Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-02-22
A ROUND z
HOW THE COWBOYS ooLnEoT
AND BRAND CATTLE.
The Cattle Led Into tue Corral
Burned Sides. Punched Ears
and Ears Out on as
Branding Marks.

In print, Is known by most people to be
a Western tenn, but its real significance
Is not generally known.
On tho Northern ranges in Dakota.
Montana and Wyoming Territories, the
cattle are all allowed to run at large
through the winter and summer They
do not stray great distance of, how
ever, and. unless stampeded, may
usually be found within thirty miles or
SO Of their respective ranches.
To collect these immense herds of cat
tie in the spring and fall is no easy mat
ter, and to do this ..round up" is
formed. This is made up by the owners
of the ranches which arc on the same
range, sending roundup" outfit and
their quota of cowboys.
a roundup" outfit consists Of, be-
sides the indispensable cowboys, camp
wagon drawn by four horses or mules,
Mt least five horses for each cowboy,
branding irons, cooking utensils, and
last, but not least, cook, who generally
drives the wagon. These respective re.
representatives. of the different ranches
meet at the end of their range or dis
trict and slowly go through the country,
collecting and branding the cattle and
calves. The wagons do not drive more
than ton or fifteen mics n day, but the
cowboys in search of cattle Ilde sixty or
seventy miles. THIS is where the neces-
sity for each cowboy having so many
horses comes in.
The cattle collected during n days
riding are all driven to the nearest ranch
where there is n corral. Cattle arc not
collected every day, rs the cowboys stop
every other day to brand the cattle
caught. The cattle collected in days
ride by roundup" of thirty cowboys
make an immense herd. This herd is
watched very carefully during the night.
and tho next morning the work of
rounding them out" begins.
''Round .ng out" is the term applied
to separating the cattle of different
brands from the herd This is difficult
work and is done only by very export
cowboys. They ride into the herd, and
when they find ore of their own brand
they slowly drive it out from the punch.
When it is driven out it is taken in
charge by another cowboy, who drives
it to small herd, which is entirely COM
posed of cattle of its own brand. 1t
Will take two or three to get the large
herd separated into rs many small herds
us these brands are Represented in the
Ground up"
After the small herd is separated the
cows with calves and unbranded cattle
are rounded out from the branded cat
| tic. The branded cutie are put into
herd and driven several miles back over
the same ground and turned loose. A
hire is built i'll corner of the CO raj,
where the ''round up" s. the bars arc
| let down. and one of the herds OF COWS
with calves and unbranded cattle are
| in Wv H. a
into the corral. the bars are put up, the
brands of the man who owns The cattle
: in the corral are heated in the
fire. The wok of branding begins.
The ropers ride around the corral, swing
ing their ropes around their heads. As
they see single calves on the edge of the
herd their assocs leave their hands with
a snnp and wind around the calves two
hind legs This is called "heeling" and
is great deal more difficult to do than
to catch them by the neck. The calves
when caught are dragged up to the fire,
where they are he'd and branded.
Branding does not take long, aud soon
the corral is ready for the next herd.
The ropcrs are quite expert with the lasso
and keep the men Mt the fire busy. The
calves are not only branded to mark
them but some owners cut their ears in
different shapes. Other owners even 90
so far as to cut one OF the ears off en-
tircly. After herd that is marked this
why has left the corral the ground is
sometimes covered with ear,. In almost
every herd that is driven into the corral
there are some cattle that were not
branded the year before, and these have
to be handled more carefully or else they
! gore the handler. One of the rovcrs
walks his horse around until he sees
good chance, when, quick ms flash, he
catches the steer by the hind logs.
The steer knows he is caught and turns
10 run ut the man who caught him. AS
soon rs he turns the other roper throws
his lasso around the animals horns.
which holds him fast. The steer Is thus
held fast, and in that cond ton is
branded. When done, the lasso around
his head is taken of and he is allowed
TO rise The men all get out of the way,
and then the rope is taken off the steers
hind legs by skillful twist Of the ropcr's
hand. When the whole herd is branded
they are driven out of the corral and the
next herd is put through the same pro-
cess. When all the cattle are branded
they are driven back over the came
ground that the ''round-up" traversed
| Inc uay before ana turned loose
I On the Ground up" each man leaves
mis- horse to the care of men called
"wranglers," who keep the horses in
herds, which are easily guarded. Every
morning one of the nerds is driven in
GEAR the wagons, and after breakfast
some good lasso thrower stands near the
herd, and, as the cowboys come after
horses, he catches ponies for them. So
The cowboys do not ride their own
horses, but have to take whatever is
| given to them. Some of the horses are
''bncking brorchoa." Any one may be
'he unfortunate man that gets "bnck-
'ng broncho."
Breakfast on roundup is Mt three
o'clock, and by four the wagons are all
moving and the cowboys are riding off
N different directions. They ride all
morning, and at noon stop an hour for
Inner. After dinner they change
horses and start out again.
Life on the roundup is hard work.
The cowboys are in all sorts of danger,