Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-08-14
NUMBER 33


calves IN pasture, aud letting them
suck twice day. The wild COWS
never stray more than mile or two
from their offspring. The calves
are then weaned, or kept from the
cows, the cattle strike out in day
or two for the wide range, aud the
cows are kept up and hay fed all
winter, so that the greatest loss
that of losing young cattle in the
fierce snow storms that frequent this
sections obviated. One will per.
ceive that = goodly piece Of hay
land Is "A Necessary adjunct TO sue
ceSsful raising of stock, aud GER
tain amount of attention quite as in-
dispensable, almost rs much so as
with farming in the east. The great
advantage of course which this
country has over the more settled
districts, is the vast amount of free
plsturage-the thousands of acres
which will never be fenced high
lands to which sufficient water TO ir-
rigate can never be brought, 80 they
are destined to grow bunch grass
forever But though these ranges
are free to the cattle of all men, still
they are subject to the laws and reg
ulations of cattle men i. 2. customs
and usagcS Just as customs prevail
in older countries aud form part of
the great common law. For instance:
A number Of the great cattle own
ers of certain range will band to.
gether, form an association, make
rules and by laws To bind themselves,
and thus form what is temed
roundup, as the Tonkin roundup,
the Musselshell roundup, etc. This
association twice every year gather
up all the cattle which are scattered
over their vast range, bunch them
corral them, separate the branded
from the unbranded, brand, mark,
cut, slice and turn them loose, They
will pay no attention to the cattle OF
any man outside their association,
and all cattle other than sucking
calves with dam, that are not brand
ed, are called mourks, and such are
sold at auction at the corral to the
highest bidder, anyone whether be-
longing TO the association or not be-
ing ut liberty t1 bid
SO you see that a mans original
investment is not likely to increase,
rather it will diminish from OCCASION
al loss, For being unable % take
advantage Of the roundup privilege
he cannot every year gather his cat
tie, being SO scattered and mixed up
with the innumerable head that COW
or the range, and being unable to
gather them in yearly their calves
90 unbranded, and being unbranded
are nobody's cattle and SO are sold
as mouriks. However if ono should
buy n brand of cattle right off the
range their roundup privilege goes
with them, and sometimes by paying
certain amount man can get into
the roundup with strange cattle But
even with the privilege Of the round
up, unless one keeps the calves up,
if he has a limited number of cattle
il is sometimes slow work. Those
who have their thousands Of head,
turn them out aud let them take
their chances. A hundred lost
calves or so not figuring much among
so many, and their profits being
great though they lose bali. So it
appear that TO be successful one must
get into a roundup, and have a hay
ranch, and all this after he has been
in the country long enough to learn
the run Of things Well, well, how
/ have run on. | must stop about
cattle and mention many other
things for the "boys "
About one out Of five who 60 west
leave the railroad. I've not seen
the iron horse for three months.
But We seen things the iron horse
never sees 1t was wet morning
when | Joined the Smith river round
up, about 100 miles south of Ieiana
Being a wet day everybody was in
camp, and / was the only Pilgrim in
the bands Of the Philistines. There
were half dozen tents aud as many
wagons in yerdant little valley in
the midst OF the mountains. Eques
trian articles Of every description
were scattered about in reckless con
fusion, saddles, brides, glrts, spurs,
lassoes, shapes (fringed leathern
breeches), blankets, etc, though
probably the nondescript owners
knew just where they left their "out-
fits" Nondescript indeedl half
breed and full blood Indians, half
a dozen bearded men and smooth
faced youngsters, all bearing The
stamp Of their free wild life in a
certain abandon Of bearing mum
bering in all about j5 men, includ-
ing the three cooks good cooks, by
the way. 1t was a day for idleness
so everybody with the exception OF
the horse herder was at home, that
4; =; aa,,,, and variouaiV pmnlOyed