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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1910)
I - THE 3IOKXIXG OREGOXIAN, SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 1910. 13 OREGON FORGING TO FRQNT AS LIVESTOCK STATE Although the Open Range o the Interior, Is Being Taken Up, Aniknal Industry There Will Continue to Grow in Importance By O. B. Hardy." WITH the railroads rapidly ap proaching: the vast expanse of territory in Central Oregon, the doom of the open range In that coun try seems Inevitable. This section is rapldlj becoming: settled and a much more intensive system of farming is bcing practised than has heretofore x been in vogue. "The range is. being fenced in new places and it is only a question of a short time until the ex tremely large flocks and herds now common in the country will be a thing of the past. Central Oregon has long been famous as a stock country and, indeed, the fame has not been wrongly placed, be cause it is from this section of our state that some of the finest range stuff to be found ' any whe.e has been sent. The climate of the territory as a rule, mild and dry is such as is highly favorable to the raising of live stock and for diversified farming. The Winters are generally not severe and stock does well with very little atten tion aside from feeding for a short period at this time of year. That Central Oregon is a stock coun try is shown by the fame which it has achieved in the past and which it re tains at the present time. It was here that the early settlers found one of the most ideal horse countries imagina ble, and " for many years the horses from Central Oregon, particularly North Central Oregon, were famous in all parts of the United States, and they were indeed a very high class of range animal. But with th panic of 1893 te horse industry was ruined. The prices were o low that many were forced out of the business, and as only the very best of horses could be sold at any price, breeders had a lot of in ferior stuff on their hands. These horses were promptly turned on the range and the result is no more than anyone could have expected had they given it a thought a lot of email, wild, inbred, almost useless cayuses when compared to what would have resulted had foresight been exercised. Quickly following this blow' to the horse industry in the north section, came the invasion of the wheat farmer, and the range was destroyed. Farther south the departure of the buckaroo was Tollowed by the invasion of the cowboy and cattle baron. Many of the former horsemen also went into the cattle business at this time. The cattle of the pioneers were good and, though there was little pure-bred stuff in large herds, animals of com paratively good breeding could be found without much difficulty, as the practice of breeding was more or less popular and good bulls were used. Be cause of these practices, the cattle of today are a pretty good lot, the Here ford grail es being perhaps the most common, though there are to be found in this territory characteristic repre sentatives of all the breeds of cattle. There are also In the country several herds of pure-bred cattle. The Bonnie view Stock Farm in Crook County, owned by J. H. Gray & Son, of Prine ville. has a notable herd of 300 pure bred Herefords. The Willowdale Stock Farm, owned by M. R. Biggs, of Prine ville, has a herd of more than 60 pure bred Shorthorns, headed by the bull Bapton Royal. II. D. Dunham, William Congleton and S. S. Stearns, in the Prineville country, are building up large herds of Herefords, and the Hay Creek Ranch. Gilchrist Bros, and T. S. Hamilton are raising Shorthorns. In North Central Oregon, near Heppner, is located the Mountain Valley Stock Farm, where W. O. Minor has an unexcelled herd of Shorthorns, headed by the bull Golden Goods, the $3500 son of Choice Goods and Golden Abbotsburn. Mr. Minor's herd won $2494 in cash premiums at SCRUB STOCK IS BEING REPLACED IN OREGON HERDS BY THOROUGHBREDS Pure-bred Cattle, Horses, Hogs and Sheep, Which Are Now the Rule, Are Attracting Wide Atten- tion and Winning Many Blue Ribbons in This State. Jy O. A. Westcste, Secretary Portland Fair and Livestock Association. 1 bop th time win come when, with a mil of peace on his face and a curl of contentment in his tall, the American hoe may go untrammeled throush the markets of the world. (Muckrker'a Report of a peeeh y J. P. Dolliver.j TUB Spanish occupation left In the West a race of long-horned cat tle of much uicanness and littla h"". also a brand of horses tough and white-eyed, with all sorts of bad hab its,' both rather negative assets to own er or community. When the range was free and wide, stock-raisers of this sort found .their half-wild occupation pro ductive of a living, feed being omitted from the expense account. But, in time, the gospel of better livestock took the Pacific States. Earnest men gath ered about them pure-bred herds and flocks, with the best American and foreign foundation, until the stockyards arrival of today usually shows some thing of blood in an improved form, for the