The suburban citizen., 1900-03-03
WILD HOGSPAYINTEXAS
BRANDED IN SPRING AND ROUNDED
UPp IN AUTUMN.

WHY the Lone star stnte is Well Adapt
cd to the Production Of Cheap Pork
Rnnchers Hunt the Razor-Backs Like
GArnc-Buichered on the Spot.
While it is generally accounted that
the sheep and Angora goat furnish
most of the revenues to the rancher
in the broken and wooded country
south of the Staked Plains and west
of the Colorado River, in Texas, it is
nevertheless fact that the razor-back
hog contributes full share.
Probably there is no country any
where better adapted to the produc-
ton Of cheap pork The hills are COW
cred with cedar and great variety of
scrub oak trees, and the canons and
river valleys are heavily wooded with
pecan and Spanish walnut, so that
there is always an abundance OF ex-
cellert mast, and in this connection
it might be mentioned that the cedar
berries are considered equal to corn
in producing 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 coun-
try, so that the only outlay required
is that of the first cost of few head
fer start. Running loose in this
way they are not subject to tho dis
eases common to the hog in the sty or
feed 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.
ROUND VI THE Eods.
In Urder to get the benefit Of the
increase in his stock, however, it is
necessary for the rancher to get his
mark on the pigs. As this, owing to
the roughness Of the country and the
wildness of the sows, is no small task
it is generally the custom for all the
hog owners in q given section to turn
out together, with their logs, and
practically Ground up" the range.
Compared with one of these "hog
hunts" a cattle 'round up" is q COM
monpiace affair. On the morning APP
pointed the dogs are turned loose and
started cut on hog trail, 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 to his aid As soon as the
pig is free the sows form circle
around the pigs, from which they now
and then dash out at their tormentors,
and all the while grunting like the
rafting of hundred old wagons. BY
the time the uproar has reached its
full height the hunters ride up and
hiss the dogs on to seize the sows.
When one is caught two men go to
the assistance Of the dog, one with q
club to beat off the other hogs, the
other with 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 started on q new trail. When
it happens that there are hogs be-
longing to several different men the
pigs are simply divided
While the work of marking" is
more like sport than labor it is not
less exciting than that of getting the
hogs ready for market, for as it is i'm
possible to drive them any distance
even to the corrals at the ranches--it
is necessary to simply butcher them
out in the hills
CANNOT DRIVE THE HOGS.
So along in the early part of the
winter, after the new mast has fallen
and the hogs are as fat as they will
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 sailing of the meat 1t is
like great hunt. Whenever Il
wagon load Of lard and meat has been
put up it is taken to the nearest ranch
and left there until the "killing" sea
son is over; then it is loaded again
and freighted to the nearest railroad
point, where it is sold at the market
price.
1t is said that only one man in that
country ever tried driving his hogs to
market That was "Uncle" Ben
Pepper, who lives few miles above
Junction City, on the South Llano
River. He had he supposed about
300 head of fat hogs, and the idea of
all that killing" worried him. So
he hired all the men in the country,
got oil the dogs in Kimble and Ed
wards Counties aud rounded up all
the hogs to be found. It was, of
course, impossible to keep the whole
herd together, and as it scattered Bon
ordered his men to separate a little
and keep moving toward Kerrville.
At noon on the fourth day the line
was within half mile of the Guada-
loupe River, the men we're half a
mile apart and every dog worn out,
Then Ben decided that he would like
to know how many hogs he had, as
after passing the Guadaloupe it
,vouTd be imnOssibla to see them in