The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-01-11
H0LT's RANCH, COLORADO, !
Dac % 1877

1
amid landscape which seems constantly to
| oecKon one every whittier has proved so fascin.
ating,that have delayed my promised descrip-
tlon OF Western cattle ranch beyond my an
tlclpatlon. And now before attempting such
description, wish to explain how stock-ranges
are acquired and controlled in this country; for
| 1t must not be supposed that actual ownership
OF all the land constituting a range ia necessary
to its full use and enjoyment. Practically the
ownership OF so much land only as has water
upon it is sufficient For the ownership of the
water carries with it theundisputed right to use
and occupy so much of the surrounding public
land as lies naturally tributary to the water
water owned, that is, nearer to such water than
to any other under separate ownership. This
results inevitably from the extreme scarcity of
and the practical worthlessness of IN
watered tracts. Togrow crops is impossible.
as rule, IN this climate without constant and
copious irrigation. Hence the now irrigable
lands OF the country are generally valued for all
purposes except stoek-raising and an unfailing
supply OF wholesome water being indispensable
to that industry, the use of the ranch naturally
follows the ownership or control of the water,
Thus by purchasing comparatively small
amount of land favorably situated, one may
sometimes acquire the use of large range.
And few years ago before the best locations
had been taken up the purchase at dollar and
quarter per acre from government under the
presumption act, of say one thousand acres
judiciously selected and 50 distributed az to
cover the largest possible amount of water,
often gave the fortunate owner the practical
onnfrnl and freq ne 0f Hftaap fbau
additional acres of excellent grazing land.
But with the rapid settlement of the country
those opportunities have passed away, and such
locations, never very numerous, have gone into
the hands of men who appreciate them at their
full value. Whoever, therefore, would acquire
large and really first class range in Colorado
to-day. must either pay good ddal of money
for it or else push boldly out beyond the con-
fines OF civilization and settle upon the unsur-
veyed public domain.
The business OF cattle-raising being conducted
on large scale at bis ranch, have had dur
ing my stay here an excellent opportunity for
acquiring correct Information upon the snbiect
and have become tolerably familiar with Its
general features. One cannot fairly estimate
the cattle of the plains by the quiet, domestic
animal of the east. The former have never
known restraint at the hand of mau except
during the branding" process when calves.
nor even encountered him save in the person
OF the "Vanqueros" we'll mounted on feet
ponies with lasso and jingling spears, who drive
them together every spring in the annual
roundup. Of artificial food and shelter too
they know nothing. The meanest New Eng
land barn through which the wind ever whis-
tied would be an undroamed of luxury to them,
and perhaps nothing would stampede a herd
In wild alright more effectually than the
sight OF q load of hay. The cattle of the plains
are either Texans or grades from Texas. The
native Texas CATTLE which have been driven
INTO this country in large numbers for breeding
purposes, are large, very hardy and fatten
quickly on grass; but they yield the butcher
less proportion of meat to bone than WE'LL
fattened Eastern beevss. The pure .bloodsd
Durhams or Hereford cattle, on the other
hand, are not sufficiently hardy to be reared in
large herds on the plains where they have to
Craze over wide tracts Of country and depend
wholly upon the native grasses for subsistence;
for as before intimated cattle here never re-
ceive either food or shelter save what the
prairie affords them. The cross, however be-
tween the Texans and the Short-horns or
Herefords produces an animal which combines
the virtues of both pedigrees without the defects
OF either. This reslly fine animal, known here
rs the "half-breed' possesses in good degree
the superior beef-qualities of his high-bred
progenltors whom he most resembles, maturing
early, fattening easily and cutting MP we'll in
the shambles, while he is no l,ss hardy and
we'll adapted to the Western mode of stock
growing than his Texan ancestry. This is the
type of animal of which the Colorado
herds are chiefly composed though there are
still here many thousands of long-horns or na-
tive Texans. But as the legislature of the
state several years ago prohibited the running
at large of Texan or other inferior bulls the
iong-horns seem destined to hopeless minor
ity.
The following may be taken as a fair out.
line of each years operations upon well.
conducted cattle-ranch. About the first of
May begins the annual "round no" or gather
ing together of the cattle for the purpose of
separating them according to ownership, and
branding the calves In each county the stock
owners or their agents assemble at desig-
mated day and place of meeting and organize
the county commissioners. Each stock-owner
is expected to furnish one man to every six
hundred head of cattle which he owns Every
man is well mounted and is also provided with
from three to five spare sadde-horses, for there
is hard riding to be done during the spring
roundup, and it is considered mora economical
to have frequent change of ponies than to
feed grain. These horses commonly called
''cow ponies" are of the tough aud compact
Spanish or half-breed type. They ara feet,
sure-footed, extremely hardy and seem every
| way well adapted to this sort Of
business. The skill and aptnsss at
driving cattle which they acquire after few
seasons practice is sometimes quite astonishing.
| In point of horsemsnship these catte-men rank
| among the most fearless and skillful in the
world; and the assembling of county's round
| up, numbering perhaps a hundred riders with
| two hundred or more extra horses affords al
most as gay and exciting spectacle as an old
time tournament. Each large cattle-owner has
provision wagon and cook to accompany his
men, and the smaller proprietors arrange for
| board with these during the roundup season at
a stipulated price, usually fifty cents per day.
| The sphere of operations for each roundup Is
determined less by county lines than By the
topography of the country; for cattle not being
herded as sheep are, but roaming at will over
large areas, naturally drift southwark during
| the wldter until stopped by some natural bar
rier, which for this part of the country is the
Arkansas river about fifty miles soush of this
rancho Hence it is along the banks of this
river that active operations commence every
spring for gathering the cattle Of this section.
Each morning the men separate to the right
and left, make wide circle and come together
| at noon, sweeping before them all the cattle ON
either side of their line of march. The after
noon is devoted to the separating of the cattle
| of the different owners from the common herd
| Some Of the men ride around among the herd
and keep them together, while others dash into
| the midst and ''cut CUT. '..(separate from the
| resD the cattle of their respective employers,
This is difficult and to novice often dangerous
work; for an animal even after it is driven from
the herd will make every effort to get back, and
as a last resort will sometimes show fight and