The Louisiana Democrat

The sale of all the extra cattle in the Louisiana hills, which has been going on for the last few months, is having one good effect. It is making the beef scarce in the home market and the price is going to be so high that farmers will be encouraged to devote more attention to the raising of beef cattle. This ought to be one of the regular industries of our highland region. Nothing is more certain than that the price of beef is going to be high in all the markets of the country, and meat stock can be distributed so readily by our new facilities of railroad transportation that the prices will always closely approximate those prevailing in the city markets. The force of routine in the minds of our agricultural classes is forcibly illustrated by the hesitation and inertia with which these facts are regarded. While the cattle men of Texas are deriving a profit of fifty per cent on their herds, and are scouring Louisiana and Mississippi to enlarge their herds, our farmers are barely making a living planting cotton. Grass and natural forage are abundant. We have a great market at our doors. Cattle thrive here winter and summer on the natural pastures. The only obstacle is the habit of our people of realizing on their investment every twelve months, and the indisposition to put their energies to work in new fields of enterprise. Here is a field for investment which should not be disregarded by our capitalists. The treasure we have here in the form of natural pastures is attracting the attention of western stockmen, and they are investing largely in wild lands. The example should be regarded by men of means who are hoarding their capital because they cannot find secure investments. Thousands of acres of land are now utterly unproductive which are equal to the Texas prairies for pasturing beef cattle. A wonderful want of enterprise is shown by the fact that they are not covered with fat herds. This state of affairs cannot last always, and here is a chance for men of brains and energy to make princely fortunes.—[Capitolian-Advocate.