Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-03-25
FOR THE YOUNG FOLKS.

"SAu "a PAOAAulAs u ALccu OOI1oIS
by the Committee of the Agricultural
Society of our county, for the best
matched and best trained yoke of year
ling steers. The steers were to be ex-
hibited at the county fair held on the
third of October, and the owner and
trainer must be boy who was not more
than fifteen years old. The object of
this premium was to interest the farm
ers' sons in the breaking or training
of cattle, and to promote the making up
of well-matched yokes of oxen. By
weu-matched oxen was meant those
which not only looked alike as to size,
color, and horns, but which were alike
In disposition and quickness, or slow
ness, of movement; in fact, those which,
in the yoke, would work together evenly
and to the best effect.
The reward had been announced ten
months in advance, to give the boys
time to mate and train their steers. A
notice of it was published in the county
paper; and it was said that not less
than fifty boys intended to compete for
the prize. In our own neighborhood,
recollect, there we're three yokes of
steers in training all that season, and
the rivalry-which was a friendly one
ran quite high.
Willis Murch had yoke of plain red
cattle of the native breed, as we call
them. They proved wonderfully tracta-
BILE. He rarely or never struck one OF
them. In way peculiar to himself, he
taught them what he wished them to
do by giving them pieces of corn, or
potatoes, which he carried in his peck
cts. He had little cart, a wood sled
and stone drag, which he had made
in order to train little "Buck and
Bright They would draw the cart or
back it as steadily as old oxen, and
SHAW" or "gee off :" at word from
Willis or a motion of his hand. It was
understood, too, that Willis was teach
ing them great number of extra feats.
His little sister Emma had told other
children that Bright would run or walk
backwards in ring like circus pony.
But Willis himself did not speak of
this; and he would not perform
with Buck and Bright before any of
the boys.
We expected Willis would have the
best trained yoke. Still we did not
greatly fear him as a rival, for his
steers were not large, nor were they
handsome. My cousin George and /,
who lived together on the same home
farm, owned a yoke of steers in COM
pany. They were of the breed
known as the Devon, but were lightly
graded in the Hereford breed, and were
of dark, cherry-red color. Each of
them had 'sstar in the face" that is,
a patch of white as large as the palm
of ones hand. In length of body,
build, and in the shape and size of their
horns, they were so very much
alike that it was difficult even for
George or for me to tell them apart.
Besides this, they were large, for they
measured, in September that fall, five
feet ard an inch each in girth. Star
and Golden were their names. Week
by week we trained them, till there was
no manner of teamwork which they
would not do as well and with as much
apparent steadiness as old oxen. George
also taught them to walk together,
without being yoked. He could also
call them to him to be yoked by mo-
ton of his hand and by simply saying,
" Come, Golden" at a distance of
twenty or thirty yards. We really
thought this accomplishment more
useful than all the " circus tricks - of
Willis's steers; at least, that was the
way we comforted ourselves whenever
we heard of the remarkable feats which
they were said to perform.
But the rival we feared most was
boy named Alfred Bachelor, who lived
at "the Corners, - half or three-fourths
of a mile from us. Alf's steers were of
the Durham breed, but not quite pure
blood, l think. In color they were
cream-white, with dark red markings
on the shoulders, sides and TANKS. So
far as red and white went, the two were
marked nearly alike, and their horns in
size and shape matched very well. But
the "off' one was also marked in pc.
culisr manner. "Guard''-Alf had given
his steers the rather unusual names of
job and Guard-had, in addition to
his other markings, a patch of black
hair as large as dinner-plate on his
right side, just back of his shoulder,
and also q black star on his face. This
made him differ in looks somewhat from
Job, whose face was . pure cream
white. These steers were very large
larger than ours by two or three inches
In girth on a steer; and they were prob
ably as well-trained as ours, for ALT had
spared no pains in this particular; and
he was remarkably apt, bright boy.
But our steers were the best-matched.
That black star and the black patch
made Guard look odd and not we'll |