The Globe-republican., 1895-11-28
SCRAPS OF EARLY HISTORY.
BY THE EDITOR.

The cattle business was profitable
during its short career. Probabl,
not as hardy as the buffalo, the Texa
steer and COW followed the same lin
as the buffalo and rustled for living
; The short buffalo heritage was goot
picking, winter and summer, in tn
old days, with few exceptions; and tn
cattle did well in winter if snow wa.
not on the ground. We remember
but one winter-that of 1879, we be
lieve- the snow lay on tn
ground for six weeks, and many cat
tie persisted for want of feed. Ex-
cepting during the winter Of the big
blizzard and the winter of 1879, W.
know of no winter in which the snow
covered the ground for more than {
few days at time, and cattle were
permitted to Craze uninterruptedly
Cattlemen did not consider theil
losses great if they did not exceed 3
or 3 per cent of the whole. The pro
fit was SO large on free range and
the expense so light that even 10 or Is
per cent loss was not regarded extra
VACANT. There was not much rang
ing of cattle during the buffalo regime
and during the period of the Texas
cattle drive; but the country was be-
ing gradually occupied with cattle
until the blizzard of sc.
The roundup was the principal ex-
pense in the cattle business in the ear
ly days; and these round-ups were
attended by owners and herders who
had cattle for many miles around.
The joint round up was for branding
and counting and culling for shipment
when the cattle were turned loose
again to roam at will on the range and
chew the succulent herbage.
Every owner had ranch and range
practically, but the cattle paid no at
tention to the strict lines of range as
claimed by the cattlemen, and roamed
for hundreds of miles around.
The range was occupied by COM
mon consent, each one claiming suf-
fsient range for the cattle owned by
him, according to priority of occu-
patton or fright of discovery" There
was no trespassing and no quarreling
and within this range discipline the
mutual regard for the cattle of each
owner prevailed.
The custom of the ''trail drive" was
not in vogue in the ranch days. This
custom was one that was conducted
quite extensively, it was said, in the
days of the "drive" in its early stages,
by class who were not scrupulously
honest. It consisted of starting out
from some point in Texas with few
hundred of cattle and reaching the
point of the drive with few thous
and head. The Maverick system" is
still pursued on other lines than a
cattle trail. Latterly, cattle drivers
had "road brand" and cattle stealing
was less frequent. The old adage,
"a rolling stone gathers no moss" did
not apply to the ''cattle industry" in
the early days of the drive.
*
The cattle days were the flush days
when high prices and extravagant ex
penditure was the rule. Cattlemer
were generous and spent money free
ly. The cowboy was still more gen
erous and more lavish in his disburse
ments of ready cash. On his arriva
at the end of the cattle drive the frs
thing to do after receiving perhaps
five or six months wages, was the pur
chase of fine suit of clothes, ane
thus equipped he sailed forth in ques
of sport. The old trail rags and yer
min had given place to a nobby sui
and odor of lavender or musk. Tb'
gay Texan in doing the city by Goa
oil light, danced and drsnk and gam
bled until broke; and he was fortunate
if he secured cash to take him bacl
to the home of the long horn-hi
own Lone Star.
The ranchman or his herders wer'
a IL II -