father's Virginia farm, attending the country schools until sixteen -years of age. At that time, President Jackson's attitude toward the -United States bank so seriously affected values that wheat declined -from $1.50 to 50 cents and Virginia farm land to less than one-third of -its former price. These declines so affected the father's obligations -that Benjamin Franklin Harris and his brothers, each with a six horse -team--in those days without railroads--went into the "wagoning" or -freighting business, and for three years "wagoned" freight over that -section and out through Pennsylvania and as far west as Zanesville, -Ohio, in order to recoupe the father's losses." - -On March 20, 1833, the Virginia farm had been sold at 40 % of its -original cost, and in a one-horse gig and a two-horse carryall, the -Harris family set out for Ohio, arriving at Springfield on April 8, -and nearby, purchased and settled upon their new farm. It was during -this year that Benjamin Franklin Harris commenced business for himself, -buying and driving cattle overland to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and -there disposing of them to cattle feeders. - -In 1834, he started for Illinois via Danville, then through the present -site of Sidney, and Urbana--where there was but one cabin--and on to -what is now Monticello in Piatt county. During the ensuing years, he -began to accumulate farming lands in Piatt and Champaign counties and -to buy cattle throughout all this section as far south and west as Mt. -Vernon, Vandalia, and Springfield. During several seasons, he bought -for the purpose of feeding cattle, all the corn for sale in Macon, -Sangamon, and Champaign counties. Each year, for nine years, he drove -these cattle overland via Muncie, Indiana; Springfield, and Columbus, -Ohio, into Pennsylvania, and some into New York and Boston, where they -were sold. - -When B. F. Harris came into this state, no streams were bridged, and -there were only eleven families on the Sangamon river from its source -to the limits of Piatt county. Fifteen years later not a half dozen men -had ventured their cabins a mile from the timber limits--the deer and -the Indians were still at home here. In 1840, he visited Chicago, a -town of 2000 people, on stilts in a swamp. Nineteen days were required -for the trip and the corn and wheat he teamed there sold for 20 and 30 -cents respectively. Fifteen years after he came, not 25 % of the land -in these counties had passed from government ownership and the first -railroad came twenty years later. - -The operations of B. F. Harris in connection with the early beef cattle -industry of Illinois were conducted more largely along the feeding -lines than were those of John T. Alexander or Jacob Strawn. He bought, -fed, and sold, from 500 to 2000 head of cattle annually for nearly -three-quarters of a century. The Pittsburgh Live Stock Journal, May 8, -1905, in speaking of his death, referred to him as "The grand old man -of the live stock trade--the oldest and most successful cattle feeder -in the world." Everything to which he put his hand flourished. His -judgment was so trustworthy that he made but few business mistakes. He -did business on a cash basis and was never in debt. Operating on this -basis, he was a rich man long before his race was run, and he enjoyed a -period of ease and entire freedom from anxiety much longer than falls -to the lot of most men who are counted fortunate in the world. - -On May 23, 1856, his famous herd of one hundred cattle--the finest and -heaviest cattle ever raised and fattened in one lot by one man--were -weighed on his farm by Dr. Johns of Decatur, the president of the State -Board of Agriculture. The average weight of each of the hundred -head was 2,378 pounds. Visitors to the number of 500 came from Ohio, -Indiana, Kentucky, and this state to see these cattle, whose weight can -never again be equalled. The following year, February 22, 1857, twelve -of these cattle which he had retained and fed were shipped to Chicago. -This remarkable bunch averaged 2,786 pounds. Clayborn and Alley, the -most famous butchers in Chicago at that time, paraded them about -Chicago's downtown streets. - -Following is a copy of a pamphlet gotten out by Mr. Harris immediately -after the sale of these cattle. (see next page) - -The New York Tribune of October, 1853, refers to his prize winning -drove of cattle averaging 1,965 pounds, displayed at the New York -World's Fair then in session. - -Every few years, he took cattle prizes or topped the market. Less than -a year before his death, his 1,616 pound cattle topped the Chicago -market for that season. - -Mr. Harris died May 7, 1905, in his ninety-fourth year, still in strong -mental and physical vigor, although at the age of fifty-three, he had -retired from extremely active business life. He came in the day of ox -teams and lived to ride over his farm with his son, grandsons, and -great grandsons in an automobile. He voted for nineteen presidents, -beginning with Henry Clay, and saw five generations of his family -settled in Champaign county. He established the First National Bank in -Champaign in 1865--the oldest bank in the county, and was its president -at the time of his death. - -In the issue of The Breeder's Gazette, May 24, 1905, is the following -statement: "In literature, art, professional life, or politics, a -man with a record of achievements equal to that of the late Benjamin -Franklin Harris would deservedly have numerous biographers. Many a man -has been made the subject of bulky biography who might not measure -up to him on any score. This is not because the most inviting and -interesting personalities are found outside the farmer's calling, but -largely because until recent years agriculture as a vocation has not -been adequately appreciated by the public. It has not been sufficiently -dignified to become the source of life histories. Other professions -have furnished the candidates for the Plutarchs, and contributed the -heroes and heroines famous in fiction. Farming has been drawn on -principally for Philistines. Its great men, its geniuses, its Harrises, -have been overlooked by almost all writers worthy of putting their -useful lives into books." - - (Cont. on page 47.) - - - Record of the Best Hundred Head of Cattle - Ever Fattened in One Lot in the United States. - - STOCKMEN, ATTENTION - - Who Can Beat This Record? - -Weight of 100 head of Cattle, fatted by B. F. Harris, of Champaign -County, Illinois: - - No. Cattle Weight - - 2 4718 - 2 4782 - 2 4340 - 2 4580 - 2 4582 - 2 4730 - 2 4764 - 2 4738 - 2 4880 - 2 4756 - 2 5150 - 2 4624 - 2 4582 - 2 5364 - 2 4828 - 2 5378 - 2 4864 - 2 4640 - 2 4694 - 2 4610 - 2 4776 - 2 4488 - 2 4572 - 2 4988 - 2 4634 - 2 4458 - 2 4920 - 2 4828 - 2 4702 - 2 4852 - 2 4464 - 2 4900 - 2 4634 - 2 4764 - 1 2690 - 2 4650 - 2 4806 - 2 4505 - 1 2548 - 2 4830 - 2 4762 - 2 4706 - 2 4854 - 2 4746 - 2 4700 - 2 4546 - 1 2516 - 2 4648 - 2 4724 - 2 4720 - 2 4732 - 1 2646 - -Average price sale, 7 cents - -These cattle were weighed by Dr. Johns, President of State Agricultural -Society. - -Twelve of the large cattle out of 100 head, weighed May 23d, 1856, -which was during the time of fattening: - - Black 2424 - Red 2340 - Pied 2640 - M. Red 2264 - Ch. Roan 2522 - B. Red 2574 - S. Roan 2330 - C. Red 2340 - S. White 2360 - P. Red 2486 - Long White 2496 - M. Red 2540 - -Same cattle weighed July 18, 1856: - - Black 2526 - Red 2480 - Pied 2730 - M. Red 2424 - Ch. Roan 2654 - B. Red 2646 - S. Roan 2470 - C. Red 2490 - S. White 2430 - P. Red 2630 - L. White 2600 - M. Red 2564 - -Same cattle weighed February 12th, 1857: - - Black 2720 - Red 2780 - Pied 2990 - M. Red 2640 - Ch. Roan 2810 - B. Red 2910 - S. Roan 2680 - C. Red 2770 - S. White 2605 - P. Red 2840 - L. White 2810 - M. Red 2880 - -Average, 2786¼ lbs. - -Average age, 4 years - -Weighed by B. F. Harris; sold for 8 cents per lb. - -Largest steer in Illinois, weight 3524, 7 years old, raised by John -Rising, fed by H. H. Harris. - -Average weight of the 100 head, 2377 lbs. - - * * * * * - -The foregoing is a correct statement of a famous cattle sale which -occurred in the City of Chicago, month of March, 1856. - -The herd comprised 100 head of the finest and heaviest cattle ever -raised and fattened in one lot by one man in the State of Illinois, -or in the United States of America, or elsewhere, so far as the -records go to show. These cattle were raised from 1 and 2-year-old -steers on my farm in Champaign County, Illinois, and fattened for the -market in the years of 1855 and '56, their average age, at that time, -being 4 years. They were weighed on my farm by Dr. Johns, of Decatur, -Illinois, President State Agricultural Society. Said weights were -witnessed by a large number of representative men from Ohio, Indiana, -Kentucky and Illinois, to the number of five hundred, among whom were -many professional cattle raisers and dealers, all of whom bore willing -testimony to the average weight of the cattle, which was 2,377 lbs. -per head. Out of this lot of 100 cattle, 12 head of the finest steers -were selected and fed until the following February. They then showed -an average weight of 2,786¼ lbs., and were sold to Messrs. Cliborn and -Alby, of Chicago, at 8 cents per lb. The weight master kept a record of -each draft as the cattle were weighed--one and two in a draft. A copy -of said weights is herewith attached for the inspection of the general -public; also copy of average gain at different periods. - -On the 22d of February, 1857, the 12 steers sold to Cliborn and Alby, -appropriately decorated with tri-colored ribbon, preceded by a band -of music, were led through the principal streets of Chicago, followed -by 100 butchers, mounted and uniformed. After this unique procession, -the cattle were slaughtered by said Cliborn, and Alby, for the city -markets, some of the beef selling as high as 50 cents per lb. Small -packages of it were sent to customers in various parts of the United -States, and even Europe, and sold, in some cases, as high as $1.00 per -lb. These orders were given by these parties simply that they might say -they had eaten of this famous premium beef. - - B. F. Harris. - - -_Tom Candy Ponting._ - - August 26, 1824- - -"Tom Candy Ponting was born at Heyden farm, Parish of Kilsmeredo, near -Bath, Somersetshire, England, August 26, 1824. He was the son of John -Ponting and Ruth Sherron Ponting. The Pontings came into England with -William the Conqueror, so were descendants of Normandy. The Ponting -family were breeders of cattle and Tom Ponting has followed cattle -breeding all of his life, both in England and in this country." - -Tom Candy Ponting came to the United States in 1847, landing in New -York City, and finally making his way to Etna, Ohio. Here he was -employed by a Mr. Matthews, to sell mutton from a wagon in the market -house in Columbus, where they attended twice a week. Mutton sold for -15 cents to 25 cents per quarter in those days, while beef sold for -2½ cents to 3 cents per pound. After a short time, Mr. Ponting quit -his job selling mutton, went to Columbus, bought a horse and saddle, -and went into the country to buy cattle. The first cattle that he ever -bought in the United States were eight head which he purchased from a -Mr. Bishop eight miles northeast of Columbus, Ohio. - -In the spring of 1848, Mr. Ponting, in company with a Mr. Vickery, -another Englishman, visited Racine, Janesville, Watertown, Madison, and -Milwaukee, Wisconsin, looking for a location to start a butcher shop. -Although there was plenty of need for butcher shops at these places, -they did not locate because cattle were so scarce in the country. From -Milwaukee, Mr. Ponting came to Chicago to study the situations there. -He found no regular markets and only two places where they sold stock. -While in Chicago, he met a Mr. Bradley, who had driven some cattle -from McLean county, near Leroy. Mr. Bradley had sold all of his cattle -except forty cows with calves. He sold these to Mr. Ponting, who drove -them to Wisconsin and sold them to immigrants, a few at a time. He -sold them for $15 to $25 per head and still made money. He returned to -Chicago and again met Mr. Bradley, who had brought a boat load of sides -of bacon up from Peoria. He had purchased this bacon from the farmers, -hauled it to Peoria, and shipped it up the Illinois river to Chicago, -where he sold it to grocery stores. This was the only means to dispose -of the bacon put up by the farmers, as there was no hog packing done in -Chicago at that time. - -Mr. Bradley wanted Mr. Ponting to go with him to McLean county, but as -Illinois was known in those days as a very sickly state, Mr. Ponting -was afraid to venture. - -While in Chicago at this time, he met a Mr. Lewis and Mr. Heyworth who -had come up from Vermilion county with a drove of cattle. Mr. Heyworth -was taken sick here and Mr. Ponting was employed to assist Mr. Lewis in -taking the cattle on to Milwaukee. - -In the spring of 1849, Mr. Ponting went to Georgetown, Illinois, and -there purchased about 300 head of cattle. He also bought a camping -outfit, a yoke of oxen, employed a cook, and drove through with the -cattle to Wisconsin. The cattle that got fat on the way were sold to -the butchers, while those that were fit for milk cows were sold to the -immigrants. During this same spring, when Mr. Ponting was in Vermilion -county, he visited Mr. Lewis at Crabapple Grove, which is on the line -of Vermilion and Edgar counties. This man and one of his neighbors -had bought a drove of geese, drove them to Iowa, and traded them for -steers. They drove the steers back to Vermilion county, fattened them, -and the next spring built flat boats and shipped them to New Orleans. -In the fall of this same year, he made several trips over the line into -Illinois, in Stevenson county, buying fat sheep to drive to Milwaukee. -There were no regular banks in Milwaukee, therefore all the money -that was paid for stock was Mexican dollars and five franc pieces. -Very little American silver money was seen at that time. The hotel -rates in Milwaukee were very cheap; only $2.00 per week, with bitters -before breakfast, free. Whiskey sold for 15 cents a gallon and was used -liberally by stock drivers. - -In March, 1850, Mr. Ponting rode on horseback from Milwaukee to Leroy, -in McLean county, where he met with some men who were buying cattle to -take back to California. He went from here to Christian county, where -he bought a drove of cattle which cost him from $6 to $11 per head. In -the spring, he drove them to Milwaukee. There had been very heavy rains -that spring and rivers were very high, which made cattle driving very -difficult. - -In the spring of 1851, he purchased about 350 head of cattle, buying -from Rochester, near Springfield, to the Wabash river. After gathering -the cattle together, he pinned them up near the present site of -Moweaqua. He bought these cattle very cheap and drove the entire herd -to Milwaukee, where they were herded on the prairies near town until -sold. He took a few in each week and sold them to the butchers. After -finishing the season's work, he returned to Indiana to spend the winter. - -In the summer of 1852, the cattle business in Wisconsin was dull. Money -matters were very much changed; gold began to come in from California, -and get into circulation. Mr. Ponting and his partner decided to go to -Texas and buy their feeder cattle. They rode through to Hopkins county, -Texas. Here they visited a Mr. Hart, one of the large cattle men in -that country. They bought several hundred cattle and drove them back -to Illinois, reaching Moweaqua in July of the next year. He put these -Texas cattle on pasture until winter, when they were fed out on shocked -corn. Mr. Ponting's partner went to Indiana and bought several hundred -hogs to follow these cattle. They bought shocked corn, paying about -50 cents a bushel for it. They would go into a piece of corn after it -was dry enough and select two of the smallest shocks they could find. -The owner would select two of the largest ones. These were shocked -out and weighed, the average being taken as an average size shock. He -bought about 40 acres from Mr. Dennison Sanders this way. The shocked -corn was fed to the cattle in the same place each day, so that when it -rained, the accumulation of stalks would keep the steers out of the -mud. He drove this bunch of cattle to New York the next summer, where -they were sold July 4, 1854. - -In the spring of 1855, Mr. Ponting purchased a large drove of cattle, -which together with some he had bought a few months before, were driven -through to Chicago. Illinois was pretty well settled by this time, and -it was unnecessary to take a camping outfit along. He stopped this -drove of cattle near Pullman, put them out on the grass and took only a -few into Chicago at a time. There had been a great change made in the -Chicago market since Mr. Ponting was there two years before. There were -two regular stock yards; the Merrick Yards, now known as the Sherman -Yards, and the Bullshed Yards. In the fall of this year, he bought -another bunch of cattle and drove them to Chicago in October. This time -he stopped the cattle near the present site of Kankakee, and rode on -into Chicago to learn the prospects for a market. They were then taken -on to Chicago and left just outside the city to graze until they could -be sold to the cattle dealers. This was the last bunch of cattle Mr. -Ponting ever drove over land to Chicago, and it is probable that they -were the last bunch ever driven from central Illinois. From this time -on, the cattle were sent to market by railroad. The next year, 1856, -he shipped 110 head of cattle from Moweaqua, the first cattle ever -shipped from that place. - -In the early part of 1857, the cattle business was very flourishing and -the packers said there would be a big demand for them that fall. Mr. -Ponting contracted for 1000 head of cattle and about 1500 hogs before -the season was over, but before he got them on the market, a panic came -on, money became almost worthless, and he suffered a heavy loss. - -In 1866, Mr. Ponting went to Abilene, Kansas, to buy some feeders. He -purchased about 700, sold them the next spring, making a good profit. -He repeated the Kansas purchase the next year with like success. In -1868, he took the cattle he had bought in Kansas to Albany. They -numbered around 800. In 1870, he went back down into Texas and bought -cattle as he had done in 1852. He found a herd of about 2500, out of -which he bought all of the two and three year olds. These numbered -about 850, for which he paid $16 per head. There had been a new -railroad, just finished, from St. Louis through Missouri, close to -the Indian Territory line to a place called Pierce City. The railroad -officers had some agents trying to get a contract to carry these -cattle, together with some other cattle belonging to Hall brothers, -over the new road. They billed the cars, numbering 80 in all, with a -contract to refund $50 per car. They did this to get the contract which -made a big showing before some New York magnates, who were there at the -time trying to buy stock in the new railroad. - -In 1876, Mr. Ponting visited a Shorthorn sale at Springfield and bought -several head of cattle with which he started a Shorthorn herd. In the -spring of 1880, he attended another Shorthorn sale at Chicago, where -he bought a few more Shorthorns to add to his herd. Until his first -purchase of Shorthorns, Mr. Ponting's operations had been entirely -along the line of buying and feeding and although he did a small pure -bred business from this time on, he continued his feeding operations -as he had done in previous years, although probably not on as large a -scale. - -Mr. Ponting had not been in the Shorthorn business very long until he -became interested in Herefords. In the fall of 1880, he visited the -fair at St. Louis, where he purchased four Herefords. In the spring -of the next year, Mr. W. H. Sotham of Guelph, Canada, bought four -more Herefords for him. In the fall of 1882, he sold out all of his -Shorthorns, thereby severing his relations with this breed. - -In 1886, Mr. Ponting made a contract with the Wyoming Hereford -Association to sell them 270 head of Hereford cattle, to be delivered -in the spring of 1887. The firm paid for a part of them and Mr. Ponting -took a note for a few more. About 60 were left on his hands and had to -be sold for beef. As a result, he lost about $800 on the deal, which -killed all of his profits. - -Mr. Ponting continued in the Hereford business until 1903, when he -decided to retire from actual business. In the summer, a gentleman came -from Iowa and bought his entire Hereford cattle trade. He had at this -time about 3700 acres of land, 1500 acres of which were in Christian -county. He decided to divide his property among his children, keeping a -sufficient amount to support Mrs. Ponting and himself. He bought a home -in Moweaqua, where he and Mrs. Ponting have lived happily ever since. - -When Mr. Ponting came to Chicago in 1848, there was only one cattle -market west of the Allegheny mountains, and that was at St. Louis. -At that time, there were a good many cattle sold for the New Orleans -market during the spring and winter, but the principal markets were New -York, Boston, Baltimore, and Philadelphia It took ninety days to make -the trip to New York with cattle and the drovers had to wait until the -roads settled in the spring before they started. - -At Fort Worth, Texas, there was nothing but a large fort and force of -United States soldiers to subdue the Indians around there. The present -six big western markets have all been started since that time. - -"While the magnitude of Mr. Ponting's operations was not as great as -that of John T. Alexander, and although he probably never accumulated -as much wealth as Benjamin F. Harris, he was successful and his -operations extended over a greater period of time than any one of -the early pioneer cattlemen of the state of Illinois. He operated -throughout two of the stages of cattle feeding and has lived to see the -beginning of the third."[20] - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[15] Bureau of Animal Industry Report of 1885-86. - -[16] The Breeder's Gazette, July 16, 1913. - -His son, John T. Alexander, of Alexander, Ward & Co., commission men of -Chicago, has been prominent in the cattle interests during the last 40 -years. - -[17] The Breeder's Gazette, July 16, 1913. - -[18] The Breeder's Gazette. Aug. 6, 1913. - -[19] This information was given by his grandson, Mr. B. F. Harris. - -[20] Story of Tom Ponting's Life. - - - - -IV. THE RANGE INDUSTRY - - -"In the ante-bellum period, central Illinois was a vast blue grass -pasture. The people were breeding many cattle, but not enough to supply -the steady increasing demand for stockers and feeders. Cattle feeders -made good the deficiency in the local production by heavy drafts on -Missouri, Kansas, Texas, and other sections of the trans-Mississippi -region. The subsequent reign of King Corn was then barely in the -incubating stage. Grass was the beef maker's principal reliance. - -"Not until well along in the sixties did the cultivation of corn begin -on an extensive scale and corn-fed steers become conspicuous on the -markets. After the grazing period, corn speedily took possession of -the whole of central Illinois, until now less than 15 per cent remains -in pastures, whereas in the days of the "barons" an exactly reverse -condition existed. At that time, fully 85 per cent of such counties as -Sangamon, Morgan, and Logan, were in grass. - -"The cattle that were secured from Missouri, Iowa, and Kansas, were -purchased during the fall months. By the early part of winter, central -Illinois pastures would be fully stocked with three and four year old -bullocks, which were allowed to graze all through the winter and the -following spring and summer. About three acres of the rich blue grass -was allowed to a steer and on this they fattened rapidly. - -"There are men now living in Missouri and Illinois who drove cattle -from that vast breeding ground west of the Mississippi river, into -central Illinois, for the cattle kings, Jacob Strawn and John T. -Alexander. These herds, numbering about 300 to 400 head, grazed -leisurely across the open country at about 15 miles or so a day. During -the war, the trade was more or less interrupted, but the practice -was continued until settlement and railroads rendered trailing both -unnecessary and impossible. - -"The annexation of Texas to the United States, and the discovery of -gold in California in 1849, resulted in an influx of population and -capital that soon exerted a stimulating effect upon the production of -cattle throughout the southwest, as well as beyond the Sierra Nevada -Mountains in the west. - -"At a comparatively early date, there was a ready market for Illinois -bred cattle to go to the states west of the Mississippi river to be -used for breeding stock. The development of the range cattle industry -created a strong demand for pure bred bulls, and cattle breeders of -Illinois were called upon, perhaps to a greater extent than those of -any other state in the Union, to supply this demand. The range cattle -business also created a market for young cows and heifers to be used -for breeding purposes. This demand steadily increased from year to -year, until a very large part of the yearly product of pure bred cattle -in Illinois was absorbed for that purpose."[21] - -"In 1880, the range cattle trade was yet in a transition stage, -especially as to the destination of marketable cattle and the special -use to which they were put. Before this time, the bulk of the range -cattle trade was divided between the coming establishments of the west, -slaughter for home consumption, for exportation as dressed carcasses -to the eastern markets, and shipping on the hoof to eastern states as -feeders. Large feeding stables had been established in Nebraska for the -purpose of feeding out these large numbers of rangers, but they could -not utilize all of them. The overflow of these grass fat rangers found -their way to eastern feed lots to be finished on the grain of the corn -belt. The numbers increased from year to year, and extended farther and -father east as the numbers increased. - -"The fact that one of the large feeding plants of Nebraska could -turn off as many as 2000 ripe range steers in one month, gives some -indication of the immense capacity of the range cattle trade. - -"As the Indians were confined more closely from year to year, there -were more grazing lands opened up to be devoted to the raising of these -range cattle. Most people at this time, seeing the rapid increase of -the range industry, thought there would never be a beef famine as the -economists of the time predicted. They said such economists always look -on the dark side of things."[22] - -"Not many had any adequate conception of the vastness of the cattle -interest in the great pasture region lying on the eastern slope of the -Rocky Mountains during the seventies and eighties. It was worth quite -a journey to see a single thousand head of these cattle engaged in -feeding together. To witness a drove of 4000 moving leisurely along at -a convenient distance from each other, to allow the animals to graze -as they traveled a mile or so an hour, would seem to an unaccustomed -eye as if the herd must consist of tens of thousands. The appearance -of such a drove as this might be recalled by a single transaction made -by Dennis Sheedy of Colorado, who sold 27000 head of cattle to the -Ogalla Cattle Company. This company was composed of A. H. Swan, of -Cheyenne, Wyoming, William Paxton, of Omaha, Nebraska, and J. H. Bosler -of Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The cattle were put on a range on the north -side of the north Platte Run in Nebraska and Wyoming. The lumping price -was $30 per head, amounting to $810,000 for the entire lot."[23] - - -_Texas Cattle_ - -"It will be no departure from the strictest truth to say that the -oldest known race of cattle on this continent is the Texas or Spanish -cattle. They have been very generally popular with the stockmen of the -plains, because they turned the free grass of the plains into available -cash for their owners. - -"The Texas cattle are truly the only animals except the bison that -deserve the name of "Native" American cattle. All the other scrubs in -the country are foreigners by blood, or are descendants of intruders -from other lands. These long legged, big headed, thin fleshed brutes -were in this country centuries ago. It is by no means certain that -their ancestors did not roam the plains of the Brazos and the Rio -Grande a thousand years or more before America was visited by the -Spaniards. There is evidence that the real ancestors of the cattle -of Texas were seen in Old Mexico and described about five hundred -years after the Christian era, but this evidence has been considered -unworthy of full confidence, because to admit its truth would be to -confess that the honor of first discovering America belongs to the -barbarians from the Orient. - -"In the carefully edited official records, known as the "Chinese -Year Book", which was written some fourteen hundred years ago, a -circumstantial account of a visit to Mexico by a party of Buddhist -Priests is given. These priests saw in the country two breeds of -cattle. One of these breeds was described as having very large horns -which would hold ten measures. These were probably the earliest -ancestors of the present race of Texas cattle, while the other breed -with shorter horns was, it is likely, the ancestors of the bison that -later roamed over the ranges of the western plains. Those ancient -travelers were too well accustomed to seeing cattle and horses in -their own country to be in even the slightest degree likely to mistake -any other animal for kine. The generally accepted belief, however, is -that the Texas cattle are descendants of cattle brought to America by -the Spanish invaders, although no definite proof seems to have been -brought forward to show that those roistering, plundering explorers -ever imported any cattle to this continent, and turned them loose in -such numbers as would have produced the vast horde that covered the -Southwestern plains before the Civil War. - -"To western people, especially in those parts where Spanish or -Texas fever has caused the destruction of stock, Texas cattle are -so well known that a description of their peculiarities will appear -unnecessary. There are many who do not know that the chief purpose of -the Texas bullock, pure and simple, seems to be the lugging about -of a prodigious pair of horns. To this end, a big head and coarse -shoulders have been given him. Behind these are a flat ribbed, thin -chested, light body, held up at the hinder end by a pair of cat hams on -thin, deer-like legs. The whole outfit, unburdened by flesh or fat, is -muscular, nervous, and active. Such of them as lived through alternate -roasting, starving, and freezing during the early years of their lives, -found their way to the northern markets to be fattened and slaughtered. -These rangers fattened very readily in the northern feed lots and those -that were not too old and tough made very good beef. Thousands of them -were driven from Texas in the early forties and fifties to Illinois -feed lots, where they were fattened and then re-driven to the markets -on the seaboard. In later years, they were slaughtered in Illinois and -shipped in refrigerator cars, in the form of dressed carcasses, to the -Atlantic States. Choice parts, as steaks, roasts, and tenderloins, were -sent to health resorts, watering places, and to hotels and restaurants. -A vast quantity of their flesh found its way into tin cans, to feed -hungry humanity, in the hut of the laborer, at the picnic of the -aristocrat, in the camp of the miner, and in the forecastle of the -sailor in every corner of the world. It will be seen that the mission -of the Texas steer was to raise the standard of living, to add to the -comfort, and preserve the health and strength of people the world -over."[24] - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[21] The Breeder's Gazette, July 16, 1913. - -[22] Farm Field and Stockmen. - -[23] The Prairie Farmer, July 18, 1885, p. 453. - -[24] The Prairie Farmer, 1885, p. 452. - - - - -V. THE PURE BRED INDUSTRY - - -The beginning of the pure bred cattle industry in the state of Illinois -was antedated by the introduction of the mongrel bred cattle by a very -narrow margin of time. While there were probably a few mongrel bred -cattle in the state before 1830, those that were brought in after that -date were the real foundation cattle. These cattle were brought from -the eastern states, by the early pioneers, for milk cows, and it is -their descendants which are referred to when the native cattle of the -state are spoken of. - -The changes which have been made from the mongrel bred cattle that -were brought into the state by the early settlers to the present day -improved breeds have been marked. - -"For almost a century, attention has been given to the breeding of -pure bred cattle in Illinois. As early as 1833, a man by the name of -James Williams, brought some Shorthorn cattle of the Patten Stock, -from Kentucky to Sangamon county. In 1834, J. D. Smith and J. N. Brown -brought a number of Shorthorns from Kentucky to the central part of the -state. In the spring of 1838, Colonel John Williams, a son of James -Williams, brought a Shorthorn bull and a Shorthorn cow from Lexington, -New York, into Sangamon county. These three importations of pure bred -stock into Illinois were the earliest of which there are any records. -Other importations of Shorthorns into the state were made at later -dates, however, and they soon became the leading breed of cattle in the -state for both beef and dairy purposes."