N K \T CATTLK. 



monly worked in pain, U 

 Deck. IV head -yoke, ao 



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and ita mml nag ha* fa 



bring yoked together by the 

 commonly nd OB the eon- 

 P^ . ...irimes teen in this country, 



M I..,- ! mil MM , >.:,.-! :,d\ * 



Hardly anywhere in the United States have there 

 been stock* of cattle produced worthy of distinction as 

 new brood*. An exception might be made in favor of 

 the Texan* and of a rare of small cattle reared in the 

 swampy region* of Florida. These diminutive Fl >rida 

 .;-..\. hare latterly acquired a good reputation as 

 generous producers of milk, and in the Southern Staic- 

 there has been awakened a considerable demand for 

 them, not a* tone dairy animals, but rather as suppliers 

 of milk for family use in villages and suburban places, 

 much as Kerry cows are kept in the liritish Islands. It 

 is not a HtUe remarkable that in some marshy districts 

 of the Gulf Statei the cattle have adopted some of the 

 habit* of the oriental buffalo, often submerging them- 

 ehres in water to escape the heat of the sun and the 

 attacks of insects, and plunging the head under water 

 while browsing on aquatic and floating plants. In eat- 

 ing thin kind of food the cattle devour also great num 

 ban of insect larvae and of other small water-animals 

 of low type. 



What are called Texan and Cherokee cattle are !. 

 cendanta of early Spanish importations. They are 

 extensively bred in the South-west, where they live in 

 a more than half wild state, cared for by mounted 

 harden and cowboys, and knowing nothing of shelter 

 nor, as a rule, of artificial feeding. A very large pro- 

 portion of the stock on Western cattle-ranches is of 

 this Texan race, wholly or in part The reasons why 

 they are still reared are these : they are very hardy, 

 they are very 1 cheap, and they already have the field. 

 Intrinsically, the Texan steer is of little worth. The 

 cows have very little of the milking quality. The 

 form is lean and lank, the bones prominent, the horns 

 of enormous sire, the beef is of inferior quality, the fat 

 very scanty. Yet many thousands of these cattle are 

 marketed all over the country. The best are some- 

 times selected for corn-feeding, and are then partially 

 fattened before being taken to the shambles. Many 

 thousands of these bulls and cows come to us from 

 Mexico, being driven across the line as "breeding ani- 

 mals," and thus escaping duty at the custom-house, 

 hief value of the Texan cows is as the mothers of 

 grade Short-horn or Hereford beeves. The first cross 

 with a blooded bull will produce steers and cows which, 

 when three years old, will be_ worth double what a 

 Texan animal of the same age is worth, besides being 

 much more tractable in disposition. Half-blooded 

 Texans, when well cared for, are often handsome 



The business of cattle-ranching has become a great 

 feature <.)' American enterprise. _Vast fortunes have 

 been made in it with small original capital, and the 

 occupation has in itself many points of attract inn tor 

 young men of adventurous and enterprising spirit. 

 The fife of ranchmen and cowboys is marked, indeed. 

 with much of hardship ami excitement, and some of 

 iu heroes have already found t heir way into dime novel 

 literature and the weekly story-papers. But as hither- 

 liiet.-d. there is as much or more to repel as to 

 attract a sober minded l.u-in, man. The risk of los- 

 ing stock from winter storms and x ant y pasture is very 

 gllial. Wealthy and unscrupulous ranchmen well 

 understand the art of mining the pn>s|>cets of young 

 ami inexperienced aspirants .Mure than all, the field, 

 t.t f.f it. is already well occupied, and the 

 bunnea* taking on new features. Many capitalists 



iv. their own cattle-ranges instead of ' 

 their stock on the public l.o.<l- Tin- fcneii, 

 nuns interfere* with the old practice of shifting UM 

 feeding-ground with the change of seasons ; and many 

 breeders who hare irrigable or arable lands find it t-. 

 their advantage to now winter forage for their stock. 



