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About The Omaha morning bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 30, 1924)
^here Town Country Meet THIS FEATURE PUBLISHED EACH SUNDAY. ____EDITED BY C. H. BLAKE1A. Mayor Tells! Early Cow History ^ Dahlman Recalls Industry in Sandhills When That Country Was W ild Open Range. Tribute to Farm Boys “Yes! I've seen Nebraska grow from a range cattle country to bo one of America’s greatest farm states," said Mayor Jrinies Dahlman in a special interview with the editor. Mr. Dahlman, popularly known as “the cowboy" mayor told about his early life here in Nebraska. He stated that he came to this country from southern Texas, in the spring of ’78. He first landed a permanent job 12 miles east of what is now Gordon, Neb. Describes Old Kancli Days. At that time the ranch had to haul all its provisions from Sidney, Neb., a distance of about 200 miles. The cattle were let run at large ex cept that territory in the western part of the state which was con sidered uninhabitable. The sand hills had been little explored up to this time. Cattlemen thought It was fatal for stock to penetrate the fastness of Its sandy interior. Consequently when small bunches of cattle strayed they were marked off the list as lost, no further investigation being made. M However, the N bar outfit was rid % Ing line on about 15,000 head during > the winter and spring of '78. In March a terrible storm came along and drove many hundreds of the cat tle into the "desert." If these cattle could not be overtaken and brought back It would mean financial loss to the big cattle company. A loss almost too great to bear without at least making an attempt to repair. It was at this critical period in the career of the N bar that Mr. Dahlman and another Texas cowboy appeared and asked for work. They were informed of the situation, were made familiar with the dangers that might be encountered by attempting to tiring back the estrays. “Jim" in his charactertisc way said, “any place that cattle can go a good saddle horse and a cowboy can follow." Hired to Get Lost Herd. A band of fearless cowboys was or ganized and put under Mr. Dahlman. They w'ere Instructed to bring back as many cattle as they could. Before he would take the "chuck wagon" into the desert he made a personal scouting tour of the water holes. In company with four or five picked men he went out ahead of the main circle. Wherever he found sufficient grass and water to keep the saddle horses he sent back and moved up the roundup crew. Buttle With Wild Cow. After about five days the outfit hud moved far enough into the in terlor to' be in a land which had never been rounded up. One day the scouts were coming over a little sandy knoll which gave them a view- into a narrow grassy valley. There before them, spread out like a picture were hundreds of wild cattle grazing. When the riders appeared the cattle ran like deer. The boys had been eating baron and beans for a week as their eupply of fresh meat had vanished. Jim singled out a big wild black cow which ho said would weigh about 1.400 pounds. He took down his rope ^ and spurred In after the black. When he caught her she jerked the little rowpony, which Dahlman was riding, so hard that he and |lis rider went scooting into a sand bank some 30 feet away. A fellow puncher came to the rescue and shot the wild cow. She was dreissed end a pack horse sent bark with fresh meat for the boys behind. Take* Out Thousands. The roundup took out several thou sand head of cattle that summer. Among those taken were 3-year-old stuff which hail never been branded. They hail been born and reared In the supposedly waste desert. I This roundup opened the eyes of the cattle men to the possibilities of this wonderful range country. "From that day to this it has grown to be one of Ameriea’s best cattle countries,” said Mr. Dahlmnn. About Livestock Market. “When I first came to Omaha it was a rsnge market. Practically all the cattle which came here were grass cattle. At that time the west ern ranges were still controlled by big outfits," stated Mr. Dahlman. Mines then ho has seen the market grow’ into the second best in America. He has seen the ranges turned to farms and has observed farmers in Iheir improvement of the breeds When he was a young man Identified with the cattle business a beefsteak was not like It Is today. It did not have tliat high quality of flavor and texture. It had liecn out from a / “long-horned, cal ha mmed steer," with nothing but gras* fat. I*raises 4 oiintry llojs. Mr. Dahlman has been mayor of Omaha almost 18 years, lie declares that his early training out on the open ranges has made It possible for » him io do tho great amount of work rw^uhed of a mayor of a illy like Omafia. Mia clear, strong features, anil bright, fighting eves, deny the 67 r-—- n Husks and Kernels Picked From Many Fields