VOL. XXIII.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SATURDAY, AUG. 25,1888,
NO. 34
BEEF MAEKET MONOPOLY.
gow tbe Trade was Diverted to Chicago
to tbe Hurt of Growers of Beef Cattle.
There has been an increasing sense of
danger for years among the thoughtful
cattle-growers, at the rapid co ncentration
of the cattle trade in Chicago. Hon. Robert Mitchell, of our State Board of Agriculture, and others have frequently referred
to this danger in passing opinions respecting it, and the Indiana Farmer has
before several times referred to it. Judge
Jones, of Delaware, Ohio, has mentioned
the matter in these columns, as well as
have others at different times in the 'past
few years. We have come into the possession of some facts bearing on this subject
nhich disclose the methods of this concentration.
Beginning somewhere about 1866 certain
oi the trunk lines of railway out of Chicago
entered into a combination, to refund to,
certain shippers who afterwards come to
be known as "eveners," §15 per car on cat-
tlj carried from points west of Pittsburg,
Silamanca, Dunkirk and Buffalo. Byoon-
-ivance and manipulation certain favorites come to have a rebate ot about $40 per
car on their own shipments. This part of
the favoritism covered the years 1874 to
1ST? inclusive. Light began to break re-
■pecting the enormous drawbacks of these
"-Tenors" when the trunk lines com-
miiced charging back to the western connections their proportion of this refunding per tsar, as it was then we had war
among the roads themselves. This charge
by the trunk lines was put against the
roads between Chicago, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and St. Louis and the points east
already named, the trunk lines' western
termini. Many of the roads resisted payment, and the shipping and trade was
tten diverted to Chicago, and discriminations were made against all other points,
and the "eveners" who had these draw-
bx* arrangements confined their buying
for shipment all to Chicago. This drove
out all other buyers and shippers, for no
one conld buy against the "eveners" who
had practically a $40 -draw-back per car.
This system gave such an impetus to the
concentration that though it ceased some
years ago, it concentrated trade, and packinghouses and capital at Chicago to the
tart of cattle growing, and to it is due
■n part to-day the broken down prices iri'
"ie beef market. Concentrate any trade
wd business in the hands of a few, and at
°ne point, and this is the inevitable result.
A'showing the rapid and comparative
concentration of the cattle trade, we give
«-e following figures obtained from re-
"■Me sources:
Receipts at Chicago.    Shipments from Chicago.
,,?"* No. cattle. No. Cattle.
920,843 698,534
1,096,745 797,724
1,033,151 703,402
1,083,063 _ 699.1C8
1,215,732 ' 726,903
1,382,477 880,614
1,498,550 938,712
1,582,530 921,009
1,873,941 ejoo^ss
1,817,518 71(1,8*1
1,905,518 744,193
. 1,963,900 704,875
-witt last year the receipt of cattle at
»i t!50 reached 2,382,008 head.   The rep's at St. Louis for the year  1885 was
. 42 head, and last year was only a few
ttauTd more- But -** 8hould *><> 8aId
te    f6 tw<> Principal cattle markets in
■**»* vln tWs "evenere" scheme of draw-
•qnal     8an-    stood  very much more
ou,. 'and the Bame is true relatively  of
^•'competaUve points.
tnitS°Vement has been mad" In tUe
<*n,M ,*** Senate to look Into the
<W7 the °°nc*ntratIon »nd break-
In^., th9 b66f cattle trade through; an
it j, to?tlng oommittee of that body and
obtain*rh0pedthatsnch  faolB  may  **-
He, ijy M wiu °P«» the eyes of the pub-
Q Put an end to the present danger
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of concentrated trade under the manipulations of capital at a single point, and
where, if the "eveneis" have departed, a
new form of "co-operation" wherein one
does not bid against the other, may be as
hurtful to cattle growers as the old scheme
of plunder was.
Written for the Inellana Farmer,
Changes ln Local Flora.
It has always been interesting to the
writer to note the changes in local flora:
to note the appeaiance and spreading of
new plants.and the decline and extinction
of many of the native plants which once
grew abundantly in our woods, fields and
meadows.
