The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-08-20
A Story Of the Lives of Their Brave
Hardy DweIItrs.
sIOCKMEN'S DANGEROUS WORK
pcriIs Attending Branding OF Calves
and Dehorning of Cattle - Inc
Primitive Life OF a Rich Ranch
man-Cunning Game.

vel refer to the almost imOecihc EFFORTS
20 raise crops as business on THESE rack
los nlains. The trouble is the lack OF rain
when n IS most needed. The land Is won
dorfally fertile. but in this arid region
much water Is necessary and the iah j.
lighter by far than in damp CLIMATES
Plan as ne may toll as ne must me
horny-nsted son q the praifies nine years
or OF ten sees his crops vanishing INTO
thin. dry air. 1t refuses 20 ram ail"e
on The lust and the unjust. or course
there are rains here: sometimes u comes
With a terrible vengeance. washing great
holas and gullics on the hills and ming
the ravlncs with sand and debris. omen
times these tremendous doWnpOurs sweep
the young crops of Of the nelds an1
xomctimes the lands are 80 badly washed
the vegetation fails utterly. The dams 10
the reservoirs are swept away Ike cnah
and bridges are but toys for the waters
such a rain as this came 90 thls section
two weeks ago. leaving destruction ana
ASSOCIATION In lis wake. The ineXorabIlity
OF nature is nowhere more powerfully H.
Illustrated than in this arid region. The
storm lone DELAYED and over due is dread
al. and well might ID bc for IL pays old
scores with compound interest. OF the
three great struggles Of man-keigion,
s,clety and Naturc-the latter furnishes
the most mysterious difficulty and the
most disastrous consequences here.
TERRIFIC HAIL.
The most destructive element 81 the
Colorado storms which come during the
summer or the crop season is the haI
which not only demolishcs an growing
crops but often threatens the lives Of men
and beasts. 10 comes sometimes. not in
frequently. IN such large Jumps that cattle
and sheen are killed and men caught out
IN II must seek shelter by getting under
their wagons or ir they are horseback
they place the saddle over their heads
for protection. Many Of these haiistone,
when picked up after the storm IS over
are a. large as hen eggs and many sided
with sharp, ragged corners and sides
which cut like knives. il s. believed lnat
the Jumps adhere 10 each other before
they reach the earth, gathering size in
the descent.
The most dangerous phase Of the Colo
RADIO elements however. is. Of course, the
great billiards. which come az rule late
in the fall or early spring rarely ever in
the dead OF winter Ia october, 1897. this
State was visited by one OF the most
disastrous Of the snow storms. which
came so suddenly and 10 such great fury
that several thousand head OF sheep and
two Mexican herders belonging % the
Holt Lave Stock Company OF this place.
perlshed in It before they could get TO
shelter.
While farming IN Colorado Is a fat fail
IRE the live stock business is a great sue
cess when wisely conducted. The short
grass chiefly the Grammer variety, pos
sesses a remarkable nutrlmert for cattle,
sheep and even horses and I'm good season
and mild winters they viii keep In good
Ill
It seems a pity 10 see these grazing lands
or ranges" as they are styled here. set
It'd by alleged boomers who take up
claim. live on Il in a foolish attempt 10
farm for few years. then desert IT, The
range Is ruined and the farm is a failure.
The stSckmen. of course, raise all of the
feed FOR stock they can. mainly alfalfa,
which, when ahundantly watered by irri-
cation, makes fine hay. but Is sure death
60 stock, especially sheep. when eaten
green. Il contains a property which
poisons stock turned upon Sc for the first
time. The stockmen say that n the stock
can become gradually used 20 H., eating
little each day. that they will finally
thrive upon Il i'm a remarkable manner
but the experiment is a costly one.
BRANDING CALVES.
In the conduct Of a great cattle ranch
the most cruel as well as the most dam
! gerous work IS that Of branding calves.
The method. however Is sanctioned by
Colorado law for her statutes require each
ranchman 10 register his brand every
year with the Secretary of the Common
wealth. This not only prevents dupIica-
ton but saves "A brand from falling into
disuse. for, after reasonable lapse. an
other may take up the abandoned brand.
The custom OF branding is necessary
ola Of b.. la.
the arid region Is sim owned by the Fed
eral government, and IS therefore the
common property OF the stockmcn. II an
unbranded calf or COW happens 10 Join
a herd 10 which Il really does rot belong
the Owiier OF that herd has a perfect
rsgh "a put his brand upon the brute
and IL Is his. Unbranded cattle are known
as mavericks deriving the name from a
Texas cattleman who became notorious
by habitually neglecting 90 brand his cat
tie. This is why Hoyt named ms prn-
cipal character IN his ~ Texas Steer"
Maverick Brander.
The wise cattleman Is not slow to pui
his brand on his calf and before the uitle
beasts are weaned from the mothers the
irons are applied with mercless resu-
laEiy.
The dangerous part Of the work lies in
separating the calves from their mothers.
the life OF many a daring cowboy having
been sacrificed 10 the vengeance Of the
outraged beast. The cows with their
calves are rounded M and driven Into a
corral built OF very tan fences where the
perilous undertaking occurs. The des-
Ierate and daring manner In which the
horned mother protects her offspring is
worthy OF a human being. II Is almost
impossible IN this crowded corral TO use
the COW ponies 20 advantage so the work
OF separating IS usually done by the COW
boys on foot Strange 20 say. even the
most vicious COW rarely ever attacks a
broncho aud the trained COW pony X not
IN The least afraid OF them. The dehorn-
ed COW very seldom shows Tight. but
seems 70 look 10 those with weapons 10
do the hshting. while the young OF the
latter are protected and consoled with
their own until the combat Is over.
From a comfortable elevation | wit
messed the branding process the other day
on the great ranch OF the Holt Live Stock
Company, at Holtwold, Col. Mr.. Myron
w. Jones. the general manager, directed
affairs with Spartan nerve. but kept an
eagle eye upon the nearest point OF
safety. Up 10 a certain point the COWS ap-
peared cowed and the cowboys dismounted
for the separating work. leaving the
pofdes IN the corral as a sort OF refuge II
lightning speed and I moved back on my
platform TO give him room 20 Hight after
being tossed heavenward. But quick as
a fash he fell prone upon the earth and
the animal stopped short. looked al him
In a contemptuous manner. and turned
away. ! was told afterwards that falling
saved the cowboys life. as COW win