[25] - -The rapid dissemination of Shorthorns throughout the state was probably -due chiefly to the method by which the breed was advertised. The -leading breeders held public auction sales annually on their farms, -or at some convenient place, and people all over the state were invited -to come to these sales and bring such pure bred animals as they had for -sale. In view of apprehensions on the part of some of the breeders, -that this method might tend to spread disease among the cattle, it -became a rule to require that every contributor to a sale furnish a -certificate from a veterinarian, showing his cattle to be in good -health, and that they had not been exposed to any contagious disease. - -Shorthorns held full sway in the state until about 1865 or 1870, when -the tide began to turn. Other breeds began to be introduced into -various parts of the state. Some of these breeds gained popularity so -rapidly that within a very few years the competition became very keen -between them and the Shorthorns. At the shows, all breeds were shown -in the same class. This created considerable excitement among the -enthusiastic advocates of the various breeds and often resulted in fist -and skull fights. - -"At the Chicago show in 1879, there was close competition among the -breeds when it come to tying the ribbon for sweepstakes award. Mr. F. -L. Miller, a Hereford man, wanted to put the breeds to a slaughter -test. The other breeders refused to kill their pure bred cattle, but -some grades were slaughtered instead; one Shorthorn, one Hereford, and -one Devon." - - Herefords Shorthorns Devons - - Gross Weight 1963 1795 1614 - Net Weight 1317 1179 1055 - Offal 452 389 394 - Dressing per cent 67.1 65.7 65.3 - Fore Quarters 354 308 277 - 371 303 275 - Hind Quarters 287 283 247 - 305 285 256 - Tallow 178 155 145 - Hide 106 90 99 - Head 55 47 49 - -Neither of these steers had marbled flesh. One family who ate some of -one of the steers was said to have been made sick, due to the excessive -fatness. - -The feeders of this time gave very little or no attention to the -marbling of meat. All they noted was whether an animal was getting -fat or not. They didn't notice whether they were putting the fat on -evenly.[26] - -From the very earliest improvement of cattle in Illinois, Shorthorn -blood has been used more extensively than that of any other breed. They -were the first pure bred cattle brought into the state and were the -only pure bred cattle in the state for several years. They were more -generally known by farmers throughout the state and at a very early -date were found in almost every county. - -Hereford cattle have ranked next to Shorthorns, both in number and -popularity. - -"About 1870, Herefords began to play an important part in beef -production in this state, and it was only a few years after this time -that they were taken into Sangamon county, where Shorthorns had first -gotten their strong hold."[27] - -"The competition between the Herefords and the Shorthorns grew stronger -each year. In February of 1885, the Shorthorn Breeders' Association, -in session, decided to ask each member to contribute fifteen cents for -each Shorthorn owned by him, to be used for the good of the Shorthorn -interest. The rivalry between the different breeds of cattle was so -sharply defined and closely pressed that they thought it indispensable -to the protection and prosperity of the Shorthorn interest and thought -the State Association of Shorthorn Breeders should be kept in an active -and strong existence."[28] - -The following is a summary of reports gathered by the Bureau of Animal -Industry in 1885, by sending out questionnaires to different parts -of the state, showing the breed of cattle that has been used moot -extensively in cattle improvement. - -_State as a Whole_ - - No. Reports Breed Used - - 240 Shorthorns - 80 Herefords - 28 Angus - 17 Devons - -_State by Sections_ - - Northwest 27 Shorthorns - Counties 9 Herefords - 5 Angus - - Northern 34 Shorthorns - Counties 13 Herefords - 5 Angus - 4 Devons - 2 Galloways - - Western 32 Shorthorns - Counties 8 Herefords - 5 Angus - 4 Devons - 3 Galloways - - Central 55 Shorthorns - Counties 20 Herefords - 3 Angus - 1 Red Polled - - Western 20 Shorthorns - Counties 14 Herefords - 7 Angus - - Southwest 9 Shorthorns - Counties 1 Herefords - 1 Angus - - Southern 44 Shorthorns - Counties 6 Herefords - 3 Devons - 1 Dutch Belted - - Southeast 10 Shorthorns - Counties 2 Herefords - 2 Devons - - -_T. L. Miller_ - -"Early in the "seventies," Mr. T. L. Miller, than a business man in -Chicago, who owned a farm at Beecher, Will county, Illinois, became -interested in Hereford cattle." - -Mr. Miller was born at Middletown, Connecticut, on April 7, 1817. -In 1842, he went to Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, where he was in business -until 1856, when he removed to Chicago, Illinois. Here he was in the -fire insurance business until about 1870. He had bought the first 320 -acres of his farm at Beecher and 207 acres three miles to the north. -He commenced to improve the farm with buildings in 1862. His nearest -railroad station then was Monee, on the Illinois Central. In 1870, -the Chicago, Danville, and Vincennes Railroad, was built, and Mr. -Miller bought about 340 acres of additional land to the west of that -already acquired and laid out the village of Beecher. He closed out his -business in Chicago and went to live on this "Highland Stock Farm" in -March, 1870. A few years later, he laid the foundation for his herd of -Hereford cattle. - -Mr. William Powell, an Englishman, who later on bred and handled -Herefords extensively on his own account both in Illinois and Texas, -was jointly interested with Mr. Miller in some of his earlier ventures -in Herefords. An item in the "National Live Stock Journal" for -February, 1872, reads as follows: "We learn that Messrs. Byers and -Campbell, of Nevada, Ohio, have sold to Messrs. T. L. Miller and Wm. -Powell of Highland Stock Farm, Beecher, Will county, Illinois, an -individual half interest in three Hereford cows and two bulls, and -thirty-six pure bred Cotswold sheep. Mr. Miller's farm soon afterward -became the center of the greatest American activity in the Hereford -trade."[29] - - -_Thomas Clark_ - -"Thomas Clark was born in Herefordshire, England, near the Monmouth -border, in 1842. His father was a cattle grower of local repute, who -used pure bred Hereford bulls, but did not profess to be a handler of -pedigreed strains. Thomas Clark came to the United States in the spring -of 1866, and after working for a time on a farm near Pittsfield, Ohio, -was employed by a Cleveland butcher having a large city trade. Thrifty -and possessed of an inborn faith in the "white faces" of his native -land, by dint of hard work and economy in the course of a few years, -Clark found himself in a position to get into business in a small way -on his own account. As foreman and cutter in Cleveland, he acquired -a practical familiarity with what lies under a bullock's hide, that -was of distinct advantage in his subsequent career as a breeder and -feeder of good cattle. He had an interest in his brother-in-laws little -butcher shop in Elyra, but his own fondness for the fields led him to -give most of his time to the 80 acres he had under lease near town. He -moved on this farm and began breeding Hereford cattle. He bought his -first bull, Sir Arthur (705), as a calf, from F. W. Stone of Canada. - -"In 1877, when Mr. Clark's lease on the Ohio farm expired, seeing that -the west was becoming a good market for Herefords, he decided to -remove to Beecher, Illinois. He had shown every year at the Ohio fairs, -and always won. He made one show at Erie, Pennsylvania, while breeding -in Ohio, and another at Jackson, Michigan, in 1876, winning first prize -on herd, in competition with seven Shorthorn and Devon herds. This was -the first time Herefords had won that prize in Michigan, and the event -caused a lot of controversy. Clark had, meantime, sold three calves to -T. L. Miller and delivered them personally. He was impressed with the -idea that Illinois would be a better location for his cattle business -than Ohio. He bought 80 acres of land, about one and one-fourth miles -from the village of Beecher. He afterward added forty acres to the -home farm, and subsequently, bought twenty-six acres in addition. Mr. -Clark always kept his own lands largely in grass, and leased fields -for farming purposes. He brought his Ohio herd, numbering at that time -about twenty-eight head, to Beecher. - -"In 1877, Mr. Clark showed a herd at the northern Ohio Fair at -Cleveland, winning all prizes shown for."[30] - -(1857) "There is no question but what the native cattle of the state -may be improved by successive generations of judicious breeding, but -if in and in-breeding is followed, as at present, the effects will be -negative. - -"The true comparison between native steers and improved steers is seen -when they are put on the market. Shorthorn and Hereford steers at -weaning time are worth about $15, while the native steers at weaning -time are worth about $5. The Shorthorn and the Hereford steers -could be made to go to the New York market weighing around 1800 to -2000 pounds gross, and sell for 12 cents to 15 cents per pound, while -the native steers were sent to market at six or seven years of age, -weighing from 900 to 1000 pounds, and sold for 10 to 12 cents per pound. - - * * * * * - -"The Illinois Cattle Importing Company received a shipment of 38 -Shorthorn cattle from Europe."[31] - -"Messrs. Calef and Jacoby at Springfield, Illinois, sold at auction, -March 23, fifteen head of cows and heifers, all Shorthorns. Two of the -number were imported. They reached an average of $583. They also sold -eight Shorthorn bulls which averaged $171.98 each."[32] - -"Messrs. H. E Gardner of Bradfordton, Illinois, and J. S. Highmore of -Rochester, Illinois, sold 30 Shorthorn cows and heifers at the Sangamon -County Fair Grounds. The total number brought $3,140. Average of the -cows was $104.66. They also sold 14 bulls for $10.20. The highest price -paid in the sale was $280 for a cow. The total sale for cows and bulls -amounted to $4,160, an average of $95.54. L. C. Carlin of Edinburg, -Illinois, bought a bull for $100. Philimon Stuart of Cotton Hill, -Illinois, bought one for $100 also. - -"In the afternoon of the same day, D. W. Smith of Bates, Illinois, sold -five cows and heifers for $770, an average of $154; also three bulls -sold for $710, an average of $236.66. The total of the cows was $1,480. -The highest cow sold to Lafayette Funk of Shirley, Illinois, for $2.30. -The highest bull sold to George M. Caldwell, Williamsville, Illinois, -for $300."[33] - -"Rossland Park Stock Farm at Ashkum, Illinois: The farm is 73 miles -south of Chicago, on the Illinois Central Railroad, in Iroquois county. -It is composed of 120 acres of deep, dark prairie soil. - -"This farm was first owned by Mrs. Ross of Chicago, who gave very -little attention to it and allowed it to become badly run down. It was -then purchased by G. W. Henry of Chicago, who at once set about to -improve it. He put a new fence around the entire farm and prepared it -to be kept as a grazing farm for cattle. - -"Mr. Henry was a Shorthorn enthusiast and bred Shorthorns until 1884, -when he became interested in Herefords. High grade and pure bred -Herefords had his attention then for two or three years, after which -he decided to deal in none but pure-breds. He sold his entire lot of -grades. R. W. Hollenbeak of Casey, Iowa, purchased 73 of the two year -olds at $75 a head; 25 high grade one year old at $50 a head; one -yearling grade bull at $75; and 49 young grade calves at $40 a head. - -"There were left on the farm about 150 pure bred Herefords which -soon were increased enormously by using some valuable bulls as herd -headers."[34] - -"The "Summit Farm", owned by Mr. Wentworth, comprises about 4000 acres, -which is mostly prairie. He has on his farm 80 Shorthorns. He has some -yearling heifers by the son of "Booth's Lancaster", which are very -promising. He also owns the "Fifteenth Duke of Ardie" who still holds -his place as one of the grandest Bates bulls in existence. - -"Mr. Wentworth feeds mangles in connection with hay."[35] - -"The Polled Aberdeen Angus herd, belonging to Messrs. Anderson and -Findley, of Lake Forest, Illinois, is one of the oldest herds in the -United States, and is probably the largest of any in the United States -or Scotland."[36] - -"Our first importation was made in the summer of 1878, and consisted of -the bull Nicolis 1102, and the five females: Jeannie Gordon 2914, Lazy -3rd 1100, Violet of Brucehill 1951, Diana 4th 3226, and Waterside Fancy -1854, and thus was established the first breeding herd of Aberdeen -Angus cattle in the United States so far as we know. The cattle in this -importation did so well with us that we were induced to make further -importations, and the cattlemen of this country readily recognized the -superiority of the breed, and with proverbial American go-aheadness, -took hold of them at once. Such was the demand for animals of this -breed in the early eighties that we found ready sale for them at prices -almost beyond the reach of cattlemen of moderate means. We, together -with other importers, drew upon the parent stock in Scotland to such an -extent about this time that the straining point was soon reached and -prices rapidly advanced in that country also. - -"The land at Lake Forest, Illinois, upon which for so many years we -maintained our herd, was constantly appreciating in value, until it is -now (1901) worth about four hundred per cent more than when we first -established our herd there. We were, therefore, compelled to move our -herd into cheaper lands, and this we began to do about 1894, and in -1897, practically all of our herd had been transferred to our Allendale -Farm, in Allen county, Kansas. We purchased most of the land composing -Allendale Farm in 1878, and have improved and added to it since until -now, we have over 2000 acres, making as fine a place for the breeding -of fine stock and the fattening of cattle as can be found in the -country."[37] - -"The Illinois Cattle Breeders' Association was organized in 1895. The -first annual meeting was held at Springfield, on January 13, 1896. Mr. -J. Frank Prather presided at this meeting. Mr. J. H. Pickrell was the -first secretary. A committee was appointed to draft by-laws. - -"The first paper on the program was "Home and Foreign Demand for Beef -Cattle" by A. C. Howell, the editor of the Drover's Journal. The paper -was read by the secretary, Mr. Pickrell. The main theme of the paper -was on Baby Beef, in which he said that it was no longer a fad, but a -profitable business." - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[25] The Prairie Farmer, May 9, 1885, p. 292. - -[26] The Country Gentleman, Dec. 4, 1879. - -[27] Sanders' Hereford History, p. 348. - -[28] The Prairie Farmer, Feb. 1, 1885, p. 84. - -[29] Sanders' History of Hereford Cattle, p. 348. - -[30] Sander's History of Herefords, pp. 352, 357. - -[31] The Country Gentleman, July 30, 1857. - -[32] " " " 1858. - -[33] The Prairie Farmer, June 7, 1885, p. 372 - -[34] Rossland Park Stock Farm at Ashkum, Illinois. Prairie Farmer Nov. -14, 1885, p. 741. - -[35] Cultivator and Country Gentleman, 1875. - -[36] The Prairie Farmer, 1885. - -[37] Sale Catalog of Anderson and Findley, 1901. - - - - -VI. CATTLE PLAGUES[38] - - -"In 1882, Dr. Salmon of the Bureau of Animal Industry, became -convinced, from the experimental evidence at his command, that certain -disease germs produced a chemical substance during their growth and -multiplication which, if injected into the tissues of an animal, would -induce immunity from a disease that these germs cause. In other words, -he thought that the liquid in which the bacteria were grown in the -laboratory might be used after the bacteria had been killed or removed, -to protect animals from the disease caused by these specific bacteria. - -"The first experiment made at that time with fowl cholera failed to -confirm the theory. Later experiments with hog cholera bacillus gave -unmistakable proof of its correctness. The results were first published -in 1886 and additional evidence was published the following year. - -"Many cattlemen have been prejudiced against the tuberculin test -and have objected to it, due to inaccurate or greatly exaggerated -statements as to the damage it caused to the cattle on which it -was used. Those who have had most experience with tuberculin have -consequently failed to observe any injurious effects following its -injection into healthy cattle. With cattle that are affected with -tuberculosis, it produces a fever which lasts only a short time, and in -the great majority of cases, the effects disappear within forty-eight -hours after the administration of the tuberculin. The cases of abortion -following the tuberculin test have not been numerous, even when cows -were tested within a very short time before the normal time of -calving. The few cases that have occurred may be explained by the fact -that abortion in cattle is a very common occurrence and that it would -have happened even though the test had not been applied and that it was -a coincidence. - -"From the investigations and observations made, the following -conclusions may be safely drawn: - -"1. The tuberculin test is an accurate method of determining the -presence of tuberculosis in an animal. - -"2. By the use of tuberculin such animals as are affected with the -disease may be detected and removed from the herd. - -"3. It has no injurious effects. - -"4. Comparatively small numbers of cattle which have aborted, suffered -ill health, or fell off in flesh after the tuberculin test was made, -were either diseased before the test was made or were affected by some -other cause other than that of the tuberculin." - -"On the 15th day of July, 1884, Dr. Trumbower was requested to visit -a cow at Sterling, Illinois, belonging to Mr. C. A. Keefer. He found -one of Mr. Keefer's pure bred Jersey cows, aged about six years, with -symptoms of pleuro-pneumonia." - -Mr. Keefer had bought this cow, Lass O' Lowrie, from Mr. W. C. Clark, -of Geneva, Illinois, on June 6, of the same year. When Mr. Keefer -visited Mr. Clark's farm on April 6, he saw Lass O' Lowrie with two -other cows, Tama Warren, and Nutriena Tunlaw. All three of the cows had -the appearance of unthriftiness, the hair was looking rough and dry, -but this was attributed to a severe winter without proper care and, -in the case of Lass O' Lowrie, to recent calving. Mr. Keefer bought -her with the assurance that she was perfectly healthy. She was shipped -June 8 and was on the road four hours. When she was driven from the car -to Mr. Keefer's farm, she was noticed to cough occasionally. She had -calved in March and was again pregnant. From the time Mr. Keefer bought -her, she became poorer, weaker, and milk secretion became entirely -suspended. She stood in the field away from the other cattle and ceased -ruminating. Coughing increased in frequency and strings of mucus -dropped from the nostrils. - -The case was thought to be one of tuberculosis and isolation was -recommended, slaughter and burial to follow as soon as possible upon -the necessity of the measure. On the morning of June 8, she was bled to -death. On examination, the anterior lobe of the right lung was found -filled with tubercles covering a space of four inches in diameter. -They presented different stages of development; some containing a -thick yellow inspissated pus, while others were undergoing a caseous -degeneration or calcification, and still others appeared as small -indurated brown or reddish circumscribed spots in the interlobular -tissue. Beginning at the bifurcation of the trachea and extending -downward and backward, was found a cavity about ten inches in length, -which contained a pint of fluid of a grayish-black color and of very -offensive odor, holding in suspension disintegrated lung tissue; also -in this cavity was found a mass of inforcated lung tissue weighing -two pounds. The part nearest the right lung was breaking down and -liquifying. Another mass of dead lung, weighing four ounces, of a -yellow, granular, or caseous appearance, indicating that it was much -older than the larger mass, was found lying in and partially buried -in a separate sack which communicated with the larger cavity. In the -abdominal lymphatic glands these were masses of compact tuberculous -matter encysted in strong fibrous capsules, one of which measured three -inches in diameter. - -The cow had evidently been affected with tuberculosis, but the encysted -mass of dead lung was a lesion which is not produced in this disease, -but which is a frequent result of contagious pleuro-pneumonia. It -seemed possible that this animal had both of the diseases at the same -time, although the fact that pleuro-pneumonia was not known to exist in -that part of the country made it appear very doubtful. - -Upon investigating the conditions of affairs at Mr. Clarke's farm, -it was learned that his animals had suffered from a disease that had -caused the death of several during the spring and summer. A cow which -had been sold to C. P. Coggeshall and taken to the farm of Mr. John -Boyd, of Elmhurst, was very sick, and a second cow bought by Mr. Boyd -was also sick. Mr. Boyd's farm was visited on August 12. The cow called -Cream Ecca, belonging to Mr. Coggeshall had died on July 20. The cow, -Edith St. Hilaire, had improved very much during the two weeks previous -to the visit and was then believed by her owner to be nearly well. An -examination of the lungs of Cream Ecca showed them to be hepatized as -in pleuro-pneumonia. - -These facts appeared sufficient to justify the diagnosis of contagious -pleuro-pneumonia, but in the absence of any history beyond the Clarke -herd, and considering the fact that the only cow of which a careful -post-mortem examination had been made was certainly affected with -tuberculosis, it seemed best to reserve a decision until more complete -evidence had been obtained. - -On August 14, Mr. George B. Loring made a third visit to Elmherst Farm, -and in the presence of Mr. J. H. Sanders, a member of the Treasury -Cattle Commission, and Mr. Wadham, and Mr. Boyd, the two sick cows were -slaughtered. An examination of the lungs of Edith St. Hilaire showed -that she had every symptom of pleuro-pneumonia. The other cow, Dassie -4th, was likewise examined with the same indications of the disease. - -On August 15, Mr. Loring, the agricultural commissioner, went to -Geneva, Illinois, and examined the conditions of the animals that were -still on Mr. Clarke's farm. Mr. Clarke informed Mr. Loring that the -first animal to show signs of the disease on his farm was the bull, -Finis Lawrence, which became sick during the latter part of May and -was killed in June. The cows, Ella Lawrence, Duchess of Broome County, -Myrrhine, and Damask, all showed signs of sickness about the middle of -June. Ella Lawrence was killed at the same time as the bull; Duchess of -Broome County died; Myrrhine and Damask recovered and were on the farm -at the time the examination was made. Tama Warren had also been killed, -but Mr. Clarke insisted that this was because she was worthless as a -breeder. Six animals in all had been killed or had died on Mr. Clarke's -place since May. According to accounts received from other sources, it -is probably that Tama Warren and Nutrina of Tunlaw were sick as early -as April 6. - -Mr. Clarke had brought on his place since June 1, one animal from New -Jersey, three which he had purchased at the Epler sale at Virginia, -Illinois, one from C. A. Keefer, of Sterling, Illinois, and several -from Wisconsin. It was impossible to judge, from any information that -Mr. Clarke could give, in what manner the disease had been brought -to his place. As Ella Lawrence had come from Peoria, and as there -were rumors of the disease at that place, it was decided to make -investigations there. - -On August 16, Mr. Loring visited Messrs. D. H. and S. S. Tripp, and Mr. -O. J. Bailey at Peoria. These gentlemen admitted that they had lost -animals from some disease, the nature of which they did not understand, -and they freely placed at Mr. Loring's disposal all the information -which they could obtain, bearing upon the matter. It was here that Mr. -Loring gained a first insight into the history of the introduction of -the disease into Illinois. - -The first cases of this disease occurred in the Tripp herd, and the -only animals that had been brought upon their place for several months -before this sickness were three cows purchased at the Virginia sale, -which occurred February 21. These cows, Helena, Rex, Albert's Pansy, -and Fancy LeBrocq, were taken to Mr. Tripp's stable in Peoria, and -afterward Helen Rex was taken to his farm, which is situated about two -miles from the city. It was said that Helen Rex was coughing at the -time of the sale at Virginia, and that she did not appear to be in good -health, but Mr. Tripp either did not notice this or was not impressed -with the idea that she was affected at all seriously. The first cow -that showed unmistakable evidence of the disease was Pomare, a cow kept -for family use in the town stable. The earliest symptoms were noticed -with her on April 1, and she died April 17. No other cases of the -disease occurred until July 12, when the cow, Annos Orphan, presented -the symptoms of inflammation of the lungs and died July 27. The next -case occurred July 25, when a cow called Queenette showed that she was -affected. She died August 4. No disease had been in Messrs. Tripp's -herd nor in any other cattle in the vicinity previous to the purchase -of the three animals at Mr. Epler's sale at Virginia. - -The first sickness in Mr. Bailey's herd occurred May 10. The first cow -affected, Lady Florentia, had been in his stable in Peoria up to this -time, when she was taken to his farm seven miles in the country. This -cow had not been in actual contact with any of Mr. Tripp's cattle, and -the only way in which the disease could be accounted for in her was -that it had been carried by some person going from one stable to the -other. This cow recovered from the disease but several others of the -same herd died within a few days after taking the disease. On August -18, a cow was killed and examined in the presence of Dr. J. H. Rauch, -Secretary of the State Board of Health, and Dr. N. H. Pooren, State -Veterinarian, both of whom had been invited to be present in order that -they might see the disease and be convinced of its nature. - -Mr. Epler's place at Virginia, Cass county, Illinois, was visited -August 22. No animals were found showing symptoms of the disease, and -Mr. Epler stated that he had lost none from his original herd since -the sale, but a cow which he had bought at Beardstown, Illinois, and -brought to his place in April or May, which died in June of an acute -lung disease that evidently was pleuro-pneumonia. A cow sold to Porter -Yates, of Springfield, Illinois, at Mr. Epler's sale, was attacked -by the disease and died in April. Another cow sold to E. S. Hodson, of -Springfield, soon after her arrival was treated for a similar disease. -Another cow sold to Frank Gaston, of Normal, Illinois, became sick -April 6, but recovered. - -As very many of the cattle sold at the Epler sale soon afterward became -affected with pleuro-pneumonia, and as the mingling of the animals -at the sale was the only means by which many of these herds could be -connected, it became very certain that the disease in Illinois had -been brought to the state with some animals that had been sent to Mr. -Epler. The animals which he had collected for this sale had come from -a number of different herds located at widely separated points. Upon -investigation, it was found that only one of these herds had been -affected with pleuro-pneumonia. That herd belonged to Mr. C. R. C. -Dye, of Troy, Ohio. Mr. Epler had purchased five cows from Mr. Dye on -December 28, 1883. These cows arrived at Mr. Epler's farm at Virginia, -Illinois January 4, 1884. Two of the five cows purchased from Mr. Dye -had been previously bought from the herd of James Lyman, of Downer's -Grove, Illinois, in May, 1883. Mr. Dye had bought cattle from several -farms in the east, but it was decided that the disease had been brought -to his herd by some grade Jerseys which he bought in the vicinity of -Baltimore, Maryland. One of these cows had, apparently, recovered from -the disease, but was still able to communicate the disease which was -afterwards determined. - -The steps taken to eradicate the dreadful disease were as follows: - -(1) Investigation to determine the existence of pleuro-pneumonia in any -suspected locality in the country. - -(2) The immediate quarantine and isolation of any herd in which the -disease was found. If any considerable amount of the disease was found -in any section of the country so as to be dangerous of spreading -to other districts, the immediate quarantine of that district was -enforced, as well as the prohibition of the movement of any animals -from one herd or premises to any other within the district, or of -any cattle to be upon any highway or any enclosed land within such -district; provided, however, that animals might be moved, upon a -written permit, signed by an inspector of the Bureau of Animal -Industry. As soon as the quarantine order had been made, the immediate -inspection, tagging, and numbering of every bovine animal in the -district, and the keeping of a record of the same, and a record of all -animals moved by permits was attended to so that the Bureau of Animal -Industry might have complete control of the movements of all cattle -within the quarantined districts. - -(3) The condemnation and slaughter of all animals found to be diseased -or exposed to the disease within the quarantined districts, and the -thorough disinfection of all premises where such animals had been, -or on which contagious was suspected to exist. At the same time, -inspection and post-mortem examinations were made of every animal -slaughtered during the quarantine, whether purchased and slaughtered by -order of the Bureau of Animal Industry or killed by butchers, or others -for their own use. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[38] Report of Bureau of Animal Industry, 1886. - - - - -VII. THE FEED INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES - - -"Sixty years ago (1853) there was no knowledge of scientific feeding -in the United States. Sixty years ago there was no feed industry in -the United States. Thirty years ago (1883) the teaching of scientific -feeding in the United States began. Thirty years ago the feed industry -in the United States began. When I say that sixty years ago there was -no feed industry in the United States, I mean that there was no feed -industry such as we of the present day apply to the term. At that -time, the population of the United States was only one-fourth what it -is today. The problem of feeding domestic animals, as well as human -beings, was simplicity itself, in fact it was not a problem. We had -more land than we knew what to do with. The owner of livestock raised -more grain and more hay and had more pasturage than he had animals to -consume or than he had a market for. Domestic animals were fed on the -natural grains and hays, grown upon the same farms as themselves. The -city or town owner of horses or livestock bought his feed stuffs mostly -direct from the farmer who grew them. By-product materials of the -greatest feeding value, while produced in far smaller quantities than -at the present day, were not sufficiently appreciated nor sufficiently -needed to cause the farmer to make the effort to haul them from the -mill or factory to his farm, much less to buy them. Scientific feeding -with a knowledge of the balanced ration had not as yet been taught in -our state universities. The value of grinding the natural grains was -only slightly understood and was practiced only in a very limited way -by a few of the more progressive and thoughtful feeders. Flour mills -experienced the greatest difficulty in finding a market for their bran -and middlings. While these by-products were probably the first to be -recognized as of great feeding value, yet hundreds of thousands of tons -were sold for a few dollars a ton, or burned, or run into streams, -for there was no market. Cottonseed meal as a feeding stuff was at -that time unknown. Holes were dug into the ground at the cotton gins -and the seed was buried as a means of getting rid of it. Distillers' -and brewers' grains, starch factory by-products, molasses, oatmeal -by-products, oat clippings, and many others were frequently piled up on -vacant lots to decay or run into the streams, or given to such farmers -as could be induced to haul them away, and the earliest practical use -of them was by the manufacturers who fed cattle with them in their -wet or underground state at the factories. No attempt was made to dry -them or put them into form to be utilized commercially. Instead of -being sources of great revenue to the manufacturer, they were, in many -instances, the cause of great expense. Because of the waste and expense -and the low prices realized, the cost of the main products--the food -for human beings--was very greatly increased."