As the country becomes more settled
more and more land is brought under cultivation. One forest after another has
disappeared, until at present most of our
remaining woods is confined to hilly regions and low wet soils. But even these
wet soils are themselves disappearing under the present drainage system.
With the destruction of the forest many
species of plants inhabiting them are destroyed. Even the mere thinning-out of
forests, by taking out the more valuable
and large trees, becomes injurious to such
plants as live only in dense shades,
and they gradually become extinct.
Another class of plants on the decline,
and -which indeed has already disappeared, are such as inhabit tho marshes, pools
and wet soils generally. And tilling has
become so universal the soils are all gradually brought into cultivation. Frequently such wet soils when covered by forests
become dry merely by clearing off the
trees and underbrush. The disappearance
of plants which flourish only in such situations and which' are unable to adapt
themselves to their new < surroundings
naturally follows.
Formerly plants with very showy flowers were abundant. Man in his efforts to
preserve this class, too often only hastened
their disappearance. . Transplanted from
their natural habitat to the uncongenial soil
and situations of the flower-gardens the
more sensitive ones succumbed immediately ; some led a precarious existence for
a few years and then become extinct,
while a few—such as the panicled phlox,
meadow sweet, coral-berry, orange lily,
prickly pear and a few others—survived
the change and may still te seen in old-
fashioned gardens.
There may be some doubt about
THE TOTAL  EXTINCTION
of a species, but when no specimen of it
has been seen for a number of years it is
reasonable to conclude that it is extinct
in that locality.
Plants living in the water, or along the
margin of small ponds, streams and
ditches, are apt to come, and some according to variations in the seasons. In dry
seasons when all the water evaporates
from such places a number of species will
also disappe ar. For several ye ars pas t the
writer has kept a close watch on several
ponds and streams and in that time has
seen the disappearance and reappearance
of several species peculiar to such situations, and the advent of plants never seen
here before, but which grew more or less
abundant in similar situations several
miles distant. The appearance of such
now species, and the reappearance of old
ones, is undoubtedly due to water-bit ds
frequenting such places and wading
among the plants. The seed, and perhaps,
in the case of small plants, entire plants
become attacheeTto their feet and are carried to distant places.
Even a few years effect great changes
In the aspect of the flora occupying the
cleared soils and cultivated grounds. New
species-*o called adventive plants-most-
ly weeds from other States and  the  Old
World are constantly appearing. Among
these are always some which fight tenaciously for the mastery of the soil and
only too often do they succeed.
It ls a well-known fact that all plants of
any region are in a constant state of war
with each other; each trying to occupy
the space and exclude other species. ThoHe
already woll established are apt to hold
the ground against all new-comers, simply
because they already occupy the space;
the larger smother the smaller, the longest-
lived supercede the shorter-lived, the most
fruitful often displace Buch as are less
fruitful.
When a
NEW SPECIES
first appears in a locality it is often only a
single individual which blooms and ripens
its seed. The second year a number of
the same kind can usually be found near
the parent plant. With each succeeding
year the number of plants increase, provided the surroundings are favorable,and,
in the case of Old World weeds, they soon
succeed in taking a good hold and in a
short time become a feature of the landscape.
The rapidity with which plants spread
ls well illustrated by a small annual, about
a foot high, which first appeared in this
county in 1883. This plant was a species
of croton {Oroton monanthogynum) a native of the prairies of Illinois and south-
westward. In the above year a few specimens *v»eie seen along the gravelly soil ot
a small isolated stream, away from the
roads and railroads. The following year,
in 1884, it had spread all through the little
valley down to the White Water river, a
distance of about one mile. Two years
later it could be found ln almost all gravelly soils from one end of the county to the
other.   At present it is well established.
A question might arise whether the
above mentioned center of distribution
was actually the first and only center, or
if it did not spread from seveial places. A
thorough search had failed to reveal any
other locality hence the writer is inclined
to believe that it was, although by the
second or third year of the "exodus" it
would be difficult or impossible to decide
if the source was still the same.