scrub, bovine, equine or human, is a heavy consumer and a light produc er, and. there is no room for him any more. The pioneers of the Northwest viewed coldly the prune and asparagus diet To them, bacon was real "vittles," and a beefsteak received a large vote. With out paying much attention to theories, tiiey believed, like Secretary Wilson, that meat-eating nations would always rule the world, as they always have. So as soon as Oregon commenced to be a state, the livestock industry came to the front. Evon then, progressive men fa.w the end of the scrub, and Imported pure-bred horses and' cattle, as progeni tors of a better race. The Broadmead farm was a conspic- -nous example of these early efforts. There the draft horse and the Short horn flourished under Superintendent Gammie. and it was in the plan to make there a great and permanent breeding establishment. For it had become evi dent that conditions of soil, climate and vegetation were favorable in Ore Kon to the horse, the cow and tho sheep. The western valleys and the eastern ranges all seemed by nature intended three fairs in 1909. In Sherman County Barnum Bros, have a large herd of pure-bred Herefords. The breeding of pure-bred stock cat tle is being: forwarded with the pass ing of the sway of the range cattle. Some progressive sheepmen have also gone into the country, and have found the abundant feed and dry, mild cll- mate very favorable for the raising of fine-wool sheep.- - They can drive their flocksIong dis tances to graze and so the sheep bands began to increase throughout the coun try until today flocks of 10,000 to 40. 000 sheep maybe found in nearly any part of Central Oregon. The most valu able flock of sheep is that of the Bald win Sheep & Land Company on the Hay Creek ranch in Crook County. This company has the largest flock of pure-bred Merinos in America, if not ' in the world. It is today running 12,000 pure-bred ewes and doing a large ex porting business .of fancy stock. The James Rice Company is also handling several thousand pure-bred sheep in the same locality. T. S. Hamilton is a large breeder of pure-bred Delano sheep and T. H. Lafollette is breeding pure-bred Hampshires. J. N. William son, former Congressman, is an ex tensive grower of mutton sheep, '.using pure-bred Cotswold rams and native sheep, the cross producing a very fine lamb for feeding out. Hogs, though only tried in a few in stances up to the present time, have on these occasions done well in Central Oregon. The country is peculiarly adapted to the raising of hogs of the bacon type. They are fed on alfalfa except for a short period previous to marketing. The method commonly in use is to arrange a series of pastures and turn the hogs from one to the other as the feed is eaten off. Then by feeding grain for a time before kill ing a superior grade of meat is produced.- Pure-bred Poland China hogs are now being grown by W. O. Minor, at Heppner, and by G. Springer, C. M. Elkins, T. H. Lafollette, in the Prlne ville country, and by numerous others throughout Central Oregon. The breeding of better grades of horses is also showing rapid advance pan y is handling imported Shire horses; German Coach and Clydesdale horses are found on the Bonnieview ranch: road horses are being bred extensively at the Willowdale ranch and by John Schmeer. of Prineville; G. Springer is devoting considerable attention to draft horses and C. M. Elkins to Percheron. Barnum brothers, in Sherman County, have a good number of blooded horses and pure-bred stallions are found In nearly every locality. The fact that the open range is being taken up is found to. be no reason why the livestock industry should be neg lected in Central Oregon. As has been stated it is a country where stock does well and therefore the diversified farmer will in time fall back to his stock as a main source of revenue.-The aggregate production will thus be greater though the individual produc tion will not be so great. It has re peatedly been demonstrated that the farmer must look ahead and cannot afford continually to crop his land without putting something back into the soil, and what better means are to be had than through livestock? There are in Central Oregon other advantages for stockraising than those mentioned. There still will remain in this territory something over 15,000,000 acres of grazing land (according to the report of the Oregon Conservative Com mission for 1908), besides the forest re serves where stock may be "run" In the summer on the payment of a nominal fee. This pasture land is so scattered that it is easily accessible from all parts of the country. On the other hand the irrigating of a large part of the country will work water out onto for livestock production. Later1, the Oregon Experiment Station taught the uses of clover, alfalfa, vetches and kale, and that (they could be successfully grown and profitably fed in these parts. In the dairies, soiling crops and the silo supplemented the haymow and feed bin, and gained an imDortant niaca in the routine of the rational livestock man. As years passed, livestock ' of high