66 THE AVORLD'S MEAT FUTURE 



Dehorning, though a cruel business if left until the cattle 

 have attained a considerable grow'th of horn, is quite a light 

 operation if done while the calf is young. The most popular 

 method seems to be to cut out the button with a half or three- 

 quarter inch gouge and rub on a little stick caustic. When 

 the beast has a large horn, several varieties of dehorning imple- 

 ments are in vogue, including a saw, all more or less barbarous 

 in use and effect. 



The Herefords of Entre Rios are run on poorer quality land, 

 or land which is more suita])le for them, owing to their hardy 

 nature and resistance to disease. The paddocks on these 

 properties for the most part are larger than on the better country, 

 otherwise the Herefords are treated much the same as Short- 

 horns, with the exception that dehorning is not so generally 

 practised. Entre Rios, as its name implies, has many streams, 

 consequently dehorning is not necessary to prevent knocking 

 about while watering, as on alfalfa camps. 



Branding is generally done in the yard in much the same 

 way that it is done in Australia, but rather rougher and much 

 slower. 



Cattle drafting in the yard is done through a race, similar 

 to an Australian sheep race on a large scale, the men working 

 the cattle on horseback in the yard, the only footmen being the 

 drafter at the gate and a man or two on the platform outside the 

 race keeping the cattle running. 



No stock-whips are used with the cattle, but each man has 

 a short-handled riding whip with a lash of raw greenhide about 

 a foot long and If in. wide, mth which he gives the cattle a 

 flip when opportunity occurs. Apart from this, the cattle are 

 handled very noisily and roughly. The cattle are knocked 



about a lot by being driven too fast, droving as is known in Aus- 

 tralia being unknown in this country. One notion that exists 

 is that if cattle are given a gallop occasionally once or twice a 

 week, that is, chased round until they are red-hot, they put on 

 condition more auickly. JMany Englishmen managing there 

 have adopted that notion also. Its effect on a lot of soft steei^ 

 feeding on green juicy alfalfa can be imagined, but the cattle do 

 not suffer from it as much as one w;)uld expect, partly because 

 they are accustomed to being driven very fast, and it does not 

 make them restless. "When he has cattle to drive, the average 

 estancia peon, as the stockman is called, is in a great hurry 

 apparently, but that is the only time, as lie is a leisurely customer 

 as a general rule. 



