the passing of the frontier-第24章

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farmer　came　out　to　settle　on　such　a　tract　and　to　meet　the　hard；　new；　and　expensive　conditions　of　life　in　the　semi…arid　regions　he　found　that　he　could　not　pay　out　on　the　land。　Perhaps　he　brought　two　or　three　thousand　dollars　with　him。　It　usually　was　the　industrial　mistake　of　the　land…boomer　to　take　from　this　intending　settler　practically　all　of　his　capital　at　the　start。　Naturally；　when　the　new　farmers　were　starved　out　and　in　one　way　or　another　had　made　other　plans；　the　country　itself　went　to　pieces。　That　part　of　it　was　wisest　which　did　not　kill　the　goose　of　the　golden　egg。　But　be　these　things　as　they　may　be　and　as　they　were；　the　whole　readjustment　in　agricultural　values　over　the　once　measureless　and　valueless　cow　country　was　a　stupendous　and　staggering　thing。

Now　appeared　yet　another　agency　of　change。　The　high　dry　lands　of　many　of　the　Rocky　Mountain　States　had　long　been　regarded　covetously　by　an　industry　even　more　cordially　disliked　by　the　cattleman　than　the　industry　of　farming。　The　sheepman　began　to　raise　his　head　and　to　plan　certain　things　for　himself　in　turn。　Once　the　herder　of　sheep　was　a　meek　and　lowly　man；　content　to　slink　away　when　ordered。　The　writer　himself　in　the　dry　Southwest　once　knew　a　flock　of　six　thousand　sheep　to　be　rounded　up　and　killed　by　the　cattlemen　of　a　range　into　which　they　had　intruded。　The　herders　went　with　the　sheep。　All　over　the　range　the　feud　between　the　sheepmen　and　the　cowmen　was　bitter　and　implacable。　The　issues　in　those　quarrels　rarely　got　into　the　courts　but　were　fought　out　on　the　ground。　The　old　Wyoming　deadline　of　the　cowmen　against　intruding　bands　of　Green　River　sheep　made　a　considerable　amount　of　history　which　was　never　recorded。

The　sheepmen　at　length　began　to　succeed　in　their　plans。　Themselves　not　paying　many　taxes；　not　supporting　the　civilization　of　the　country；　not　building　the　schools　or　roads　or　bridges；　they　none　the　less　claimed　the　earth　and　the　fullness　thereof。

After　the　establishment　of　the　great　forest　reserves；　the　sheepmen　coveted　the　range　thus　included。　It　has　been　the　governmental　policy　to　sell　range　privileges　in　the　forest　reserves　for　sheep；　on　a　per　capita　basis。　Like　privileges　have　been　extended　to　cattlemen　in　certain　of　the　reserves。　Always　the　contact　and　the　contest　between　the　two　industries　of　sheep　and　cows　have　remained。　Of　course　the　issue　even　in　this　ancient　contest　is　foregoneas　the　cowman　has　had　to　raise　his　cows　under　fence；　so　ultimately　must　the　sheepman　also　buy　his　range　in　fee　and　raise　his　product　under　fence。

The　wandering　bands　of　sheep　belong　nowhere。　They　ruin　a　country。　It　is　a　pathetic　spectacle　to　see　parts　of　the　Old　West　in　which　sheep　steadily　have　been　ranged。　They　utterly　destroy　all　the　game；　they　even　drive　the　fish　out　of　the　streams　and　cut　the　grasses　and　weeds　down　to　the　surface　of　the　earth。　The　denuded　soil　crumbles　under　their　countless　hoofs；　becomes　dust；　and　blows　away。　They　leave　a　waste；　a　desert；　an　abomination。

There　were　yet　other　phases　of　change　which　followed　hard　upon　the　heels　of　our　soldiers　after　they　had　completed　their　task　of　subjugating　the　tribes　of　the　buffalo　Indians。　After　the　homesteads　had　been　proved　up　in　some　of　the　Northwestern　States；　such　as　Montana　and　the　Dakotas；　large　bodies　of　land　were　acquired　by　certain　capitalistic　farmers。　All　this　new　land　had　been　proved　to　be　exceedingly　prolific　of　wheat；　the　great　new…land　crop。　The　farmers　of　the　Northwest　had　not　yet　learned　that　no　country　long　can　thrive　which　depends　upon　a　single　crop。　But　the　once　familiar　figures　of　the　bonanza　farms　of　the　Northwestthe　pictures　of　their　long　lines　of　reapers　or　selfbinders；　twenty；　thirty；　forty；　or　fifty　machines；　one　after　the　other；　advancing　through　the　golden　grainthe　pictures　of　their　innumerable　stacks　of　wheatthe　figures　of　the　vast　mileage　of　their　fencingthe　yet　more　stupendous　figures　of　the　outlay　required　to　operate　these　farms；　and　the　splendid　totals　of　the　receipts　from　such　operationsthese　at　one　time　were　familiar　and　proudly　presented　features　of　boom　advertising　in　the　upper　portions　of　our　black　land　belt；　which　day　just　at　the　eastern　edge　of　the　old　Plains。