Bring a Week's Review of ‘Bee Stings” From Agri cultural News. Gleanings from the entire press, both political and agricultural, brand the experimental government established hy soviet Russia as a huge failure. The application of this bit of our news to our own agricultural prob lems is interesting. Liberty Maga zine editorially says, "Its former In dustries have been reduced as by a wasting fever, and the greatest of all, agriculture, is now incapable of producing food even for the Rus sians, though under the backward system of czars Russia exported mil lions of tons of cereals and was one the greatest granaries of the world." We wonder what would happen to the world if America would try the experiment and fail. It is ope of those things that is prob able but not possible. In the first place American farmers as a body do not want governmental supervision of any of Its business. They want to be left strictly alone. Prica fixing, commission control, federal interference with the estab lished rule of supply and demand all are resented hy the farmers. Yet we have certain dangers to guard. There is danger of communism creeping into our regulations even in mild form. The mildest class legislation will tend to lead reformers to "ex periment with our business." At the national dairy show in Milwaukee the State of Iowa took first prize in butter exhibits. This means only one thing. Iowa had the best butter. It is indeed a feather in the crown of success when a big state like Iowa can beat the so called dairy states. Many writers commenting on the show claim that Iowa farmers are getting interested in taking care of their milk. It goes without saying that the rare in hand ling of the milk is the first step toward better butter. Too many farmers do not care how dirty the milk gets, they think they are going to sell the cream anyhow. Yet this kind of milk handling tends to low er the standered of the states’ dairy supplies. In speaking of immigration ques tions, several papers lament the fact that the authorities are letting in too many people across our Mexican and Canadian borders. Well we don’t blame the fellow who is trying to get into the United States. If we were outside of it we would use more risky methods than some of them are using, Just to get back. Sensational .Yews Headlines. Every paper In the country has been headlining the scrap between the farmers in California and the city water board of Los Angeles. This goes to show that the average farm community is too much on the order of owls when it comes to gening on the front page of the city dallies. Of course a lot of those farmers may get in Jail but the world likes a community which will go to bailie for its rights and even if they get. in Jail it wf|i mly mean more publicity to their cause. We hope they win their fight. It is too bad that they can’t compromise and be friends, but then Los Angeles is not. a farmer's town. They don’t sabe the farmer’s language. years which ha says are his. His genial "poker" smile is characteristic of those men who have, spent a great deal of time out under open skies, where they have looked Into the hori zon and seen the hlgness of life. He Ravs the boys and girls who are fortunate enough to he reared upon the farms and ranches of America are to be congratulated. Theirs is the chnm-e to lay a strong foundation of health which will help them to carry on a long life of use fulness. whenWersified FARMING SHOWS UP The entire Pacific coast country has been suffering from a severe drouth during the recent summer season. It is during this sort of period that Ne braska farmers ran measure their possibilities by the steadfast rule of results. Whrn the Pacific west goes dry it means that those farmers who are highly specialized, such as fruit grow ers, the potato growers of Idaho and other regions where Irrigation is prevalent, must face sure failure. These districts depend upon a single crop for Ihelr Inrome. That crop must come through successfully or they fall. In talking to thousands of them tliis summer one could not but com pare I hem to the diversified farmers of Ncbraaka. We fellows here at home, if wo nre farming up to our possibilities, raise a few hogs, some cattle, milk a dozen cows, raise our own vegetables, sell a few hundred bushels of wheat; In fact, we literal ly have our eggs In so many baskets that it takes the heel of us to keep all containers right side up. But granting that we. work at diversified farming ns hard ns do those siwrlnl Isls out west, our chances fur winning are safer nt s five to one bet. Most suci-essful egg producers Npiout oats for tiie hens during tbs winter. However, i n re must lie exer cised ns mouldy gram will kill Hie hens. Cattle Industry Faces Changes, Long Trip Shows Ten-T h o u s a n d-Mile Tour Brings Out Facts About the Business; Western Ranches Bare. The old rattle ranges, which