INTRODUCTION. 9 



accompanied with worry, because usually no rain 

 fell between April and September. We used to mow 

 down the alfalfa and rake it while quite green and 

 as soon as possible pile it up in big cocks and leave 

 it there to dry out a while. In that hot sun and 

 baking air the moisture disappeared very rapidly 

 indeed, so that by the time we could get to hauling, 

 the hay would be dry enough, and thus it retained 

 perfectly its color, leaves and delicious aroma. Very 

 joyous times we had at this haying, a lot of harum- 

 scarum cowboys and ranch hands, strong as wild 

 colts and rejoicing to see which of us could lift the 

 largest forkful of hay. 



At first we simply hauled the hay on wagons and 

 stacked it by hand. Later an ingenious Mormon 

 boy showed us how to rig a pole stacker, and then 

 we let the horse do the pitching. We accumulated 

 great ricks of hay, hundreds of tons, against pos- 

 sible severe winters. 



Meanwhile we were feeding alfalfa to our saddle 

 and work horses, to poor cows and calves that would 

 have died before green grass came had 'they not had 

 this help, and occasionally fattening a bunch of beef 

 steers on it for the spring market, when fat beef 

 brings a premium in Denver and Salt Lake City. 

 We had no grain at all and fed only alfalfa hay, 

 making with it very good beef indeed, though doubt- 

 less we would have made much fatter cattle had we 

 had corn to feed along with it. 



We had a few old sows on the ranch and must 

 make provision for feeding them and their pigs. 