Another example of the appearance and
spread of a new species, a weed, is
that of the sweet white clover,
{Melilotus alba). Previous to 1886 it had
never been seen growing wild within-the
limits of this oounty. In that year a few
specimens were seen in three widely separated localities: one here in town,another
along a railroad in the southern edge of
the county, the third in the western part.
Last year two additional localities were
noticed, while the former had increased to
large patches. This year it is abundant in
many places and in a few instances it has
displaced all other plants which formerly
occupied tho soil.
When the latter plant first made its appearance here the writer mused how long
it would be until its congener, the yellow
sweet clover, would also appear. As this
plant is already established in several
counties in this State it was only a question of time. It did not long delay coming. This year a number of specimens
were found along a railroad just within
the city limits. It was evidently brought
in by the railroads.
The railroads are undoubtedly the greatest factors in the
DisTninnriojr of plants,
and judging from the localities where such
introduced plants grow within the limits
of this county, much greater than birds
and animals. It is rare that a new species
is found far away from any railroad or
large stream. The above mentioned
croton was such an exception.
Two species of plants found last summer
about two miles east of this place, along a
railroad, show how plants migiate by the
trains. While on a botanical tramp and
on a lookout for new Interlopers a plant
was found close to the track which was
new to the writer, and which was not described in the manuals of the eastern
United States. After taking several specimens for future study and reference he
had not proceeded more than 50 feet when
a species of primrose (Oenothera sinuata)
whose ancestors live in the "sandy fields
of New Jersey to Georgia" was next found.
The former plant proved to be (,'aura coc-
cinca a native of the "plains from Arkansas to Wisconsin," and never before found
east of the Mississippi rlver»
So here we have two species growing
side by side whose homes are more than a
thousand miles apart. There is no doubt
whatever that they were brought ln by
the trains. It may be added that both
species failed to reappear this year. Perhaps they were not fitted for their new
homes: the soil and tho climate.
A number of
OTHKU SPECIES
could be cited which appeared here during
the past seven years. Among them the
more prominent are such as the horse nettle, Canada thistle, apple of Peru, Norwegian potentilla, wheat thief, ox eye daisy,
English plantain, cow herb, St. John's
wort, etc. Most of these are from the Old
World.
The examples given above are sufficient
to show the ever changing character of
what may be called the
I WEED FLORA.
Judging from tbe character of the weeds
which aie constantly arriving, and often
displacing those which already occupy the
soil, it is evident that any new immigrant
having some advantage over his predecessor, or rival, will in the struggle for existence, crowd them out, to be in turn perhaps displaced by others still better fitted
for the place.
When will these mutations end?
Will they keep on changing until the
weeds of each country have been distributed, to all other countries, and all tbe
weaker displaced by the stronger? Will
the Old World weeds that have resisted
extermination for ages remain tho victors
ln the end, or will some of our own weeds
develop advantages which will enable
them to successfully struggle against all
foreigners?
In any case it is a bitter struggle for existence. II.
Fayette Co.
 .    ■»    s	
Eow Natural Gaa Travels.
A rubber ball, two inches smaller than
the pipe, was placed in one end of a new
natural gas main in McKeesport, and five
pounds pressure suddenly turned on. The
ball turned several sharp corners, passed
through two T joints upsix feet to the top
of the regulator and landed at the other
end ot the main, a mile distant, in 45 seconds, actual time.—Brooklyn Eagle.
 ■   *»	
The prize awarded by a Champaign, 111.,
merchant for the highest corn grown in the
county was taken by Charles Duncan, of
Somer Township, who Bhowed a stalk fifteen feet and nine inches tall. Even better
results were produced by the State University and Mrs. S. Chapman, of Urbana,
but neither products were In competition.
Mrs. Chapman showed a stalk sixteen feet
three and one-quarter inches, and the University one sixteen feet three and one-
half inches tall.
Woman suffrage on liquor license has
been defeated in the Massachusetts Senate
hy a vote of eighteen to eighteen, the
President giving the casting vote against
it.
On Monday a lad aged seven years set
fire to two barns at Crawfordsville, in
order, as he said, "to get to see the new
horses run hitched to the hose cart."