Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1900-05-19
A RAZORBACK HUNT.
ROUNDING UP THE HOGS is LIVELY
AND EXCITING WORK.
The Experience of One Rnnchcr
Who, Instead of Doing His But, Il
crinE out In the Hills, Attempted
to Drive TIis Hogs to Market.

the sheep and .AngOra goat furnish
most of the revenues to the ranchcr in
the broken and wooded country south
of the StakCd plains and west of the
Colorado river, it is nevertheless a fact
that the raZorbaCk hog contributes a
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
ricty of scrub oSi trees, and the can
yonS and river valleys are heavily
wooded with pecan and Spanish wal
nut, so that there is always an album
dance of excellent mast, and it might
be mentioned that the cedar berries are
considered equal to corn in lard pro-
ducing qualities.
With this sort of feed, whic is al
ways abundant, the expense If care
and feeding is removed, the animals
simply running ut large over the couu-
try, so that the only outlay required
is that of the first cost of Il few head
for start Running loose in this way
they are not subject to the diseases
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.
In order to get the benefit of the in
crease in his stock, however, it is nee
esSary for the rHnchcr to get his mark
on the pigs AS this. owing to the
rOughneSS Of the country and the wild
ness of the SowS, is no small task. it is
generally the custom for all the hog
owners in a given section to turn out
together with their dogs and prac-
tically ''round up the range.
Compared with one of these "ho@
hunts" cattle ground up" is a quiet
and commonplace affair. On the morn
ing appointed the dogs are turned loose
and started out on Il hog trail, and the
men ride after them just as on Il wolf
chase. AS til" pigs cannot hold out
very long one of them is soon caught,
and his squcals 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 tOrmcntOrS
and all the while grunting like the rat
Ting of Il 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 club to beat off
the other hogs, the other with a bit of
rope to tie the one seized. When all
] of ln, 9
the way of fighting, the pigs are
caught and marked. Then the sows
are given their liberty, and the dogs
start out on new trail. When it hap
! pens that there are hogs belonging to
several different men, the pigs are sim
/ ply divided.
While the work of "marking' is more
like sport than labor it is not less cX-
citing than that of getting the hogs
ready for market, for as it is impossi-
| BILE to drive them any diStancc-cvcn to
the corralS at the ranchcs-it is necrs-
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 will
| get, the rancherS load their wagons
with salt, grub, kettles and lard cans,
take their dogs and Winchestcrs 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
1t is taken to the nearest ranch and
left there until the killing" season 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 Pep
per- who lives few miles above June
tion City, on the South LlanO river.
He had, he supposed, about 300 head of
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
bic and Edwards counties and round
ed up" all the hogs to be found. 1t
was. of course, impossible to keep the
/ Htiu lOStllltI, anu us IL StilltGtu lptu
ordered his men to separate a little
and keep moving toward Kcrrville.
At noon on the fourth day the line
was within half Il mile of the Guada-
lOupe river, the men We're half 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 would be
impossible to see them in the open
again. SO he ordered the ends of the
line to swing in and close up toward
the river. 1t was nearly sunset when
the circle was completed, and he climb.
rd into tall pecan so as to get Il bet
ter view Of the hogs when they should
come swarming out into the river. He
watched intcntly until night was fall
ing; then he saw a lean, old SOW
emerge from the bushes and go down
to drink, and moment later the driv-
ers began coming out. He nearly fell
out of the tree. lie has never tried
driving since.-KanSas City Journal.
The widows Advantage.