The Cattle Boom That Was Selling Off Its Own Future

E. F. Benson, land examiner of the Northern Pacific Railway, has returned from a trip through Eastern Washington. He brings back word that cattlemen throughout that section are selling off their cattle at a lively rate, says the Ledger. They are being purchased chiefly by eastern cattlemen for shipment to Nebraska, Montana, Dakota and as far east as Chicago. The result of this wholesale selling of breeding cattle will be detrimental to the state in the long run, Mr. Benson thinks, for the reason that prices are now advancing and the number of marketable cattle will be decreased for a number of years to come. For three months, he says, cattle raisers have been selling off their stock at a rate which has made the movement almost a stampede. Trainload after trainload have been shipped, and the cattle buyers are still busy.

The movement was started as the result of the low prices of corn ruling in Nebraska. When corn went to 10 cents a bushel, the producers in that state found it would be more profitable to market their corn in the form of beef. They began coming to Washington to purchase cattle and hogs last fall, and as the price of beef has gone upward, with prospects of going still higher, they have become more anxious than ever to purchase all of the available stock in the Northwest. They began by buying steers, which did not affect the future supply as do their more recent purchases of cows, yearlings and calves. While Mr. Benson was at Walla Walla one train brought in five men from Nebraska to purchase three trainloads of cattle. These, he understands, were secured, and it was expected that the same men would return to make further purchases.

Prices of cattle are higher now than for several years past, and it is this fact that has led the stockmen to part with their cattle so readily. The buyers are now paying $12 to $14 for yearlings; $18 to $20 for two-year-old cattle; $26 to $28 for three-year-olds, and $18 to $20 for young cows and calves. Ten years ago a cow and calf sold for $45, and Mr. Benson believes there will be a good advance in prices during the present season. The cattle buyers seem to be better informed than the cattle owners as to market conditions, and the shrewdest buyers are purchasing herds wherever they can, paying a higher price if the owners will not accept the one first offered.

Mr. Benson predicts that inside of a year Washington will be importing beef from other states, as has recently happened in the case of pork. Prices are already advancing in certain localities. This is true in Yakima County, where some kinds of cattle have advanced in price nearly 100 per cent in three months, on account of the local demand for beef purposes.

In a similar way last fall the high price of wheat caused the pork producers of Eastern Washington to unload in a body to eastern buyers, who shipped the hogs by trainloads to Nebraska. Soon there were not enough hogs in the state to supply the local demand, and during the past month one firm on the Sound has shipped in three trainloads of hogs from Nebraska.

It was suggested that if the ranges are left destitute by the selling of cattle the grass will be allowed to grow and thus recuperate from the ravages of thousands of range horses which were complained of so loudly last fall. The range will not be thus benefited, Mr. Benson says, for the reason that most of the horses are left and they will keep the grass short.

In the western part of Whitman County about 25 per cent of the range horses starved to death during the winter on account of the short grass and the snow which covered it. In Adams and Franklin counties not over 5 per cent of the horses were killed off.

"In my judgment," said Mr. Benson, "there are better prospects for cattle raising at the present time than we have seen for fifteen years in this state, both for the people who own cattle and for those who are going into the business." In certain sections of the grazing country very good grass is found because the horses have been kept away on account of the absence of water. The railway company has found on investigation that an excellent supply of water can be obtained at reasonable depth, 200 feet or less, and the contract has been let for sinking the first artesian well on land about twenty miles west of Lind, Adams County. If water is obtained cattle can graze in the surrounding sections the year round. As a rule the winters are so mild that feeding is not necessary oftener than one year in five. If the boring of this well is successful others will be sunk in the same district, so as to utilize one of the finest bodies of grazing lands in the state, lying in Adams County between the Northern Pacific and Moses Lake. This will afford an excellent opportunity for a number of cattle raisers.

The sheepmen are especially hopeful and have had remarkable success during the lambing season this spring. During the past month Mr. Benson visited between fifteen and twenty bands, finding the increase from 103 to 115 per cent. Ninety-seven per cent is considered a good average increase. The price of mutton is higher than for many years past, two-year-old wethers selling for $2 to $2.25 after shearing.