sprea I out like a fan over the western por tion of the United States, have seen many changes during the last decade. Twenty years ago it was when the writer first hit the ranges of Oregon. At that time Oregon warf all cow country south of the Blue mountains. Then on ‘east throughout the Idaho country into Montana and the plains country the large herds were still dominant. With the advent of the homesteader these conditions changed. Wyoming and western South Dakota held their own In total cattle production by scat tering the -herds over the "nester" farms. Today these two states are still producing great supplies of beef. But what about the rest of the range country? What haj happened to Idaho, California, Arizona, New Mexi co, western Kansas, Colorado and the other once populous cattle ranges? 10,000-Mile Tour Taken. To answer this question and other Interesting facts which are needed to understand thoroughly the agricul tural aituation, we went on a 10,000 mile inspection tour during the last summer. We covered western Ne braska. We saw the fat herds which are abundant In the sandhills region of Nebraska. On west to the Black Hills, through the Rosebud and Pine Ridge reservations In South Dakota, where wre saw some of the best cattle of the land. Plenty of water, lots of grass. Cattle bred up to a standard good enough for any market. On over Wyoming's vast grazing ranges we still saw plenty of good fat cattle. The cattle on the east slope of the Bighorn mountains are the finest that it has ever been the writer's pleasure to see roaming the open range. They arc pastured In the mountain meadows during the sum mer time. The forest service super vises the range and keeps it from be ing overstocked. The grass was still rich and green during the middle of August. Calves were fat as butter balls. The future outlook for good grass shippers was assured even at this early date. During the winter months the cattle are taken down on the sage brush plains and wintered upon the fenced ranches. This gives them a change of pasture as well as climate. The cool summers at the high altitude frees them from an noyance from flies and severe heat. The well-protected valleys of the plains furnishes protection upon the winter ranges. Coast Regions Dry. But when we went on west of the Bighorn mountains we saw another story. We realized that Wyoming wag the last stand. Idaho w-as the driest It had been for 40 years. The cattle looked thin but not hopeless. Oregon range cattle were as scarce as the proverbial hen's teeth. The old slate has slipped hack In cattle pro duction. Why In Portland the daily newspapers "front page" the thing when a carload of fat cattle are brought to the stock yards. California has permitted the real estate agents to colonize the ranges until the retired farmers have voted city ordinances over the once vsst cattle ranges. Besides it was dry there also. It sounds like knocking, seems too liad to tell It, but we went out to see and we saw. Arizona, the last of the big range countries to disperse Its big outfits. This open range country has been visited with a four-year drouth which has wrecked the cattle men more than price slumps. Thou sands of the fine high bred cattle will starve to death this winter. They are so poor now that they reel like old canners during a March blizzard. Let those who wish to howl all they want to shout an over-produc tion of beef cattle. The preaont un certain range conditions over the West, the recent financial difficulties of the cattlemen and other things like price declines have started the grand old game for a tohbogan which will swing too far toward under pro duction. The great ranges of the southwest cannot come back for two or three years. They will never come back as they were onen for the big outfits are done for and small outfits cannot operate there as In Wyoming and the Nebraska and Dakota country. Diversified farming la out of the question. It is livestock or nothing. The cattle are bred up to a stand ard which la equal to the corn hell cattle. At Globe. Ariz., the Klks were having a relehrathm to com meinorate the coming of the early pioneers In ‘49. One of the loenl ranchers was assigned the duty of getting an old fashioned oxen team ready for the parade. Hr said that he looked all over the country for a hundred miles hunting for a pair of longhorned steers. Mad to use a pair of purebred Hereford bulls os he could not find any longhorns. New Mexico Also Dry. In Mexico the situation Is III tit bet ter titan Arlsona. However, the range Is not overstocked so lindlv and they may get through tha winter without a. heavy loss. Ona okl timer said, "Well the cattle men had a 69 per rent loss hera th> last two years. It Is drier this year," It Is pitiful to see. tine ran lint help but wish the poor critters out here upon one of these good NeluasUu farms But shipping is too