90 
[Marcs, 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST*. 
Editorial Correspondence From, the 
Far West. 
Youthful Shepherds. 
One pleasant day we rode twenty miles over the 
Laramie Plains, from Laramie City to the Little Lar¬ 
amie River, where we found a prosperous sheep- 
raiser from Nebraska, named Edward Farrell. There 
were no neighbors for miles around, with the ex¬ 
ception of a nephew of Motley, the historian, who 
had left his father’s pleasant home, near Boston, 
Mass., and located a sheep ranch close by here. The 
Farrells gave us a most hospitable reception, inas¬ 
much as one of our party was Mr. Weston, the 
Auditor of the State of Nebraska. Furthermore 
they had long been subscribers to the American 
Agriculturist , and the last number lying on the table 
was not an unpleasant reminder of home to one on 
these far-away plains. We bade them good-bye late 
in the afternoon, turned off to the right of Sheep 
Mountain, and entering a narrow plain between 
high ranges of hills, spurred forward our jaded ani¬ 
mals, until the gathering shadows warned us that 
we could proceed no further with safety. At day¬ 
break we spied a large flock of sheep in a corral 
close by a rude cabin or dug-out, in which were two 
boys, sons of Mr. Farrell. Here, twelve miles or 
more from home, they had been tending a flock of 
twenty-three hundred sheep during the entire sea¬ 
son. They shot their game with an old rifle, did 
their own cooking, and lived entirely alone with 
their dogs and two ponies employed in herding the 
sheep. They alternated in watching the sheep, 
which were driven into the corral every night, as a 
protection against bears, wolves, and other wild ani¬ 
mals. An antelope which one of them had shot the 
day previous, was suspended near the door of the 
cabin. There was a good range here, and the father 
had in the spring-time sent the sheep, and the boys 
to possess it. You will be surprised when I tell you 
that these two lads, entrusted with the care of over 
two thousand sheep, and living here in this remote, 
secluded spot, were only eleven and thirteen years 
of age. It is astonishing, the early self-reliance 
which these frontier children display, and the skill 
which, as mere urchins, they attain in herding sheep. 
An Ambitious Frontiersman. 
Near the site of Old Fort Kearney, in Western 
Nebraska, there has resided for years a queer char¬ 
acter who is well known to the national representa¬ 
tives at Washington. At each recurring session of 
Congress, Mr. Moses H. Sydenham, for that is his 
name, appeals personally and through letters to 
Senators aud Congressmen, to remove the National 
Capitol to this, “the geographical center of the 
United States and of the JLTniverse.” He is a mono¬ 
maniac on the subject, and has designated the ex¬ 
act spot with a framework of poles. Tourists who 
have time to do so, stop off at Kearney Junction, to 
view the scene of one of Jules Yernes’ pen por¬ 
trayals in “ Eighty Days Around the World,” 
visit the site of the old Fort, and to have a chat 
with old Mr. Sydenham. We did not find him at 
home. Those, however, who informed us that he 
had gone to Washington, communicated several 
new and interesting facts about the old gentleman. 
In his last general circular to the Washington 
Solons, he guaranteed them that, in case they should 
decide to remove the Capitol to this “ geographical 
center,” he would sell enough corner lots and adja¬ 
cent territory to pay for all the expenses of remov¬ 
al, and leave a small balance for the national ex¬ 
chequer, after he himself had deducted three per 
cent for transacting the very important business. 
Lady Excursionists. 
When at Laramie, a year ago, we met the widow 
of the late lamented Mr. Ralston, of California, 
who, with her daughters and intended son-in-law, 
were preparing to make a horseback trip to the Yel¬ 
low Stone. Ladies should not think of making such 
trips unless they have considerable nerve, are fond 
of wild game and relish a touch of hardship and ad¬ 
venture. I have, however, found very many lady 
tourists In these western regions, who enjoyed the 
experiences fully as much as the gentlemen. A few 
lays ago, I met at Alamoosa, in Southern Colorado, 
one of a party of fair ladies from the Eastern States, 
who had been travelling the entire summer in a 
camp-wagon or“ schooner,” through the mountain 
regions of Colorado, camping out at night, having 
as their only male companion and protector, the 
stalwart driver who took care of the team and shot 
the game for them which they cooked. This lady 
was talented and the associate editor of a New 
England educational journal. She informed me that 
the expenses of the party were comparatively small. 
They experienced no fears from any source. They 
had fully recovered their health and were returning 
east with valuable stores of information from 
which to draw for years to come. In Northern 
Minnesota, I recently met another party of ladies, 
who, with their gentlemen companions were travel¬ 
ling in a more royal manner, but manifested fully 
as much zest and fondness for novelty and adven¬ 
ture. They were all from Boston. They came to 
Northern Minnesota in an elegant palace car, manu¬ 
factured for and belonging to them. The coach was 
divided into compartments, including berths, sitting 
room and kitchen. All lived in this car, which had 
been drawn from point to point wherever inclina¬ 
tion led them. The day we met them, the car came 
east over the Northern Pacific Road and was switch¬ 
ed off at New York Mills for a short time, while 
the gentlemen hunted deer and the ladies fished 
and otherwise amused themselves. This party had 
been absent from Boston for several months, and 
were taking solid comfort and enjoyment. While 
the original cost of a coach is considerable, proba¬ 
bly this mode of pleasure travel is the cheapest in 
the end, inasmuch as hotel bills, railway fares, 
palace car extras and other expenses attending or¬ 
dinary travel are avoided. The party will probably 
go south next year, contracting with various railway 
officials to take their car to such interesting points 
as they may desire to visit from month to month. 
