Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-04-11
THE EMPIRE OF TEXAS.


A New System of Cattle Rearing that Involves
Vast Pastures--The Profit of Wool Growing.
A letter from Eagle Pass, Tex, in
the New York Sun says: The typical
cowboy is with US almost a thing of the
past, not simply because the number of
cattle has so decreased of late, but be-
cause the manner of handling them has
undergone a radical change. Time was
when an owner of fifteen hundred or
two thousand head of cattle would find
employment for fifteen or twenty vague
res. Under the present system three men
can now perform the functions for which
I've times that number were requisite a
few years ago. 1t was formerly the Gus
tom upon our ranches to "loose-herd
the cattle during the day and to round
them up on the "bed- ground or pen
them in corrals for the night. Now we
have immense pastures, inclosed by
many miles of barbed- wire fencing, In
which cattle roam at will by day or
night. The pasture fences are examined
and kept in repair by men detailed upon
the ranches for that purpose. Ten years
ago the cattle were driven north from
this state without regard to sex, age, or
condition. The result was that Texas
was almost drained of breeding as well
as of beef cattle. Now there is some
discretion exercised. and it is the eXcep-
ton, not the rule, for COWS and calves to
be driven cup the trail or to the ship
ping centers Many of our stockmen
have introduced fine cattle of the Dur
ham and other breeds on their ranches
With a view to improving their stock.
FuIl-blooded cattle, however, are not
easily acclimated, nor do they do well
unless fed. The half-bre cattle seem
to thrive, and in time the long-horned
native cattle will be supPlanted by Il
mixed breed of finer quality. Two spe-
cies OF the n1u8c0, known here as the
'sheel hv' and the. ''screw flv,
are the bane of the cattle
men. The former look very like the or
the leg OF the animal below the knee.
and eats its way into the flesh. The
'sscrew fy" Is much like the blue bottle,
and attacks the animal wherever the
flesh is laid bare either by branding or
marking the ears; it leaves nit from
which the worm is hatthed by animal
heat. Some time since a valuable calf
got screw worms IL one of its ears. 1t
was doctored, and, it was thought,
cured. It died recently, and upon open
ing the skull It was found that the screw
worms had eaten their way to the brain.
The present system Of branding and
marking the ears not only disfgures the
cattle and destroys the hide, but, as
may be seen from the above statement,
Is dangerous.
Wool-grow1ng is q remunerative pur-
suit here. There are men within fifty
miles of Eagle Pass who count their
sheep by the thousands, and who came
from the north few years since almost
penniless. Some of them started by
taking care Of other peoples sheep on
shares; that is, taking charge of herd
and becoming responsible for it for one
half of the wool and of the increase; and
as many of our herds breed and are
sheared twice year, these persons soon
became large owners. Others coming
here with small capital, have invested in
Mexican ewes, which can be bought at
from 70 cents to 81 per head; then they
put few hundred IN some good merino
rams. In few years time, by this pro-
cess, they have been enabled to dispose
Of the original stock, retaining a surplus
OF improved sheep, valued III the way
from s. to S. per head. But there is
considerable labor connected with sue
cessful sheep raising, and it is by no
means of the easiest or most-desirable
kind. The lands upon which these
sheep feed are, as rule, either school
Ia us rented from the state for small
consideration annually, or land rented
IF the different railroad oornOrotionc
Only the most successful wooi-growers
own land in this county. The estate of
Mr.. Jones Griner, who died some time
ago at San Felipe, about seventy
miles up the Rio Grande from Eagle
Pass, comprised over forty thousand
head of sheep, with considerable herd
Of cattle and number Of horses. Mr..
Griner, fifteen years ago, started out in
the world with capital not exceeding
800.