class came to Oregon by birth or pur chase. The Oregon State Fair had grown to bo worthy of the namv and Oregon breeders gained confidence in me snow ring. To the St. Louis Expo sition went Frank Brown with Short horns that won championships in a world's competition, and F. E. McEl downey, with the Ladd Jerseys, which included the grand champion, Loretta 1. Oregon sheep at that show also won honors. This opened the eyes of the Nation to the quality of Oregon live stock and the possibilities of the state in the livestock line. Afterward came professors and authorities, all wise men from the East, to marvel at local con ditions and to express the view that Oregon is destined to become a nursery for pure-bred stock quite as famous as the Channel Islands, England, France or the Low Countries. At the Lewis and Clark Exposition, home breeders took a large share of the blue ribbons. Oregon beef breeds, Jer seys, sheep and swine held their own. Oregon horses maintained their usual high place. But that modest man and careful breeder, P. A. Frakes. of Scap poose, took grand honors with cow and buli in the hot Holstein competition of that show, in which the herds of wealthy breeders who were not accustomed to defeat met their match. At Seattle last year the big entries from Oregon were the Bonaday Farm standard-bred horses, the Ruby drafters, and the Shorthorns of W. O. Minor's Mountain Valley herd. All of these breeders brought back enough blue ribbons and championship banners to make an in definite number of quilts. Of course the show ring is but a phase of the game, and every breeder cannot have pedigreed stock, while at the shambles the scales are more than .. . ',1,, "yt-mtok - , , ! 4 S 1 1" r0- rA-te , ... " . s c vv;k' 111) 111' 15 si 2 - fc ; rt-,-rf , 111 111 ? iti. .ws-V .x ,v - ; ill HI. ., i..jtjJ2z tkH: vsZUi? lunmr1 - r 1 ' : nTTTTT T1 1 1 1 - - :? illlUIJLIlL " -sj- those sections of the country which are now almost worthless because of no water and much of this land will then produce an abundance of grass and forage. The railroad will be a great benefit to the stock industry in that an outlet for the production will be afforded without the long drives which are now necessary. Moreover the ever increas ing local, as well as export, trade and the stock markets and packing houses in Portland will insure a place for the disposal of all marketable stock. These favorable conditions for the raising and handling of livestook in Central Oregon and the past perform ances of the country should act as an incentive to those who seek a liveli hood by the production of stock. This industry should soon become as solid a business under the new conditions as it was under the old. Such will un doubtedly be the case because in all diversified farming stock is an im portant factor and must receive attention. lineage. But the educational vajue of the show ring cannot' be overestimated, for good judges bring out excellence as well as fault of form, and the gen eral trend is toward knowledge of that supreme aim of every breeder, perfec tion. It is matter of congratulation to all Interested that wealthy men have gone into pure-bred livestock as recrea tion, and brought together great herds and flocks; but the practical fact of more importance in this state is that men have commenced at the very be ginning, with small means but much enthusiasm and energy, and carved out a competence and a place through the pure-bred livestock industry. The field is still sufficient to be attractive" to others along the same way. The pro ducer of beef needs pure-bred sires. The draft-horse farmer requires access to the best sires. . Sheep and swine hus bandmen have constant need of good -blood, and here the pure-bred breeder finds his market. Butter is high, beef is scarce, hogs are bringing turkey prices. The killers are constantly '"Winging in supplies from other states, not half so well fitted to produce them as Oregon and Wash ington. The call has been for broader markets. Meanwhile home trade and that of Alaska and the Orient are grow ing. Came the Swifts to establish pack ing plants of large capacity and mod ern economical methods. Came also a system of Improved stockyards, with D. O. Lively as their prophet. The market seems here now. The need is greater production of better stock, that the first-cost money may be paid out at home. Lively wants mere stock to supply tho market. Does he preach digging up the orchards and turning In the hogs, or abandoning the garden to the hehs? Not so. The orchards and gardens and cultivated fields will broaden in extent even while their owners-are carrying more livestock. For the livestock breeder returns some thing of the elements of fertility to the soil. Dairying is especially fruitful in this respect. But the present call seems to be to the horseman, the cattle-breeder, the sheepman and the hog-grower, with a good outlook before him. Portland is doing its part as a dis " t. i si' t- 11 tributing market, and a number f Portland business men have established the Portland Fair and Livestock Exposi tion, which