The Breeding Herd 55 
herd would be expensive. This, however, is rarely the 
case, since the cost of fencing cattle pastures is only from 
fifty cents to $1.00 an acre and if the whole country is 
fenced the neighbors pay half of this. The range countries 
are usually divided into sections of various size by streams, 
mountains, and other topographical features, so that 
cattle in one section will not stray into another. In other 
cases these divisions are not complete but are nearly so; 
hence a little herding at the mouth of the gulch or a few 
rods of fencing may complete the division. The natural 
divisions vary in size from small valleys capable of sup- 
porting a few milk cows to vast prairies comprising many 
counties. A single one of these districts is usually spoken 
of as “a range.” If the ranchman has control of one of 
these natural divisions of about the proper size for his 
herd, be it large or small, he is fortunate; but this state 
of affairs seldom exists, and as a result several men may 
be obliged to run their cattle together unless separated 
by fencing or line riding. By line riding is meant keep- 
ing the herd in their proper territory by having riders guard 
the imaginary line between ranges. Each man is given 
so much of the line to ride over each day. Along well- 
defined trails tt may be necessary to have a man for only 
a mile or two, while in other places where the cattle are 
not inclined to stray, one man may be given all that he 
can ride over two or three times a week. The natural 
divisions of the ranges are always taken advantage of, so 
it seldom is necessary to ride more than a fraction of the 
boundaries of the range. Line riding is expensive but 
many cattle-men find that the advantage of having their 
stock to themselves more than pays for it, although 
fencing is much to be preferred and is being used wherever 
possible. 