Western Words and Phrases. 
West of the Missouri River, the word “ outfit ” is 
made to do general duty in the vocabulary of all 
classes. An emigrant going over the plains in a 
schooner, or covered wagon, has his whole outfit 
with him—that is, family, household goods, etc. A 
farmer who comes to church with his children, has 
his outfit. If a straggling band of Indians pass 
through town, you are told that the whole outfit 
presents a shabby appearance. A handsome span 
of horses are called a handsome outfit. A female 
canine with a thrifty litter of young pups is styled a 
fine outfit, and so on. The word is a good one be¬ 
cause handy, and conveying to one’s mind what 
no other polysyllable or phrase expresses. In Col¬ 
orado, children are frequently styled “half-breeds.” 
Among the ranches, a new comer from the older 
States is called a “ tender-foot.” Cattle-herders are 
designated as “cow-punchers,” and when eggs are 
passed around the table, you are invited to help 
yourself to “hen fruit.” In Wyoming Territory, 
“ get the drop on him,” is a general expression. It 
comes down from the earlier experiences of the ter¬ 
ritory when desperadoes were so numerous and per¬ 
sonal encounters were of every-day occurrence. If 
a highwayman got the drop on you, that is, antici¬ 
pated you in drawing his revolver, discretion was 
deemed the better part of valor. If now one gets 
the start of you in a business transaction or in any¬ 
thing else, he has got the drop on you, so you 
must make the best of it and not fight. “Hands 
up,” is the language which the stage robbers and 
train-wreckers address to passengers. The lat¬ 
ter understand by this that if they desire to avoid 
being shot, they must hold their hands above their 
heads and remain perfectly still until the outlaws 
have secured their booty and made off with it. It 
was only the other day that a small gang of free¬ 
booters having their lair in Elk Mountain attacked 
a post store, north of Rock Creek, and compelled 
fourteen soldiers, wagon-drivers, and clerks to stand 
in a row on one side of the room, with their hands 
up, while they packed thirteen mules with grocer¬ 
ies, boots, shoes, and other booty, and safely made 
off with it. There was considerable laughter at 
Laramie and elsewhere at the expense of this party 
who had been overawed and subjugated by a gang 
of robbers inferior in numbers. “ But,” said one of 
the plucked individuals subsequently, “ You may 
think it cowardly to ‘ hands up ’ for an outlaw ; if,, 
however, he comes upon you suddenly, and puts a 
pistol to your head before you have time to collect 
your thoughts, you will be very glad to hands up 
and keep quiet.” Stage and car robbers are now 
generally designated as road-agents through Wyo¬ 
ming. “ You bet,” “ bounce,” and “ close out the 
whole business,” meaning to be expeditious, are 
common expressions among some classes in Wyo¬ 
ming. “ Rustler ” is a favorite word in Utah. If 
one is a pushing business man, he is a rustler. If 
a lady makes a sensation in society, she is a rustler. 
The preacher who stirs up his congregation, or the 
politician who makes a successful campaign, is a 
rustler. 
The Best Cure for Dyspepsia. 
If you are troubled with continued indigestion, go 
out to the Plains of Wyoming, or to the North Park 
region of Colorado, and camping out, live for a few 
weeks on antelope meat. If you are not already a 
good shot, a little practice with the rifle will enable 
you to bring down your game. There is nothing 
more palatable and efficacious in relieving dyspep¬ 
sia, than antelope steaks cooked by the camp-fire. 
Convenient Poultry-House. 
A Massachusetts subscriber, Mr. E. O. Rock- 
wood, sends sketches and the following descrip¬ 
tion of his poultry-house, which, for convenience, 
he claims to be the best he has ever seen. It is 
built in the most thorough manner, and the walls 
and roof are papered and shingled. It is 72 x 16 
feet; front posts 41 ft.; 
back posts 51 ft. ; roof 
i pitch. The stone 
foundation makes the 
walls practically a foot 
or two higher. It is di¬ 
vided into seven rooms, 
six of which are 10 x 16 
ft., and one 12 x 16, 
with a room up-stairs 
for setters. The house 
faces the south, with 
six windows on that 
side, of 7 x 9 glass. 
There are three doors 
on the front for taking 
out manure; the en¬ 
trance door is through 
the large room at the 
right-hand end of the engraving. An alley-way, 4 ft. 
10 inches wide, runs the whole length of the build¬ 
ing. G, G, are gates opening into the room. The 
feed-boxes, A in the plan, are 5 inches wide by 
2 deep, and are protected by racks made of 1 in. 
sticks driven into a 2 in. strip of board, 21 in. 
apart. These boxes are placed on the front of the 
alley platform, and the nests, which are 15 inches 
each way, are directly above the feed-boxes. A 
close partition extends from the top of the nests to 
the roof of the house ; all the partitions are made 
of planed stuff and jointed. The roosts, R, are 
2x3 joists, planed, with the tops rounded, and 
are hung on hinges, so as to swing down and be 
out of way when one is at work in the house. To¬ 
tal cost of the building about $225. Mr. R. now has 
about 200 layers, with more in his other houses. 
