Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1892-06-17
A GREAT CATTLE RANCH.
1T COVERS 700, 900 ACRES AND IT
CONTAINS OVER 100, 900 CATTLE.
1t is the Largest Ranch in the United
States-H0w Orders for Cattle
are Filled,

1t is the Largest Ranch in the United
States-How Orders for Cattle
are Filled.
"HE largest ranch in the United
States and probably in the world
owned by one person is in Texas,
and belongs to Mrs. Richard
King. 1t lies forty-five miles south of
Corpus Christi.
The ladies who come to call on Mrs.
King drive from the front gate, over as
good road as any in Central Park, for
ten miles before they arrive at her front
door, and the butcher and baker and ice-
man, if such existed, would have to
drive thirty miles from the back gate be-
fore they reached her kitchen. This
ranch is bounded by the Corpus Christi
Bay for forty miles, and by barb wire for
three hundred miles more. 1t covers
700, 900 acres in extent and 100, 600 head
of cattle and 5000 broodmares wander
over its different pastures.
This property is under the ruling of
Robert j. Keberg, Mis-. Kings son-in-
law, and he has under him a superin-
tendent, or, as the Mexicans call one
who holds that office, major-domo,
which is an unusual position for major
domo, las this ma ajor. domo has the charge
of 800 cowboys and 1900 ponies reserved
for their use. The "Widow's" ranch, as
the people about call it, is as carefully
organized and moves on as conservative
business principles as a bank. The COW
boys do not ride over its ranges with
both legs at right angles TO the saddle
and shooting joyfully into the air with
both guns at once. Neither do they offer
the casual visitor a bucking pony to ride,
and then roll around on the prairie with
glee when he is shot up into the air and
comes down on his collar-b bone they are
more likely to offer him as fine Ken
tdcky thoroughbred as ever wore blue
ribbon around the Madison Square Gar
den; and neither do they shoot at his feet
to see if he can dance. In this way the
Eastern man is cons stantly finding his
dearest illusions abruptly dispelled. 1t
is also trying when the cowboys stand
up and take off their sombreros when
one is leaving their camp. There are
cowboys and cowboys, and am speak
ing now of those | saw on the King
ranch.
The thing that the wise man from the
East cannot at first understand is how
the 100, 600 head of cattle wandering at
large over the range are ever collected
together. He sees q dozen or more
steers here, bunch of horses there, and
a single steer or two mile off, and
l,a ka,, bay
in the brush, and as far as his chance of
finding them again would be, they might
as well stand forty miles away at the
other end of the ranch. But this is
very simple problem to the ranchman.
Mr.. Kleberg, for instance, receives an
order from firm in Chicago calling for
1909 head of cattle. The breed of cat
tie the firm wants is grazing in corner
of the range fenced in by barb wire, aud
marked pale blue for convenience on a
beautiful map blocked out in colors, like
patchwork quilt, which hangs in Mr..
. Kleberg's office. When the order is re-
ceived, he sends a Mexican on pony to
tell the men near that parti cular pale
blue pasture to round up 1000 head of
cattle, and at the same time directs his
superintendent to send in few days as
many cowboys to that pasture as are
needed 10 "hold" 1000 head of
cattle on the way TO the rail-
road station. The boys on the pas
ture, which we will suppose is ten miles
square, will take ten of their number and
five extra ponies apiece, which one man
leads, and from one to another of which
they shift their saddles rs men do In polo,
and go directly TO the water tanks in the
ten square miles of land. A COW will not
often wander more than two and half
miles from water, aud so, with the water
tank, which on the King ranch may be
either well with windmill or u dam
med canon full OF rain.water, rs a rem
devious, the finding of the cattle is COM
paratiyely easy, and ten men can round
up 1000 head in a day or two. When
they have them all together, the cowboys
arrived, and take them of,
Al the station the agent Of the Chicago
firm and the agent Of the King ranch ride
ihrou ia the herd together, and II they
disagree as to the fitness OF any one OF
more OF the cattle, an outsider is called
in, and his decision Is final. The cattle
are then driven on the cars, aud Mr.. kle'
berg's responsibility is at an end.
In the spring there Is general round
ing up, aud thousands aud thousand, OF
steers are brought Ia from the different
pastures, aud those for which contracts
have been made during the winter are
shipped of to the markets, and the
calves are branded. II llarpers Weekly.