■I 8 MEXICAN RESOURCES. 



which they are fond, a love for which has Ijeen inherited, both by the Spaniard and 

 the Mexican of the mixed race. The Indian rarely takes to the raising of cattle, 

 horses, or sheep, both on account of poverty and natural disinclination. Cattle 

 thrive best in the tierra caliente, while horses, sheep, and goats rarely do their best 

 except in the upland region. In the case of the latter, the great number of prickly 

 plants become entangled in their wool, and during the rainy season the humidity is 

 such that the foot-rot and other diseases carry them off. The cattle are left entirely 

 to nature, and seek their own pasture during the tainy season on the savannas, 

 during the dry months in the shady forest. The different pasture-grounds of a 

 hacienda are called potreros, and are under the care of herdsmen (vatjueros), each 

 man having usually from five hundred to eight hundred head to look after. Although 

 wild, the cattle do not shun man, and are easily attracted to the vaqiiero by means 

 of salt, a bag of which he always carries at his saddle-bow. 



All the Mexican cowherds are mounted, partly because it is impossible to survey 

 such extensive tracts on foot, partly because they often require a fleet horse to catch 

 stragglers. Frequently the animals injure themselves, the bulls fight, a sharp thorn, 

 or a beast of prey (jaguar, puma, or wolf) wounds them, and, as in the hot regions, 

 the flesh-fly lays its eggs in the wound, the assistance of the herdsman is indispensa- 

 ble. He therefore constantly has his lasso with him, made of leather or the fibres 

 of the maguey. At full gallop he pursues tlie flying animal, casts the noose about 

 its neck, quickly turns his horse's head, and drags the struggling prisoner to the 

 nearest tree, to which it is soon bound. In a moment, he has dismounted, has 

 cast a second noose about the hind-feet, and with one jerk the heaviest beast is ex- 

 tended on the ground ; the hind and fore feet are quickly tied together, and now the 

 surgical operation can be performed at leisure. The vaqiiero endures the hardest 

 toil for very little pay, living a life of constant fatigue, and is in the saddle by night 

 and by day. He always lives in the middle of his pasture-grounds, near a watering- 

 place, and has a strong inclosure of stone or logs (corral), into which the herd can 

 be driven. The calves are taken thither when some days old, and tied up under a 

 shed. Instinct leads the cows twice a day to the enclosure to give their young the 

 required nourishment. Part of the milk is withdrawn, and this is done more for 

 the sake of taming both cow and calf, and to accustom them to man, than for the 

 sake of the milk. After two months the calf is set at libert)', but it now remains, 

 especially if it be driven once a week with the herd to receive a little salt. 



Many estates there are, throughout Mexico, that possess from ten thousand to 

 twenty thousand head of cattle, and it frequently happens that, owing to the diffi- 

 culty of obtaining herdsmen, whole herds run wild, and are not readily caught. It 

 is indispensable in the raising of cattle that they be driven into corral at least once 

 a year, and must often be treated to salt. The yearly branding of calves and cattle 

 is called herradero, and is made an important festival. The great profit is in the 

 sale of the oxen and old cows to the butchers, as a great quantity of meat is con- 

 sumed in the country. The ranchero usually slaughters his fat cattle himself, and 

 makes scsina or tasajo of the meat. This is done by cutting all the flesh into strips 

 about four inches broad and two thick and several feet in length. It is then well 

 sprinkled with fine salt, and with the juice of lemons, the whole mass being wrapped 

 up over night in the hide. The next day, as soon as the sun is high enough, the 

 strips are hung upon liner, and thoroughly dried by the air and sun. The process 

 is finished in some days, and the meat is then packed in bales, and sent to market. 