high. f Omaha the Farmer’s Friend l___—-' When a city comes out with a headliner telling the country communities It wants to he friendly it is often not taken seriously by the farmers. The attitude of a city towards Its agricultural territory is often indifference, if not hostility. Just so long as business flows through its gates the city should worry.” Rut Omaha Is really different. It Is sincere when it hangs nut the ban ner of welcome. We Judge an Individual by his work, learn to like or dislike him for what he does or does not do. It is the same with a city. When a farmers' organization meets In a city for a conference It Is glad to-have the city recognize It. The farmers who have sent their delegates to that convention are pleased when they pick up the dally paper and see that the meeting Is proper ly reported In the dally press. They feci a little closer towards the etty. Like Healing Kcmedies When a farming community Is visited by adverse business operations It is like pouring healing remedies upon a wound to have the city extend a program of sympathy. Omaha has always stood ready to do this. It has ad vertised the state's agricultural greatness. It has thrown open its gates of welcome and extended a real greeting to all farm organizations. Down deep in the bottom of every farmer's heart is a respect for a community which helps him solve his financial and social problems. Omaha has, with the Chamber of Commerce, a regular program of agricultural de velopment. The city maintains sn agriculturally-trained m.-fn who stands ready to help In any plans which will make Nebraska agriculture better and bigger. Second Largest Exchange. The Omaha Livestock exchange is the second largest in America. It has just recently inaugurated a program of Improvement which will enable the commission firms to handle the tremendous business which comes to the yards. Since the exchange was organized It has returned $5,000,000,000 to live stock shippers. That vast amount of money has gone to the farmers and ranchers to help them build better homes and produce greater profits from their labor. Recently, returning from an extensive trip over the entire west, It has been our privilege to compare Omaha with other cities. Truly, without ex tending any flattering lines to the good old market town, we want to take our hats off to Omaha. When we came breezing Into the fair city, dust-covered and Journey worn, still remembering some of the woeful tales told us by former Nebraska farmers who had migrated to tha. Pacific states, we gave ourselves a satis fied nudge and thanked the lucky stars which guided us safely back. To those who feel that they would like to "go somewhere In the west snd build a sweet little nest snd let the rest of the world go by" we want to tell one little true story which happened to us In another city. We were Just pulling Into Portland after a long. hot. tiresome day across the Umatilla desert and over that wonderful Columbia river drive. We were "hitting it" straight for the tourist park, hoping to enjoy the comforts of the Rose city. The car was dust-covered and told its own story. As we swung Into the main drag for the park a large closed prosperous looking car bearing the Oregon license plate glided by us. The driver was a middle-aged man who fairly radiated success. His clothes and pose branded him as one successful hombre. He glanced In our direction and .noted the Nebraska number of our car. Now folks, we can't make cold type say It as he did. We do not have the power of expression to tell you the world of pathos, the deep longingand heart-breaking spirit that he put Into his words when he leaned out of the window and aald, “Good old Nebraska ” However, we understood what he meant. We were In position to feel and understand the pulling which drew his Imagination back to some old home In the good old state. When we landed In Omaha we felt Just like the wanderer who greeted us In Portland. We exclaimed, "Good old Omaha " CITY MEN WANT TO KNOW FARMING "The most common thing In the world Is for us to read about the things that pertain to our business. We want to know more about profits, more about financial resulta which are shown on the gain side of the ledger," says a great advertising man. He continues: "Every business in the city Is almost directly depend ent upon farming. The last few years, since political Interest has been centered around the agricul tural situation, city men have been more than ever Interested In what the farmer Is doing, what he Is think ing about. They have tried to under stand his needs and his desires." CATTLE FIRST BY I FARM COMMISSION! The question of financing and re adjusting the,cattle industry first by the farm commission appointed by President Coolldge shows the influ ence of the west upon agricultural thought. Chairman Carey knows the cow business and may really do some thing