886 THE PEOPLE'S FARM AND STOCK CYCLOPEDIA. 



cattle will not attempt to pass the line, or if they do, a single 

 shout from the herder, though a half-mile away, will cause an 

 immediate " about face," the herd obeying the word as readily 

 as a well-broken team, very much to the surprise of the new- 

 comer. But if the signs favor a storm, and the weather looks 

 threatening, keep your herd well in hand, and (if it is in the 

 winter season or your herd is just off the trail) pretty well 

 rounded up all the time, and just as near to shelter or corral 

 as feed and water will permit, so that if one of those sudden 

 changes come you may be ready for it in a moment. I never 

 corral for a summer storm, but if possible would do it every 

 time in winter ; yet there are certain conditions of a herd when 

 it would be the part of wisdom to do so even in summer. 

 For instance : your cattle have been frightened within a day or 

 two, and are for that reason timid and restless ; or your help 

 may be partly away, and every thing seems to indicate a severe 

 storm; or you may be for the day poorly mounted on an inex- 

 perienced horse. Many other reasons might be given that would 

 point unmistakably to the corral. In brief, use well your eyes, 

 ears, and good common sense about this matter and be fettered 

 by no iron rule. 



During the rutting season your beeves, including all the 

 steers, should be herded by themselves. If the reason is obscure 

 to the reader, it would not be, were he to see a herd with a 

 dozen or more rutting cows at once, all in commotion and excite- 

 ment, instead of quietly feeding or chewing the cud. 



Selecting a Ranch. In the selection of a location for 

 the breeding and rearing of cattle, you must consider three all 

 important points : Range, water, and shelter. In many locali- 

 ties nature has supplied all that is needed, in the abundant 

 grasses, the flowing streams, and deep, precipitous ravines or 

 canyons, where for ages animals have found shelter when the 

 plains were swept by the fierce and biting blasts of winter. 



Should you decide to take the chances of raising cattle on 

 the range only, be exceedingly careful in selecting your ranch. 

 See to it with your own eyes that your grass is abundant, and 

 that the buffalo or mesquite is the principal grass, for it must 