[39] - -"Here is a fact worth careful noting, that in these days of close -competition, every cent realized for a by-product is credited to -the cost of producing the main product--the human food--and that in -addition to itself being converted into additional food for man, that -is, into meat, dairy products, poultry, eggs, etc., its sale operates -directly in a very large way as a saving to the consumer upon the -main product from which it is derived. In other words, there is only -one profit figured, and that is upon the main product--the food for -man--the by-product being figured solely as such, sold for what it will -bring, and the returns credited to the cost in figuring cost prices for -the main product. - -"The problem of feeding the world--much less the problem of feeding -the people of the United States--had not as yet commenced to trouble -the scientist, the statesman, or the business man of the day. No one -expected that in the short space of sixty years, all of our available -lands would be occupied and that our population would have increased -from 31,000,000 to 91,000,000 people, and that the problem of the -cost of living, the cost of food, would, during the lives of people -then living, be the thought and problem uppermost in the minds of -our people. That this is the thought uppermost in the minds of our -population today is evidenced by the daily conversations of our -friends, by what we read in the newspapers, and by the action of -Congress and our National Government in providing a commission for -investigation of its cause." - -The following data was taken from the Statistical Report of the -Illinois State Board of Agriculture, December 1, 1913,--(Assessor's -Reports) - - -_Illinois Pasture Lands_ - - Year Acreage - - 1877 4,367,603 - 1878 3,983,450 - 1879 4,193,884 - 1880 4,257,054 - 1881 2,206,621 - 1882 4,697,966 - 1883 4,752,828 - 1884 5,085,817 - 1885 5,417,147 - 1886 5,537,873 - 1887 5,630,571 - 1888 5,796,935 - 1889 5,679,874 - 1890 5,083,438 - 1891 4,681,972 - 1892 4,338,899 - 1893 4,954,871 - 1894 5,052,952 - 1895 4,631,270 - 1896 4,389,666 - 1897 4,745,917 - 1898 4,669,270 - 1899 4,880,101 - 1900 4,857,961 - 1901 4,774,062 - 1902 4,569,905 - 1903 4,447,287 - 1904 4,377,486 - 1905 4,359,426 - 1906 4,243,030 - 1907 4,308,402 - 1908 4,022,598 - 1909 3,807,796 - 1910 3,970,302 - 1911 3,819,412 - 1912 3,593,523 - 1913 3,521,966 - - -(United States Census, and Year Books of Agricultural Department) - - Year Acres of Av. Val. of F. and Av. Val. Acres of - Imp. Land Build's. per acre Per Farm Far. Land - - 1850 5,039,545 $ 7.99 $ 1,663 12,037,412 - - 1860 13,096,374 15.96 3,480 20,911,989 - - 1870 19,329,952 28.45 4,358 25,882,861 - - 1880 26,115,154 31.87 4,598 31,673,645 - - 1890 25,669,060 41.41 6,140 30,498,277 - - 1900 27,669,219 53.84 7,588 32,794,728 - - 1910 28,048,323 108.32 15,505 32,522,937 - - Year Percent Percent Percent Percent Farm Land in Ill. - Increase Increase of Land of Farm - in Farms in Farm Area in Land Total Cultivated - Land Farms Improved - - 1850 33.6 41.9 - - 1860 88.1 73.7 58.3 62.6 - - 1870 41.5 23.8 72.2 74.7 - - 1880 26.1 22.4 88.3 82.5 35,867,520 32,522,937 - - 1890 -5.9 -3.7 85.0 84.2 - - 1900 9.8 7.5 91.4 84.5 - - 1910 -4.6 -0.8 90.7 86.2 - - -(United States Census Report) - - Year Population No. Farms Average Size - of Farms - - 1790 - 1800 5,641 - 1810 24,520 - 1820 147,178 - 1830 343,031 - 1840 685,866 - 1850 851,470 76,208 158. acres - 1860 1,711,951 143,310 145.9 " - 1870 2,539,891 202,803 127.6 " - 1880 3,077,871 255,741 123.8 " - 1890 3,826,352 240,681 126.7 " - 1900 4,821,550 264,151 124.2 " - 1910 5,638,591 251,872 129.1 " - - Year No. B. C. No. B. C. No. B. C. Per - Per Farm Per Capita Acre Farm Land - (Population) - - 1850 7.1 .63 .0045 - 1860 9.9 .83 .0067 - 1870 7.7 .62 .0060 - 1880 7.8 .65 .0063 - 1890 7.1 .46 .0056 - 1900 7.07 .38 .0057 - 1910 4.9 .22 .0038 - - -_The Corn Crop of Illinois for Fifty-four Years._ - - Year Acreage Yield Price - - 1860 3,839,159 30 42½ - 1861 3,839,159 30 24 - 1862 3,458,903 40 23 - 1863 3,773,349 22 62 - 1864 4,192,610 33 75 - 1865 5,032,996 35 29½ - 1866 4,931,783 32 43 - 1867 4,583,655 24 68 - 1868 3,928,742 34 48 - 1869 5,237,068 23 57 - 1870 5,720,965 35 35 - 1871 5,310,469 38 32 - 1872 5,468,040 40 24 - 1873 6,839,714 21 32 - 1874 7,421,055 18 56 - 1875 8,163,265 34 34 - 1876 8,920,000 25 31 - 1877 8,935,411 30 28 - 1878 8,672,088 29 22 - 1879 7,918,881 39 32 - 1880 7,754,545 33 33 - 1881 7,157,334 24 53 - 1882 7,371,950 24 42 - 1883 7,304,596 25 36 - 1884 6,898,819 33 29 - 1885 7,212,657 32 28 - 1886 7,153,289 25 30 - 1887 6,719,126 19 41 - 1888 7,047,813 39 28 - 1889 6,988,267 35 23 - 1890 6,114,226 27 45 - 1891 5,754,147 38 38 - 1892 5,188,432 26 35 - 1893 6,416,488 26 30 - 1894 6,705,476 31 39 - 1895 6,922,921 39 21 - 1896 6,881,400 42 17 - 1897 7,051,527 34 21 - 1898 6,943,992 31 26 - 1899 6,941,548 37 26 - 1900 8,050,550 38 31 - 1901 8,077,621 23 58 - 1902 8,199,031 39 35 - 1903 7,955,980 35 34 - 1904 7,875,471 36 39 - 1905 7,698,411 40 38 - 1906 7,621,562 37 36 - 1907 7,294,873 35 44 - 1908 6,780,507 31 57 - 1909 7,288,563 36 52 - 1910 6,889,721 41 37 - 1911 6,623,579 38 55 - 1912 6,878,797 39 40 - 1913 6,635,847 27 63 - -[Illustration: Showing the corn acreage, pasture acreage, number of -beef cattle, and the population of the state of Illinois from 1850 to -1914 inclusive.] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[39] An address by George A. Chapman, President of the American Feed -Manufacturers' Association, delivered at Washington, D. C., November -17, 1913. - - - - -BIBLIOGRAPHY - - - Topography of the Land. Report of Bu. of An. Ind. 1885. - p. 362. - - People. The U.S. Census Report. Interviews with old settlers. - - Cattle and Cattle Feeding. Report of Bu. of An. Ind. 1885. - p. 365. - - Cattle Feeding Industry. Wallace's Farmer. 1913. - Thesis by Garver: "History of - Dairy Industry in Illinois." - The Breeder's Gazette. July. - 1913; Feb. 1894. - Lecture by Professor Rusk. - - Chicago Market. "Facts and Figures" by Wood - Brothers, Live Stock - Commission Merchants, - Chicago. 1906. - Report of Bu. of An. Ind. 1884. - The Prairie Farmer. 1887. p. 160. - Life of Tom C. Ponting. - Scientific American. The Meat - Industry of America. 1909. - Bu. of An. Ind. Report. 1885-86. - - Cattle Barons and Pioneer Drovers. Bu. of An. Ind. Report. 1885. - The Breeder's Gazette. July 16, - Aug. 6, 1913. - Story of Tom Ponting's Life. - - The Range Industry. The Breeder's Gazette. July 16, - 1913. - Farm, Field and Stockman. 1880. - - Texas Cattle. The Prairie Farmer. July 18, - 1885. p. 452. - - The Pure Bred Industry. The Prairie Farmer. May 9, 1885. - p. 292 Feb. 1, 1885. p. 84; - Nov. 14, 1885. p. 741. 1895. - The Country Gentleman. Dec. 4, - 1879. - Sanders' History of Herefords. - p. 348. - Bu. of An. Ind. Report. 1885. - The Country Gentleman. July 30, - 1857, 1858. - The Cultivator and The Country - Gentleman. 1857. - Sale Catalog of Anderson and - Findley--Angus Herd. 1901. - Sanders' History of Herefords, - p. 348; 352-357. - - Cattle Plagues. Bu. of An. Ind. Report. 1884. - p. 16, 1886. - - The Feed Industry of the United States. An address by Geo. - A. Chapman, President of the American Feed - Manufacturers' Association. Delivered at Washington, - D. C., Nov. 17, 1913. - - Statistics. U. S. Census Reports. U. S. Yearbooks of the - Department of Agriculture. - - - - -ACKNOWLEDGMENT - - -I desire to acknowledge the personal assistance and supervision of -Professor H. P. Rusk under whose direction the work was planned and -carried on. - - - - - TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES - - - Added opening quotation marks to all paragraphs where a quotation - spans several paragraphs. - - Silently corrected simple spelling, grammar, and typographical - errors. - - Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed. - - Enclosed underlined font in _underscores_. - - Enclosed signatures in ~tildes~. - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of History of the Beef Cattle Industry in -Illinois, by Frank Webster Farley - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BEEF CATTLE INDUSTRY--ILLINOIS *** - -***** This file should be named 50420-8.txt or 50420-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/4/2/50420/ - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, The Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: History of the Beef Cattle Industry in Illinois - -Author: Frank Webster Farley - -Release Date: November 10, 2015 [EBook #50420] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BEEF CATTLE INDUSTRY--ILLINOIS *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, The Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - -<div class="tnotes covernote"> - <p>The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_i" id="Page_i">[Pg i]</a></span></p> -<div id="titlepage"> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<h1>HISTORY OF THE BEEF CATTLE INDUSTRY IN ILLINOIS</h1> - -<p>BY</p> - -<p class="large">FRANK WEBSTER FARLEY</p> - -<p class="xlarge p2">THESIS</p> - -<p>FOR THE</p> - -<p class="xlarge">DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE</p> - -<p class="large">IN AGRICULTURE</p> - -<p>IN</p> - -<p class="large">THE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE</p> - -<p>OF THE</p> - -<p class="xlarge">UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS</p> - -<p class="large">1915 -</p> -</div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ii" id="Page_ii">[Pg ii]</a><br /><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">[Pg iii]</a></span></p> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<h2><a name="UNIVERSITY_OF_ILLINOIS" id="UNIVERSITY_OF_ILLINOIS">UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS</a></h2> - - -<p class="right">May 22, 1915</p> -<p>THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT THE THESIS PREPARED UNDER MY SUPERVISION BY</p> -<p class="center"><em>Frank Webster Farley</em></p> -<p>ENTITLED <em>History of the Beef Cattle Industry in Illinois</em><br /> -<br /> -______________________________________________________________<br /> -<br /> -IS APPROVED BY ME AS FULFILLING THIS PART OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">DEGREE OF <em>Bachelor of Science in Agriculture</em></span><br /> -<br /> -____________________________________________________</p> - -<p class="center"><em><span class="cursive">Henry P Rusk</span></em></p> -<p class="right">Instructor in Charge</p> -<p>APPROVED: <em>May 27, 1915</em></p> -<p class="center"><span class="cursive">Herbert W. Mumford</span></p> -<p class="center">HEAD OF DEPARTMENT OF Animal Husbandry</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">[Pg iv]</a><br /><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[Pg v]</a></span></p> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<h2><a name="INDEX" id="INDEX">INDEX</a></h2> - -<div style="margin-left: 33%;"> -<dl id="index"> -<dt> <a href="#I_INTRODUCTION">I. Introduction</a></dt> -<dd>Topography of the Land</dd> -<dd>People</dd> -<dd>Cattle and cattle feeding</dd> - -<dt> <a href="#II_CATTLE_FEEDING_INDUSTRY5">II. Cattle Feeding Industry</a></dt> -<dd>The first silo in Illinois</dd> -<dd>The Chicago market</dd> - -<dt><a href="#III_CATTLE_BARONS_AND_PIONEER_DROVERS_OF_ILLINOIS">III. Cattle Barons and Pioneer Drovers</a></dt> -<dd>John T. Alexander</dd> -<dd>Jacob Strawn</dd> -<dd>Benjamin Franklin Harris</dd> -<dd>Tom Candy Ponting</dd> - -<dt> <a href="#IV_THE_RANGE_INDUSTRY">IV. The Range Industry</a></dt> -<dd>Texas cattle</dd> - -<dt> <a href="#V_THE_PURE_BRED_INDUSTRY">V. The Pure Bred Industry</a></dt> -<dd>T. L. Miller</dd> -<dd>Thomas Clark</dd> - -<dt> <a href="#VI_CATTLE_PLAGUES">VI. Cattle Plagues</a></dt> - -<dt><a href="#VII_THE_FEED_INDUSTRY_OF_THE_UNITED_STATES">VII. The Feed Industry of the United States.</a></dt> -</dl> -</div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[Pg vi]</a><br /><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p> - -<p class="ph1">HISTORY OF THE BEEF CATTLE INDUSTRY IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS -</p> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<h2><a name="I_INTRODUCTION" id="I_INTRODUCTION">I. INTRODUCTION</a></h2> - - -<h3>Topography of the Land</h3> - -<p>"As a whole, the surface of the State of Illinois is -nearly level. The prairie regions which cover a large part of -the state are only slightly rolling, except in those places -where streams have worn valleys. These are shallow in the -eastern and the northern parts of the state, deepening gradually -as the great rivers are approached. Nearly all the waters of -Illinois find their way to the Mississippi river. Along this -river, as also along the larger streams of the state, the lands -are cut into abrupt bluffs or sharp spurs which, nearing the -sources of the streams, gradually become softened into rounded -hillocks, sinking at last into the low banks. Through such -waterways as these form, flow streams usually gentle in current, -often sluggish, and sometimes becoming even stagnant. Over a -large part of the state, ponds and "sloughs", or marshes, formerly -abounded. In these the water was renewed only by the rains that -fell occasionally. Under hot suns these ponds, having neither -inlet nor outlet, quickly became foul, particularly where stock -resorted to them to drink and cool themselves, as they did -almost universally throughout the state a few years ago, and do -even now in some parts.</p> - -<p>"For years such ponds furnished the principal, almost -the only, water supply for stock in large areas of this state.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span> -The constant use of such impure water greatly injured the quality -of the milk and butter of cows, and doubtless had a baneful effect -upon the health of the animals that drank the foul water and -those who used the milk and butter.</p> - -<p>"With the drainage of the land and the introduction of a -pure supply of water, came the disappearance of certain diseases -of cattle and of human beings, particularly the so-called milk -sickness and kindred maladies, and a marked improvement in the -flavor and keeping qualities of milk and butter. Although the -change thus far has been great, there are yet districts in which -there has been little improvement in the conditions of the land, -of the water supply, or of the people. Stock are still compelled -to depend, for their water supply, upon streams and pools that -almost invariably become stagnant in the warm and dry days of -the latter part of summer each year."<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></p> - -<p>Inquiries addressed to hundreds of intelligent and -careful observers, nearly all of whom were practical stockmen, -elicited information showing the following:</p> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="Chief Source of Water Supply"> - <tr> - <th>Number of Counties</th> - <th>District</th> - <th>Chief Source of Water Supply</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - <td>Northwest or Postal District</td> - <td>Streams and wells; springs furnish a considerable part of it; - few ponds used; three instances of tile drains.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td>Central Northern Counties</td> - <td>Wells chief source; springs, streams, and tiles used to a - considerable extent. <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td>Northeast Counties</td> - <td>Streams, wells, and springs used about equally.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td>Eastern Counties</td> - <td>Wells chiefly; streams next; ponds and tile drains follow in - the order named; nine instances of springs.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td>Central Counties</td> - <td>Forty-nine districts report wells; forty report streams; - thirty-five tile drains; twenty-five ponds; twenty-four - springs.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td>Western Counties</td> - <td>Wells and tile drains equal; springs next; ponds in a few - instances.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr"> 4</td> - <td>Southern Counties</td> - <td>Ponds and streams equal; six report wells; five report - springs; four tile drains.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">21</td> - <td>Central S. Counties</td> - <td>Ponds chiefly; streams next; wells next; springs and tiles in - the order named.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td>Southeast and Southwest Counties</td> - <td>A like condition: ponds, streams, and springs.</td> - </tr> -</table></div> - -<p>"From all parts of the state, correspondents wrote that -the ponds and streams become stagnant in the warm months of summer, -a few making exception of those years in which rainfall has been -heavy during the summer months. Stagnant water is found more -generally in the southern than in the northern part of Illinois; -chiefly, perhaps, because the cultivation and drainage of the -land has not become almost universal as it has in the northern -districts."</p> - -<p>In several counties artesian wells afford a most copious -supply of water of good quality. In Iroquois and other eastern<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span> -counties, such wells have been bored to a depth of from 150 to -200 feet and obtained an unfailing flow of water impregnated with -minerals. Stock show a strong liking for such water after -becoming accustomed to its use, and it is the belief of those who -have had opportunity for observing the effects of its continued -use, that this mineral water serves to keep the animals free from -disorders which formerly prevailed in that region. This seems -to be especially apparent in regard to malarial disorders.</p> - - -<h3>People</h3> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 700px;"> -<img src="images/i013a.jpg" width="700" height="494" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p>About 1820, the State of Illinois was being rapidly -settled by people from the eastern states. Prior to this time, -very few white settlements had been made in the state. These -early pioneers, drawn from the population -of the eastern states, were composed of -almost all nationalities. They pushed -their way across the mountains of -Pennsylvania and Virginia in crude -wagons, drawn by oxen, bringing -with them their household goods and a -few milk cows. They came into Illinois, built -new homes, and laid out new fields on the -broad, unsettled prairies.<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a></p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 700px;"> -<img src="images/i013b.jpg" width="700" height="440" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p>Beginning with the year of 1800, -when there were only a few people in the -state, the population has increased very rapidly, as is shown by -the following statistics, taken from the United States Census<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span> -Report (special supplement for the State of Illinois):</p> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="United States Census"> - <tr> - <th>Year</th> - <th>Population</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1790</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1800</td> - <td class="tdr">5,641</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1810</td> - <td class="tdr">24,520</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1820</td> - <td class="tdr">147,178</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1830</td> - <td class="tdr">343,031</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1840</td> - <td class="tdr">685,866</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1850</td> - <td class="tdr">851,470</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1860</td> - <td class="tdr">1,711,951</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1870</td> - <td class="tdr">2,539,891</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1880</td> - <td class="tdr">3,077,871</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1890</td> - <td class="tdr">3,826,352</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1900</td> - <td class="tdr">4,821,550</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1910</td> - <td class="tdr">5,638,591</td> - </tr> -</table></div><h3>Cattle and Cattle Feeding<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a></h3> - -<p>When Illinois was first settled, almost the whole of the -middle and the northern parts of the state were covered with a -rank growth of native grasses, which furnished an ample supply -and variety of forage of fair quality. "In the southern districts -were heavy forests, but in the central and northern sections were -but few groves or other timber growths to afford shelter to -stock." The prairie grasses that grew in the central and northern -districts were usually devastated by fire during the fall. However, -the general fencing and cultivation of the land put a stop -to the burning of these dead grasses of the prairies, and soon -groves of oaks sprang up and covered many uncultivated spots. The -leaves which stayed on these trees throughout the winter until -spring, furnished valuable shelter to stock from the raw winter -winds.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span></p> -<p>At the beginning of the settlement of Illinois, very little -attention was given to the cattle interest. The pioneer settlers, -however, had brought a few milk cows with them from the eastern -states, but these cows were kept for milk only, no thought being -given to beef production. After a few years, a few pure bred -cattle were brought in, at which time some attention was given -to beef, as well as to milk production, not for the beef produced, -however, but principally to give a ready market for their grain -crops.</p> - -<p>The practice of raising beef cattle to market grain -continued from then until near the end of the nineteenth century, -when cattle feeding was no longer profitable as a grain market, -and the question was: "How much beef can be produced from a -bushel of corn?"<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a></p> - -<p>"Despite the seemingly adverse character of the climate, -Illinois has been, for some time, little, if any, behind other leading -states of the Union in stock growing. In 1850, this state stood -sixth in milk cows, and seventh in work oxen and other cattle. -In 1860, it was tenth in work oxen, fifth in milk cows, and -second in other cattle. In 1870, it was twenty-sixth in work -oxen, fourth in milk cows, and second in the supply of other -cattle. In 1880, it stood thirty-sixth in work oxen, second in -milk cows, and third in other cattle. Iowa then had 240,280 -and Texas had 1,812,860 more cattle than Illinois.</p> - -<p>"The average value of milk cows in Illinois in 1884 was -$35, and of oxen and other cattle, it was $28.04, while the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span> -average value of milk cows in Iowa was only $31.75, and of -other cattle $26.00. The blood of the Shorthorns was used -more largely than that of any other breed in the improvement of -the cattle of the state. The first, and for some years, the -only representatives of pure races of cattle in this state were -Shorthorns, and to this date they exceed all other breeds in -number."</p> - -<p>The growth of the cattle interest in the State of -Illinois, from 1850 to 1884, inclusive, is shown by the following -statistics, taken from the United States Census Reports. The -first figures of close accuracy on the number of cattle in the -state were those gotten in 1850.</p> - -<div class="center"> -<table class="border" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="United States Census Reports"> - <tr> - <th rowspan="2">Year</th> - <th colspan="2">Milch Cows</th> - <th colspan="2">Work Oxen</th> - <th colspan="2">Other Cattle</th> - <th colspan="2">Total</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th class="bl">No.</th> - <th>Inc. %</th> - <th>No.</th> - <th>Inc. %</th> - <th>No.</th> - <th>Inc. %</th> - <th>No.</th> - <th>Inc. %</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1850</td> - <td class="tdr">294,671</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">76,156</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"> 541,209</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr"> 912,036</td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1860</td> - <td class="tdr">522,634</td> - <td class="tdr"> 77.3</td> - <td class="tdr">90,380</td> - <td class="tdr"> 18.6</td> - <td class="tdr"> 970,799</td> - <td class="tdr"> 79.4</td> - <td class="tdr">1,583,813</td> - <td class="tdr"> 73.6</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1870</td> - <td class="tdr">640,321</td> - <td class="tdr"> 22.5</td> - <td class="tdr">19,766</td> - <td class="tdr">-78.1</td> - <td class="tdr">1,055,499</td> - <td class="tdr"> 8.7</td> - <td class="tdr">1,715,586</td> - <td class="tdr"> 8.3</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1880</td> - <td class="tdr">865,913</td> - <td class="tdr"> 35.2</td> - <td class="tdr"> 3,346</td> - <td class="tdr">-83.0</td> - <td class="tdr">1,515,063</td> - <td class="tdr"> 43.5</td> - <td class="tdr">2,384,322</td> - <td class="tdr"> 38.9</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1883</td> - <td class="tdr">716,102</td> - <td class="tdr">-17.3</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">1,253,765</td> - <td class="tdr"> -17.2</td> - <td class="tdr">1,969,867</td> - <td class="tdr"> -17.4</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1884</td> - <td class="tdr">919,404</td> - <td class="tdr"> 17.7</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">1,471,191</td> - <td class="tdr"> 17.3</td> - <td class="tdr">2,390,595</td> - <td class="tdr"> 21.3</td> - </tr> -</table><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span></div> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> Report of the Bureau of Animal Industry, 1885, p. 362.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> United States Census Report and interviews with old settlers.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> Report of Bureau of Animal Industry, 1885, p. 365.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> Bureau of Animal Industry, 1885, p. 365-66</p></div></div> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<h2><a name="II_CATTLE_FEEDING_INDUSTRY5" id="II_CATTLE_FEEDING_INDUSTRY5">II. CATTLE FEEDING INDUSTRY</a><a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a></h2> - - -<p>"When the farms of Illinois were first put into cultivation, -the attention of the farmers was almost entirely devoted -to grain raising. Wheat was cash and was the only product of -the farm that could be sold for ready money. The virgin soils of -the state gave to the pioneer large crop yields, but constant -cropping soon began to tell on the soil and each year the crop -yield became lighter. This depletion of the fertility of the -soil by continuous cropping, together with a need for a near -market for the grain crops, soon gave stimulus to an idea that -cattle feeding would help restore the fertility of the soil and, -at the same time, market the grain at home." From this time on, -the production of beef in this state has been one of the most -important phases of agriculture. In the southern part of the -state, however, which was settled largely by French, and where the -predominating cattle continued to be the mongrel bred stock, -little attention was given to cattle feeding. These people turned -their cattle out on the luxuriant grass and relied upon the -meat and milk produced in that way.</p> - -<p>"In the evolution or development of beef production that -followed in Illinois and other corn-belt states, there has been two -distinct stages, and it is now entering upon the third stage. The -first stage was that in which cattle were fed to market corn, and -also to increase the fertility of the soil, which was being<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> -depleted by the continuous cropping. The second stage was that -in which the ranges had been broken up and the object was not to -raise cattle to market corn but to raise corn to make beef." The -third stage, or that upon which the industry is now entering, is -that of baby beef making.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 700px;"> -<img src="images/i023.jpg" width="700" height="371" alt="" /> -</div> - -<p>Seventy or eighty years ago, and for several years afterward, -cattle were bred and fed, not -primarily for beef production, but -to market corn. The farmers of -those days were accustomed to say: -"I'll make my corn walk to market," -or "I'll condense my freight," or -"I'll grow packages in which I can condense my corn and put in the -hay and pastures as well." Statisticians figured that about -six tons of corn could be put into one ton of pork, about ten tons -into one ton of beef, and from twenty to twenty-five tons into one -ton of butter. There were very few railroads in the state at that -time and farmers were forced to haul their corn and wheat thirty and -forty miles to reach a station. And while freight rates were -extortionately high on corn and wheat in proportion to their cash -value, railroads were racing with each other to get the livestock -trade. They gave passes, rebates, and quick service, and many other -things to get the patronage of the cattle feeders and shippers. The -country roads in Illinois were bad, the bridges were few and poor, -and the farmers, therefore, soon came to realize that their corn -must walk to market if it gave them any profit.</p> - -<p>"The growing of the so-called packages in which to condense<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> -freight, and thereby sell corn to a better advantage, was an easy -matter in those days. In the newer sections, away from the main -lines of railroads, there was much open prairie land, which was -covered with luxuriant grass. Cattle could be herded on this -free grass on the prairies at a dollar a head from May to -October, and then stalk fields could be had for ten cents an acre. -Usually these stalk fields contained from twenty cents to thirty -cents worth of corn per acre. The only expensive months for -feeding were March and April, when either clover, timothy, or -prairie hay had to be fed. The cost in the summer was only about -twenty cents a month per head, in the winter about thirty-three -cents. The total cost of growing a package was about $6.00."</p> - -<p>The cattle herders in those days made contracts with the -large operators to graze so many cattle at so much per head -during the grazing season. The usual price for the entire season -was from $1.00 to $1.50 per head. These cattle ranged from three -to seven years old by the time they were ready for market and -sold for about $25.00 per head.</p> - -<p>An instance of the cattle herding industry, as it may be -termed, is related by Mr. C. W. Yapp, now of Urbana, Illinois, -who was one of the early herders in that country near Mahomet:</p> - -<p>About 1855, at 13 years of age, Mr. Yapp began herding cattle -for the then large cattle feeders of that part of the country. -In the early spring of 1860, he started from Mahomet with a -bunch of 12 cattle, to meet a large drove that was coming up -from the southern part of the state. These cattle were native -stock which had been collected over the state. The entire bunch<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> -numbering around 900, were driven to Drummer's Grove, near Gibson -City. There they were branded and herded on the open prairie -during the spring and summer. In the fall, they were returned -to the lots of the large feeders, where they were fed out during -the winter. The feed during the winter consisted mostly of -shocked corn.