San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-01-05


wss'a mnrvelain newspaper literature,
and the whole history Of PiAtts course
I'in the matter leaves n suspicion that
he hsdnsohe personal end in view
throughout ri"ii 'n"i1 20 RENO.
The l.Nrxert FnrsH In ti,sSs orlsi.
The following extract from a letter
to Mr.. a. s. McCann, from, friend
in Texas, will give the reader some
idea Of the i'imensity ofa Texas farm.
The writer, Mr.. II. Chambeflaip, wish
es to know at what figure he can buy
fifty or sixty high grade bull calves
and about 300 buck lambs
Since my return. to Texas, and al
most immediately afterwarl, Captain
King, with his entire family, started
North, and has been gone, ever since,
leaving me in iull charge Of his rancho;
and | assure you it ,is no small job to
receive reports apd give orders to about
twenty-five overseers. The employees
ou the ranch pumber nearly 25O. The
different branches, which arc managed
separate aud distinct from each other,
are horses, 1000 head ;'csttle, $4,000;
fshecp, 30,D10g Each branch has its
head uverscer and sub-overseer over
1.-THE LANDS that belong TO each particu
Iiar business. These head oyerseers
receive their daily reports from the
sub.overseers, and 'tieh report them
salves to the general supervisor (my'
selI) once or twice = week, as the case
may require. Every man, or emp'oye,
is rationcd Sunday morning, through
his overscer, who draws for the total
number Of men under him, and then
reissues himself to each man. Besides
25O regular stock hands, | ana con-
-tructug G3 miles Of wire fence, Oh
which are employed upwards Of 100
men, divided into sipprr 4laSties' as iol-
lows One party digging "a foot holes
ID feet apart; Sc ;ond gang setting posts
and rammiDg them; third party stretch
ing wire; fourth party gathering and
p;ling posts, and making roads in tim
Ger, convenient. for hauling 4 jbesidos
three eight mulcs) trains hauling. The
posts, eight feet in length (2I feet in
ground and 81 feet out) and l,number-
iug about $4,000, were cut by sixty
men in about q month. The holes,
the same number, will all be completed
to morrow, having been dug since the
tenth d.y OF August. This part of the
work you can readily understand, but
as the wire part may be something
new TO you, | will undertake to oexplsin
80 as you will see how our mile per day
is easily put up. In the first place the
wire is OF two sizes, Il top wire and
81 smaller lower four wires. Five wires
are being put on, the top wire being D
feet , inches from the ground. The
wire is put up 10 coils OF half milo,
and is played out by means OF au or
dinAry dump cart, which has piece of
an axle. (buggy size) or spindle, stand
INK erect in the center of the cart and
fastened TO the cart axle, on which re
wolves q wheel or reel. One animal
pulls the cart ,long the fence first,
then two blocks and rope are at
tached. and the wire stretched to its
utmost and fastened by means OF y
half staple. or a spike with a hook on
1t. The posts remain in a rough state,
only the bark is taken off on the inside
of the inclosure where the wire goes.
1t would appear to some terrible big
undertaking. but you would be sur
prised how simple aud easy the work
is, The choppirg and hauling Of pcsts
being the only real hard work about
the. whole jcb. The overseers of the
different gangs are men OF experience.
Of course, aud .,heo the hands are gen
orally any one you eau pick ~. it mat
tiers not. Capt. King estimates this
fence to Coz: him sSi0 per mile. and u
be completed; BY Chr..tnss. the Scrk
being commenced the 10Th OF Augast
last. When eoupls,ed aud joined on
to HE pasture here. which was built
several year- ago (isrty and ose fourth
miles of fence. Il will cOntain one hau
died and seventy thousand acres ot 6ne
"A