East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1861-04-25
How L Broke Steers when 1 was
n BOy.

/ hhOW nHOhc otcCHS WmCm WAS
N Boy.
When boy, it was one of my great
est pleasures to yoke up and break in a
pair of young steers. reoollect my
first yoke, and how | trained them, Just
as distinctly as if l had performed the
task but yesterday, and yet it is now
thirty-six years since that happy time
My first pair of steers were like myself,
quite young; that is, they were three
weeks old, and l just ten years, when l
first put the yoke upon them. Boy as /
was, had to make my own yoke and
bows. My yoke was made from piece
of four by four scantling, and my bows
were of hickory saplings. a neighbor
who was mechanic, and then practiced
making moro or less of OK yokes and
bows, showed me how to mark and cut
my yoke, and how to bend and fit my
bows, but both himself and my father
would give me no further help, saying
that if 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 bow; and thas in making my second
yoke l won Id require just as much show
ing as in the first. l think they were.
correct, for have made many yoke
and bows since; and that, too, without
any further teaching. But to my steers
l recolect my first morning, when trying
to catch my calves and get my yoke on,
how they were stronger than myself, and
how angry l got, how my father looked
quietly on and said nothing, until it was
school hour Qor then went to school
dsily,) and had not even got the yoke
on one of my miniature oxen; but then
he checked me in anger and sent me to
school, with 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 an
imals together in one corner at their pen,
end by patting them soon had them so
quiet that l could lay the yoke, without
its bows, on their neck; next l got my
bows, and by steady patting and constant
cautions from my father to keep my tenn
per, 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 united their
tails, and gently released them from the
yoke, by taking ont both bow pins at the
same time, being careful, however, not
to let bows drop, for that would
frighten them. The next day | yoked
them again, and without help, tied aud
left them as before. The third day after
yoking let them out of their pen into a
large yard. Here they ran like good
fellows for while, but as their tails were
tied together 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 little, but
their fear was gone, and they did not run
as in the morning. The day following
l got on the yoke, and at first there was
a little disposition to run. l let them 90,
and soon as l could get near thep, pet.
ted them a little, pulledthem around, and
with my whip, which was a stick about
four feet long, with a lash at the end
about one foot, l soon taught them to
stop by touching them over the head, and
saying whoa. From stopping at the
word whoa, they soon got SO that L 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 had no yoke upon them
until in the month of September, when
they were yoked and put upon the lead
Of the team for going upon the salt mead
ows, gathering hay. They were then as
tractable asold oxen, and ever after were
gentle, quick and true at their work.
As grew to more mature years l after
wards trained many pair of calves, as
well as many yoke of two and three
years olds for my father, who, like many
another in New England, was in the
yearly practice of buying young cattle
from western drovers. By using gentle
means, and gradually accustoming the
animals to the yoke, 1 could soon get
steers never never before yoked to go
true and steady.-Ohio Farmer.