The Cattleman's Pages of History

The Cattleman cover depicted a photograph of W. W. Turney, the newly elected president of the Cattle Raisers Association of Texas [now TSCRA]. President James Callan was called away from the convention to the bedside of his son, Russell, who was critically ill in a Fort Worth sanitarium. Callan subsequently sent a letter of resignation to the convention floor. Thankfully, the younger Callan’s health was somewhat improved by the time the magazine went to press, although the senior Callan would still need to resume management of their operation.

➤ Dayton Moses, association attorney, reported on the work of the legal and brand department, stressing again the importance of membership and branding. “I wonder how many men… have rendered to the secretary all of the brands they own. Recently a man in South Texas was arrested, and it developed that he had shipped to the Fort Worth market five cars of stolen cattle, and not a single animal in any of those shipments appeared on the books of the Association — not a single one. The great majority of the owners, and there were several, were not members of the Cattle Raisers Association, and the man who made that shipment knew that fact. He passed by the pastures of members of the association, to go to the pastures of men who did not belong to it, to get the cattle.”

➤ Tucked into the ad section was a strange “wanted” ad. A Kansas man specifically stated that he “wanted to buy two female grey wolf puppies — not coyotes” and was willing to pay “a reasonable price for good ones.” While we are unsure why he would have wanted them, please note that wolves do not make good pets and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service still warns against treating them as such.

The Cattleman cover showed purebred Charolais cows and calves on wintertime pasture. Staff writer John Brandon took the shot at the Walsh Ranches, west of Fort Worth.

➤ The Alabama Cattlemen’s Association announced plans to launch a “think thin — eat beef” campaign, designed to remind persons that “good lean beef” is a nutritious and important item in any diet.

➤ Livestock and mini-skirts?! In a short, unsubstantiated article, we read, “Sheep and cattle can be induced to grow more flesh on their rumps and loins (source of the choicest cuts of meat), if they get a close shave there. The idea originated with the scientific discovery in Britain, that wearing mini-skirts causes a girl to develop 5 percent more flesh on the newly exposed portion of her leg — nature’s way to protect the circulatory system. The barnyard version of the mini-skirt is expected to provide extra pounds and extra profits in the marketplace.”