Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1861-05-30
AGRICULTURE.

HOW l BROKE STEERS WHEN l WAS BOY.
When boy, it was one of my greatest pleas
ures to yoke up and break in pair of young
steers. recollect my first yoke, and how
trained them, Just as distinctly as if ] had per-
formed the task but yesterday, and yet it is now
thirty-six years since that happy time. My
first pair of steers like myself quite young;
that is, they were three weeks old, and l just
ten years, when first put the yoke upon them.
Boy as ! was, l had to make my own yoke and
bows. My yoke was made from piece of four
by four oak scantling, and my bows were Of
hickory saplings. A neighbor VIII was a me-
chanic, and then practiced making more or less
of OK yokes and bows, showed me how to mark
and cut out my yoke, and how to bend and fit
my bows, but both himself and my father would
give me no farther help, saying that if they let
me Go the work myself ! would know how to
do the next but that if they did the work and
let me look on, my boy mind would get no cor
rect idea Of the how; and that in making my
second yoke | would require just as much
showing as in the first. think they we're cor
rect, for have made many yoke and bows
since and that, too, without any farther teach
ing. But to my steers. | recollect my first
morning, when trying to catch the calves and
get my yoke on, how they were stronger than
myself, and hew angry ] got; how my father
looked quietly on and said nothing, until it was
near my school hour (for / then went to school
daily,) and had not even got the yoke on one
of my miniature oxen but then he checked me
in my anger and sent me to school, with n
promise the next day to show me how to get
along gently. Well the next day came in due
course, and with ny fathers assistance l got
nv animals together in one corner of their pen,
and by pattng them soon had them so quiet
that could 10y the yoke, without its bows, on
their necks; next got my bows, and by steady
patting and constant caution from my father to
keep my temper, soon managed to get them
around their necks and fastened into the yoke
Next l tied their tails together, and left them
for school. At noon l united their tails and
gently released them from the yoke, by taking
out both bow pins at the same time, being care
full however, not to let the bows drop, for that
would frighten them. The next day | yoked
them again, and without help, tied and left then
as before The third day after yoking lei
them out OF their pen into large yard. Here
they ran like good fellows for a while, but as
there tails were tied together they could moi
get out of their yoke, and soon they were tired
and lay down. | left them in the yard, and ii
the yoke al day; OF night before unyoking,
made them move around a little, but their feal
was gone, and they did not run, as in the morn.
ing The day following got on the yoke, and
at first there was little disposition TO run.
let them go, and soon as ] could get near them
patted them little, pulled them around, ant
with my whip, which was a stick about four feet
long, with lash at the end about one foot,
soon taught them to stop by touching then
over the head, and saying whoa From stop,
ping at the word whoa, they soon got SO that
could do with them as pleased about the yard
and in two weeks daily drove my steers, at
taceed to lit lie cart, all around the village
These steers were turned away to pasture, wher
weaned from the cows, and had no yoke upor
them until in the month Of September, wher
they were yoked and put upon the lead of the
team for going upon the salt meadows, gat .er
ing hay. They were then as tractable as ole
oXen and ever after were gentle, quick and tru
at their work. AS | grew to more mature year
/ afterwards trained many a pair of calves, a
well as many yoke of two and three ear-old
for my father, who, like many another in New
England, was in the yearly practice of buying
young cattle from western Arovers. BY usn,
gentle means and gradually accustoming tn
animals u the yoke, l could soon get steer
never before yoked to go true and steady.-Ohi
Farmer.