</p> - -<p>Some of the large cattle feeders bought their packages to -be filled with corn, while others grew them. In either case, -the primary aim was not to make beef, but to market the corn -crop at a much better price than would be obtained if the winter -was spent in hauling the corn to market at the nearest town. -Naturally, these feeders fed corn with a lavish hand. They fed -from twenty to thirty pounds to a steer per day, and if the steer -became gorged and mussed over it, it was thrown out to the hogs. -They kept corn before their cattle all the time. They argued -that if you want solid beef, beef that will weigh like lead, give -the cattle nothing but corn and water. They wanted big packages, -nothing less than two-year-old steers past would do, and three -and four-year-olds were preferable. They wanted steers that would -be at least four years old when ready for market and that would -weigh from 1500 to 1600 pounds. These steers were desirable -because they would hold more corn than the smaller ones. Very -little attention was given to the finish of the steers sent to -market. They were all driven out together regardless of the -degree of finish. It was not until some time in the eighties and -nineties that much attention was given to the degree of finish<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> -in fat steers when sent to market.</p> - -<p>After the open prairies became settled up and there was -no more free grass at home, the feeders of Illinois and the -adjoining states could buy their packages on the ranges on the -plains west of the Mississippi river, or at the range cattle -markets. Corn was still cheap and so were packages in the shape -of stockers and feeders. The reason for this was that the great -corn fields of Kansas and Nebraska were being opened up and the -great national pastures from Canada to the Texas Panhandle had -not yet become spotted and rendered useless by the homesteader. -Speculation in semi-arid land had not set in, and the term -"dry farming" had not been invented.</p> - -<p>The great drouths caused the price of corn to fluctuate -but the aggregate corn yield kept on increasing with increased -acreage and usually the year following a drouth was one of superabundance -of corn. Such was the year of 1895 following the drouth -of 1894. The proportion of cattle per thousand population steadily -increased. Meanwhile our cattle markets became centralized and -were always full to overflowing. Everybody wondered where the -cattle came from.</p> - -<p>In the year of 1895, this system reached its climax. -The question confronting the farmer at this time was: "Why did -he continue growing corn and feeding cattle?" He grew corn -because he could do it cheaply and more certainly than anything -else. The farmer had begun to realize that the limit of good -land watered by the rains of heaven would soon be reached. He -would, therefore, hold on to his land and gain back all that he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> -had lost in fertility by growing corn in the increased price of -land that was sure to come in the near future. He had been -feeding cattle to sell his corn with the idea also that cattle -feeding and cattle grazing were good for the land. The limit of -good land was not reached, however, nearly so soon as he had -expected and when it was reached, land advanced in price more -rapidly than even the most optimistic had anticipated. The year -of 1895 marks the end of the first stage of beef production in -Illinois as well as in the other corn belt states.</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 700px;"> -<img src="images/i031.jpg" width="700" height="561" alt="" /> -<div class="caption red"><p><em>The -Summer -That the -Rain -Came Not</em></p></div> -</div> - -<p>In the nineties (1896), cattle feeding in Illinois and -the other corn belt states entered upon the second stage of its -evolution or development. The purpose of feeding cattle during -this stage was not to market corn but to make beef. The great -corn crop of 1895 and 1896, following the drouth of 1894, gave -very cheap corn. Cattle were cheap also. -During the two years 1896-1897, business -was on a standstill the whole country over, -but the next year, 1898, business started -in full blast; cattle began to advance -in price, and the demand for feeders -increased. As a consequence, the whole -country was scoured for them, but it -was found that the choicest ones had -been sold off in 1894, and the early part of 1895. Cattle feeders, -anxious to secure cattle to fill their feed lots, turned to other -sources for their supply. They went into Mexico, Oregon, Colorado, -and Tennessee, and bought their feeder cattle. When cattle went<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> -up in price, corn went up also, then labor began to gradually go -up.</p> - -<p>At that point began the advance in the value of land. The -government had no more choice corn land. The two acres necessary -to keep a cow during the summer and two more acres, the hay from -which would keep her during the winter, doubled in price within -the next fifteen years, but it did not increase in actual value -as determined by the amount of grass or grain it would produce. -It was at that time the people were confronted first with dear -land, stockers, feeders, corn, hay, and beef. This all led the -cattle feeders and the corn growers to begin studying out a -method or system by which they could profitably grow corn to make -beef instead of growing beef to market corn. The prices of fat -cattle were very tempting, something unheard of ever before, but -when it came to buying feeders, the margin was very little greater -than it had been in previous years, and besides, corn was higher -than it had ever been. The problem then was, how to get the most -beef out of a bushel of corn.</p> - -<p>Experiment stations had been doing work along that line -for several years. They pointed out that the younger and smaller -the animal is, the less will be the grain required to sustain -the life-giving forces, or to run the machine, and a greater -proportion will go to the building up of body tissue, hence the -greater the profit in feeding young animals. Feeders began to -drop out the two and three year old steers and replace them with -baby beeves. Many feeders tried it but somehow or other they -could not make it work according to the experimental evidence.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> -They found no profit in feeding any kind of cattle. Many feed -lots became empty and blue grass and clover pastures were plowed -up and put into corn fields. If corn was worth more outside of -the steer than it was in the steer, the farmer argued, why feed -cattle? The landlord could get more rent from corn land than from -grass land devoted to cattle grazing; therefore, he saw no profit -in building expensive barns, sheds, and fences for cattle feeding.</p> - -<p>In the summer of 1907, business was flourishing and -packers were in need of money. To meet their needs, they flooded -the western banks with commercial paper. They bought so few cattle -that the price fell off at least 30 per cent in three months' -time. The loss accrued by such a rapid decline in the price -of fat cattle was so great that it paid for the commercial paper -that had been issued by the packers. Such conditions as these -hastened the process of depleting the feed yards and decreasing -the number of cattle on the market.</p> - -<p>"The cattle have left central Illinois and the grain -elevator now distinguishes the landscape. The vast blue grass -pastures of the ante-bellum period have disappeared, and corn -tillage is the principal occupation of the agrarian population. -Down in Morgan and Sangamon counties, even recollections of the -cattle trade, as it existed in the days of John T. Alexander -and Jacob Strawn, are being rapidly affected. A few cattle come -in from the west to be fattened on corn, but summer grazing is -the exception and the interest of the occupant of the land centers, -not in the cattle market quotations, but in the price of corn.<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span></p> - -<p>"All the evidence seems to point toward the conclusions -that another change in the corn belt system of beef production -is imminent.</p> - -<p>"One of two things will happen or Illinois will quit -the cattle business. Either some new breeding and rearing center -must be developed, or Illinois feeders must return to breeding -their own feeder steers.</p> - -<p>"I believe that Illinois will not quit the cattle -business. There is too much at stake besides the mere success or -failure of the cattle business alone. First of all, this -country needs the beef. The greatest people of the earth have -been meat eaters, and I believe that the American people will -continue to eat meat and will pay the price necessary to make -its production profitable.</p> - -<p>"Another consideration of vital importance, but too -broad a subject for discussion in this connection, is the value -of livestock as an aid to the maintenance of soil fertility. Then, -too, for the sake of our economic stability, the livestock -interest of the country must be preserved and encouraged. Professor -Herbert W. Mumford is my authority for the statement that 80 % -of the corn grown in the United States is fed to livestock. -Picture, if you can, the effect upon corn belt land value and our -economic situation generally if the country suddenly lost this -market for 80 % of its corn crop.</p> - -<p>"Regarding the possibility of another breeding center -being developed, it may be said that there are other sections -that can produce feeders much more cheaply than Illinois. There<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> -are large areas of cheap lands in some of the Gulf states with -which Illinois could not compete in the production of feeder -steers. But these sections are not interested in the production -of cattle, and it is doubtful if the south ever produces a surplus -of feeder steers. Hence, it seems that the probable solution of -the whole question will be brought about by producing our own -feeders.</p> - -<p>"If Illinois does return to the cattle breeding business, -it will not be on the old extensive scale that prevailed throughout -the state a generation ago. Grass grown on these high priced -lands is too expensive to be disposed of with so lavish a hand as -it was thirty or forty years ago.</p> - -<p>"A return to cattle breeding in Illinois will be coincident -with a more general adoption of supplement for pasture. The use -of smaller proportions of permanent pasture, more extensive use -of rotated or leguminous pastures, the passing of the aged steers -in our feed lots, and the inauguration of what may be called -intensive systems of baby beef production."<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span></p> - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="NUMBER OF BEEF CATTLE IN ILLINOIS BY YEARS"> - <caption>NUMBER OF BEEF CATTLE IN ILLINOIS BY YEARS<br /> - FROM 1856 TO 1914.</caption> -<thead> - <tr> - <th>Year</th> - <th>Number of Beef Cattle<br />in Illinois</th> - </tr> -</thead> -<tbody> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1856</td> - <td class="tdr">1 169 855</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1857</td> - <td class="tdr">1 351 209</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1858</td> - <td class="tdr">1 422 249</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1859</td> - <td class="tdr">1 336 565</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1860</td> - <td class="tdr">1 425 978</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1861</td> - <td class="tdr">1 428 362</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1862</td> - <td class="tdr">1 603 946</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1863</td> - <td class="tdr">1 684 892</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1864</td> - <td class="tdr">1 370 783</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1865</td> - <td class="tdr">1 568 280</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1866</td> - <td class="tdr">1 435 769</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1867</td> - <td class="tdr">1 486 381</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1868</td> - <td class="tdr">1 520 963</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1869</td> - <td class="tdr">1 584 445</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1870</td> - <td class="tdr">1 578 015</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1871</td> - <td class="tdr">1 611 349</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1872</td> - <td class="tdr">1 684 029</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1873</td> - <td class="tdr">2 015 819</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1874</td> - <td class="tdr">2 042 327</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1875</td> - <td class="tdr">1 985 155</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1876</td> - <td class="tdr">1 857 301</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1877</td> - <td class="tdr">1 750 931<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1878</td> - <td class="tdr">1 775 401</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1879</td> - <td class="tdr">1 862 265</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1880</td> - <td class="tdr">1 998 788</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1881</td> - <td class="tdr">2 045 366</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1882</td> - <td class="tdr">2 012 902</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1883</td> - <td class="tdr">1 959 867</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1884</td> - <td class="tdr">1 997 927</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1885</td> - <td class="tdr">2 166 059</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1886</td> - <td class="tdr">2 337 074</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1887</td> - <td class="tdr">2 480 401</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1888</td> - <td class="tdr">2 465 288</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1889</td> - <td class="tdr">2 398 191</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1890</td> - <td class="tdr">2 095 595</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1891</td> - <td class="tdr">1 853 318</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1892</td> - <td class="tdr">1 615 405</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1893</td> - <td class="tdr">1 812 924</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1894</td> - <td class="tdr">1 798 417</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1895</td> - <td class="tdr">1 782 158</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1896</td> - <td class="tdr">1 626 171</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1897</td> - <td class="tdr">1 753 371</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1898</td> - <td class="tdr">1 802 061<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1899</td> - <td class="tdr">1 886 933</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1900</td> - <td class="tdr">2 009 598</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1901</td> - <td class="tdr">2 372 710</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1902</td> - <td class="tdr">2 409 772</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1903</td> - <td class="tdr">2 325 980</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1904</td> - <td class="tdr">2 535 954</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1905</td> - <td class="tdr">2 301 519</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1906</td> - <td class="tdr">2 203 108</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1907</td> - <td class="tdr">2 065 816</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1908</td> - <td class="tdr">1 892 118</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1909</td> - <td class="tdr">1 691 686</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1910</td> - <td class="tdr">1 512 055</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1911</td> - <td class="tdr">1 473 741</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1912</td> - <td class="tdr">1 258 293</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1913</td> - <td class="tdr">1 170 628</td> - </tr> -</tbody> -</table></div> - -<p>"In reviewing the cattle breeding and the cattle feeding -situation in Illinois in 1894, Mr. J. G. Imboden stated that -the outlook was not very encouraging. The question was, "Are -the men who are feeding the grain and fodder crop of the farm -any worse off than those grain farmers who are selling their -grain on the market, or even the butcher, the grocer, the boot<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> -and shoe dealer, or the drygoods merchant?" They undoubtedly -were not at that time. Competition was very close, profits small, -and unless a business man was satisfied with a small profit, his -competitor did the business. Such were the conditions that -faced the cattle breeders and feeders at that time.</p> - -<p>"From 5 % to 10 % of the feeding value of the crops on -Illinois farms were left in the field; straw-stacks stood in the -field where the thresher left them; stover stood on the field after -the corn was husked, while on these same farms were stock that -were shrinking from exposure and lack of feed."</p> - -<p>The outlook for the feeder was very discouraging, but much -more so for the breeder. There were no hopes for success for -the breeder until the feeder had two or three years of success -in order to make a market for the cattle that were bred. Strong -efforts were being made to devise some methods of feeding the -farm products more economically and in such a way as would mean -more grain and better profits for the feeder.</p> - -<p>"The cattle feeders of Illinois presumed that the time -was nearing when feeder cattle of the best grade for grazing -and feeding purposes would be hard to secure. While at that -time there were plenty of cattle west of the Mississippi river, -in Illinois there was a scarcity of breeding cattle to supply -the demand. It was harder to buy a bunch of fifty uniformly good -steers, throughout central Illinois especially, than it had been -for fifteen years past. This was probably due to the fact that -feeders had quit raising their feeding cattle and the breeders -had changed from one breed to another in hopes of finding a breed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> -that would give them greater returns. Again, many breeders had -become very careless of the merits of the cattle on their farm."<a name="FNanchor_8_8" id="FNanchor_8_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a></p> - - -<h3>The First Silo in Illinois</h3> - -<p>"In 1881, Oatman Brothers, of Dundee, Illinois, built the -first silo in the state. At the eighth annual meeting of the -Illinois State Dairyman's Association, held at Dundee, Illinois, -December 14-16, 1881, Mr. E. J. Oatman read an article on "Silos -and Ensilage.""</p> - -<p>Mr. Oatman stated that some agricultural paper in Chicago -had been agitating the building of silos in Illinois and had tried -to induce him to build one. The stories that the paper told about -the value of ensilage as a feed sounded too good to be true. The -idea of cutting up green fodder, packing it away in a hole, and -expecting to see it come out in first class condition, in the -dead of winter, seemed to be impossible. A great many objections -arose to such "cow kraut" as some called it. It would heat, ferment, -and rot; therefore it was a very difficult matter to make -people see its value as a feed.</p> - -<p>Mr. Oatman, however, visited the farm of Messrs. Whitman -and Burrell at Little Falls, New York, on February 1, 1880, for the -purpose of seeing their silo and the condition of their ensilage. -He made a thorough investigation and thereupon became convinced -that ensilage was a success. He returned home to his farm at -Dundee and made preparations to build a silo. His first silo was -49 feet by 43 feet by 20 feet deep, dug out into the ground. It<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> -was divided into three parts, all of which were made of concrete.</p> - -<p>After the silo was finished, Mr. Oatman proceeded to fill -it, which required thirteen days with a force of ten men, at a rate -of about twenty-three tons per day. After it was filled, stone -was placed on top, at the rate of about 150 pounds per square inch.</p> - -<p>Mr. Oatman met with many discouragements with his new silo; -the community at large thought it was a very foolish idea. Some -said that if it did keep, the cattle would not eat it, and others -still more radical, even hoped that he would lose it all, and said -that any man who would try such a thing was crazy.</p> - -<p>When the time came to open the silo, Mr. Oatman found that -the silage was all fresh and nice with the exception of a few -inches on top. His cattle took to it readily, and he found that -it greatly increased the milk production of his dairy herd.<a name="FNanchor_9_9" id="FNanchor_9_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a></p> - -<p>The use of ensilage as a feed for beef and milk production -has become so general in Illinois since the first silo was built -in 1881 that ensilage is now one of the staple feeds. While there -are a few people who still think that the use of ensilage in the -production of beef is a fad, practically every one agrees that it -is economical in the production of milk.</p> - -<p>Ensilage is a roughage and not a concentrate, and its -profitableness in a fattening ration depends not so much upon its -nutritive value as upon its succulence and palatability, the -steers' ability to consume large quantities of it, and the fact -that it makes possible the utilization of all of the corn plant, a -large proportion of which would be wasted.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span></p> -<p>Every year sees a more general adoption of ensilage as -a roughage, and with the inauguration of the present intensive -system of baby beef production, and where the baby beeves are -raised on the farm on which they are to be fed, ensilage is the -most economical feed that can be used in maintaining the breeding -herd.</p> - - -<h3>The Chicago Market</h3> - -<p>"The situation of Chicago in the great agricultural center -of the United States brought it into prominence at an early day -as the center of the live stock trade. This position it has never -lost. However great may be the development of other sections -of the country, Chicago can not fail to continue to be the leader -in this class of business. Its location as a railroad center and -its position as a distributing point is made secure by the -steadiness of its growth and the magnitude of its present operations. -There is greater competition in this market than in any -other. The Chicago market is the purchasing point, not only for -the local packers, large and small, the exporters, and the -speculators, but also for a great number of smaller packing houses -scattered over the country, and for the feeders and breeders of the -most fertile and largest agricultural sections of the United States."<a name="FNanchor_10_10" id="FNanchor_10_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a></p> - -<p>Prior to the year of 1833, Chicago had no provisions to -export, and as late as 1836, an actual scarcity of food there -created a panic among the inhabitants.</p> - -<p>The first shipment of cattle products from Chicago was made -in 1841, by Newbury and Dale on the schooner, Napoleon, bound fo<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span>r -Detroit, Michigan. This shipment consisted of 287 barrels of -salted beef and 14 barrels of tallow.</p> - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="Statistics of Chicago 1837"> - <caption><em>Statistics of Chicago 1837.</em></caption> - <tr> - <th>Population:</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td>Whites</td> - <td class="tdr">3989</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td>Colored</td> - <td class="tdr">160</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td>Males</td> - <td class="tdr">2579</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td>Females</td> - <td class="tdr">1570</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdc">Total</td> - <td class="tdr bt">4149</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th>Buildings:</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td>Dwellings</td> - <td class="tdr">398</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td>Drygoods stores</td> - <td class="tdr">29</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td>Grocery stores</td> - <td class="tdr">26</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td>Hardware stores</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td>Drug stores</td> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td>Churches</td> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - </tr> -</table></div> - -<p>There were two weekly papers published in Chicago at this -time: The American, a whig paper, and the Democrat.</p> - -<p>The first market in the way of stock yards in Chicago -was located on the north branch of the Chicago river. These yards -were used chiefly for swine. In 1836, the first cattle yards -were opened on a tract of land near twenty-ninth street and -Cottage Grove avenue. A few pens had been erected here to accommodate -the cattle trade. The first scales for weighing livestock -ever used in that country were used in these yards.<a name="FNanchor_11_11" id="FNanchor_11_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span></p> - -<p>In 1855, there were two regular stock yards in Chicago; -one, called the Merrick Yard, is now known as the Sherman Yards, -and the other was called the Bullshead Yard. A great many eastern -people came to Chicago at this time to buy fat cattle to take back -east. Most of the cattle they bought were driven over into Indiana -to Michigan City, to be shipped on east. John L. Hancock was the -only packer in Chicago at this time. Ice was not used, and packing -was done during the cool seasons of the year.</p> - -<p>One element of the success of Chicago as a market was -the fact that stock might be pastured without charge on the -prairies near the city, while the owners awaited favorable market -conditions in the eastern states. The cattle were herded on the -open prairies just outside of the city, and the buyers of Chicago -rode out each day and bought the cattle in such numbers as they -needed.</p> - -<p>In 1865, the growth of the livestock traffic had increased -so rapidly that the several railroad companies that centered in -Chicago, together with the managers of the stock yards already -existing, combined for the erection of the Union Stock Yards. -These were opened for business on Christmas day, 1865.<a name="FNanchor_12_12" id="FNanchor_12_12"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a></p> - -<p>"The meat industry of Chicago, from the purchase of the -livestock to the shipment of the meat, in either the fresh or the -cured condition, is carried on at the Union Stock Yards, which -are located near the outskirts of the city. The yards cover -exactly a square mile of ground. One-half of this area is covered -with cattle pens, and the other half by huge establishments of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> -packing houses. The pens are surrounded by strong stockades, -about shoulder high, and they are laid out in blocks with streets -and alleys, in much the same fashion as an ordinary American town. -The whole of this area, a half mile in width, and a mile in length, -is paved with red brick; and here we see the first notable evidence -of the effort to maintain the stock yards in a sanitary condition.</p> - -<p>"The brick paving makes it possible to thoroughly clean -both pens and streets, and this is done at regular and frequent -intervals."<a name="FNanchor_13_13" id="FNanchor_13_13"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a></p> - -<p>"Whatever may have been the conditions in the past, it is -a fact that today the greatest care is exercised in the shipment -and handling of the stock from the time they leave the farms until -they reach the packing houses. The price that the animals will -bring in the pens depends upon the conditions they present under -the eye of the buyer, who represents the packing houses, and it -is to the interest of the farmers, the cattlemen, and the commission -men, to whom the cattle are consigned at the yards, that they -shall receive the best food and the most careful attention up to -the very hour at which the sale is made. They are shipped in -special stock cars, in which they are carried as expeditiously as -possible to the stock yards, where they are unloaded and driven -to the pens. Here they are at once fed and watered, each pen -containing a feeding trough and a water trough, into which a stream -of fresh water is kept running.</p> - -<p>"The cattlemen consign their stock to the various commission -houses, and for receiving and selling the stock, there is a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> -charge of, respectively, twenty-five cents and fifty cents a head. -The purchase of the cattle is made by buyers, of whom each of the -packing houses maintain a regular staff."</p> - -<p>"About 1845, a bold editor left Buffalo, New York, then the -greatest lake part of the country, and bravely ventured as far into -the rowdy west as Chicago. Possibly the people here received him -with generous hospitality; perhaps they treated him with something -even more warming to the inner man; or it may be that as they filled -him with solid chuck and, perhaps, with less solid refreshments, -they took occasion to remark, with that modest and restrained hopefulness -for which Chicago people have justly received credit, that -Chicago was destined to become a town of some importance. Be that -as it may, when that editor luckily found himself once more safe -within his sanctum, he gave vent to his joy and overflowing gratitude -by writing wild, enthusiastic predictions concerning the -future of the town, which was then aspiring to rise above the -rushes and wild rice of the Chicago river.</p> - -<p>"Reckless of the opinion of the readers of his paper, perhaps -trusting to their ignorance of the conditions of the out of the way -place, this bold editor predicted that the day would come when -Chicago would have an elevator capacious enough to hold 25,000 -bushels of grain, and that in a single winter season, 10,000 cattle, -and as many hogs, would be slaughtered and packed there.</p> - -<p>"Beef packing was the leading industry of Chicago at that -time, but no trustworthy statistics relating to the cattle traffic -previous to 1851 have been preserved, and from 1851 until 1856<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> -no account of the receipts of cattle were kept. This was probably -due to the fact that a large number of those cattle that were -brought to Chicago were held on the open prairies until sold to -butchers to supply the requirements for local consumption. No -accurate count of cattle disposed of in that way could well be -obtained."