The permmnA of the cattle-ranges present* many 



i...int> of interest Not a few cattle-men are college 

 bred gentlemen, with a taste for literature and s. 

 but naturally, many frontiersmen of almost savage 

 habits, and "men from the Eastern Slates and from 

 Kurope with no character and doubtful record, have 

 drifted into the business, the latter chiefly taking sub- 

 ordinate places. 



The cattle-ranching business in the United States is 

 carried on in all the unsettled districts between the 

 Mississippi River and the 1'acitic. from the " Had 

 Lui'U" of tin- l'ppr Missouri southward to the (}ulf 

 of M. xieo. Indeed, the "Bad Lands" have some 

 good points for the cattle-men, for in their "draws." or 

 ravines, the stock are sheltered from the winter storms, 

 and in many spots good pasturage is to be found. 

 Even the elevated mountain valleys and the desolate 

 wastes of Arizona and Nevada are, to a great extent, 

 covered with cattle-ranges. Such an unpromiaing 

 native plant as the "white sage "_ (A ratio l<in<it:i. 

 called "winter-fat" in some places) is highly HteaBMd 

 for its property of keeping the cattle fat in winter. 



Among the impmnd breed* seen in the I niled 

 States, the first place in point of popularity and in the 

 money value of stock must undoubtedly be given to the 

 Short horns. The eastern and north-eastern enmities 

 of Kngland were the original home of this race, which 

 appears to have an alliance with the Dutch and llol- 

 siein breeds. As early as 1785 cattle of this stock were 

 taken to what is now West Virginia, a State which to 

 this day breeds many excellent peef-cattle, and others 

 about the same time were sent into the State of New 

 York. The first Short-horns were taken to Kentucky 

 in 1800. Col. Lewis Sanders, of Kentucky, in 1S17 

 made further importations. Col. John Hare 1'owel. 

 of Philadelphia, was another early Short-horn importer 

 of note. From year to year many high-priced animals 

 of the best Short-horn families nave been introduced 

 into this country, until now the best American Short- 

 horn stock is fully equal to any in the world, and some 

 of our best animals nave been sent to Great Britain 

 for breeding purposes. The Short-horns are hardy in 

 habit, of good constitution, and are of high excellence 

 as beef-producers. The cows often prove good milk- 

 ers. But this race is chiefly valued in this country lor 

 grading up unimproved herds of native stock. For this 

 purpose no bulls but those of pure Short-horn race 

 should be employed. The half-breed grade Short- 

 horns are often animals of great beauty and excel- 

 lence, but the males should not be used for breeding 

 purposes. Short-horns make strong and willing o\en, 

 but are considered too slow for general farm u*e. 

 For this purpose the more active North Devon* are 

 much preferred. This race of beautiful and gentle 

 animals is of English origin. Many of them have 

 been from time to time imported into this country 

 and there arc many districts to which they are well 

 adapted. The cows are fair milkers, the milk is 

 rich, and the beef is excellent, though the steers are 

 not so early fit for the butcher's use as arc those of 

 the Short-horn blood. The //> n/nnl breed has many 

 excellent qualities. It is a good beef-producing fam- 

 ily, but the cows are seldom of much use in the 

 dairy, and many breeders consider that (he steers 

 are less hardy and require more skill than Short- 

 horns need in order to be bred to a profit The 

 .\i/r*/i<rr* are a handsome Scottish race with strong 

 Short -horn alliances. Thev are splendid and copious 

 milkers, and are justly valued by dairymen. Their 



milk is less rich in butter than that .if the Chai 1 



Island ii)Ws. but they are more profitable when the 

 milk is sold in the cities, and their milk is inferior 

 to none for use in the cheese factory. There are 



' butter families" and "cheese families" a ng 



cattle of tlii> breed. The ,lrrtr<i and (iiii'i-iisfii breeds 

 are the two principal stocks of Channel Island cattle, 

 f.ir (lie trui' . I l<ln-iiiii are scarcely known to the general 

 brii-li-r. These relatively small and Very beautiful 

 animals are greatly prised for the richness of their 



