Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1861-03-29
'lt you will stay, Dick, you shall have
both slippers -
1 Stdyed.
HOW BROKE STEERS,
WHEN / WAS A BOY.

1 hen boy, 1t was one OF my creates
pleasures to yoke up and break in pair o
young steers. recollect my first yoke, ant
how | trained them, Just as distinctly as j
| had performed the task but yesterday, and
| yet it is now SO years since that happy time
My first pair of steers were, like myself
quite young that is. they were three weeks
old, and just ten years, when first | put the
! yoke upon them. Boy as | was, | had to
make my own yoke and bows. Myyoke was
made from piece of 1 by scantllng. and
my bows were of hickory saplings. A neigh
Dor, who was mechanic, and then practised
making more or less of OK yokes and bows,
showed NE 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 ii they let me do
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
correct idea of the how ; and that, in making
my second yoke l would require just as much
showing as in the first. | think they were
correct, for | have made many yoke and
bows since and that, too, without any
farther teaching. But to my steers. | re-
collect my first morning, when trying to
catch the calves and get my yoke on, how
they were stronger than myself, and how
angry | got how my father looked quietly
on and said nothing, until it was near my
school hour (for then went TO school dally),
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 the
promise, the next day to show me how to get
along gently
Well, the next day came in due course,
and with my fathers assistance got my
animals together in one corner OF their pen,
and by patting them soon had them so quiet
that could lay the yoke, without its bows,
on their necks next got my bows, and by
steady patting and constant cautions from
my father to keep my temper, soon man
aged to get them around their necks and
fastened into the yoke. Next tied their
tails together. and left them for school At
noon | united their tails, and gently released
them from the yoke, by taking out both
bow pins at the same time, being careful,
however, not to let the bows drop, for that
would frighten them. The next day |
yoked them again, and without help, tied
and left them as before. The third day after
yoking l let them out of their pen into
large yard. Here they ran like good fellows
for a while, but as their tails were tied to-
gether they could not get out of their yoke,
and soon they were tired and lay down.
left them in the yard, and in the yoke all
day; at night, before unyoking, | made
them move around a little, but their fear
was gone, and they aid not run as IN the
morning.
The day following got 90 my yoke, and at
f-st there was q little disposition to run. /
let them 90, and soon as | could get near
them, patted them little. pulled them
around, and with my whip, which was stick
about feet long, with lash at the end about
one foot, soon taught them to stop by
touching them over the head, and saying
whoa. From stopping at the word whoa they
soon got 50 that could do with them as |
pleased about the yard and in two weeks |
daily drove my steers, attached to little
cart, all around the village. These steers
were turned away to pasture, when weaned
from the cows, and had yoke upon them
until in the mouth of September, when they
were yoked and put upon the lead OF the
team for going upon the salt meadows, gath
ering hay. They were then as tractable as
old oxen, and ever after were gentle, quick
and true at their work. As | grew to more
mature years afterwards trained many
pair Of calves, as well as many yoke OF two
and three year olds for my father, who, like
many another in New England, was in tho
yearly practice of buying young cattle from
western drovers. By using gentle means, and
gradually accustoming the animals to the
yoke, | could soon get steers never before
yoked to 60 true and steady.-Oh'o Farmer.