The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-07-27
DAYS ON 4 TEXAS HORSE RANCH.
A TenderEoot Relates his Experience with
an Amateur Ranch man-The NJ Oney in 1t.

A TenderEoot Relates his Experience with
an Amateur Ranch nan-The NJ oney in 1t.
While racing back on the yandalia short
time ago from New York TO st LOUIS Said to
myself. said l." why not kill time by ecribbllng
of short account Of my late holiday on q
Texas horse ranch. and with the same story
possibly interest some reader OF THE Sun who
might be curious Us to how the business is
carried on In the rough.
had been invited by an old college GLASS;
mate owning q ranch in the northwest part
OF the Lone Star State and after some four or
five days travel finally reached the town OF
-tof about COO inhabitantsl during the
early half OF Anril. Dicks ranch was situated
eight miles out, and the dear old boy. thor
ouRhly tanned and looking q bit moro dis
hevelled than usual POSSIBLY to impress me
with the wild frontier life he was leading, met
me on the evening OF my arrival In his buck
board and out We drove as fast as No. IS aud
Friday, both OF whom were soon to be shipped
to New York as polo ponies, could pull us.
The country passed through. and common to
that part OF Texas. is undulatinG with curious
ridges Of hills running due north and sout b
The grass is largely curly mesquite and the
mesquite tree (the P-osopis jolid fora. which,
like the locust, belongs to the pea family Is
thickly scattered in the valleys, affording shade
OF protection from the northers in winter, be-
sides, during the drouRhty periods the leaves
aud beans helping greatly toward eking out
want Of pasture. Dicks outfit consisted OF
Sam. q colored boy. who acted as cook. bronco
buster and general maid OF all work. and Tom
Billings who lived with his family little
piece offfrom the ranch Tom cared for the stall
lions, helped with the stock. and. like Sam. did
anything and everything. Dick himself always
lent willing hand. and when extra help was
needed hired by the day among the neighbors.
After a capital supper. to bed. and next
morning, while smoking our pipes Dick gave
me . general outline OF what he had done and
WAS doing. Some six years previously he had
started his concern. the land being bought at
from $3.50 to 81 an acre. enclosing same with
four wires. on cedar and mesquite posts. some
sixteen feet apart at cost OF. say $50 per
mile. still further dividing the body OF ten
square miles into pastures Of from 800 to 1.2OO
acres. which enabled him to shift his stock
about and rest certain pastures for winter use.
He began with some $50 range mares. from IA
TO 16 hands. and well graded by Eastern light
drauRht horses. His stations were q Norman
a thoroughbred, q roadster. and a jack. as he
wanted to thoroughly test what class would
produce the best result. Neither old stock or
youngsters were ever sheltered or fed, and az
ter some five crops OF colts d. had come to tho
conclusion that mule raising was the best line
to follow. rs they. at least. would always find
market at some figure OF, other, and once get
together the right class OF mares and Jacks.
and have the same working In harmony to-
Rether. the business was pretty one, with fair
returns. All this talk about making q fortune
stock raising is rot" said D.. but with the
business here thrifty man with a little capt.
tai behind him should do better at this work
than in post other, States, However. come
round" So on we started, I mounted on
stocky dun pony Iafter,ward TO make Rrens
iu two hours had learned moro than could
hope to write down in week. d. had not
to have tue foais dropped Wien grass was
plentiful but the brood mares were In the
Same pasture as the breeding corrals and stall
inodts 0perGndi found was TO drive the mares
into the pens and stint them rs opportunity
be thought best. As We rode among tho
n IP0 that morning they Looked to obd me
dSs AS ad soo few %Sn had |e esoa
their ioas. the big, yointed sucking babies
aTkward!y gambol.ing round 70 tho on
their coming enemy. l was pointed out, some
half Norman hllics. in fOal 10 the Jack, big,
but not as veil iarnsh"d as Ie TO Ght have
been for their three or four years growth: was
nlso shown few Lal'breeds. aud also Allies by
the Roads ter who was n graded Texas horseL
The !attcrs get. thought, showed W the be-t,
aud ID. to- me that IN his on nlou, the straight
cross o! any que breed on tho native mares
was too strOnE. and that taouRh plenty OF feed
during tho winter might remedy this, yc; that
q more generally use nj lot Of horses would he
raised from the graded horse, and that said
youngsters would come to maturity sooner and
be IL hRrdlo lot OF cattle.
In another pasture We found NJ the young
mu!eH mAir3nt2cd by fow ODD mares with
LeRriiug mulos at foot to steady the bunch
down. and mnko driving into the pens wnsn
mo from rollicAy mu.o II h duIt want
10 20. Just got him warmed up. and 'cnco
IL nothing 70 him. MS lie hops 1t like Il bird. and
then, with b. noSe and tail elevated, and his
head swinging rom side to silo, goes on his
way rejoicing 4t q pace. too that The Uest COW
ponies can hardly keep uD with Ii his action
Tor all tho world Ike an nn'oiops. Saddle the
same brute, however and after le hA- kicked
tie very kniio out OF your vest rocket aid
pitched Ahop'. drawn M into tight knot II
than you can kick u hat II told mo nat a
good span Of broke rules, say from II to -
hands would always bring their 600 he team
to man wait them bot thar ne himself
counter on outside buyers, who gave from 80
the round for yrnlllng7 70 f45 and SO for twos
and thrros. Se!liG.. IN the latte way hero Wa
no object In breaking or hAnil. M ana n"
mule rarely cane to grlei THROUGH sickness ar
hpRT, from the mrs, service ~ the mare Ii tie
work had 10 be done iii the animal WAS reGly
for the market. From the male pasture We
rode through another. among tbs young A. OK,
two and three year old nllIos. rev 81 The geld
ings wern over four years. D. saying TINT he
lot them go ~ that A2e the iArgerH ones 81 say.
l4.8 10 49, being sold TO Visiting buyers r
standard going g tho cattlemen OF the Pan
Handle and New Mexico for COW ponies. l WAS
especially Interested as to what extent the
thoroughbred had marked bis progeny but