New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-05-15
C0W.PENNLNG IN FLORIDA.

The great ambition is to be the owner
Of the greatest possible number of cattle,
not SO much for the sake of their hides and
tallow, or the money they may bring in
the market, as for the pleasure of yearly
riding after and gathering in. herdipg, and
branding their horned possessions.
"How many cattle have you ?" inquired
| of one of my neighbors.
about 800, reckon
GLOW many has Mr.. D ?"
Il reckon about the same"
chow many has Mr., 7 @
''He has about $780,
He must have lively time, thought l.
"What does be do with so many. How
does he provide for them?'
40. they provide for themselves. After
they have been cow.penned few weeks,
and all have been marked and branded
which had not been marked and branded
before, we then turn them out to travel over
the wide range among the pines and hum.
mocks, where they get fat on the abundant
new grass in summer, and sufficient living
in the winter. We drive up only in the
spring, unless we wish some for beef or
for market"
"Do they not wander far away, and get
mixed with other cattle?"
80, yes, sometimes twenty or thirty
miles, and it may be- several weeks be fore
We can get all our cattle home. Several
of US neighbors ride together week or
more at time, often camp out at night;
sometimes find quarters with distant
neighbors who are hunting cattle like
ourselves, SO that we have iovial good
times. Perhaps they have gathered some
of our cattle into their pens. All right;
they are welcome to take all the milk
they can get, and the manure, as long as
amongus. Every man has right to drive
into his pen all the cattle he can find and
keep them until called for by the owner.
You understand now said he, "why
we burn our pine woods near home every
spring. 1t is done SO that the new grass
will quickly spring up and give good feed
to our cattle as We drive them home. We
put them into our COW pens every night,
then, after getting little milk from few
Of the cows-about a pint from each-the
cows and cattle are driven one way and the
calves the other"
"But do they not get together again ~
said /; edo they not get mixed 2"
80, no; We soon train them to know the
right way
"From so many cows you have chance
to select some good mixers, SO as to have
4 good dairy, SO that you can almost float
IN milk"
so, no. he replied, eve are after the
manure more than the milk"
What strange, perverted taste, thought |
l. How Sinpnlari
"Why SIR he added, "this is the way
We ferilize our lands-every year from one |
@ five acres or more. We rob the calves |
sometimes Of little of their milk just for
our coffee, and sometimes make little
outter during the season of cow-penning.
But why do you not keep in pasture
'ome few of your best COWS, and have milk
md butter all the year round?"
30, it's too much trouble" said he, ave
prefer to let the calves have the milk and
row fat rather than to eat it ourselves"
To US Northeners it is strange, passing
TRANCE, that families can thus consent to
i've nine months in the year without a
rop of milk, when it is SO easy for them
o secure this great luxury. How do their
title children live without it? The truth
J, they grow up on grease, satisfied that
og and hominy are better than milk.