represents an outlay, of $200,000, and is intended to make an annual - livestock show of National character. Some years ago, annual breeders sales of horses were estab PORTLAND IS CENTRAL STOCK MARKET Animals Are Being Sold in Local Stockyards at Rate of $8,100,000 Annually, and the Amount Will Be Greatly Exceeded When Packing Industry Is Established in New Plant. By I). O. Lively, General Agent Portland V'nion Stockyards. THE observer who keeps in touch with the progress of the Pacific Northwest realizes that the rirters in the financial field at this time, such as lumber and wheat and the dairy industry, will gradually have to step aside for the young and vigorously growing monarch, livestock. The pop ulation of a country Wust be fed and while wheat will stand long-distance transportation, livestock will not, if there is taken into consideration a rea sonableness of price. The population of Oregon and of the states that bound It is increasing very rapidly. We are becoming a beehive of workers and the constant cry throughout this entire sec tion is for more and better quality meat. Oregon, with its great inland water way, lies next door to all of the meat consuming zones that lie to the north and south, on the Pacific Coast and to the west by way of the Islands to the lished in Portland, and last year in the sale were nine carloads of fancy Jiorses from other states, as far east as Indiana and the bluegrass. No busi ness man can afford to be indifferent to the livestock industry, which has made Kansas City and Chicago, as well ancient countries that lie about and be- ' yond the China Seas. Here Is opportu nity and demand. Men of experience and ability and Imagination have seen all of this home and foreign consuming ability 'and have established at Port land the means of meeting the demand that lies at home and beyond, depend ing on the energy and the enterprise of the farmers and stockmen of the Pa cific Northwest, old and new, to rise to the occasion and furnish the Supply. The nucleus around which all of this manufacturing and demand-supplying energy is concentrated is the central livestock market created and main tained by the Portland Union Stock yards. The producer of any commodity is in lamentable condition when there is lit tle or no market for the fruits of his effort. The livestock business has 'not flourished in the Pacific Northwest as compared with other industries, due largely to the fact that the feeder and shipper have had to depend on the will as other industrial centers of America. With natural conditions present, with established -markets, livestock shows and sales, is it unreasonable to expect the livestock industry of the North west to become the dominant phase of agriculture? of traveling buyers in order that they might dispose of their animals. There has been lit.tle or no incentive for rais ing more and better hogs, cattle and sheep for market purposes for the rea son that there has not heretofore been an open and competitive market at which the demand is always in excess of the supply- That condition has changed now and all of the packers and butchers of this country are looking to Portland for a part or all of their needs for animals to kill. Natural conditions for the raising and feeding and fatten ing of livestock are better in the coun try tributary to Portland than in al most any other section of the United States, and to the newcomer who un derstands this business there Is open a wonderful field of success. The country is settling up rapidly and the new people are demanding bet ter quality. Every packer and butcher is met daily witn the request for better cuts of beef and better -jnutton chops and better pork roasts ' and tiiere is little or nothing said about the price. These people are accustomed to paying good prices for good meat and the farmer or stockman who prepares him self to supply this increasing demand in the matter of quality as well as quan tity will be displaying sound business judgment. j It js claimed that the Portland live stock market pays better prices than any other place in the United States. Packers have not had the opportunity of bidding on corn-fed qualrty cattle, but the statement is made that the grass animals which sell at the prices paid at Portland would bring less money at Chicago. At the time' this is written, hogs are selling on the Port land market at $S.60 per 100 pounds and fat sheep are so scarce that almost any price could be procured. The value of the livestock sold on the Portland market last month approximated $565. 