The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-13


Indians. Even the piles of horns after
dehorning operations are over, are now
collected and made a source of revenue.
The fertilizer that went to waste on the
ranges is shipped at SO much a ton to
horticultural districts in California and
Colorado for use in the orchards.
New methods are in vogue by which
time and wear and tear on the horses
are saved. A half dozen horses and
cowboys do as much work and cover as
much territory as the safe outfit for
merly did in twice the time. The
branding of calves is done by time
saving 5contriyances. A dozen inven-
tons have been made since 1890 in cat
tle-cars, whereby the loss of animals
trampeled to death, while in transit to
market, has been minimized, and, also,
by which more stock may be put in a
car and hauled to market in better
condition. The United States laws reg
ulating shipment and transportation OF
cattle to market have wrought
changes in the conduct of the cowboys.
These progressive ideas in cattle ranch
ing have been a benefit to the individ-
ual cattle rancher, especially where he
is in competition with cattle companies
having hundreds of thousands invest
ed. He is able to do business on less
capital; he is not deserted by his cow
boys when he exercises economies that
the big companies formerly gave no
heed to; he has fewer losses of cattle
in transportation, and he can get along
with less help. Ex-Governor Wells
says that $4,000 will go as far in cattle
ranching today as $50, 900 used to-.
One of thegthings that strikes per-
son who nowadays goes upon south
west range for the first time in several
years is the general practice of de-,
horning, The long-horned Texas steer
has almost passed away. Twenty
years ago the cattleman's pride was
the length of the widely extending
horns on his cattle The longest horn
ed in the herd were punched out as the
select. The stocknan in the Indian
Territory came forward at about 1880
with herds of short-horned cattle. Their
juicy, tender beef caught the buyers
fancy in the eastern markets, and from
that time the popularity of long horns
has departed. Later western veterin-
arians found that long horns were not
only a useless incumbrance, but that
they Slapped the strength that the ami
mails needed and their roots We're the
seat of diseases, like the mellow
horn" The eattlemen saw that with
out horns their herds were less liable
to damage by running against trees
and chaparral, and, above ALL hornless
animals could be loaded more easily
| Dehorning soon became popular, and
universal in the territories and in
| Texas.
A herd of cattle without horns is in
sipid and unpicturesque to the cow
| boy who now returns to the ranges.
To him a steer without horns reaching
a foot or more in the air is like a
maneless horse to a Robert Bonner
or a mastless ship to a sailor.
/ Dnbnruif1G ffla brOI1UIt 11aur
instrument into the equipment of a
range. 1t is steel apparatus with
| handles about three feet long, and al
! together weighing Is pounds. It is
| known as the "dehorner." 1t has two
sharp knives, one stationary and one
movable. and resembles a tree pruning
! fork. When the handles are apart the
| knives are open and will encircle the
! largest cattle horns. When the handles
| are Dinched together the knives close
and in q twinkling the horns are sew
! cred clean and smooth. A strong-arm-
| ed man can remove the toughest horns
from an animal ~ quick, strong pres
sure On the handles The large cattle
companies have their own dehorning
! outfits, but there are gangs, each of five
men, that go about the southwest do
! ing nothing except dehorning cattle at
so much head. One of the gang is the
roper, who heayes his lariat about an
animals hind leg, and, by the sudden
backing of his pony, throws it down.
There are two ''bulldoggers." They hold
the struggling, believing animal down,
one man holding on to the tail, while
another plants a knee across the
beasts neck. The fourth man manipu-
lates the dehorner. The fifth stands
close at hand with pail of pine tar
and 9 brush. The. moment the horns