The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-01-16
CATCHING WILD CATTLE.
How It is Done in Massachusetts Wit
 Trained Bulldogs.

How It is Done in Massachusetts Witt
 Trained Bulldogs.
 As the winter approaches each veal
 the farmers are apt to find cattle il
 their pastures that have become w.l(
 through the summer and cannot bt
 driven into the barns. When the farm
 CT finds that he cannot drive his stock
 in himself, he calls in the aid of mar with bulldog good at catching the
 animals, and in this way secures them I There are several men in Franklin
 county who do this work. Among them
 is Burke Richmond of East Charle-
 mont, who, with his brindle and white ! Mack, dog of the bulldog breed, has done quite q business in this line Mack | Is now getting along into years, and all
 ready, as the life of dogs goes, is old
 MT. Richmond and his dog have a reputation, and their services are called for far and wide. Mack has earned his
 master over $100 in this way, besides
 catching numberless woodchucks i1 summer. While Mack has a fondness for the work he is called upon to do in the fall season, he never molests cattle in the summer, and Is not used to drive them then. His master speaks of him
 as an intelligent dog, who has not re- quirod any "lickinE' in the last decada. When the time comes for business a party of men go into the pasture
 where the cattle are, and the dog sizes
 up the situation at once and proceeds
 to catch an animal by his nose. The bull dog always catches hold of the nose, while dogs of other breeds are apt to catch hold wherever there is a chance, only to be thrown off and at the same time injuring the creature. The bull dog with a good grip on the nose is troublesome antagonist. The tenac- ity of the bull dog is proverbial when once he gets a hold. Sometimes Mack is shaken off, but he does not lose his courage. He catches hold again and in the end always conquers. A large crea ture will raise the dog and shake him oftentimes as a cat shakes a rat, but in the end has to succumb Mir. Rich lame from being shaken and steped on the last season.
 Not all of the herd goes wild as gen. eral thing, but the wild ones are apt to stay together. Considerable care has to be taken in approaching the animals so as to come on to them unawares The dog will seize one and when he has him well in hand or subdued, men with ropes tie him fast, and the dog goes for the next one. There is usually scattering when the first one is caught, and sometimes there Is long chase before the next one is overtaken. The creatures may run for miles, but more afen they circle around. When cattle are very wild they are as wary as deer, and stalking is almost as difficult as deer stalking. MT. Richmond's fees are $2 head, and he earns sS or $9 some days When he works all day he makes a reduction from the usual rates. This year he caught eleven head; last year thirty. He says no fence will stop cat tie when running wild" They easily jump the highest fence. He says some men have attempted to run down cat- tie without the aid of a dog, and some- time will succeed, but the plan is not usually a success. Instances are known of a swift footed man following a sin gle creature, and, in time, in the Yam tee vernacular, "tuck!ng him out" But the men are few who have succeed ed in running down wild animal.
 V. M Maxwell of Heath formerly had a good dog for catching wild cattle, but he was shot by the owner of another dog, who objected to the intimacy be- tween the two canines. George l.. Graves of Ashfield is another man who caught cattle by the aid of dog. He had many calls for his services and was successful as long as his dog was young, but now the dog is too old to be any good for catching cattle.
 Albert L. Hubbard of Sunderland has a full-blooded English bull terrier five years old that has caught forty-six head of wild cattle. MT. Hubbard says the element risk In being gored-which is always present when wild cattle are at bay-lends excitement to the chase, and that one must be sure of his dog before starting in. His dog always catches hold of the nose, and has never been known to lose his grip. Last Mon- day MT. Hubbard started with his dog to hunt wild heifer that was last seen on the southern end of Mount Toby, in The party drove near to the place where the heifer had last been seen, and then started on foot Very soon the dog acted as though he