The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1898-01-22

i Headquarters ranch, which is only q
lstation for the transaction OF business
on their big California farm. The prin.
i cipal business here is the raising 81
catlle, and most of the hay and grain
j grown is for feed for their own stock
Men are employed TO do the work on
this farm same as on a farm in Mime.
sofa, and it is only the magnitude Of the
enterprise that makes it interesting.
This farm extends for more than one
hundred miles in northerly direction
from this point. varying in width from
one to ten miles. 1t is all under the irrl.
CATION ditch. At various points are sta.
tions or headquarters for carrying on the
business, all of which are connected by
telephone line.
At 4 o'clock I was aroused by the
alarm Of the telephone bell and the
babble OF many tongues. The camp was
alive, and it was not yet daylight. The
night had been oppresslyely warm, and
| sleep in closed room was out Of the
question. I arose and quickly dressed
| had not been cut fifteen minutes nor
gazed into the faces of a dozen men
before concluded that life on a farm OF
this kind is both drudqe1y and slavery
The men are over-worked, and the man
ager is the hardest worked man of them
all. He doesn't know what undisturbed
rest is day or night. To bed at IL and
| up at 4! Think of it.! And then half a
dozen telephon calls during the time he
is trying to court Morpheus! And yet
the manager, Mr.. T. E. Brown, has held
the position for 20 years. At this ranch
there is a large supply store, a com
modious office, pleasant rooms for guests
large dining hall, blacksmith and
repair shop, and bunk house for the
help. The men all furnish their own
blankets, all the bedding they possess,
or consider necessary, and not half of
them evail themselves of the bunk house,
but roll up in their blankets and sleep
under straw or hay stack. Very few
of them remove their clothing, not even
their shoes.
At $50 O'Clock Monaghan stepped to
the door of the dining hall ADD sounded
a big triangle. Instantly work was sus-
pended and quiet march made for the
breakfast table. Ham, potatoes, hot bis
cults, light bread, beans, dried prunes
and coffee we're served. Benches served
for seats, and the men ate off tin plates
and drank out of tin cups. The meal
was we'll cooked, palatable and nicely
served. Before seven O'Clock every man
who goes away from the house 70 work
had departed, and it was as quiet as at
the midnight hour. -
"And now" said the manager, "we'll
take our breakfast; and leading the way,
we were seated at the farther end of the
dining hall at the table reserved for
guests. A snow-white cloth covered the
table, the dishes were of late pattern. and
choicer steak, more perfect coffee or
better bread it has rarely been my good
fortune to taste, and it was all prepared
cooked and served by Cinnamon, who
are engaged in the culinary department
OF nearly all ranches in the state, much
as they are despised by Americans.
The beeves on this ranch are selected
and shipped once each year.. A conser-
vative stockman said to me that 20 per
cent of the entire herd is shipped annu-
ally. That is to say, the herd increases
100 per cent every five years. Very few
cattle in these great herds are stall fed.
They pick their feed the year round
from the pasture. The lame ones, the
old ones and those that have met with
misfortune only are separated and fed.
70 tide over these unfortunates consid
cradle hay and some grain are provided.
Shipment of beeves on all these large
ranches is made direct from the pasture
to the San Francisco market. There
isn't much timothy or clover hay grown
but instead fields of alfalfa are to be seen
on every hand. This is coarse hay, but
very nutritious, snd yields on good soil
two tons at cutting to the acre, and
three crops may de harvested in q year.
1t is also very generally used for past
urage.
Eight o'clock found us stirring the
dust very perceptibly on our westward
journey. AS we turned our back on Head
quarters ranch we looked out upon a
prairie % miles in width, level as a race
course. and parched and lonesome and
waterless as the desert of Sahara. H.
deed, it was in startling contrast to the
verdant hills of our far Eastern home,
and we shuddered involuntariIy as we
gazed upon that wide expanse Of 20.
thingness over and against which, clearly
visible, where the outlines of the Coast
Range. Not tree, nor blade of grass
nor shrub, nor living thing was in evi-
| dence. Along the lonely road We drove
for IL hours, when I reined to one side
of the trail, unhitched and Embarrassed
and lifted out sack of barley, placed a
liberal supply, in front of my horse.
She ate mincingly, ever and anon raising
her he'd and casting look at me and
| calling for water. The road was dusty
and the day warm. We were fifteen
| miles from water! We abbreviated our
monday lunch somewhat, and in forty
minutes were again raising the dust on
our western fight. We had not gone
five miles before our thirsty equine
showed signs of tagging. Twenty miles
even, on hot day, with the dust rising
constantly, is too far to drive in this
desperately dry country. At five o'clock
we reached Tembler ranch, sheep
herder's camp, thirty miles from Head
quarters. It was a hard drive and our
horse seemed half famished for water.
Temblor is just few miles of the
plains, an oasis in the deserts, lovely
| home, with bearing fig trees and fields
OF barley just ripening, strawberry
patch luminous with ripening fruit, and
in the midst Of all was bubbling spring
of pure cold water. All, that's what
touched the spoti
We had letter of introduction to
Billy, the cook. Take az good care Of
these people as you cam ran the line,
which was signed by Manager Brown.
l. - ros1