The Cow Boys Of Texas

The invasión of the stock-raising district of Texas, is fast crowding the cow boy, ilong witli the Indian nuil the antelope, into a treeless, sterile región, where herding will not be as proiitable in the future as it lias been in t'ie past. Mar.y acres of grazing laml, suefa as is found on tlie western borders of Texas, will be required to .support each longhoni, except iu unusually good seasons, like tliat of the past year. The wise stock-raiser does not go West, bat parchases and fences ;is large a pasture as his purse will permit, and, buying goodbulls, devotes hiinself to bettering the quality of his cattle. In the southern portion of this State this has been the policy for many yenrs. King, Kennedy, and others, have under fence pastures of the iinest gTaing liinds, ranging in extent from Í50,U0ü to 200,000 aerea. Pasturas from $10,1 000 to 20,000 acres are common in many oí the coimties west of Colorado river. There is even now a great deal of bitter feeling against the owners of these large tracts amoiig those wlio own sinall lienls, who have not the nieans to buy and ti'iice land. The range tliey think, should be free to all. I do not write, however, with thi; intention of describhig the comlition Ot the stock-raising interest in Texas, luit to give a sketch of the charac.teristics and ïwodeof life of tlmt fast disappMFing product of by-gone days, the cow boy, or vaquero. Havingspent agoodly portion of my days as a cow boy, I consider myself practically qualihed to write on the subiect. The bovhood sport of the cow boy is not with marbles, or biüls or tops, but with a lariat oL rope or rawhkle, with which he lassoes the calves and everything, animate or inanimate, over which a loop can be thrown. At 7 years of age he is an expert horseman, and able todo service! on the range in many ways. Metween lliis age and nianhood lie ooquireesoau knowledge of the "tliree U's," though seldoni at a school, and at 10 is usuall; a.s gooil :i liorsenian and as dextrous a roper as any man in the district. He is never flesliy nor large-limbed, is slightly bow-legged from constant riding, is endowed with more than average muscular strength, and is very active and capable of great endurance. He is an unerring shot, and cool in time of danger. He smokes cigarettes, chews tobacco, drinks whisky, carries a sixshooter, and is guilty of many vices that would, if enumerated, shock the embezzler and stock irambler of ized regions. He is not more qiuirrelsome than iii;m in general, luit, unl'oitunately, hisqiiarrels ure apt to result in honiicide. The jnoperty of the cow boy is i wiry pony, a saddle and a lariat. The pony or "plug" is of Spanish stock, active and enduring. It is a stranger to the touch of a curryeomb and brnsh and don't know con frcmi beans. The saddle isa ponderousaffair of wood and leather weighing from ten to fitten pounds. H lias pominel vaiying In diameter from three to six inches. Costly saddles soraetinies have silver stars plentifully besprinkled on available psuts of their surface. Two girths or sinches are necessary to hold the saddle lirinly in positien - a forward and a llank girth. Tiio lariat is about forty f eet long, and is composed of tight pliable rawhide thongs, plaited into a rope about halt an mea m uianieter. At one end is a ring; at the otlier a loop to tito ver the saddle ponuneL The wardrobe of the cowboy is unique. 11e wears a broad-brimmed straw or wool hat. Ilis jacket is of durking, hi.s shirt of calicó or Hickory, and his pantaloons of some stout stutï, over which are worn leather leggings. Heavy boots, with high lieels, to which are attacbed a pair of spurs with twoinch rollers, complete his outlit. "V lien the weather is threatening he strapsbehind his saddle a slicker of oiled linen, which reaches lroni head to heels. Thus accoutred, the cw-boy is ready lor business, ile is employed eitherto drive a herd to Kansas or to look alter tliose on the range. The spring is the barrost tinte, Then the great herds are put up for the drive. This is the season, too, when the annual róund-up occurs, ior the puipose of apportioning the uninarked calves_ and yearlings aniong the owners of stock on the ranges, that they inay be brandod with the particular de vi ce adopted by each ;is his distinmilshina? mark. treneriillv the iniüals of bis name. Tl. e law requlres tlie brand to be recorded in the county clcrk's ofïioe, together witli earniarks, crops, half-crops, opper and under bits, upper and uiuler slopes, splits, awallow-forks aud jingle-bobs. When cattleaie sold the seller must counter-brand them, and in case thoy are diiven irom the State the buyer must road-brand tliem with a device different l'ioin lüs regular brand. This brand must be recorrfed in each county througb which the hard passes. After a few transiera the anninial is lus well marked as a bulletin-board, and space can not be found on his side to place a good-sized brand. I have seen a well known brand, A. V. ]5. wliich extended from the slioulder to the liip-bone in letters i foot long. unen convenient, the animal to be hranded is tliiven between two paralle lines of fencing ealled :i chufe, hare placed before and bebind hiin. and tlie [ronapplied tohis side or tliigh, at the leisure of the operator. ]5ut this is no always convenieut, fencing being ; Scarce article on the range, and tlie animal must le caught and thrown to theground. ïhen the co w-boy must be called to the aid of the brander. Slip ping about eight feet of the end of hi lariat through theirou ring, and putting a loop at the other end over the pomine of his saddle, lie gathers its coil.s into his bridle hand, holding the 11003e ii his right and puts his horse into a gallop. The animal that is wantex breaks into a run, and when the ride is near enough for the lariat to reachit he dextrousiy throws the noose ove its head or fore-feet, when the wolltraiued pony is Checked and ([iiickly turna and waits the shock which he knowa will obme. When the llying animal runs tlie lengtli of the rope, it is brought to the ground, the branden seïA' it liy Hit' head and tail.aud 8000 tlie branding-iroB is scarehing into the CUticle its imlelible characters. (Jreilt care must bc taken nat to burn through the skin into the Uesh, else the bram will be blotehed. After the branding comes thotrouble of the stockman, for the blowily, the pest of Texas, deposita its eggs npoi the raw sore, and soon thousands ol screvv wornis are eating their waj towanl l'iw vitola of the poor animal. The remedy now most popular for the screw wonns is cresylic ointment. ïo apply it, however, the animal must be roped, and sometimes thrown down. Tlie cow-boy's life is notan. easy one. During the wholeyear heis in the saddle from day-light until dark. His Het is bread, bacon and eoffee. "N'hen on a trail, m addition to driving during the day, lie is compelled to guaixl the caltle during part o the night, tlie force being divided into tluee reliëfs for this purpoee. In case of a stampede he must ride night and day. In spite of all this, the cow-boy is healthy and cheerf ui. Ko one is ivore Iiospi-U'.hle, and his bravery is proverbial. J5ut he is a relie of harharismand must go, and tlie places that have known hitn will not mourn liis depaiture, for he is too much addicted to "whooping 'om up." Mr. Jeppe Joeeph, of Provo City, l'tiili. luis patentad au improved machine for dressing both sidos at boards at once, for dressing the etlges ut any mgle desircd, for longuing and grooving, cutting mooldings and other variaties of work in wood. The degree of heat necessaiy to destroy tricliiiiif in pork is a matter of iinporlancii a.s m sa'Vguard ax linst trichinosis. A Qoi'BUUI niicroscopiiit statcs tliat only the most thorongh cooking of the meat will ensnro perfect safety, aa jxnk cookod to the lcgree known is "rare," may still contain the living paraaltee so much dreaded.