</p> - -<p>Statistics of the receipts of cattle at the Chicago -Union Stock Yards from 1851 to 1913, inclusive, and the shipments -from 1852 to 1884, inclusive:</p> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="receipts of cattle at the Chicago Union Stock Yards"> -<thead> - <tr> - <th>Year</th> - <th>Receipts</th> - <th>Shipments</th> - </tr> -</thead> -<tbody> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1851</td> - <td class="tdr">22 566<a name="FNanchor_14_14" id="FNanchor_14_14"></a><a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1852</td> - <td class="tdr">25 708<a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a></td> - <td class="tdr">77</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1853</td> - <td class="tdr">29 908<a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a></td> - <td class="tdr">2 657</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1854</td> - <td class="tdr">36 888<a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a></td> - <td class="tdr">11 221</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1855</td> - <td class="tdr">39 865<a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a></td> - <td class="tdr">8 253</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1856</td> - <td class="tdr">39 950</td> - <td class="tdr">22 205</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1857</td> - <td class="tdr">48 524</td> - <td class="tdr">25 502</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1858</td> - <td class="tdr">140 534</td> - <td class="tdr">42 638</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1859</td> - <td class="tdr">111 694</td> - <td class="tdr">37 584</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1860</td> - <td class="tdr">177 101</td> - <td class="tdr">97 474</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1861</td> - <td class="tdr">204 579</td> - <td class="tdr">124 146</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1862</td> - <td class="tdr">209 655</td> - <td class="tdr">112 745</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1863</td> - <td class="tdr">300 622</td> - <td class="tdr">187 048</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1864</td> - <td class="tdr">303 726</td> - <td class="tdr">162 446</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1865</td> - <td class="tdr">333 362</td> - <td class="tdr">301 637</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1866</td> - <td class="tdr">393 007</td> - <td class="tdr">263 693</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1867</td> - <td class="tdr">329 188</td> - <td class="tdr">203 580<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1868</td> - <td class="tdr">324 524</td> - <td class="tdr">215 987</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1869</td> - <td class="tdr">403 102</td> - <td class="tdr">294 717</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1870</td> - <td class="tdr">532 964</td> - <td class="tdr">391 709</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1871</td> - <td class="tdr">543 050</td> - <td class="tdr">401 927</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1872</td> - <td class="tdr">648 075</td> - <td class="tdr">510 025</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1873</td> - <td class="tdr">761 428</td> - <td class="tdr">574 181</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1874</td> - <td class="tdr">843 966</td> - <td class="tdr">822 929</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1875</td> - <td class="tdr">920 843</td> - <td class="tdr">696 534</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1876</td> - <td class="tdr">1 096 745</td> - <td class="tdr">797 724</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1877</td> - <td class="tdr">1 033 151</td> - <td class="tdr">703 402</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1878</td> - <td class="tdr">1 083 068</td> - <td class="tdr">699 108</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1879</td> - <td class="tdr">1 215 732</td> - <td class="tdr">726 903</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1880</td> - <td class="tdr">1 382 477</td> - <td class="tdr">886 614</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1881</td> - <td class="tdr">1 498 550</td> - <td class="tdr">938 712</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1882</td> - <td class="tdr">1 582 530</td> - <td class="tdr">921 009</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1883</td> - <td class="tdr">1 878 944</td> - <td class="tdr">966 758</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1884</td> - <td class="tdr">1 817 697</td> - <td class="tdr">678 341</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1885</td> - <td class="tdr">1 905 518</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1886</td> - <td class="tdr">1 963 900</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1887</td> - <td class="tdr">2 382 008</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1888</td> - <td class="tdr">2 611 543</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1889</td> - <td class="tdr">3 023 281</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1890</td> - <td class="tdr">3 484 280</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1891</td> - <td class="tdr">3 250 359</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1892</td> - <td class="tdr">3 571 796<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1893</td> - <td class="tdr">3 133 406</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1894</td> - <td class="tdr">2 974 363</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1895</td> - <td class="tdr">2 588 558</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1896</td> - <td class="tdr">2 600 476</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1897</td> - <td class="tdr">2 554 924</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1898</td> - <td class="tdr">2 480 897</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1899</td> - <td class="tdr">2 514 446</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1900</td> - <td class="tdr">2 729 046</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1901</td> - <td class="tdr">3 031 396</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1902</td> - <td class="tdr">2 941 559</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1903</td> - <td class="tdr">3 432 486</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1904</td> - <td class="tdr">3 259 185</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1905</td> - <td class="tdr">3 410 469</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1906</td> - <td class="tdr">3 329 250</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1907</td> - <td class="tdr">3 305 314</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1908</td> - <td class="tdr">3 039 206</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1909</td> - <td class="tdr">2 929 805</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1910</td> - <td class="tdr">3 052 958</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1911</td> - <td class="tdr">2 931 831</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1912</td> - <td class="tdr">2 652 342</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1913</td> - <td class="tdr">2 513 074</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1914</td> - </tr> -</tbody> -</table></div> - - -<h3>St. Louis Stock Yards</h3> - -<p>In April, 1869, a charter was granted by the state of -Illinois to the East St. Louis Stock Yards Company. This company<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> -was authorized to issue stock to an amount not to exceed $200,000. -The original charter of the company, which later operated the -National Stock Yards, fixed the capital stock thereof at $1,000,000, -which was, subsequently, raised, by a vote of the stock holders, -to an amount of $250,000, to meet the requirements of the rapidly -growing business. When the National Stock Yards were completed, -they were more convenient than were any others of their kind in -the country.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span></p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> Wallaces' Farmer, 1913, and thesis by Garver, "History of Dairy -Industry in Illinois."</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a> The Breeder's Gazette, July, 1913.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span class="label">[7]</span></a> Lecture by Professor H. P. Rusk on "Beef Production."</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_8_8" id="Footnote_8_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_8"><span class="label">[8]</span></a> The Breeder's Gazette, Feb. 1894.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_9_9" id="Footnote_9_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_9"><span class="label">[9]</span></a> Thesis "History of the Dairy Industry in Illinois" by Garner, -1911.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_10_10" id="Footnote_10_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_10"><span class="label">[10]</span></a> "Facts and Figures," by Wood Brothers, Live Stock Commission -Merchants, Chicago, 1906, and Report of Bureau of An. Ind. 1884.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_11_11" id="Footnote_11_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_11"><span class="label">[11]</span></a> Prairie Farmer, 1887, p. 160.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_12_12" id="Footnote_12_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_12"><span class="label">[12]</span></a> Life of Tom C. Ponting.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_13_13" id="Footnote_13_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_13"><span class="label">[13]</span></a> Scientific American—The Meat Industry of America, 1909.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_14_14" id="Footnote_14_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_14"><span class="label">[14]</span></a> Estimated.</p></div></div> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<h2><a name="III_CATTLE_BARONS_AND_PIONEER_DROVERS_OF_ILLINOIS" id="III_CATTLE_BARONS_AND_PIONEER_DROVERS_OF_ILLINOIS">III. CATTLE BARONS AND PIONEER DROVERS OF ILLINOIS</a></h2> - - -<p>Previous to the end of the first quarter of the nineteenth -century, no droves of cattle were seen in the country west of -Ohio. The first drove ever driven from Illinois was taken from -Springfield, through Chicago, to Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 1825, -by Colonel William S. Hamilton. Beginning with this date, the -practice of collecting cattle into droves and driving them to -market soon grew from a minor occupation into an industry within -itself; beef cattle that were grown and fattened in Illinois were -gathered together into large droves by men who made it a business, -and were driven to the then great cattle markets on the sea -board. Foremost among these early pioneer cattlemen were: Jacob -Strawn, John T. Alexander, B. F. Harris, and Tom C. Ponting. -In the scope of their operations, Jacob Strawn and John T. Alexander -exceeded many of the conspicuous operators in the rise and -fall of the range industry in this state. These men owned -hundreds of acres of the prairie land of the state, on which -they collected enormous droves of cattle. These cattle were -grazed here throughout the spring and summer, then were fed -during the winter. It was no uncommon occurrence for one of -these operators to buy all the corn for sale during one season -in three or four counties. The next spring these fat bullocks -were trailed across the level country to the eastern mountain -ranges, over which they climbed to reach Lancaster, Philadelphia, -and New York. Cincinnati and Buffalo received a few of these -cattle, but most of them were driven on through to the markets<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> -on the sea board, where better prices were obtained. These cities -bore about the same relation to the livestock traffic of those days -as Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, and St. Joseph bear to the -cattle trade of today; they were the collecting points for the -business and the slaughterers who bought them either salted the -carcasses down in barrels and casks or sold them to local consumers. -Other dealers, however, bought some of these cattle -and drove them on to smaller towns nearer the coast. "In the -census of 1850, it was recorded that Illinois alone sent 2,000 -head of cattle each week to the New York market."</p> - -<p>While the cattle barons represented a large part of the -beef cattle trade of Illinois, there were hundreds of smaller -dealers who fed only a few cattle each year which added materially -to the magnitude of the beef cattle industry of the state. A few -of these smaller operators were found in almost every section -of the state, especially in the central and northern part.</p> - -<p>Cattle trailing continued until lines of railroad connecting -Illinois with the cities on the Atlantic coast were built. -This made cattle trailing unnecessary and greatly stimulated the -production of beef in the state by furnishing means for placing -beef before the consumers of the east quickly and, at a much less -cost than that of the old method. The long drives greatly -decreased the weight of the animals, and, at the same time, the -meat of carcasses was inferior to that of the cattle that were -shipped by railroad, and slaughtered without having taken such -a long drive.<a name="FNanchor_15_15" id="FNanchor_15_15"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span></p> -<h3><em>John T. Alexander</em><a name="FNanchor_16_16" id="FNanchor_16_16"></a><a href="#Footnote_16_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a></h3> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 451px;"> -<img src="images/i075.jpg" width="451" height="700" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p>JOHN T. ALEXANDER.</p></div> -</div> - -<p>"Among the cattle operators -of Illinois, John T. Alexander -was probably the greatest -by reason of the magnitude of his -transactions, but he was antedated -by Jacob Strawn, who located in -Morgan County in 1827. Alexander -has been regarded as America's -greatest cattleman in a commercial -sense. In the strict sense of the -term, he was a pastoralist and a -trader, not an agriculturalist. -His parents were native of Ireland, -who migrated to Virginia in -1818, and in 1824 joined the exodus -to the Mississippi Valley, settling -in Jefferson County, Ohio. John T. -Alexander was the oldest of a family -of eleven children. His education was on the farm. He was -endowed with that faculty called cattle sense. At the age of -fifteen, he was entrusted, by his father, with the entire charge -of a drove of cattle sent to Philadelphia. He sold them to -advantage, collected the money, and took it safely home. At the -age of seventeen, he was purchasing cattle in Illinois to replenish -his father's Ohio pastures. It is related that his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> -search took him down into Sangamon county, where he was so struck -with its natural advantages, from a cattle standpoint, that he -determined to migrate."</p> - -<p>In 1840, the Alexanders settled in Morgan county, then a -cattle range bounded only by the horizon. Mr. Alexander accumulated -a herd of steers, pastured them on the public domain, and -for half a decade prospered in a moderate way. As the country -became settled, it soon became evident that he must own land or -get out of the cattle business as far as that locality was concerned. -In 1848, he purchased 3,000 acres of land at prices -ranging from 87 cents to $3.00 per acre. This land was adjoining -the half section that he had originally homesteaded. In 1855, -he acquired another 1,000 acres at $30.00 per acre. This indicated -how rapidly the price of land was advancing. In 1857, he -bought 700 acres more at $50.00 per acre, and in 1859, he acquired -1500 acres of the Strawn estate at $30.00 per acre. In 1864, he -secured 853 acres at $60.00 to $70.00 per acre, making him the -owner of 7,233 acres of the choicest land in Illinois. In 1866, -he purchased the stock farm of Michael Sullivan in Champaign -county, Illinois, containing 26,000 acres at $11.00 to $12.00 -per acre.</p> - -<p>It was during this period of purchase that John T. Alexander -acquired the title of "cattle king." His transactions were -on an enormous scale. His buyers searched every nook and cranny -of the cattle producing region of the Mississippi valley, and -Alexander, on the Wabash railroad in Morgan county, Illinois, -was the largest cattle shipping station in the world. Entire<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> -trains of cattle, destined for eastern markets, were daily loaded -there and almost the entire population was on the Alexander -pay roll. Thousands of other cattle, for which he paid but never -saw, were loaded at innumerable points for eastern markets. -From a pastoralist, he had emerged into a speculator on probably -the most gigantic scale the live stock industry has ever witnessed. -He ruled the markets of the East and was the Napoleon of the -cattle trade. His name was more familiar to the West than that -of Vanderbilt or A. T. Stewart. His annual cattle shipment for -many years exceeded 50,000 head, and in 1868, reached 75,000. -For a lengthy period, his sales on eastern markets exceeded -$4,000,000 annually, and it is related that prior to his -Champaign county purchase, an inventory of his assets showed -7,233 acres of land, averaging $75.00 per acre in value, $100,000 -in bank, 7,000 cattle on his Morgan county pastures, and not a -dollar of debt.</p> - -<p>Such speculative operations, however, had the result of -entailing financial embarrassment. In 1871, Alexander had to -contract his business and part with his Champaign county property. -This embarrassment was due to many causes, not the least serious -of which was cattle mortality by splenetic fever, by which he -lost $100,000. He also sustained heavy losses by shrinkage in -cattle values, and the Champaign county investment proved disastrous. -He also became involved in railroad complications. The -railroads were keen competitors for the livestock traffic and -in 1871, Alexander severed his relations with the Pennsylvania -railroad, making a contract with the New York Central, by which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> -that company gave him a low rate conditional to a specified -tonnage. By way of resentment, the Pennsylvania railroad put -merely nominal rates into effect, thereby glutting eastern markets -and crippling Alexander's trade, which had become so colossal as to -be unwieldy. To carry on such gigantic operations, he was compelled -to trust to innumerable assistants, many of whom proved to -be either incompetent or unfaithful. Confronted with liabilities -aggregating $1,200,000, he was forced to make an assignment, but -his estate was sufficient not only to pay off every creditor, -but leave him a large sum for a fresh start in life. It was -while energetically engaged in retrieving his fortune that he -died, in 1876.</p> - -<p>Those survivors of John T. Alexander, who remember his -activity as Illinois' greatest operator, describe him as being -tall and commanding in appearance. Even at the time of his death, -he was hale and youthful. He was of sanguine temperament, naturally -impulsive, but quiet and non-assuming in manner, sparing in -speech, and undoubtedly one of the great American captains of -industry in his time, an outstanding figure in a trade that -boasts many conspicuous men.</p> - -<p>The old Alexander mansion in Morgan county, the greatest -house in the countryside half a decade ago, remains in a somewhat -dilapidated condition, and the decaying out-buildings convey a -mournful hint of vanished greatness. Here, during Alexander's -time, Abraham Lincoln, Stephen A. Douglas, Richard Yates, and -others, whose illustrious names adorn Illinois history, were the -guests of America's greatest cattleman.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span></p> - - -<h3>Jacob Strawn</h3> - -<p>Jacob Strawn came from Ohio and settled in Morgan county -in 1827, and a few years later was probably the most extensive -cattle dealer in the world, but his operations were, to a large -extent, local and his most distant shipping point, Saint Louis. -His pastures in Morgan county embraced about 15,000 acres and -his business reached its maximum about 1860.</p> - -<p>Survivors of that period recall Strawn's free handed -methods. He purchased cattle by the thousands, fixing the price -on mere verbal description as to quality and weight. Frequently, -at delivery time, nobody was on hand to receive the cattle, but -they were driven into the Strawn pastures and left with confidence -that payment would be prompt. Both Strawn and his successor, -Alexander, were always ready to buy cattle, in fact they were -the market of that period. Strawn was at the height of his career -when John T. Alexander came on the scene. Strawn produced beef -as a feeder and grazier; Alexander contracted cattle to be -delivered in the future.<a name="FNanchor_17_17" id="FNanchor_17_17"></a><a href="#Footnote_17_17" class="fnanchor">[17]</a></p> - -<p>Mr. T. C. Sterrett relates that in the summer of 1856 he -came to Illinois and was informed that the largest cattle dealer -in the state was Jacob Strawn, living near Jacksonville, in -Morgan county. He visited Strawn's place and found a remarkably -large brick house and was astonished at the amount of brick paving -about the house. Mr. Strawn lived on a good farm at Orlean<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span>s -Station, east of Jacksonville. He owned a lot of good horses -and Shorthorn cattle. Piloted by the foreman, Mr. Sterrett went -out into a 1,200 acre pasture which was fenced with rails and -stocked with a fine lot of cattle. He was very much struck -with a hundred head of the finest general work horses that could -be found anywhere. This band of horses and cattle, the good -fences, and the general appearance of everything about the place, -indicated the power and ability of the owner. Mr. Strawn was by -far the greatest American cattleman of his time.<a name="FNanchor_18_18" id="FNanchor_18_18"></a><a href="#Footnote_18_18" class="fnanchor">[18]</a></p> - - -<h3><em>Benjamin Franklin Harris</em><a name="FNanchor_19_19" id="FNanchor_19_19"></a><a href="#Footnote_19_19" class="fnanchor">[19]</a></h3> - -<p class="center">December 15, 1811—May 7, 1905</p> - -<div class="figright" style="width: 522px;"> -<img src="images/i085.jpg" width="522" height="700" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p>B. F. HARRIS -at 55</p></div> -</div> - -<p>"Benjamin Franklin Harris was born December 15, 1811, on -a farm in the Shenandoah Valley, near Winchester -and Harper's Ferry, in Frederick county, Virginia. -He was the second of ten children of William -Hickman Harris and Elizabeth Payne (own cousin -of Dolly Payne Madison from England). His -grandfather, Benjamin Harris, with two brothers, -came from England and settled on the eastern -shore of Maryland in 1726. The family were -of Scotch-English extraction and Quakers; -in this country becoming fighting Quakers, then Methodists. He -grew to manhood on his father's Virginia farm, attending the -country schools until sixteen years of age. At that time, President -Jackson's attitude toward the United States bank so seriously -affected values that wheat declined from $1.50 to 50 cents -and Virginia farm land to less than one-third of its former price. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span>These declines so affected the father's obligations that Benjamin -Franklin Harris and his brothers, each with a six horse team—in -those days without railroads—went into the "wagoning" or freighting -business, and for three years "wagoned" freight over that -section and out through Pennsylvania and as far west as Zanesville, -Ohio, in order to recoupe the father's losses."</p> - -<p>On March 20, 1833, the Virginia farm had been sold at 40 % -of its original cost, and in a one-horse gig and a two-horse -carryall, the Harris family set out for Ohio, arriving at Springfield -on April 8, and nearby, purchased and settled upon their -new farm. It was during this year that Benjamin Franklin Harris -commenced business for himself, buying and driving cattle overland -to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and there disposing of them -to cattle feeders.</p> - -<p>In 1834, he started for Illinois via Danville, then -through the present site of Sidney, and Urbana—where there was -but one cabin—and on to what is now Monticello in Piatt county. -During the ensuing years, he began to accumulate farming lands -in Piatt and Champaign counties and to buy cattle throughout -all this section as far south and west as Mt. Vernon, Vandalia, -and Springfield. During several seasons, he bought for the -purpose of feeding cattle, all the corn for sale in Macon, -Sangamon, and Champaign counties. Each year, for nine years, -he drove these cattle overland via Muncie, Indiana; Springfield, -and Columbus, Ohio, into Pennsylvania, and some into New York and -Boston, where they were sold.</p> - -<p>When B. F. Harris came into this state, no streams were -bridged, and there were only eleven families on the Sangamon river<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> -from its source to the limits of Piatt county. Fifteen years later -not a half dozen men had ventured their cabins a mile from the -timber limits—the deer and the Indians were still at home here. -In 1840, he visited Chicago, a town of 2000 people, on stilts in -a swamp. Nineteen days were required for the trip and the corn -and wheat he teamed there sold for 20 and 30 cents respectively. -Fifteen years after he came, not 25 % of the land in these -counties had passed from government ownership and the first railroad -came twenty years later.</p> - -<p>The operations of B. F. Harris in connection with the -early beef cattle industry of Illinois were conducted more largely -along the feeding lines than were those of John T. Alexander or -Jacob Strawn. He bought, fed, and sold, from 500 to 2000 head of -cattle annually for nearly three-quarters of a century. The -Pittsburgh Live Stock Journal, May 8, 1905, in speaking of his -death, referred to him as "The grand old man of the live stock -trade—the oldest and most successful cattle feeder in the world." -Everything to which he put his hand flourished. His judgment was -so trustworthy that he made but few business mistakes. He did -business on a cash basis and was never in debt. Operating on -this basis, he was a rich man long before his race was run, and -he enjoyed a period of ease and entire freedom from anxiety much -longer than falls to the lot of most men who are counted fortunate -in the world.</p> - -<p>On May 23, 1856, his famous herd of one hundred cattle—the -finest and heaviest cattle ever raised and fattened in one -lot by one man—were weighed on his farm by Dr. Johns of Decatur, -the president of the State Board of Agriculture. The average<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> -weight of each of the hundred head was 2,378 pounds. Visitors -to the number of 500 came from Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and this -state to see these cattle, whose weight can never again be -equalled. The following year, February 22, 1857, twelve of -these cattle which he had retained and fed were shipped to -Chicago. This remarkable bunch averaged 2,786 pounds. Clayborn -and Alley, the most famous butchers in Chicago at that time, -paraded them about Chicago's downtown streets.</p> - -<p>Following is a copy of a pamphlet gotten out by Mr. Harris -immediately after the sale of these cattle. (see next page)</p> - -<p>The New York Tribune of October, 1853, refers to his -prize winning drove of cattle averaging 1,965 pounds, displayed -at the New York World's Fair then in session.</p> - -<p>Every few years, he took cattle prizes or topped the -market. Less than a year before his death, his 1,616 pound -cattle topped the Chicago market for that season.</p> - -<p>Mr. Harris died May 7, 1905, in his ninety-fourth year, -still in strong mental and physical vigor, although at the age of -fifty-three, he had retired from extremely active business life. -He came in the day of ox teams and lived to ride over his farm -with his son, grandsons, and great grandsons in an automobile. -He voted for nineteen presidents, beginning with Henry Clay, and -saw five generations of his family settled in Champaign county. -He established the First National Bank in Champaign in 1865—the -oldest bank in the county, and was its president at the time -of his death.</p> - -<p>In the issue of The Breeder's Gazette, May 24, 1905, is the -following statement: "In literature, art, professional life, or -politics, a man with a record of achievements equal to that of -the late Benjamin Franklin Harris would deservedly have numerous -biographers. Many a man has been made the subject of bulky -biography who might not measure up to him on any score. This is -not because the most inviting and interesting personalities are -found outside the farmer's calling, but largely because until -recent years agriculture as a vocation has not been adequately -appreciated by the public. It has not been sufficiently dignified -to become the source of life histories. Other professions have -furnished the candidates for the Plutarchs, and contributed the -heroes and heroines famous in fiction. Farming has been drawn -on principally for Philistines. Its great men, its geniuses, its -Harrises, have been overlooked by almost all writers worthy of -putting their useful lives into books."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span></p> - -<p class="right">(Cont. on page <a href="#Page_47">47</a>.)</p> - - -<p class="center">Record of the Best Hundred Head of Cattle -Ever Fattened in One Lot in the United States.</p> - -<p class="center">STOCKMEN, ATTENTION</p> - -<p class="center">Who Can Beat This Record? -</p> - -<p>Weight of 100 head of Cattle, fatted by B. F. Harris, of Champaign -County, Illinois:</p> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="Weight of 100 head of Cattle"> - <tr> - <th>No. Cattle</th> - <th>Weight</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4718</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4782</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4340</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4580</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4582</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4730</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4764</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4738</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4880</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4756</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">5150</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4624</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4582</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">5364</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4828</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">5378</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4864</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4640</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4694</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4610</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4776</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4488</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4572</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4988</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4634</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4458</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4920</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4828</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4702</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4852</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4464</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4900</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4634</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4764</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">2690</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4650</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4806</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4505</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">2548</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4830</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4762</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4706</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4854</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4746</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4700</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4546</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">2516</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4648</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4724</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4720</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdr">4732</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td class="tdr">2646</td> - </tr> -</table></div> - -<p>Average price sale, 7 cents</p> - -<p>These cattle were weighed by Dr. Johns, President of State -Agricultural Society.