000, but it is confidently expected that by this time next year, at least three times that amount In money will be paid out each month. It is certain that at this time there is not enough live stock produced in this country to sup ply the local demand and it is some what of a reflection on the business acumen of our farmers that it Is found necessary to go to the Missouri River for a greater part of the late Winter -and early Spring supplies of meat ani mals. It is expected that this condition will change and that instead of carry ing coals to Newcastle, this country, so well adapted to livestock produc tion, will In the future have a surplus to offer to the less favored section East. The farmer who has livestock to sell every month in the year is manifestly in better condition than he who mar kets the result of his year's work at one given period when every other pro ducer is offering his production for sale. Livestock is a source of greater revenue to the farmers of the United States than corn or wheat or dairy products, and, taken as a whole, is greater than any one single line of commercial activity. Oregon and the' Pacific Northwest are at this time be hind the procession in the production and sale of this important part of the country's food, but like in every other particular, supply and demand will meet on common ground. It may be well to consider what the location and maintenance of a livestock market means to Portland. In Chicago the commercial supremacy of which is due chiefly to the fact that it maintains the biggest livestock market in the United States, there was paid out in dollars and cents last year for livestock sold across the scales of the Chicago Union Stockyards Company $306,000,000. More than 60,000 laborers find employ ment every business day of the year in converting the cattle, sheep and hogs covered by the above wonderful expendi ture into meat, lard, shoes, gloves, soap, fertilizer, about 60 chemicals, into collar buttons, knife handles, hair for plaster, ammonia and other things too numerous to mention. The opportunity came to the writer, when in Chicago, to demonstrate to the newspaper men of that great city the fact that counting the railroad ton nage in,ind out, the making of boxes for packing-house products, the cooper age necessary for barreled lard and pork and the various activities connected with the livestock industry, fully 30 per cent of Chicago's entire population derives its support from the meat business and that in tonnage, in dollars and cents and In. people employed it was greater than the grain, the lumber and the dry goods trades, the three next biggest branches of commerce of the city by the. lake. The Portland Union Stockyards Com pany opened for business on September 15 and while yet in its swaddling clothes Oregonian readers will be surprised at the magnitude of the business now be ing done. About 30 regular and occasional buyers got part or all of their supplies of livestock from this market and for the month of November, there was paid out for cattle, sheep, horses and hogs an approximate total of $(575,000. Without ' anything increasing, this would show an annual business of $8,100,000, not counting the value of the manufactured products or of the money expended in preparing same for market. This live-, stock was hauled into Portland in 457 cars and it requires no special prophetic gift to expect the receipts at the Port land Union Stockyards to' total more than i'00 cars a day. The practical advantage that accrues to a city where a livestock market is located Is that shipments of cattle, hogs. horses and sheep are always accompanied by either the owner or hi representative and it invariably follows that when he receives his cash in exchange for his livestock, he leaves part of it in the city. A large part of what he takes home finds its way back in exchange for dry goods, shoes, machinery and the various branches of tho city's commercial activ ity. Tho location of the livestock market means for the country tributary thereto prosperit2tn the fact that every busi ness day of the year there is a competi tive demand at the ruling market prices for all of the animals which the husbandman- can prepare for sale. It means that instead of waiting until harvest time that he can have a part of the products of his farm and ranch ready for sale) ' any time of the year ind certainly the man or firm who can do business on a cash basis is better off than he who carries a mortgage to be paid when his grain crop is garnered. Citizens of Portland and Oregon can. make no mistake in encouraging tho growth of the stockyards and packing house industries it means more for the town and the state than anything that has come her way. Here is the location: There is established and being added to, a series of railroads coming down hill from a magnificent empire of stock raising and feeding possibilities. We have a. consuming population that is large now and is constantly increasing. There is much to be done. The campaign of edu cation for better fattening and better feeding of cattle, sheep and hogs already instituted must be maintained with in creasing vigor and every man who be lieves in the Aladdin-like future that will come to Portland, -will lend every assist ance within his power to the up-building of the livestock business, secure in, the knowledge that it means more for Portland's greatness than anything that has been beatowed upon the place where land and water and sky have conspired to the end that a great city shall grow and endure with less effort and less striving tljan in any. other soot on earth.