Evening journal., 1900-05-10
A REz0RBACKK HUNT.
ROUNDING UP THE HOGS IS LIVELY
AND, EXCITING WORK.

90 Drive His Hogs 90 Market.
While it is generally accounted that
the sheep and Angora goat furnish
most of the revenues to the rancher Ia
the broken and wooded country south
Of the Staked plains and west OF the
Colorado river. II is nevertheless fact
that the razorback hog contributes n /
full share. Probably there is no coun-
try anywhere better adapted to the |
production OF cheap pork. The hills
are covered with cedar and a great va
rlety of scrub oak trees and the can
yons aud river valleys are heavily |
wooded with pecan and Spanish wal
nut, so that there Is always an abun- /
dance Of excellent mast, and It might |
be mentioned that the cedar berries are /
considered equal to corn In lard pro-
duclng qualities.
with this sort of feed, which Is al |
ways abundant, the expense of care
and feeding is removed, the animals
simply running at large over the couu-
try, so that the only outlay required
Is that of the first cost Of n few head
for start. Running loose In this way
they are not subject 70 the diseases
common TO the hog In the sty or feec
lot, and, being excellent fighters. they
hold their own with the wolves and
other wild animals which prey on the
sheep and goats. Thus they multiply
very rapidly.
In order to get the benefit OF the in
crease In his stock, however, II Is nee
essary for the rancher TO get his mark
on the pigs. AS this, owing &c the
roughness OF the country and the Wild
ness Of the sows, is no small task. Il Is
generally the custom for all the hog
owners In a given section 10 turn out
together with their dogs and prac-
tically "round up the range.
Compared with one of these hog
hunts" a cattle ''round up" is a quiet
and commonplace affair. On the morn
ing appointed the dogs are turned loose
and started out on hog TRAN. and the
men ride after them just as on a wolf
chase. AS the pigs cannot hold out
very long one OF them is soon caught,
and his squeals bring back the rest Of
the bunch 10 his aid. As soon as the
pig is free the sows form n circle
around the pigs, from which they now
aud then dash out at their tormentors
and all the while grunting like the rat
tllng OF a hundred old wagons. BY the
time the uproar has reached It's full
height the hunters ride up and hiss the
dogs on 10 seize the sows. When one
Is caught, two men 90 70 the assistance
Of the dog, one with club 20 beat or
the other hogs, the other with a bit Of
rope to tie the one seized. When all
OF them have thus been put out OF
the way OF fighting. the pigs are
caught and marked. Then the sows
are given their liberty. and the dogs
start out on a new trail. When 1t hap
pens that there are hogs belonging to
several different men, the pigs are sim
I ply divided
While the work of marking" is more
: like sport than labor IL IL not less ex-
citing than that Of getting the hogs
? ready FOR market for as Il Is impossl-
BILE TO drive them any distance-even to
: the corrals at the ranches-it Is neces-
: sary simply to butcher them out in the
hills.
SO along in the early part Of the
winter, after the new mast has fallen
and the hogs are as fat as they viii
J get the ranchers load their wagons
: with salt grub, kettles and lard cans.
take their dogs and Winchesters and
} strike out for the hills. They make
? camp near some spring or water hole
, and then begin the work of "killing,"
: which includes the rendering Of the
lard and saltlng Of the meat. 1t is like
a great hunt. Whenever a wagon
load of lard and meat has been put up
2 It is taken TO the nearest ranch and
) left there until the "lxilling" season Is
l over; then 1t is loaded again and
: freighted TO the nearest railroad point,
where it is sold at the market price.
I 1t is said that only one man In that
: country ever tried driving his hogs to
5 market. That was 'Uncle" Ben Pep
r per, who lives a few miles above 1gnc.
ton City, on the South Llano river
e He had, he supposed, about 800 head OF
J, fat hogs, and the idea Of that killing
!. worried him. So he hired all the men
: in the country. got all the dogs in Kim
o BILE and Edwards counties and 'r0und'
y ed up all lne uOBS 10 DC Aouhus AZ
e was. OF course. impossible TO keep the
. herd together. and as It scattered Ben
, ordered his men to separate a little
!, and keep moving toward Kerrville.
: At noon on the fourth day the line
= was within half a mile Of the Guada
r loupe river. the men were half a mile
apart and every dog worn out. Their
Ben decided that he would like e
know how many hogs he had. as aftel
d passing the Guadaloupe it would b'
o impossible to see them in the opel
8 again. So he ordered the ends of thu
y line 10 swing in and close up toward
4 the river. 1t was nearly sunset wheI
g the circle was completed. and he climb
8 ed into a tall pecan so as to get bet
D. ter view Of the hogs when they SHOULD
q come swarming out into the river. HI
? watched intently until night was fall
e ing; then he saw a lean, old SOW
Is emerge from the bushes and go dow
h to drink. and a moment later the driy