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span></p> - -<p>Twelve of the large cattle out of 100 head, weighed May 23d, -1856, which was during the time of fattening:</p> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="Twelve of the large cattle out of 100 head"> - <tr> - <td>Black</td> - <td class="tdr">2424</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Red</td> - <td class="tdr">2340</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pied</td> - <td class="tdr">2640</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>M. Red</td> - <td class="tdr">2264</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ch. Roan</td> - <td class="tdr">2522</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>B. Red</td> - <td class="tdr">2574</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>S. Roan</td> - <td class="tdr">2330</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>C. Red</td> - <td class="tdr">2340</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>S. White</td> - <td class="tdr">2360</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>P. Red</td> - <td class="tdr">2486</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Long White</td> - <td class="tdr">2496</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>M. Red</td> - <td class="tdr">2540</td> - </tr> -</table></div> - -<p>Same cattle weighed July 18, 1856:</p> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="Same cattle weighed July 18, 1856:"> - <tr> - <td>Black</td> - <td class="tdr">2526</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Red</td> - <td class="tdr">2480</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pied</td> - <td class="tdr">2730</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>M. Red</td> - <td class="tdr">2424</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ch. Roan</td> - <td class="tdr">2654</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>B. Red</td> - <td class="tdr">2646</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>S. Roan</td> - <td class="tdr">2470</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>C. Red</td> - <td class="tdr">2490</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>S. White</td> - <td class="tdr">2430</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>P. Red</td> - <td class="tdr">2630</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>L. White</td> - <td class="tdr">2600</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>M. Red</td> - <td class="tdr">2564</td> - </tr> -</table></div> - -<p>Same cattle weighed February 12th, 1857:</p> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="Same cattle weighed February 12th, 1857:"> - <tr> - <td>Black</td> - <td class="tdr">2720</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Red</td> - <td class="tdr">2780</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Pied</td> - <td class="tdr">2990</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>M. Red</td> - <td class="tdr">2640</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Ch. Roan</td> - <td class="tdr">2810</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>B. Red</td> - <td class="tdr">2910</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>S. Roan</td> - <td class="tdr">2680</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>C. Red</td> - <td class="tdr">2770</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>S. White</td> - <td class="tdr">2605</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>P. Red</td> - <td class="tdr">2840</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>L. White</td> - <td class="tdr">2810</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>M. Red</td> - <td class="tdr">2880</td> - </tr> -</table></div> - -<p>Average, 2786¼ lbs.</p> - -<p>Average age, 4 years</p> - -<p>Weighed by B. F. Harris; sold for 8 cents per lb.</p> - -<p>Largest steer in Illinois, weight 3524, 7 years old, raised -by John Rising, fed by H. H. Harris.</p> - -<p>Average weight of the 100 head, 2377 lbs.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The foregoing is a correct statement of a famous cattle sale -which occurred in the City of Chicago, month of March, 1856.</p> - -<p>The herd comprised 100 head of the finest and heaviest cattle -ever raised and fattened in one lot by one man in the State of -Illinois, or in the United States of America, or elsewhere, so -far as the records go to show. These cattle were raised from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> -1 and 2-year-old steers on my farm in Champaign County, Illinois, -and fattened for the market in the years of 1855 and '56, their -average age, at that time, being 4 years. They were weighed on -my farm by Dr. Johns, of Decatur, Illinois, President State Agricultural -Society. Said weights were witnessed by a large number -of representative men from Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois, -to the number of five hundred, among whom were many professional -cattle raisers and dealers, all of whom bore willing testimony -to the average weight of the cattle, which was 2,377 lbs. per -head. Out of this lot of 100 cattle, 12 head of the finest steers -were selected and fed until the following February. They then -showed an average weight of 2,786¼ lbs., and were sold to -Messrs. Cliborn and Alby, of Chicago, at 8 cents per lb. The -weight master kept a record of each draft as the cattle were -weighed—one and two in a draft. A copy of said weights is herewith -attached for the inspection of the general public; also copy -of average gain at different periods.</p> - -<p>On the 22d of February, 1857, the 12 steers sold to Cliborn -and Alby, appropriately decorated with tri-colored ribbon, preceded -by a band of music, were led through the principal streets -of Chicago, followed by 100 butchers, mounted and uniformed. After -this unique procession, the cattle were slaughtered by said Cliborn, -and Alby, for the city markets, some of the beef selling as high -as 50 cents per lb. Small packages of it were sent to customers -in various parts of the United States, and even Europe, and sold, -in some cases, as high as $1.00 per lb. These orders were given -by these parties simply that they might say they had eaten of this -famous premium beef.</p> - -<p class="right">B. F. Harris.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span></p> - - -<h3>Tom Candy Ponting.</h3> - -<p class="center">August 26, 1824- -</p> - -<p>"Tom Candy Ponting was born at Heyden farm, Parish of -Kilsmeredo, near Bath, Somersetshire, England, August 26, 1824. -He was the son of John Ponting and Ruth Sherron Ponting. The -Pontings came into England with William the Conqueror, so were -descendants of Normandy. The Ponting family were breeders of -cattle and Tom Ponting has followed cattle breeding all of his -life, both in England and in this country."</p> - -<p>Tom Candy Ponting came to the United States in 1847, -landing in New York City, and finally making his way to Etna, -Ohio. Here he was employed by a Mr. Matthews, to sell mutton -from a wagon in the market house in Columbus, where they attended -twice a week. Mutton sold for 15 cents to 25 cents per quarter<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> -in those days, while beef sold for 2½ cents to 3 cents per pound. -After a short time, Mr. Ponting quit his job selling mutton, went -to Columbus, bought a horse and saddle, and went into the country -to buy cattle. The first cattle that he ever bought in the -United States were eight head which he purchased from a Mr. Bishop -eight miles northeast of Columbus, Ohio.</p> - -<p>In the spring of 1848, Mr. Ponting, in company with a -Mr. Vickery, another Englishman, visited Racine, Janesville, -Watertown, Madison, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, looking for a -location to start a butcher shop. Although there was plenty -of need for butcher shops at these places, they did not locate -because cattle were so scarce in the country. From Milwaukee, -Mr. Ponting came to Chicago to study the situations there. He -found no regular markets and only two places where they sold -stock. While in Chicago, he met a Mr. Bradley, who had driven -some cattle from McLean county, near Leroy. Mr. Bradley had -sold all of his cattle except forty cows with calves. He sold -these to Mr. Ponting, who drove them to Wisconsin and sold them -to immigrants, a few at a time. He sold them for $15 to $25 per -head and still made money. He returned to Chicago and again met -Mr. Bradley, who had brought a boat load of sides of bacon up -from Peoria. He had purchased this bacon from the farmers, hauled -it to Peoria, and shipped it up the Illinois river to -Chicago, where he sold it to grocery stores. This was the only -means to dispose of the bacon put up by the farmers, as there -was no hog packing done in Chicago at that time.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span></p> - -<p>Mr. Bradley wanted Mr. Ponting to go with him to McLean -county, but as Illinois was known in those days as a very sickly -state, Mr. Ponting was afraid to venture.</p> - -<p>While in Chicago at this time, he met a Mr. Lewis and -Mr. Heyworth who had come up from Vermilion county with a drove -of cattle. Mr. Heyworth was taken sick here and Mr. Ponting was -employed to assist Mr. Lewis in taking the cattle on to Milwaukee.</p> - -<p>In the spring of 1849, Mr. Ponting went to Georgetown, -Illinois, and there purchased about 300 head of cattle. He also -bought a camping outfit, a yoke of oxen, employed a cook, and -drove through with the cattle to Wisconsin. The cattle that -got fat on the way were sold to the butchers, while those that -were fit for milk cows were sold to the immigrants. During this -same spring, when Mr. Ponting was in Vermilion county, he visited -Mr. Lewis at Crabapple Grove, which is on the line of Vermilion -and Edgar counties. This man and one of his neighbors had bought -a drove of geese, drove them to Iowa, and traded them for steers. -They drove the steers back to Vermilion county, fattened them, -and the next spring built flat boats and shipped them to New -Orleans. In the fall of this same year, he made several trips -over the line into Illinois, in Stevenson county, buying fat sheep -to drive to Milwaukee. There were no regular banks in Milwaukee, -therefore all the money that was paid for stock was Mexican -dollars and five franc pieces. Very little American silver money -was seen at that time. The hotel rates in Milwaukee were very -cheap; only $2.00 per week, with bitters before breakfast, free. -Whiskey sold for 15 cents a gallon and was used liberally by -stock drivers.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span></p> - -<p>In March, 1850, Mr. Ponting rode on horseback from Milwaukee -to Leroy, in McLean county, where he met with some men -who were buying cattle to take back to California. He went from -here to Christian county, where he bought a drove of cattle which -cost him from $6 to $11 per head. In the spring, he drove them -to Milwaukee. There had been very heavy rains that spring and -rivers were very high, which made cattle driving very difficult.</p> - -<p>In the spring of 1851, he purchased about 350 head of -cattle, buying from Rochester, near Springfield, to the Wabash -river. After gathering the cattle together, he pinned them -up near the present site of Moweaqua. He bought these cattle very -cheap and drove the entire herd to Milwaukee, where they were -herded on the prairies near town until sold. He took a few in -each week and sold them to the butchers. After finishing the -season's work, he returned to Indiana to spend the winter.</p> - -<p>In the summer of 1852, the cattle business in Wisconsin -was dull. Money matters were very much changed; gold began to -come in from California, and get into circulation. Mr. Ponting -and his partner decided to go to Texas and buy their feeder -cattle. They rode through to Hopkins county, Texas. Here they -visited a Mr. Hart, one of the large cattle men in that country. -They bought several hundred cattle and drove them back to Illinois, -reaching Moweaqua in July of the next year. He put these Texas -cattle on pasture until winter, when they were fed out on shocked -corn. Mr. Ponting's partner went to Indiana and bought several -hundred hogs to follow these cattle. They bought shocked corn,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> -paying about 50 cents a bushel for it. They would go into a -piece of corn after it was dry enough and select two of the smallest -shocks they could find. The owner would select two of the -largest ones. These were shocked out and weighed, the average -being taken as an average size shock. He bought about 40 acres -from Mr. Dennison Sanders this way. The shocked corn was fed to -the cattle in the same place each day, so that when it rained, the -accumulation of stalks would keep the steers out of the mud. He -drove this bunch of cattle to New York the next summer, where they -were sold July 4, 1854.</p> - -<p>In the spring of 1855, Mr. Ponting purchased a large drove -of cattle, which together with some he had bought a few months -before, were driven through to Chicago. Illinois was pretty well -settled by this time, and it was unnecessary to take a camping -outfit along. He stopped this drove of cattle near Pullman, put -them out on the grass and took only a few into Chicago at a time. -There had been a great change made in the Chicago market since Mr. -Ponting was there two years before. There were two regular stock -yards; the Merrick Yards, now known as the Sherman Yards, and the -Bullshed Yards. In the fall of this year, he bought another bunch -of cattle and drove them to Chicago in October. This time he -stopped the cattle near the present site of Kankakee, and rode on -into Chicago to learn the prospects for a market. They were then -taken on to Chicago and left just outside the city to graze until -they could be sold to the cattle dealers. This was the last bunch -of cattle Mr. Ponting ever drove over land to Chicago, and it is -probable that they were the last bunch ever driven from central -Illinois. From this time on, the cattle were sent to market by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> -railroad. The next year, 1856, he shipped 110 head of cattle from -Moweaqua, the first cattle ever shipped from that place.</p> - -<p>In the early part of 1857, the cattle business was very -flourishing and the packers said there would be a big demand for -them that fall. Mr. Ponting contracted for 1000 head of cattle -and about 1500 hogs before the season was over, but before he got -them on the market, a panic came on, money became almost worthless, -and he suffered a heavy loss.</p> - -<p>In 1866, Mr. Ponting went to Abilene, Kansas, to buy some -feeders. He purchased about 700, sold them the next spring, making -a good profit. He repeated the Kansas purchase the next year with -like success. In 1868, he took the cattle he had bought in Kansas -to Albany. They numbered around 800. In 1870, he went back down -into Texas and bought cattle as he had done in 1852. He found -a herd of about 2500, out of which he bought all of the two and -three year olds. These numbered about 850, for which he paid -$16 per head. There had been a new railroad, just finished, from -St. Louis through Missouri, close to the Indian Territory line -to a place called Pierce City. The railroad officers had -some agents trying to get a contract to carry these cattle, together -with some other cattle belonging to Hall brothers, over the new -road. They billed the cars, numbering 80 in all, with a contract -to refund $50 per car. They did this to get the contract which -made a big showing before some New York magnates, who were there -at the time trying to buy stock in the new railroad.</p> - -<p>In 1876, Mr. Ponting visited a Shorthorn sale at Springfield -and bought several head of cattle with which he started a Shorthorn<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> -herd. In the spring of 1880, he attended another Shorthorn sale -at Chicago, where he bought a few more Shorthorns to add to his -herd. Until his first purchase of Shorthorns, Mr. Ponting's -operations had been entirely along the line of buying and feeding -and although he did a small pure bred business from this time on, -he continued his feeding operations as he had done in previous -years, although probably not on as large a scale.</p> - -<p>Mr. Ponting had not been in the Shorthorn business very -long until he became interested in Herefords. In the fall of 1880, -he visited the fair at St. Louis, where he purchased four Herefords. -In the spring of the next year, Mr. W. H. Sotham of Guelph, -Canada, bought four more Herefords for him. In the fall of 1882, -he sold out all of his Shorthorns, thereby severing his relations -with this breed.</p> - -<p>In 1886, Mr. Ponting made a contract with the Wyoming -Hereford Association to sell them 270 head of Hereford cattle, -to be delivered in the spring of 1887. The firm paid for a part -of them and Mr. Ponting took a note for a few more. About 60 were -left on his hands and had to be sold for beef. As a result, he -lost about $800 on the deal, which killed all of his profits.</p> - -<p>Mr. Ponting continued in the Hereford business until -1903, when he decided to retire from actual business. In the -summer, a gentleman came from Iowa and bought his entire Hereford -cattle trade. He had at this time about 3700 acres of land, 1500 -acres of which were in Christian county. He decided to divide -his property among his children, keeping a sufficient amount to -support Mrs. Ponting and himself. He bought a home in Moweaqua,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> -where he and Mrs. Ponting have lived happily ever since.</p> - -<p>When Mr. Ponting came to Chicago in 1848, there was only -one cattle market west of the Allegheny mountains, and that was at -St. Louis. At that time, there were a good many cattle sold for -the New Orleans market during the spring and winter, but the -principal markets were New York, Boston, Baltimore, and Philadelphia -It took ninety days to make the trip to New York with cattle and -the drovers had to wait until the roads settled in the spring before -they started.</p> - -<p>At Fort Worth, Texas, there was nothing but a large fort -and force of United States soldiers to subdue the Indians around -there. The present six big western markets have all been started -since that time.</p> - -<p>"While the magnitude of Mr. Ponting's operations was not as -great as that of John T. Alexander, and although he probably never -accumulated as much wealth as Benjamin F. Harris, he was successful -and his operations extended over a greater period of time than any -one of the early pioneer cattlemen of the state of Illinois. He -operated throughout two of the stages of cattle feeding and has -lived to see the beginning of the third."<a name="FNanchor_20_20" id="FNanchor_20_20"></a><a href="#Footnote_20_20" class="fnanchor">[20]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span></p> -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_15_15" id="Footnote_15_15"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_15"><span class="label">[15]</span></a> Bureau of Animal Industry Report of 1885-86.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_16_16" id="Footnote_16_16"></a><a href="#FNanchor_16_16"><span class="label">[16]</span></a> The Breeder's Gazette, July 16, 1913. -</p> -<p> -His son, John T. Alexander, of Alexander, Ward & Co., commission -men of Chicago, has been prominent in the cattle -interests during the last 40 years.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_17_17" id="Footnote_17_17"></a><a href="#FNanchor_17_17"><span class="label">[17]</span></a> The Breeder's Gazette, July 16, 1913.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_18_18" id="Footnote_18_18"></a><a href="#FNanchor_18_18"><span class="label">[18]</span></a> The Breeder's Gazette. Aug. 6, 1913.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_19_19" id="Footnote_19_19"></a><a href="#FNanchor_19_19"><span class="label">[19]</span></a> This information was given by his grandson, Mr. B. F. Harris.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_20_20" id="Footnote_20_20"></a><a href="#FNanchor_20_20"><span class="label">[20]</span></a> Story of Tom Ponting's Life.</p></div></div> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<h2><a id="IV_THE_RANGE_INDUSTRY"></a>IV. THE RANGE INDUSTRY</h2> - - -<p>"In the ante-bellum period, central Illinois was a vast -blue grass pasture. The people were breeding many cattle, but not -enough to supply the steady increasing demand for stockers and -feeders. Cattle feeders made good the deficiency in the local -production by heavy drafts on Missouri, Kansas, Texas, and other -sections of the trans-Mississippi region. The subsequent reign of -King Corn was then barely in the incubating stage. Grass was the -beef maker's principal reliance.</p> - -<p>"Not until well along in the sixties did the cultivation of -corn begin on an extensive scale and corn-fed steers become -conspicuous on the markets. After the grazing period, corn speedily -took possession of the whole of central Illinois, until now less -than 15 per cent remains in pastures, whereas in the days of the -"barons" an exactly reverse condition existed. At that time, fully -85 per cent of such counties as Sangamon, Morgan, and Logan, were -in grass.</p> - -<p>"The cattle that were secured from Missouri, Iowa, and -Kansas, were purchased during the fall months. By the early part -of winter, central Illinois pastures would be fully stocked with -three and four year old bullocks, which were allowed to graze -all through the winter and the following spring and summer. About -three acres of the rich blue grass was allowed to a steer and on -this they fattened rapidly.</p> - -<p>"There are men now living in Missouri and Illinois who -drove cattle from that vast breeding ground west of the Mississippi -river, into central Illinois, for the cattle kings, Jacob Strawn<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> -and John T. Alexander. These herds, numbering about 300 to 400 -head, grazed leisurely across the open country at about 15 miles -or so a day. During the war, the trade was more or less interrupted, -but the practice was continued until settlement and railroads -rendered trailing both unnecessary and impossible.</p> - -<p>"The annexation of Texas to the United States, and the discovery -of gold in California in 1849, resulted in an influx of -population and capital that soon exerted a stimulating effect -upon the production of cattle throughout the southwest, as well as -beyond the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the west.</p> - -<p>"At a comparatively early date, there was a ready market -for Illinois bred cattle to go to the states west of the Mississippi -river to be used for breeding stock. The development of the -range cattle industry created a strong demand for pure bred bulls, -and cattle breeders of Illinois were called upon, perhaps to a -greater extent than those of any other state in the Union, to -supply this demand. The range cattle business also created a -market for young cows and heifers to be used for breeding purposes. -This demand steadily increased from year to year, until a very -large part of the yearly product of pure bred cattle in Illinois -was absorbed for that purpose."<a name="FNanchor_21_21" id="FNanchor_21_21"></a><a href="#Footnote_21_21" class="fnanchor">[21]</a></p> - -<p>"In 1880, the range cattle trade was yet in a transition -stage, especially as to the destination of marketable cattle and -the special use to which they were put. Before this time, the -bulk of the range cattle trade was divided between the coming -establishments of the west, slaughter for home consumption, for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> -exportation as dressed carcasses to the eastern markets, and -shipping on the hoof to eastern states as feeders. Large feeding -stables had been established in Nebraska for the purpose of -feeding out these large numbers of rangers, but they could not -utilize all of them. The overflow of these grass fat rangers -found their way to eastern feed lots to be finished on the grain -of the corn belt. The numbers increased from year to year, and -extended farther and father east as the numbers increased.</p> - -<p>"The fact that one of the large feeding plants of Nebraska -could turn off as many as 2000 ripe range steers in one month, -gives some indication of the immense capacity of the range cattle -trade.</p> - -<p>"As the Indians were confined more closely from year -to year, there were more grazing lands opened up to be devoted to -the raising of these range cattle. Most people at this time, -seeing the rapid increase of the range industry, thought there -would never be a beef famine as the economists of the time predicted. -They said such economists always look on the dark side -of things."<a name="FNanchor_22_22" id="FNanchor_22_22"></a><a href="#Footnote_22_22" class="fnanchor">[22]</a></p> - -<p>"Not many had any adequate conception of the vastness of -the cattle interest in the great pasture region lying on the -eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains during the seventies and -eighties. It was worth quite a journey to see a single thousand -head of these cattle engaged in feeding together. To witness a -drove of 4000 moving leisurely along at a convenient distance from -each other, to allow the animals to graze as they traveled a -mile or so an hour, would seem to an unaccustomed eye as if the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> -herd must consist of tens of thousands. The appearance of such a -drove as this might be recalled by a single transaction made by -Dennis Sheedy of Colorado, who sold 27000 head of cattle to the -Ogalla Cattle Company. This company was composed of A. H. Swan, -of Cheyenne, Wyoming, William Paxton, of Omaha, Nebraska, and -J. H. Bosler of Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The cattle were put on a -range on the north side of the north Platte Run in Nebraska and -Wyoming. The lumping price was $30 per head, amounting to -$810,000 for the entire lot."<a name="FNanchor_23_23" id="FNanchor_23_23"></a><a href="#Footnote_23_23" class="fnanchor">[23]</a></p> - - -<h3>Texas Cattle</h3> - -<p>"It will be no departure from the strictest truth to say -that the oldest known race of cattle on this continent is the -Texas or Spanish cattle. They have been very generally popular -with the stockmen of the plains, because they turned the free -grass of the plains into available cash for their owners.</p> - -<p>"The Texas cattle are truly the only animals except the -bison that deserve the name of "Native" American cattle. All -the other scrubs in the country are foreigners by blood, or are -descendants of intruders from other lands. These long legged, -big headed, thin fleshed brutes were in this country centuries -ago. It is by no means certain that their ancestors did not roam -the plains of the Brazos and the Rio Grande a thousand years or -more before America was visited by the Spaniards. There is -evidence that the real ancestors of the cattle of Texas were seen -in Old Mexico and described about five hundred years after the -Christian era, but this evidence has been considered unworthy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span> -of full confidence, because to admit its truth would be to confess -that the honor of first discovering America belongs to the barbarians -from the Orient.</p> - -<p>"In the carefully edited official records, known as the -"Chinese Year Book", which was written some fourteen hundred years -ago, a circumstantial account of a visit to Mexico by a party of -Buddhist Priests is given. These priests saw in the country two -breeds of cattle. One of these breeds was described as having -very large horns which would hold ten measures. These were probably -the earliest ancestors of the present race of Texas cattle, -while the other breed with shorter horns was, it is likely, the -ancestors of the bison that later roamed over the ranges of the -western plains. Those ancient travelers were too well accustomed -to seeing cattle and horses in their own country to be in even -the slightest degree likely to mistake any other animal for kine. -The generally accepted belief, however, is that the Texas cattle -are descendants of cattle brought to America by the Spanish invaders, -although no definite proof seems to have been brought forward -to show that those roistering, plundering explorers ever imported -any cattle to this continent, and turned them loose in such -numbers as would have produced the vast horde that covered the -Southwestern plains before the Civil War.</p> - -<p>"To western people, especially in those parts where -Spanish or Texas fever has caused the destruction of stock, Texas -cattle are so well known that a description of their peculiarities -will appear unnecessary. There are many who do not know that -the chief purpose of the Texas bullock, pure and simple, seems<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span> -to be the lugging about of a prodigious pair of horns. To this -end, a big head and coarse shoulders have been given him. Behind -these are a flat ribbed, thin chested, light body, held up at the -hinder end by a pair of cat hams on thin, deer-like legs. The -whole outfit, unburdened by flesh or fat, is muscular, nervous, -and active. Such of them as lived through alternate roasting, -starving, and freezing during the early years of their lives, -found their way to the northern markets to be fattened and slaughtered. -These rangers fattened very readily in the northern feed -lots and those that were not too old and tough made very good beef. -Thousands of them were driven from Texas in the early forties and -fifties to Illinois feed lots, where they were fattened and then -re-driven to the markets on the seaboard. In later years, they -were slaughtered in Illinois and shipped in refrigerator cars, in the -form of dressed carcasses, to the Atlantic States. Choice parts, -as steaks, roasts, and tenderloins, were sent to health resorts, -watering places, and to hotels and restaurants. A vast quantity -of their flesh found its way into tin cans, to feed hungry humanity, -in the hut of the laborer, at the picnic of the aristocrat, in the -camp of the miner, and in the forecastle of the sailor in every -corner of the world. It will be seen that the mission of the -Texas steer was to raise the standard of living, to add to the -comfort, and preserve the health and strength of people the world -over."<a name="FNanchor_24_24" id="FNanchor_24_24"></a><a href="#Footnote_24_24" class="fnanchor">[24]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span></p> -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_21_21" id="Footnote_21_21"></a><a href="#FNanchor_21_21"><span class="label">[21]</span></a> The Breeder's Gazette, July 16, 1913.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_22_22" id="Footnote_22_22"></a><a href="#FNanchor_22_22"><span class="label">[22]</span></a> Farm Field and Stockmen.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_23_23" id="Footnote_23_23"></a><a href="#FNanchor_23_23"><span class="label">[23]</span></a> The Prairie Farmer, July 18, 1885, p. 453.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_24_24" id="Footnote_24_24"></a><a href="#FNanchor_24_24"><span class="label">[24]</span></a> The Prairie Farmer, 1885, p. 452.</p></div></div> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<h2><a id="V_THE_PURE_BRED_INDUSTRY"></a>V. THE PURE BRED INDUSTRY</h2> - - -<p>The beginning of the pure bred cattle industry in the state -of Illinois was antedated by the introduction of the mongrel bred -cattle by a very narrow margin of time. While there were probably -a few mongrel bred cattle in the state before 1830, those that were -brought in after that date were the real foundation cattle. These -cattle were brought from the eastern states, by the early pioneers, -for milk cows, and it is their descendants which are referred to -when the native cattle of the state are spoken of.</p> - -<p>The changes which have been made from the mongrel bred cattle -that were brought into the state by the early settlers to the -present day improved breeds have been marked.</p> - -<p>"For almost a century, attention has been given to the -breeding of pure bred cattle in Illinois. As early as 1833, a man -by the name of James Williams, brought some Shorthorn cattle of -the Patten Stock, from Kentucky to Sangamon county. In 1834, J. D. -Smith and J. N. Brown brought a number of Shorthorns from Kentucky -to the central part of the state. In the spring of 1838, Colonel -John Williams, a son of James Williams, brought a Shorthorn bull -and a Shorthorn cow from Lexington, New York, into Sangamon county. -These three importations of pure bred stock into Illinois were the -earliest of which there are any records. Other importations of -Shorthorns into the state were made at later dates, however, and -they soon became the leading breed of cattle in the state for both -beef and dairy purposes."<a name="FNanchor_25_25" id="FNanchor_25_25"></a><a href="#Footnote_25_25" class="fnanchor">[25]</a></p> - -<p>The rapid dissemination of Shorthorns throughout the state -was probably due chiefly to the method by which the breed was -advertised. The leading breeders held public auction sales<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> -annually on their farms, or at some convenient place, and people -all over the state were invited to come to these sales and bring -such pure bred animals as they had for sale. In view of apprehensions -on the part of some of the breeders, that this method might -tend to spread disease among the cattle, it became a rule to -require that every contributor to a sale furnish a certificate -from a veterinarian, showing his cattle to be in good health, and -that they had not been exposed to any contagious disease.</p> - -<p>Shorthorns held full sway in the state until about 1865 -or 1870, when the tide began to turn. Other breeds began to be -introduced into various parts of the state. Some of these breeds -gained popularity so rapidly that within a very few years the -competition became very keen between them and the Shorthorns. At -the shows, all breeds were shown in the same class. This created -considerable excitement among the enthusiastic advocates of the -various breeds and often resulted in fist and skull fights.