There　was　to　be　repeated　in　this　country　something　of　the　history　of　California。　In　the　great　valleys；　such　as　the　San　Joaquin；　the　first　interests　were　pastoral；　and　the　cowmen　found　a　vast　realm　which　seemed　to　be　theirs　forever。　There　came　to　them；　however；　the　bonanza　wheat　farmers；　who　flourished　there　about　1875　and　through　the　next　decade。　Their　highly　specialized　industry　boasted　that　it　could　bake　a　loaf　of　bread　out　of　a　wheat　field　between　the　hours　of　sunrise　and　sunset。　The　outlay　in　stock　and　machinery　on　some　of　these　bonanza　ranches　ran　into　enormous　figures。　But　here；　as　in　all　new　wheat　countries；　the　productive　power　of　the　soil　soon　began　to　decrease。　Little　by　little　the　number　of　bushels　per　acre　lessened；　until　the　bonanza　farmer　found　himself　with　not　half　the　product　to　sell　which　he　had　owned　the　first　few　years　of　his　operations。　In　one　California　town　at　one　time　a　bonanza　farmer　came　in　and　covered　three　city　blocks　with　farm　machinery　which　he　had　turned　over　to　the　bank　owning　the　mortgages　on　his　lands　and　plant。　He　turned　in　also　all　his　mules　and　horses；　and　retired　worse　than　broke　from　an　industry　in　which　he　had　once　made　his　hundreds　of　thousands。　Something　of　this　same　story　was　to　follow　in　the　Dakotas。　Presently　we　heard　no　more　of　the　bonanza　wheat　farms；　and　a　little　later　they　were　not。　The　one…crop　country　is　never　one　of　sound　investing　values；　and　a　land　boom　is　something　of　which　to　bewarealways　and　always　to　beware。

The　prairie　had　passed；　the　range　had　passed；　the　illegal　fences　had　passed；　and　presently　the　cattle　themselves　were　to　passthat　is　to　say；　the　great　herds。　As　recently　as　five　years　ago　（1912）　it　was　my　fortune　to　be　in　the　town　of　Belle　Fourche；　near　the　Black　Hillsa　region　long　accustomed　to　vivid　history；　whether　of　Indians；　mines；　or　cowsat　the　time　when　the　last　of　the　great　herds　of　the　old　industry　thereabouts　were　breaking　up；　and　to　see；　coming　down　to　the　cattle　chutes　to　be　shipped　to　the　Eastern　stockyards；　the　last　hundreds　of　the　last　great　Belle　Fourche　herd；　which　was　once　numbered　in　thousands。　They　came　down　out　of　the　blue…edged　horizon；　threading　their　way　from　upper　benches　down　across　the　dusty　valley。　The　dust　of　their　travel　rose　as　it　had　twenty　years　earlier　on　the　same　old　trail。　But　these　were　not　the　same　cattle。　There　was　not　a　longhorn　among　them；　there　has　not　been　a　longhorn　on　the　range　for　many　years。　They　were　sleek；　fat；　well…fed　animals；　heavy　and　stocky；　even　of　type；　all　either　whitefaces　or　shorthorns。　With　them　were　some　old…time　cowmen；　men　grown　gray　in　range　work。　Alongside　the　herds；　after　the　ancient　fashion　of　trailing　cattle；　rode　cowboys　who　handled　their　charges　with　the　same　old　skill。　But　even　the　cowboys　had　changed。　These　were　without　exception　men　from　the　East　who　had　learned　their　trade　here　in　the　West。　Here　indeed　was　one　of　the　last　acts　of　the　great　drama　of　the　Plains。　To　many　an　observer　there　it　was　a　tragic　thing。　I　saw　many　a　cowman　there　the　gravity　on　whose　face　had　nothing　to　do　with　commercial　loss。　It　was　the　Old　West　he　mourned。　I　mourned　with　him。　Naturally　the　growth　of　the　great　stockyards　of　the　Middle　West　had　an　effect　upon　all　the　cattle…producing　country　of　the　West；　whether　those　cattle　were　bred　in　large　or　in　small　numbers。　The　dealers　of　the　stockyards；　let　us　say；　gradually　evolved　a　perfect　understanding　among　themselves　as　to　what　cattle　prices　ought　to　be　at　the　Eastern　end　of　the　rails。　They　have　always　pleaded　poverty　and　explained　the　extremely　small　margin　of　profit　under　which　they　have　operated。　Of　course；　the　repeated　turn…over　in　their　business　has　been　an　enormous　thing；　and　their　industry；　since　the　invention　of　refrigerator　cars　and　the　shipment　of　dressed　beef　in　tins；　has　been　one　which　has　extended　to　all　the　corners　of　the　world。　The　great　packers　would　rather　talk　of　〃by…products〃　than　of　these　things。　Always　they　have　been　poor；　so　very　poor！

For　a　time　the　railroads　east　of　the　stockyard　cities　of　Kansas　City　and　Chicago　divided　up　pro　rata　the　d