The Billings herald. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1882-1885, 1884-09-20
"sTenderfeet."
"POeta nascitur, non fit."

advice concerning the retention OF
good cowmen when once secured:
If it be true, as the ancients had
it, that a poet was born a poet and
not made, 80 the reverse certainly
holds good as regards COW punch
ers, they becoming expert in their
profession only by long and con-
slant practice. What has become
; of the "old hands" is a question that
has frequently been asked Of ME,
and that l have asked myself dur
ing the progress of the roundup
this summer. Whether they drift
north in search of better wages or,
becoming gradually disgusted with
a business that furnishes them with
wages for only six months in the
year, seek some employment where
the remuneration is Lossibly not so
high, but where work is steadier, /
do not know.
In all branches of skilled labor
land that cowpunching is skilled
labor think no one will deny) it
is customary to begin with nomin-
al wages until man has acquired
a certain amount af proficiency in
his trade, whatever that may be.
In cowpunching this is not so, men
being put to work on wages ayerag-
ing within S. month of those that
an experienced hand receives. That
such state Of affairs naturally
tends to produce a feeling of dissat-
isfaction among cowboys is not to
be wondered at, because they feel
that they have to do their own
work and practically the work of
the man who receives almost the
same wages as they do. That a ten
derfoot is more of hindrance than
help to a roundup any one will
readily admit that has seen him
with the expression of ''to do or to
die" upon his face, firmly grasp the
sweat leather in his left hand, the
cantle in his right and prepare
to mount, and land the next second
on the ground, while the poor horse,
frightened out of his wits at being
mounted in such a novel manner,
seeks refuge in an adjoining county.
and couple of horses are run down
in bringing him back to camp. AS
the day progresses matters, instead
of mending, become gradually
worse. Your ''bete noire," if l may
be permitted SO to call him Cal
though mine was a singularly
light Completed" chap; is wait
ing for the moment to arrive when
you shall have got COW clear, to
head her back into the herd again,
while his partner may be described
as hazing steer through the fresh
ly-cut bunch of COWS and calves,
which above all things, is held sa-
cred from disturbance on round
up.
1t is related Of Mr.. James Lane
that on once being asked by ten
derfoot how long it would take him
to emerge from the chrysalis stage
of a tenderfoot to the butterfly one
of COW puncher, he promptly
replied, "Ten years )" Although
| am inclined to believe Mr.. Lane
was disposed to make the term OF
probation unnecessarily long, do
contend that a man should not ex-
pect to receive full wages until he
has at least acquired the a b of
the business.
Ii [ have shown to cattlemen in
this letter how foolish is the prac-
tice of discharging really good
hands in the fall only to supply
their places in the spring with raw
recruits, my objects in writing this
somewhat lengthy letter will be
fully attained.
Northern VS.. Southern Grown Beet.
In recent article we showed that
the best animal flesh for food is
grown between the middle of the
temperate zone and the pole-the
nearer the pole the better. Our
purpose for arguing this fact was
that it might be acted upon-ad-
vantage taken of it in favor of Mon.
tana beef by her cattle-growers.
Breed good cattle and you will soon
have what you well deserve the
name of growing the best beef in
America. The testimony of butch
ers every where-the best Judges
and most practiced men in hand
ling as well as eating beef, is that
northern grown is greatly prefer
able to southern grown beef. It is ;
the testimony Of all writer's upon ,
natural history that the farther
norths you 60 the better and more
generally you find good food ami
nearer you approach the 8
the more generally you find |
or flesh consuming AMI D.,
mails. This is a law of nature. :
1t is also a fact, as we claimed in
our first, that for the north half of ,
the earth the dairy region is con- t
fined to that belt lying north of
Kansas. Not that butter and cheese /,
may not be- produced south, but
only on high lands to compete with !
that north. The region north of I
that line is generally well adapted
to the dairy south is generally the I
reverse. Fl
In our second article we referred ,
to the fact that not only in beef but 3
in birds and fish the best and most 1
flesh is produced far t
north. This is too evident to re- /
auire arguing. In the salmon an /
nually ascending the Yukon river 5
we have store of food as vet un- +
touched, exceeding in value the t
dccks of Montana.
To make our assertion yet broad {
er, we cite the fact that every I'M
proved breed of cattle is from
latitude farther North than ours.