to make the future of this great Industry piore stable. However, his work will not help the fellow* In the southwest, who are faring a hard winter. It seems that they will have to do just like the cattlemen have alwaya done, take their tosses and grin. In the aummer time old biddy goes out and gels plenty of grass and succulent feed. Shut her up In the poultry house and then fall to provide green feed If you want to stop her egg production. I I International Live Stock Exposition and Horse Show j Chicago, Nov. 29 to Dec. 6 Nowhere else can such a stupendous “RRreRation of live stock be seen. Many features of entertainment for the family. All previous entries have been exceeded this season. Brilliant evening entertainment. See Chicago in Its Pre-Holiday Attire Round Trip Excursion Tickets, $23.91 On Sait Nov. 28 to Doc. 3, Limit Doc. 8t 1924 DAILY TRAINS FortlcWts and sleeping car reservations apply to O W HALL, General Agent City T! ket Office. 141.1 Farnam Ht Trl Atlantic ?MA i Chicago & NorthWestern Ry. 97* i IL---f' --1 l | /-s Backyard Poultry Philosophy V_/ There are poultry men who he lieve tn shutting the hens in the poultry house the first snow of the season and keeping them there un til the last snow is gone In the spring. Many others believe in letting them out during the nice days. How ever, all are agreed that hens should not be turned out when it is wet. Moisture 1s the most deadly foe for egg production. The way of the scoffer Is always hard to follow. The people who laugh first often w ind up with dry eyes, so be It with those who have made fun of artificial lighting in egg production. There are thousands who have tried it to their satisfac tion. It works. Out in California we visited a farm where some high school boys were doing poultry work at home for credit as well as for the money be ing made. They had a novel arrange ment to fool the < acklers. They had an electric alarm clock attachment which set off the lights at 3 a. m. in the morning. We got up and dressed a few' minutes before the alarm was to he given Just to see what would happen. Weil, when that clock touched off the lights and hegan to ■ make a little noise those little hens just jumped out of bed like you or I would do if we had set the jtng ler in order to catch an early train. Th" old rule that blood will tell has recently been proved again. The beautiful little white leghorn hen, Lady Purdue, of the Purdue poultry farm has a pedigree which reads. 1S3 egg record on femal side and 252 egg production grand mater on nn sire side. Now Lady Purdue has upset the world's marathon egg laying record by laying 1,341 eggs. Most any farmer can start with a good cockerel even If the hens are not so well bred. It never pays to keep anything hut the best poultry. To look at the average hen is enough for some poultry experts to know whether she is a producer. If your hens look sick, are not built for egg production, do not sing like a happy stenographer at the job, if they droop around like they had that "tired feeling.” the. chances are you need to call in the county agricultural agent or some other person who will assist you In cull ing the flock. The average farmer flock is not more than 50 per cent efficient. The farmer's wife who depends upon old biddy hatching out the baby t hicks Is as far behind as the farmer who cuts his grain with a hand reaper. The setting hen is too much like raising modern show t t—■■ ■ igga 'winter feeding RUNS INTO MONEY I .1. M. McLain of Emerson, la., had a load of summer-fed steers which brought him $12.60 on the Omaha market last week. These steers were purchased in May and were run upon grass during the summer, with a supplement of corn. Then this fall they were fin ished off with Peter's alfalfa molasses feed. This ration returned McLain more profit than the straight grain feeding which is commonly used under ordinary feeding conditions. The shortage of corn makes it doubly Important to feed some kind of ration other than grain, declares the feeder, calves upon a tempermental dairy cow. The farmer would not think about trying to let the calf be mothered by the cow when he is testing her for production re cords. The incubator is the modern way. If you do not want to bother with one. buying baby chicks from expert incubator operators is more efficent than fussing with cranky old setting hens. Out on the farm they used to go to bed with the chickens, now "the farm chickens" are generally seen In the movie houses of the surrounding towns w-hen the farmer hits the hay. The Famous COLLINS SADDLES Jf at any time you want a right (rood get of harneaa or gaddle made in our own ahop out of extra heavy leather aix month* in the tannage, not tanned in thirty day* with acid* and made of light cow hide*, rail or writ* to ALFRED CORNISH 1210 FARNAM STREET Omaha, Neb. The Omaha Bee Look Vp Our Rates and Do It Now. * r~