</p> - -<p>"At the Chicago show in 1879, there was close competition -among the breeds when it come to tying the ribbon for sweepstakes -award. Mr. F. L. Miller, a Hereford man, wanted to put the breeds -to a slaughter test. The other breeders refused to kill their -pure bred cattle, but some grades were slaughtered instead; one -Shorthorn, one Hereford, and one Devon."</p> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="Chicago show in 1879"> - <tr> - <th></th> - <th>Herefords</th> - <th>Shorthorns</th> - <th>Devons</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Gross Weight</td> - <td class="tdr">1963</td> - <td class="tdr">1795</td> - <td class="tdr">1614</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Net Weight</td> - <td class="tdr">1317</td> - <td class="tdr">1179</td> - <td class="tdr">1055</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Offal</td> - <td class="tdr">452</td> - <td class="tdr">389</td> - <td class="tdr">394</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Dressing per cent</td> - <td class="tdr">67.1</td> - <td class="tdr">65.7</td> - <td class="tdr">65.3</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Fore Quarters</td> - <td class="tdr">354</td> - <td class="tdr">308</td> - <td class="tdr">277</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">371</td> - <td class="tdr">303</td> - <td class="tdr">275</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hind Quarters</td> - <td class="tdr">287</td> - <td class="tdr">283</td> - <td class="tdr">247</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">305</td> - <td class="tdr">285</td> - <td class="tdr">256</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Tallow</td> - <td class="tdr">178</td> - <td class="tdr">155</td> - <td class="tdr">145</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Hide</td> - <td class="tdr">106</td> - <td class="tdr">90</td> - <td class="tdr">99</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Head</td> - <td class="tdr">55</td> - <td class="tdr">47</td> - <td class="tdr">49</td> - </tr> -</table><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span></div> - -<p>Neither of these steers had marbled flesh. One family -who ate some of one of the steers was said to have been made sick, -due to the excessive fatness.</p> - -<p>The feeders of this time gave very little or no attention -to the marbling of meat. All they noted was whether an animal -was getting fat or not. They didn't notice whether they were -putting the fat on evenly.<a name="FNanchor_26_26" id="FNanchor_26_26"></a><a href="#Footnote_26_26" class="fnanchor">[26]</a></p> - -<p>From the very earliest improvement of cattle in Illinois, -Shorthorn blood has been used more extensively than that of any -other breed. They were the first pure bred cattle brought into -the state and were the only pure bred cattle in the state for -several years. They were more generally known by farmers throughout -the state and at a very early date were found in almost every -county.</p> - -<p>Hereford cattle have ranked next to Shorthorns, both in -number and popularity.</p> - -<p>"About 1870, Herefords began to play an important part -in beef production in this state, and it was only a few years -after this time that they were taken into Sangamon county, where -Shorthorns had first gotten their strong hold."<a name="FNanchor_27_27" id="FNanchor_27_27"></a><a href="#Footnote_27_27" class="fnanchor">[27]</a></p> - -<p>"The competition between the Herefords and the Shorthorns -grew stronger each year. In February of 1885, the Shorthorn -Breeders' Association, in session, decided to ask each member -to contribute fifteen cents for each Shorthorn owned by him, to be -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span>used for the good of the Shorthorn interest. The rivalry between -the different breeds of cattle was so sharply defined and closely -pressed that they thought it indispensable to the protection and -prosperity of the Shorthorn interest and thought the State -Association of Shorthorn Breeders should be kept in an active and -strong existence."<a name="FNanchor_28_28" id="FNanchor_28_28"></a><a href="#Footnote_28_28" class="fnanchor">[28]</a></p> - -<p>The following is a summary of reports gathered by the -Bureau of Animal Industry in 1885, by sending out questionnaires -to different parts of the state, showing the breed of cattle that -has been used moot extensively in cattle improvement.</p> - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="Bureau of Animal Industry in 1885"> -<thead> - <tr> - <th colspan="3"><em>State as a Whole</em></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <th>No. Reports</th> - <th>Breed Used</th> - </tr> -</thead> -<tbody> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">240</td> - <td>Shorthorns</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">80</td> - <td>Herefords</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">28</td> - <td>Angus</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">17</td> - <td>Devons</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <th colspan="3"><em>State by Sections</em></th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td rowspan="3">Northwest Counties</td> - <td class="tdr">27</td> - <td>Shorthorns</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">9</td> - <td>Herefords</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td>Angus</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td rowspan="5">Northern Counties</td> - <td class="tdr">34</td> - <td>Shorthorns</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">13</td> - <td>Herefords</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td>Angus</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td>Devons</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td>Galloways</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td rowspan="5">Western Counties</td> - <td class="tdr">32</td> - <td>Shorthorns</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - <td>Herefords<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">5</td> - <td>Angus</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">4</td> - <td>Devons</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td>Galloways</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td rowspan="4">Central Counties</td> - <td class="tdr">55</td> - <td>Shorthorns</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">20</td> - <td>Herefords</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td>Angus</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td>Red Polled</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td rowspan="3">Western Counties</td> - <td class="tdr">20</td> - <td>Shorthorns</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">14</td> - <td>Herefords</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">7</td> - <td>Angus</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td rowspan="3">Southwest Counties</td> - <td class="tdr">9</td> - <td>Shorthorns</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td>Herefords</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td>Angus</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td rowspan="4">Southern Counties</td> - <td class="tdr">44</td> - <td>Shorthorns</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">6</td> - <td>Herefords</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">3</td> - <td>Devons</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1</td> - <td>Dutch Belted</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td rowspan="3">Southeast Counties</td> - <td class="tdr">10</td> - <td>Shorthorns</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td>Herefords</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td>Devons</td> - </tr> -</tbody> -</table><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span></div> - -<h3>T. L. Miller</h3> - -<p>"Early in the "seventies," Mr. T. L. Miller, than a -business man in Chicago, who owned a farm at Beecher, Will county, -Illinois, became interested in Hereford cattle."</p> - -<p>Mr. Miller was born at Middletown, Connecticut, on April -7, 1817. In 1842, he went to Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, where he was -in business until 1856, when he removed to Chicago, Illinois. Here -he was in the fire insurance business until about 1870. He had -bought the first 320 acres of his farm at Beecher and 207 acres -three miles to the north. He commenced to improve the farm with -buildings in 1862. His nearest railroad station then was Monee, -on the Illinois Central. In 1870, the Chicago, Danville, and -Vincennes Railroad, was built, and Mr. Miller bought about 340 -acres of additional land to the west of that already acquired and -laid out the village of Beecher. He closed out his business in -Chicago and went to live on this "Highland Stock Farm" in March, -1870. A few years later, he laid the foundation for his herd -of Hereford cattle.</p> - -<p>Mr. William Powell, an Englishman, who later on bred and -handled Herefords extensively on his own account both in Illinois -and Texas, was jointly interested with Mr. Miller in some of his -earlier ventures in Herefords. An item in the "National Live Stock -Journal" for February, 1872, reads as follows: "We learn that Messrs. -Byers and Campbell, of Nevada, Ohio, have sold to Messrs. -T. L. Miller and Wm. Powell of Highland Stock Farm, Beecher, Will<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> -county, Illinois, an individual half interest in three Hereford -cows and two bulls, and thirty-six pure bred Cotswold sheep. -Mr. Miller's farm soon afterward became the center of the greatest -American activity in the Hereford trade."<a name="FNanchor_29_29" id="FNanchor_29_29"></a><a href="#Footnote_29_29" class="fnanchor">[29]</a></p> - - -<h3>Thomas Clark</h3> - -<p>"Thomas Clark was born in Herefordshire, England, near the -Monmouth border, in 1842. His father was a cattle grower of local -repute, who used pure bred Hereford bulls, but did not profess -to be a handler of pedigreed strains. Thomas Clark came to the -United States in the spring of 1866, and after working for a time -on a farm near Pittsfield, Ohio, was employed by a Cleveland -butcher having a large city trade. Thrifty and possessed of an -inborn faith in the "white faces" of his native land, by dint of -hard work and economy in the course of a few years, Clark found -himself in a position to get into business in a small way on his -own account. As foreman and cutter in Cleveland, he acquired a -practical familiarity with what lies under a bullock's hide, that -was of distinct advantage in his subsequent career as a breeder -and feeder of good cattle. He had an interest in his brother-in-laws -little butcher shop in Elyra, but his own fondness for the -fields led him to give most of his time to the 80 acres he had -under lease near town. He moved on this farm and began breeding -Hereford cattle. He bought his first bull, Sir Arthur (705), as -a calf, from F. W. Stone of Canada.</p> - -<p>"In 1877, when Mr. Clark's lease on the Ohio farm expired, -seeing that the west was becoming a good market for Herefords, he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> -decided to remove to Beecher, Illinois. He had shown every year -at the Ohio fairs, and always won. He made one show at Erie, -Pennsylvania, while breeding in Ohio, and another at Jackson, -Michigan, in 1876, winning first prize on herd, in competition -with seven Shorthorn and Devon herds. This was the first time -Herefords had won that prize in Michigan, and the event caused a -lot of controversy. Clark had, meantime, sold three calves to -T. L. Miller and delivered them personally. He was impressed with -the idea that Illinois would be a better location for his cattle -business than Ohio. He bought 80 acres of land, about one and -one-fourth miles from the village of Beecher. He afterward added -forty acres to the home farm, and subsequently, bought twenty-six -acres in addition. Mr. Clark always kept his own lands -largely in grass, and leased fields for farming purposes. He -brought his Ohio herd, numbering at that time about twenty-eight -head, to Beecher.</p> - -<p>"In 1877, Mr. Clark showed a herd at the northern Ohio -Fair at Cleveland, winning all prizes shown for."<a name="FNanchor_30_30" id="FNanchor_30_30"></a><a href="#Footnote_30_30" class="fnanchor">[30]</a></p> - -<p>(1857) "There is no question but what the native cattle of the -state may be improved by successive generations of judicious -breeding, but if in and in-breeding is followed, as at present, -the effects will be negative.</p> - -<p>"The true comparison between native steers and improved -steers is seen when they are put on the market. Shorthorn and -Hereford steers at weaning time are worth about $15, while the -native steers at weaning time are worth about $5. The Shorthorn<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> -and the Hereford steers could be made to go to the New York market -weighing around 1800 to 2000 pounds gross, and sell for 12 cents -to 15 cents per pound, while the native steers were sent to market -at six or seven years of age, weighing from 900 to 1000 pounds, and -sold for 10 to 12 cents per pound.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"The Illinois Cattle Importing Company received a shipment -of 38 Shorthorn cattle from Europe."<a name="FNanchor_31_31" id="FNanchor_31_31"></a><a href="#Footnote_31_31" class="fnanchor">[31]</a></p> - -<p>"Messrs. Calef and Jacoby at Springfield, Illinois, sold -at auction, March 23, fifteen head of cows and heifers, all -Shorthorns. Two of the number were imported. They reached an -average of $583. They also sold eight Shorthorn bulls which -averaged $171.98 each."<a name="FNanchor_32_32" id="FNanchor_32_32"></a><a href="#Footnote_32_32" class="fnanchor">[32]</a></p> - -<p>"Messrs. H. E Gardner of Bradfordton, Illinois, and -J. S. Highmore of Rochester, Illinois, sold 30 Shorthorn cows -and heifers at the Sangamon County Fair Grounds. The total number -brought $3,140. Average of the cows was $104.66. They also sold -14 bulls for $10.20. The highest price paid in the sale was $280 -for a cow. The total sale for cows and bulls amounted to $4,160, -an average of $95.54. L. C. Carlin of Edinburg, Illinois, bought -a bull for $100. Philimon Stuart of Cotton Hill, Illinois, bought -one for $100 also.</p> - -<p>"In the afternoon of the same day, D. W. Smith of Bates, -Illinois, sold five cows and heifers for $770, an average of $154; -also three bulls sold for $710, an average of $236.66. The total -of the cows was $1,480. The highest cow sold to Lafayette Funk of -Shirley, Illinois, for $2.30. The highest bull sold to George M. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span>Caldwell, Williamsville, Illinois, for $300."<a name="FNanchor_33_33" id="FNanchor_33_33"></a><a href="#Footnote_33_33" class="fnanchor">[33]</a></p> - -<p>"Rossland Park Stock Farm at Ashkum, Illinois: The farm -is 73 miles south of Chicago, on the Illinois Central Railroad, -in Iroquois county. It is composed of 120 acres of deep, dark -prairie soil.</p> - -<p>"This farm was first owned by Mrs. Ross of Chicago, who gave -very little attention to it and allowed it to become badly run -down. It was then purchased by G. W. Henry of Chicago, who at -once set about to improve it. He put a new fence around the entire -farm and prepared it to be kept as a grazing farm for cattle.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Henry was a Shorthorn enthusiast and bred Shorthorns -until 1884, when he became interested in Herefords. High grade -and pure bred Herefords had his attention then for two or three -years, after which he decided to deal in none but pure-breds. He -sold his entire lot of grades. R. W. Hollenbeak of Casey, Iowa, -purchased 73 of the two year olds at $75 a head; 25 high grade one -year old at $50 a head; one yearling grade bull at $75; and 49 -young grade calves at $40 a head.</p> - -<p>"There were left on the farm about 150 pure bred Herefords -which soon were increased enormously by using some valuable bulls -as herd headers."<a name="FNanchor_34_34" id="FNanchor_34_34"></a><a href="#Footnote_34_34" class="fnanchor">[34]</a></p> - -<p>"The "Summit Farm", owned by Mr. Wentworth, comprises about -4000 acres, which is mostly prairie. He has on his farm 80 -Shorthorns. He has some yearling heifers by the son of "Booth's -Lancaster", which are very promising. He also owns the "Fifteenth -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span>Duke of Ardie" who still holds his place as one of the grandest -Bates bulls in existence.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Wentworth feeds mangles in connection with hay."<a name="FNanchor_35_35" id="FNanchor_35_35"></a><a href="#Footnote_35_35" class="fnanchor">[35]</a></p> - -<p>"The Polled Aberdeen Angus herd, belonging to Messrs. -Anderson and Findley, of Lake Forest, Illinois, is one of the -oldest herds in the United States, and is probably the largest of -any in the United States or Scotland."<a name="FNanchor_36_36" id="FNanchor_36_36"></a><a href="#Footnote_36_36" class="fnanchor">[36]</a></p> - -<p>"Our first importation was made in the summer of 1878, and -consisted of the bull Nicolis 1102, and the five females: Jeannie -Gordon 2914, Lazy 3rd 1100, Violet of Brucehill 1951, Diana 4th -3226, and Waterside Fancy 1854, and thus was established the first -breeding herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle in the United States so far -as we know. The cattle in this importation did so well with us -that we were induced to make further importations, and the -cattlemen of this country readily recognized the superiority of the -breed, and with proverbial American go-aheadness, took hold of -them at once. Such was the demand for animals of this breed in -the early eighties that we found ready sale for them at prices -almost beyond the reach of cattlemen of moderate means. We, -together with other importers, drew upon the parent stock in Scotland -to such an extent about this time that the straining point -was soon reached and prices rapidly advanced in that country also.</p> - -<p>"The land at Lake Forest, Illinois, upon which for so many -years we maintained our herd, was constantly appreciating in value, -until it is now (1901) worth about four hundred per cent more than -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span>when we first established our herd there. We were, therefore, -compelled to move our herd into cheaper lands, and this we began -to do about 1894, and in 1897, practically all of our herd had been -transferred to our Allendale Farm, in Allen county, Kansas. We -purchased most of the land composing Allendale Farm in 1878, and -have improved and added to it since until now, we have over 2000 -acres, making as fine a place for the breeding of fine stock and -the fattening of cattle as can be found in the country."<a name="FNanchor_37_37" id="FNanchor_37_37"></a><a href="#Footnote_37_37" class="fnanchor">[37]</a></p> - -<p>"The Illinois Cattle Breeders' Association was organized -in 1895. The first annual meeting was held at Springfield, on -January 13, 1896. Mr. J. Frank Prather presided at this meeting. -Mr. J. H. Pickrell was the first secretary. A committee was -appointed to draft by-laws.</p> - -<p>"The first paper on the program was "Home and Foreign -Demand for Beef Cattle" by A. C. Howell, the editor of the -Drover's Journal. The paper was read by the secretary, Mr. Pickrell. -The main theme of the paper was on Baby Beef, in which -he said that it was no longer a fad, but a profitable business."</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span></p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_25_25" id="Footnote_25_25"></a><a href="#FNanchor_25_25"><span class="label">[25]</span></a> The Prairie Farmer, May 9, 1885, p. 292.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_26_26" id="Footnote_26_26"></a><a href="#FNanchor_26_26"><span class="label">[26]</span></a> The Country Gentleman, Dec. 4, 1879.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_27_27" id="Footnote_27_27"></a><a href="#FNanchor_27_27"><span class="label">[27]</span></a> Sanders' Hereford History, p. 348.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_28_28" id="Footnote_28_28"></a><a href="#FNanchor_28_28"><span class="label">[28]</span></a> The Prairie Farmer, Feb. 1, 1885, p. 84.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_29_29" id="Footnote_29_29"></a><a href="#FNanchor_29_29"><span class="label">[29]</span></a> Sanders' History of Hereford Cattle, p. 348.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_30_30" id="Footnote_30_30"></a><a href="#FNanchor_30_30"><span class="label">[30]</span></a> Sander's History of Herefords, pp. 352, 357.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_31_31" id="Footnote_31_31"></a><a href="#FNanchor_31_31"><span class="label">[31]</span></a> The Country Gentleman, July 30, 1857.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_32_32" id="Footnote_32_32"></a><a href="#FNanchor_32_32"><span class="label">[32]</span></a> " " " 1858.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_33_33" id="Footnote_33_33"></a><a href="#FNanchor_33_33"><span class="label">[33]</span></a> The Prairie Farmer, June 7, 1885, p. 372</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_34_34" id="Footnote_34_34"></a><a href="#FNanchor_34_34"><span class="label">[34]</span></a> Rossland Park Stock Farm at Ashkum, Illinois. Prairie Farmer -Nov. 14, 1885, p. 741.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_35_35" id="Footnote_35_35"></a><a href="#FNanchor_35_35"><span class="label">[35]</span></a> Cultivator and Country Gentleman, 1875.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_36_36" id="Footnote_36_36"></a><a href="#FNanchor_36_36"><span class="label">[36]</span></a> The Prairie Farmer, 1885.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_37_37" id="Footnote_37_37"></a><a href="#FNanchor_37_37"><span class="label">[37]</span></a> Sale Catalog of Anderson and Findley, 1901.</p></div></div> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<h2><a id="VI_CATTLE_PLAGUES"></a>VI. CATTLE PLAGUES<a name="FNanchor_38_38" id="FNanchor_38_38"></a><a href="#Footnote_38_38" class="fnanchor">[38]</a></h2> - - -<p>"In 1882, Dr. Salmon of the Bureau of Animal Industry, -became convinced, from the experimental evidence at his command, -that certain disease germs produced a chemical substance during -their growth and multiplication which, if injected into the -tissues of an animal, would induce immunity from a disease that -these germs cause. In other words, he thought that the liquid -in which the bacteria were grown in the laboratory might be used -after the bacteria had been killed or removed, to protect animals -from the disease caused by these specific bacteria.</p> - -<p>"The first experiment made at that time with fowl cholera -failed to confirm the theory. Later experiments with hog cholera -bacillus gave unmistakable proof of its correctness. The results -were first published in 1886 and additional evidence was published -the following year.</p> - -<p>"Many cattlemen have been prejudiced against the tuberculin -test and have objected to it, due to inaccurate or greatly -exaggerated statements as to the damage it caused to the cattle -on which it was used. Those who have had most experience with -tuberculin have consequently failed to observe any injurious -effects following its injection into healthy cattle. With -cattle that are affected with tuberculosis, it produces a fever -which lasts only a short time, and in the great majority of cases, -the effects disappear within forty-eight hours after the administration -of the tuberculin. The cases of abortion following the -tuberculin test have not been numerous, even when cows were tested<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> -within a very short time before the normal time of calving. The -few cases that have occurred may be explained by the fact that -abortion in cattle is a very common occurrence and that it would -have happened even though the test had not been applied and that it -was a coincidence.</p> - -<p>"From the investigations and observations made, the following -conclusions may be safely drawn:</p> - -<p>"1. The tuberculin test is an accurate method of determining -the presence of tuberculosis in an animal.</p> - -<p>"2. By the use of tuberculin such animals as are affected -with the disease may be detected and removed from the herd.</p> - -<p>"3. It has no injurious effects.</p> - -<p>"4. Comparatively small numbers of cattle which have -aborted, suffered ill health, or fell off in flesh after the -tuberculin test was made, were either diseased before the test -was made or were affected by some other cause other than that of -the tuberculin."</p> - -<p>"On the 15th day of July, 1884, Dr. Trumbower was requested -to visit a cow at Sterling, Illinois, belonging to Mr. C. A. Keefer. -He found one of Mr. Keefer's pure bred Jersey cows, aged about six -years, with symptoms of pleuro-pneumonia."</p> - -<p>Mr. Keefer had bought this cow, Lass O' Lowrie, from -Mr. W. C. Clark, of Geneva, Illinois, on June 6, of the same year. -When Mr. Keefer visited Mr. Clark's farm on April 6, he saw Lass -O' Lowrie with two other cows, Tama Warren, and Nutriena Tunlaw. -All three of the cows had the appearance of unthriftiness, the -hair was looking rough and dry, but this was attributed to a severe<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> -winter without proper care and, in the case of Lass O' Lowrie, to -recent calving. Mr. Keefer bought her with the assurance that -she was perfectly healthy. She was shipped June 8 and was on -the road four hours. When she was driven from the car to -Mr. Keefer's farm, she was noticed to cough occasionally. She -had calved in March and was again pregnant. From the time -Mr. Keefer bought her, she became poorer, weaker, and milk secretion -became entirely suspended. She stood in the field away from -the other cattle and ceased ruminating. Coughing increased in -frequency and strings of mucus dropped from the nostrils.</p> - -<p>The case was thought to be one of tuberculosis and isolation -was recommended, slaughter and burial to follow as soon -as possible upon the necessity of the measure. On the morning of -June 8, she was bled to death. On examination, the anterior lobe -of the right lung was found filled with tubercles covering a -space of four inches in diameter. They presented different stages -of development; some containing a thick yellow inspissated pus, -while others were undergoing a caseous degeneration or calcification, -and still others appeared as small indurated brown or -reddish circumscribed spots in the interlobular tissue. Beginning -at the bifurcation of the trachea and extending downward and -backward, was found a cavity about ten inches in length, which -contained a pint of fluid of a grayish-black color and of very -offensive odor, holding in suspension disintegrated lung tissue; -also in this cavity was found a mass of inforcated lung tissue -weighing two pounds. The part nearest the right lung was breaking<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> -down and liquifying. Another mass of dead lung, weighing four -ounces, of a yellow, granular, or caseous appearance, indicating -that it was much older than the larger mass, was found lying -in and partially buried in a separate sack which communicated with -the larger cavity. In the abdominal lymphatic glands these were -masses of compact tuberculous matter encysted in strong fibrous -capsules, one of which measured three inches in diameter.</p> - -<p>The cow had evidently been affected with tuberculosis, -but the encysted mass of dead lung was a lesion which is not -produced in this disease, but which is a frequent result of -contagious pleuro-pneumonia. It seemed possible that this animal -had both of the diseases at the same time, although the fact that -pleuro-pneumonia was not known to exist in that part of the -country made it appear very doubtful.</p> - -<p>Upon investigating the conditions of affairs at Mr. Clarke's -farm, it was learned that his animals had suffered from a disease -that had caused the death of several during the spring and summer. -A cow which had been sold to C. P. Coggeshall and taken to the -farm of Mr. John Boyd, of Elmhurst, was very sick, and a second -cow bought by Mr. Boyd was also sick. Mr. Boyd's farm was visited -on August 12. The cow called Cream Ecca, belonging to Mr. Coggeshall -had died on July 20. The cow, Edith St. Hilaire, had improved -very much during the two weeks previous to the visit and was -then believed by her owner to be nearly well. An examination of -the lungs of Cream Ecca showed them to be hepatized as in pleuro-pneumonia.</p> - -<p>These facts appeared sufficient to justify the diagnosis -of contagious pleuro-pneumonia, but in the absence of any history<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> -beyond the Clarke herd, and considering the fact that the only -cow of which a careful post-mortem examination had been made was -certainly affected with tuberculosis, it seemed best to reserve -a decision until more complete evidence had been obtained.</p> - -<p>On August 14, Mr. George B. Loring made a third visit -to Elmherst Farm, and in the presence of Mr. J. H. Sanders, a -member of the Treasury Cattle Commission, and Mr. Wadham, and -Mr. Boyd, the two sick cows were slaughtered. An examination -of the lungs of Edith St. Hilaire showed that she had every -symptom of pleuro-pneumonia. The other cow, Dassie 4th, was -likewise examined with the same indications of the disease.</p> - -<p>On August 15, Mr. Loring, the agricultural commissioner, -went to Geneva, Illinois, and examined the conditions of the -animals that were still on Mr. Clarke's farm. Mr. Clarke informed -Mr. Loring that the first animal to show signs of the -disease on his farm was the bull, Finis Lawrence, which became -sick during the latter part of May and was killed in June. The -cows, Ella Lawrence, Duchess of Broome County, Myrrhine, and -Damask, all showed signs of sickness about the middle of June. -Ella Lawrence was killed at the same time as the bull; Duchess -of Broome County died; Myrrhine and Damask recovered and were -on the farm at the time the examination was made. Tama Warren -had also been killed, but Mr. Clarke insisted that this was -because she was worthless as a breeder. Six animals in all had -been killed or had died on Mr. Clarke's place since May. According -to accounts received from other sources, it is probably that -Tama Warren and Nutrina of Tunlaw were sick as early as April 6.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span></p> - -<p>Mr. Clarke had brought on his place since June 1, one -animal from New Jersey, three which he had purchased at the Epler -sale at Virginia, Illinois, one from C. A. Keefer, of Sterling, -Illinois, and several from Wisconsin. It was impossible to judge, -from any information that Mr. Clarke could give, in what manner -the disease had been brought to his place. As Ella Lawrence had -come from Peoria, and as there were rumors of the disease at that -place, it was decided to make investigations there.</p> - -<p>On August 16, Mr. Loring visited Messrs. D. H. and S. S. -Tripp, and Mr. O. J. Bailey at Peoria. These gentlemen admitted -that they had lost animals from some disease, the nature of which -they did not understand, and they freely placed at Mr. Loring's -disposal all the information which they could obtain, bearing upon -the matter. It was here that Mr. Loring gained a first insight into -the history of the introduction of the disease into Illinois.</p> - -<p>The first cases of this disease occurred in the Tripp herd, -and the only animals that had been brought upon their place for -several months before this sickness were three cows purchased at the -Virginia sale, which occurred February 21. These cows, Helena, Rex, -Albert's Pansy, and Fancy LeBrocq, were taken to Mr. Tripp's stable -in Peoria, and afterward Helen Rex was taken to his farm, which is -situated about two miles from the city. It was said that Helen Rex -was coughing at the time of the sale at Virginia, and that she did -not appear to be in good health, but Mr. Tripp either did not -notice this or was not impressed with the idea that she was affected -at all seriously. The first cow that showed unmistakable evidence -of the disease was Pomare, a cow kept for family use in the town -stable. The earliest symptoms were noticed with her on April 1,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> -and she died April 17. No other cases of the disease occurred until -July 12, when the cow, Annos Orphan, presented the symptoms of -inflammation of the lungs and died July 27. The next case occurred -July 25, when a cow called Queenette showed that she was affected. -She died August 4. No disease had been in Messrs. Tripp's herd nor -in any other cattle in the vicinity previous to the purchase of the -three animals at Mr. Epler's sale at Virginia.</p> - -<p>The first sickness in Mr. Bailey's herd occurred May 10. -The first cow affected, Lady Florentia, had been in his stable -in Peoria up to this time, when she was taken to his farm seven -miles in the country. This cow had not been in actual contact with -any of Mr. Tripp's cattle, and the only way in which the disease could -be accounted for in her was that it had been carried by some person -going from one stable to the other. This cow recovered from the -disease but several others of the same herd died within a few days -after taking the disease. On August 18, a cow was killed and -examined in the presence of Dr. J. H. Rauch, Secretary of the State -Board of Health, and Dr. N. H. Pooren, State Veterinarian, both -of whom had been invited to be present in order that they might see -the disease and be convinced of its nature.</p> - -<p>Mr. Epler's place at Virginia, Cass county, Illinois, was -visited August 22. No animals were found showing symptoms of the -disease, and Mr. Epler stated that he had lost none from his -original herd since the sale, but a cow which he had bought at -Beardstown, Illinois, and brought to his place in April or May, -which died in June of an acute lung disease that evidently was -pleuro-pneumonia. A cow sold to Porter Yates, of Springfield,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> -Illinois, at Mr. Epler's sale, was attacked by the disease and died -in April. Another cow sold to E. S. Hodson, of Springfield, soon -after her arrival was treated for a similar disease. Another cow -sold to Frank Gaston, of Normal, Illinois, became sick April 6, but -recovered.</p> - -<p>As very many of the cattle sold at the Epler sale soon -afterward became affected with pleuro-pneumonia, and as the mingling -of the animals at the sale was the only means by which many of -these herds could be connected, it became very certain that the -disease in Illinois had been brought to the state with some animals -that had been sent to Mr. Epler. The animals which he had collected -for this sale had come from a number of different herds located -at widely separated points. Upon investigation, it was found that -only one of these herds had been affected with pleuro-pneumonia. -That herd belonged to Mr. C. R. C. Dye, of Troy, Ohio. Mr. Epler -had purchased five cows from Mr. Dye on December 28, 1883. These -cows arrived at Mr. Epler's farm at Virginia, Illinois January 4, -1884. Two of the five cows purchased from Mr. Dye had been previously -bought from the herd of James Lyman, of Downer's Grove, -Illinois, in May, 1883. Mr. Dye had bought cattle from several -farms in the east, but it was decided that the disease had been brought -to his herd by some grade Jerseys which he bought in the vicinity -of Baltimore, Maryland. One of these cows had, apparently, recovered -from the disease, but was still able to communicate the disease -which was afterwards determined.</p> - -<p>The steps taken to eradicate the dreadful disease were as -follows:</p> - -<p>(1) Investigation to determine the existence of pleuro-pneumonia -in any suspected locality in the country.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span></p> - -<p>(2) The immediate quarantine and isolation of any herd -in which the disease was found. If any considerable amount of the -disease was found in any section of the country so as to be dangerous -of spreading to other districts, the immediate quarantine of -that district was enforced, as well as the prohibition of the movement -of any animals from one herd or premises to any other within -the district, or of any cattle to be upon any highway or any -enclosed land within such district; provided, however, that -animals might be moved, upon a written permit, signed by an inspector -of the Bureau of Animal Industry. As soon as the quarantine order -had been made, the immediate inspection, tagging, and numbering of -every bovine animal in the district, and the keeping of a record -of the same, and a record of all animals moved by permits was -attended to so that the Bureau of Animal Industry might have complete -control of the movements of all cattle within the quarantined -districts.</p> - -<p>(3) The condemnation and slaughter of all animals found to -be diseased or exposed to the disease within the quarantined districts, -and the thorough disinfection of all premises where such -animals had been, or on which contagious was suspected to exist. -At the same time, inspection and post-mortem examinations were -made of every animal slaughtered during the quarantine, whether -purchased and slaughtered by order of the Bureau of Animal Industry -or killed by butchers, or others for their own use.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span></p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_38_38" id="Footnote_38_38"></a><a href="#FNanchor_38_38"><span class="label">[38]</span></a> Report of Bureau of Animal Industry, 1886.</p></div></div> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<h2><a name="VII_THE_FEED_INDUSTRY_OF_THE_UNITED_STATES" id="VII_THE_FEED_INDUSTRY_OF_THE_UNITED_STATES">VII. THE FEED INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES</a></h2> - - -<p>"Sixty years ago (1853) there was no knowledge of scientific -feeding in the United States. Sixty years ago there was no -feed industry in the United States. Thirty years ago (1883) the -teaching of scientific feeding in the United States began. Thirty -years ago the feed industry in the United States began. When I -say that sixty years ago there was no feed industry in the United -States, I mean that there was no feed industry such as we of the -present day apply to the term. At that time, the population of -the United States was only one-fourth what it is today. The -problem of feeding domestic animals, as well as human beings, was -simplicity itself, in fact it was not a problem. We had more -land than we knew what to do with. The owner of livestock -raised more grain and more hay and had more pasturage than he had -animals to consume or than he had a market for. Domestic animals -were fed on the natural grains and hays, grown upon the same farms -as themselves. The city or town owner of horses or livestock -bought his feed stuffs mostly direct from the farmer who grew -them. By-product materials of the greatest feeding value, while -produced in far smaller quantities than at the present day, were -not sufficiently appreciated nor sufficiently needed to cause the -farmer to make the effort to haul them from the mill or factory -to his farm, much less to buy them. Scientific feeding with a -knowledge of the balanced ration had not as yet been taught in -our state universities. The value of grinding the natural grains -was only slightly understood and was practiced only in a very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> -limited way by a few of the more progressive and thoughtful feeders. -Flour mills experienced the greatest difficulty in finding a -market for their bran and middlings. While these by-products were -probably the first to be recognized as of great feeding value, yet -hundreds of thousands of tons were sold for a few dollars a ton, -or burned, or run into streams, for there was no market. Cottonseed -meal as a feeding stuff was at that time unknown. Holes -were dug into the ground at the cotton gins and the seed was -buried as a means of getting rid of it. Distillers' and brewers' -grains, starch factory by-products, molasses, oatmeal by-products, -oat clippings, and many others were frequently piled up on vacant -lots to decay or run into the streams, or given to such farmers -as could be induced to haul them away, and the earliest practical -use of them was by the manufacturers who fed cattle with them -in their wet or underground state at the factories. No attempt -was made to dry them or put them into form to be utilized commercially. -Instead of being sources of great revenue to the -manufacturer, they were, in many instances, the cause of great -expense. Because of the waste and expense and the low prices -realized, the cost of the main products—the food for human -beings—was very greatly increased."<a name="FNanchor_39_39" id="FNanchor_39_39"></a><a href="#Footnote_39_39" class="fnanchor">[39]</a></p> - -<p>"Here is a fact worth careful noting, that in these days -of close competition, every cent realized for a by-product is -credited to the cost of producing the main product—the human -food—and that in addition to itself being converted into additional -food for man, that is, into meat, dairy products, poultry, eggs,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span> -etc., its sale operates directly in a very large way as a saving -to the consumer upon the main product from which it is derived. -In other words, there is only one profit figured, and that is -upon the main product—the food for man—the by-product being -figured solely as such, sold for what it will bring, and the -returns credited to the cost in figuring cost prices for the main -product.</p> - -<p>"The problem of feeding the world—much less the problem -of feeding the people of the United States—had not as yet commenced -to trouble the scientist, the statesman, or the business -man of the day. No one expected that in the short space of sixty -years, all of our available lands would be occupied and that our -population would have increased from 31,000,000 to 91,000,000 people, -and that the problem of the cost of living, the cost of food, -would, during the lives of people then living, be the thought and -problem uppermost in the minds of our people. That this is the -thought uppermost in the minds of our population today is evidenced -by the daily conversations of our friends, by what we read in the -newspapers, and by the action of Congress and our National Government -in providing a commission for investigation of its cause."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span></p> - -<p>The following data was taken from the Statistical Report -of the Illinois State Board of Agriculture, December 1, 1913,—(Assessor's -Reports)</p> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="Illinois Pasture Lands"> - <caption>Illinois Pasture Lands</caption> - <tr> - <th>Year</th> - <th>Acreage</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1877</td> - <td class="tdr">4,367,603</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1878</td> - <td class="tdr">3,983,450</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1879</td> - <td class="tdr">4,193,884</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1880</td> - <td class="tdr">4,257,054</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1881</td> - <td class="tdr">2,206,621</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1882</td> - <td class="tdr">4,697,966</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1883</td> - <td class="tdr">4,752,828</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1884</td> - <td class="tdr">5,085,817</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1885</td> - <td class="tdr">5,417,147</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1886</td> - <td class="tdr">5,537,873</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1887</td> - <td class="tdr">5,630,571</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1888</td> - <td class="tdr">5,796,935</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1889</td> - <td class="tdr">5,679,874</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1890</td> - <td class="tdr">5,083,438</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1891</td> - <td class="tdr">4,681,972</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1892</td> - <td class="tdr">4,338,899</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1893</td> - <td class="tdr">4,954,871</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1894</td> - <td class="tdr">5,052,952</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1895</td> - <td class="tdr">4,631,270</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1896</td> - <td class="tdr">4,389,666</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1897</td> - <td class="tdr">4,745,917</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1898</td> - <td class="tdr">4,669,270</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1899</td> - <td class="tdr">4,880,101</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1900</td> - <td class="tdr">4,857,961</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1901</td> - <td class="tdr">4,774,062</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1902</td> - <td class="tdr">4,569,905</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1903</td> - <td class="tdr">4,447,287</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1904</td> - <td class="tdr">4,377,486</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1905</td> - <td class="tdr">4,359,426</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1906</td> - <td class="tdr">4,243,030</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1907</td> - <td class="tdr">4,308,402</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1908</td> - <td class="tdr">4,022,598</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1909</td> - <td class="tdr">3,807,796</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1910</td> - <td class="tdr">3,970,302</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1911</td> - <td class="tdr">3,819,412</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1912</td> - <td class="tdr">3,593,523</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1913</td> - <td class="tdr">3,521,966</td> - </tr> -</table><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span></div> - -<div class="center"> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="United States Census, and Year Books of Agricultural Department"> - <caption>(United States Census, and Year Books of Agricultural Department)</caption> - <tr> - <th rowspan="2">Year</th> - <th rowspan="2">Acres of Imp. Land</th> - <th rowspan="2">Av. Val. of F. and Build's. per acre</th> - <th rowspan="2">Av. Val. Per Farm</th> - <th rowspan="2">Acres of Far. Land</th> - <th rowspan="2">Percent Increase in Farms</th> - <th rowspan="2">Percent Increase in Farm Land</th> - <th rowspan="2">Percent of Land Area in Farms</th> - <th rowspan="2">Percent of Farm Land Improved</th> - <th colspan="2">Farm Land in Ill.</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <th>Total</th> - <th>Cultivated</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1850</td> - <td class="tdr">5,039,545</td> - <td class="tdr">$ 7.99</td> - <td class="tdr">$ 1,663</td> - <td class="tdr">12,037,412</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr">33.6</td> - <td class="tdr">41.9</td> - <td rowspan="0" class="tdr bl">35,867,520</td> - <td rowspan="0" class="tdr bl">32,522,937</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1860</td> - <td class="tdr">13,096,374</td> - <td class="tdr">15.96</td> - <td class="tdr">3,480</td> - <td class="tdr">20,911,989</td> - <td class="tdr">88.1</td> - <td class="tdr">73.7</td> - <td class="tdr">58.3</td> - <td class="tdr">62.6</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1870</td> - <td class="tdr">19,329,952</td> - <td class="tdr">28.45</td> - <td class="tdr">4,358</td> - <td class="tdr">25,882,861</td> - <td class="tdr">41.5</td> - <td class="tdr">23.8</td> - <td class="tdr">72.2</td> - <td class="tdr">74.7</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1880</td> - <td class="tdr">26,115,154</td> - <td class="tdr">31.87</td> - <td class="tdr">4,598</td> - <td class="tdr">31,673,645</td> - <td class="tdr">26.1</td> - <td class="tdr">22.4</td> - <td class="tdr">88.3</td> - <td class="tdr">82.5</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1890</td> - <td class="tdr">25,669,060</td> - <td class="tdr">41.41</td> - <td class="tdr">6,140</td> - <td class="tdr">30,498,277</td> - <td class="tdr">-5.9</td> - <td class="tdr">-3.7</td> - <td class="tdr">85.0</td> - <td class="tdr">84.2</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1900</td> - <td class="tdr">27,669,219</td> - <td class="tdr">53.84</td> - <td class="tdr">7,588</td> - <td class="tdr">32,794,728</td> - <td class="tdr">9.8</td> - <td class="tdr">7.5</td> - <td class="tdr">91.4</td> - <td class="tdr">84.5</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1910</td> - <td class="tdr">28,048,323</td> - <td class="tdr">108.32</td> - <td class="tdr">15,505</td> - <td class="tdr">32,522,937</td> - <td class="tdr">-4.6</td> - <td class="tdr">-0.8</td> - <td class="tdr">90.7</td> - <td class="tdr">86.2</td> - </tr> -</table><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span></div> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="United States Census Report"> - <caption>(United States Census Report)</caption> - <tr> - <th>Year</th> - <th>Population</th> - <th>No. Farms</th> - <th colspan="2">Average Size of Farms</th> - <th>No. B. C. Per Farm</th> - <th>No. B. C. Per Capita (Population)</th> - <th>No. B. C. Per Acre Farm Land</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1790</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1800</td> - <td class="tdr">5,641</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1810</td> - <td class="tdr">24,520</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1820</td> - <td class="tdr">147,178</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1830</td> - <td class="tdr">343,031</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1840</td> - <td class="tdr">685,866</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1850</td> - <td class="tdr">851,470</td> - <td class="tdr">76,208</td> - <td class="tdr">158.</td> - <td class="tdc">acres</td> - <td class="tdr">7.1</td> - <td class="tdr">.63</td> - <td class="tdr">.0045</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1860</td> - <td class="tdr">1,711,951</td> - <td class="tdr">143,310</td> - <td class="tdr">145.9</td> - <td class="tdc">"</td> - <td class="tdr">9.9</td> - <td class="tdr">.83</td> - <td class="tdr">.0067</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1870</td> - <td class="tdr">2,539,891</td> - <td class="tdr">202,803</td> - <td class="tdr">127.6</td> - <td class="tdc">"</td> - <td class="tdr">7.7</td> - <td class="tdr">.62</td> - <td class="tdr">.0060</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1880</td> - <td class="tdr">3,077,871</td> - <td class="tdr">255,741</td> - <td class="tdr">123.8</td> - <td class="tdc">"</td> - <td class="tdr">7.8</td> - <td class="tdr">.65</td> - <td class="tdr">.0063</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1890</td> - <td class="tdr">3,826,352</td> - <td class="tdr">240,681</td> - <td class="tdr">126.7</td> - <td class="tdc">"</td> - <td class="tdr">7.1</td> - <td class="tdr">.46</td> - <td class="tdr">.0056</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1900</td> - <td class="tdr">4,821,550</td> - <td class="tdr">264,151</td> - <td class="tdr">124.2</td> - <td class="tdc">"</td> - <td class="tdr">7.07</td> - <td class="tdr">.38</td> - <td class="tdr">.0057</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1910</td> - <td class="tdr">5,638,591</td> - <td class="tdr">251,872</td> - <td class="tdr">129.1</td> - <td class="tdc">"</td> - <td class="tdr">4.9</td> - <td class="tdr">.22</td> - <td class="tdr">.0038</td> - </tr> -</table><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span></div> - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="The Corn Crop of Illinois for Fifty-four Years."> - <caption>The Corn Crop of Illinois for Fifty-four Years.</caption> - <tr> - <th>Year</th> - <th>Acreage</th> - <th>Yield</th> - <th>Price</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1860</td> - <td class="tdr">3,839,159</td> - <td class="tdr">30</td> - <td class="tdr">42½</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1861</td> - <td class="tdr">3,839,159</td> - <td class="tdr">30</td> - <td class="tdr">24</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1862</td> - <td class="tdr">3,458,903</td> - <td class="tdr">40</td> - <td class="tdr">23</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1863</td> - <td class="tdr">3,773,349</td> - <td class="tdr">22</td> - <td class="tdr">62</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1864</td> - <td class="tdr">4,192,610</td> - <td class="tdr">33</td> - <td class="tdr">75</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1865</td> - <td class="tdr">5,032,996</td> - <td class="tdr">35</td> - <td class="tdr">29½</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1866</td> - <td class="tdr">4,931,783</td> - <td class="tdr">32</td> - <td class="tdr">43</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1867</td> - <td class="tdr">4,583,655</td> - <td class="tdr">24</td> - <td class="tdr">68</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1868</td> - <td class="tdr">3,928,742</td> - <td class="tdr">34</td> - <td class="tdr">48</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1869</td> - <td class="tdr">5,237,068</td> - <td class="tdr">23</td> - <td class="tdr">57</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1870</td> - <td class="tdr">5,720,965</td> - <td class="tdr">35</td> - <td class="tdr">35</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1871</td> - <td class="tdr">5,310,469</td> - <td class="tdr">38</td> - <td class="tdr">32</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1872</td> - <td class="tdr">5,468,040</td> - <td class="tdr">40</td> - <td class="tdr">24</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1873</td> - <td class="tdr">6,839,714</td> - <td class="tdr">21</td> - <td class="tdr">32</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1874</td> - <td class="tdr">7,421,055</td> - <td class="tdr">18</td> - <td class="tdr">56</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1875</td> - <td class="tdr">8,163,265</td> - <td class="tdr">34</td> - <td class="tdr">34</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1876</td> - <td class="tdr">8,920,000</td> - <td class="tdr">25</td> - <td class="tdr">31</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1877</td> - <td class="tdr">8,935,411</td> - <td class="tdr">30</td> - <td class="tdr">28</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1878</td> - <td class="tdr">8,672,088</td> - <td class="tdr">29</td> - <td class="tdr">22</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1879</td> - <td class="tdr">7,918,881</td> - <td class="tdr">39</td> - <td class="tdr">32</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1880</td> - <td class="tdr">7,754,545</td> - <td class="tdr">33</td> - <td class="tdr">33</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1881</td> - <td class="tdr">7,157,334</td> - <td class="tdr">24</td> - <td class="tdr">53</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1882</td> - <td class="tdr">7,371,950</td> - <td class="tdr">24</td> - <td class="tdr">42</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1883</td> - <td class="tdr">7,304,596</td> - <td class="tdr">25</td> - <td class="tdr">36</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1884</td> - <td class="tdr">6,898,819</td> - <td class="tdr">33</td> - <td class="tdr">29</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1885</td> - <td class="tdr">7,212,657</td> - <td class="tdr">32</td> - <td class="tdr">28</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1886</td> - <td class="tdr">7,153,289</td> - <td class="tdr">25</td> - <td class="tdr">30</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1887</td> - <td class="tdr">6,719,126</td> - <td class="tdr">19</td> - <td class="tdr">41</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1888</td> - <td class="tdr">7,047,813</td> - <td class="tdr">39</td> - <td class="tdr">28</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1889</td> - <td class="tdr">6,988,267</td> - <td class="tdr">35</td> - <td class="tdr">23</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1890</td> - <td class="tdr">6,114,226</td> - <td class="tdr">27</td> - <td class="tdr">45</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1891</td> - <td class="tdr">5,754,147</td> - <td class="tdr">38</td> - <td class="tdr">38</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1892</td> - <td class="tdr">5,188,432</td> - <td class="tdr">26</td> - <td class="tdr">35</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1893</td> - <td class="tdr">6,416,488</td> - <td class="tdr">26</td> - <td class="tdr">30</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1894</td> - <td class="tdr">6,705,476</td> - <td class="tdr">31</td> - <td class="tdr">39</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1895</td> - <td class="tdr">6,922,921</td> - <td class="tdr">39</td> - <td class="tdr">21</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1896</td> - <td class="tdr">6,881,400</td> - <td class="tdr">42</td> - <td class="tdr">17</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1897</td> - <td class="tdr">7,051,527</td> - <td class="tdr">34</td> - <td class="tdr">21</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1898</td> - <td class="tdr">6,943,992</td> - <td class="tdr">31</td> - <td class="tdr">26</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1899</td> - <td class="tdr">6,941,548</td> - <td class="tdr">37</td> - <td class="tdr">26</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1900</td> - <td class="tdr">8,050,550</td> - <td class="tdr">38</td> - <td class="tdr">31</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1901</td> - <td class="tdr">8,077,621</td> - <td class="tdr">23</td> - <td class="tdr">58</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1902</td> - <td class="tdr">8,199,031</td> - <td class="tdr">39</td> - <td class="tdr">35</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1903</td> - <td class="tdr">7,955,980</td> - <td class="tdr">35</td> - <td class="tdr">34</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1904</td> - <td class="tdr">7,875,471</td> - <td class="tdr">36</td> - <td class="tdr">39</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1905</td> - <td class="tdr">7,698,411</td> - <td class="tdr">40</td> - <td class="tdr">38</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1906</td> - <td class="tdr">7,621,562</td> - <td class="tdr">37</td> - <td class="tdr">36</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1907</td> - <td class="tdr">7,294,873</td> - <td class="tdr">35</td> - <td class="tdr">44</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1908</td> - <td class="tdr">6,780,507</td> - <td class="tdr">31</td> - <td class="tdr">57</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1909</td> - <td class="tdr">7,288,563</td> - <td class="tdr">36</td> - <td class="tdr">52</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1910</td> - <td class="tdr">6,889,721</td> - <td class="tdr">41</td> - <td class="tdr">37</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1911</td> - <td class="tdr">6,623,579</td> - <td class="tdr">38</td> - <td class="tdr">55</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1912</td> - <td class="tdr">6,878,797</td> - <td class="tdr">39</td> - <td class="tdr">40</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1913</td> - <td class="tdr">6,635,847</td> - <td class="tdr">27</td> - <td class="tdr">63</td> - </tr> -</table><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span></div> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 700px;"> -<img src="images/i183.jpg" width="700" height="431" alt="" /> -<div class="caption"><p>Showing the corn acreage, pasture acreage, number of beef cattle, and -the population of the state of Illinois from 1850 to 1914 inclusive.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span></p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_39_39" id="Footnote_39_39"></a><a href="#FNanchor_39_39"><span class="label">[39]</span></a> An address by George A. Chapman, President of the American Feed -Manufacturers' Association, delivered at Washington, D. C., -November 17, 1913.</p></div></div> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<h2><a name="BIBLIOGRAPHY" id="BIBLIOGRAPHY">BIBLIOGRAPHY</a></h2> - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="BIBLIOGRAPHY"> - <tr> - <td>Topography of the Land.</td> - <td>Report of Bu. of An. Ind. 1885. p. 362.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2">People. The U.S. Census Report. Interviews with old settlers.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cattle and Cattle Feeding.</td> - <td>Report of Bu. of An. Ind. 1885. p. 365.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td rowspan="4">Cattle Feeding Industry.</td> - <td>Wallace's Farmer. 1913.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Thesis by Garver: "History of Dairy Industry in Illinois."</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The Breeder's Gazette. July. 1913; Feb. 1894.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Lecture by Professor Rusk.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td rowspan="6">Chicago Market.</td> - <td>"Facts and Figures" by Wood Brothers, >Live Stock Commission Merchants, Chicago. 1906.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Report of Bu. of An. Ind. 1884.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The Prairie Farmer. 1887. p. 160.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Life of Tom C. Ponting.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Scientific American. The Meat Industry of America. 1909.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bu. of An. Ind. Report. 1885-86.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td rowspan="3">Cattle Barons and Pioneer Drovers.</td> - <td>Bu. of An. Ind. Report. 1885.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The Breeder's Gazette. July 16, Aug. 6, 1913.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Story of Tom Ponting's Life.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td rowspan="2">The Range Industry.</td> - <td>The Breeder's Gazette. July 16, 1913.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Farm, Field and Stockman. 1880.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Texas Cattle.</td> - <td>The Prairie Farmer. July 18, 1885. p. 452.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td rowspan="8">The Pure Bred Industry.</td> - <td>The Prairie Farmer. May 9, 1885. p. 292 Feb. 1, 1885. p. 84; Nov. 14, 1885. p. 741. 1895.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The Country Gentleman. Dec. 4, 1879.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sanders' History of Herefords. p. 348.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Bu. of An. Ind. Report. 1885.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The Country Gentleman. July 30, 1857, 1858.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The Cultivator and The Country Gentleman. 1857.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sale Catalog of Anderson and Findley-Angus Herd. 1901.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Sanders' History of Herefords, p. 348; 352-357.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Cattle Plagues.</td> - <td>Bu. of An. Ind. Report. 1884. p. 16, 1886. <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>The Feed Industry of the United States. </td> - <td>An address by Geo. A. Chapman, President of the American Feed - Manufacturers' Association. Delivered at Washington, D. C., Nov. - 17, 1913.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>Statistics. </td> - <td>U. S. Census Reports. U. S. Yearbooks of the Department of Agriculture.</td> - </tr> -</table></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span></p> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<h2><a name="ACKNOWLEDGMENT" id="ACKNOWLEDGMENT">ACKNOWLEDGMENT</a></h2> - - -<p>I desire to acknowledge the personal -assistance and supervision of Professor -H. P. Rusk under whose direction the -work was planned and carried on.</p> - -<div id="transnote"> -<div class="chapter"></div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<h2><a name="TRANSCRIBERS_NOTES" id="TRANSCRIBERS_NOTES">TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES</a></h2> - - -<p>Added opening quotation marks to all paragraphs where a quotation spans several paragraphs.</p> - -<p>Silently corrected simple spelling, grammar, and typographical errors.</p> - -<p>Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed.</p> - -</div> - - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of History of the Beef Cattle Industry in -Illinois, by Frank Webster Farley - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BEEF CATTLE INDUSTRY--ILLINOIS *** - -***** This file should be named 50420-h.htm or 50420-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/4/2/50420/ - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, The Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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