New-York tribune., 1901-02-10

I IoNddasS goes upon southwest range Tor the
hrst time in some years is the general practice
OF dehornins. The long horned Texas steer has
almost passed away. Twenty years ago the cat
tiernan's pride was the length of the widely
tending horns on his cattle. The longest horned
in the herd were punched out the select. The
I stOckmen in the Indian Territory came forward
| at about 1880 with herds of short horned cattle
Their juicy, tender beef caught the buyers
fancy in the Eastern markets. and from that
time the popularity of long horns departed
Long horns became drug in the cattle market
Dehorning soon became popular, and the prac-
the Territories
Dehornng cattle has brought new instru-
ment into the equipment of a cattle range. II is
a steel apparatus, with handles about three feet
long, and altogether weighing fifteen pounds
1t is known as the 'dehorner." 1t has two sharp
knives, one stationary and movable and
resembles tree pruning fork. When the
handles are apart the knives open, and Will
then enCiFcle the largest cattle horns When the.
and in twInknC the horns are cut away clear
and smooth. The large cattle conlpaUies have
their own dehorning outfits. but there are gangs.
each Of five men, that 20 about the Southwest
doing nothing but dehornins cattle at 81 much
mead one Of the gang is the roper. He mag
'' l'iN > ms .,'i iltl anout a critters mind leg
and, by the sudden hacking Of his pony throws
The animal down Their are two "bulldoggers."
ihey hoid the struggling, believing animal
down. by one man holding on to the tail like
SIlm death. while another man plants a big
knee across the beasts neck The man who
nanipElates the dehorner is the fourth in the
gang Tn hfth man stands close al hand with
a pail Of pine tar and brush Tho NOM, nj III.
horns have been cut away and blood begins IN
spuTt the tar is daUbed over the wound The
beast staggers To its feet and runs n,adI,- AWAY
Once In a while fractiOus nervous cow viii
die from the loss OF blood and the shock The
tine spent in dehorning is not over two minutes
iTonl the moment the "budogEers' get the crit
Ter in hand until they loose il. 4 gang or OUTFIT
as they are more properly known on fh- range.
OF nve men viii dehorn 80 cattle day. car
4'i4 i'ts 81 'tltlr horns are shipped from Ari-
z"na and Now -NcAlco. Button. cIu- comb and
h'Si'haie iact"r.es are.th" main buyers of cat
T. hninS- The shippers pay the cattl-mcn from
= - 70 cents pound for the stun o. b.
NOWADAYS also. The branding ou well reeu-
lated cattle ranch Is 1ore systematically and
with improved inventions. The pictures1le
scenes that formerly characterized a ropina, and
hfahc!nS have been SUI PANT = hy practical con
irlFan'-s Tor saving time and doing a neat Job
me o.d iashIonrd way Was more artistic. but
Il a. to- expensive for thus day of sharp com
petition and econ my OF time The old tim-
NaileToS ana cowboys used q spend days and
weeks every year in raneirg over hin and wall.
and through canyons IN search of cattle Th-
COWS. steers and calves were lrisurrlv punched
and on a certain day We're finally driven in "A
herd into the open. There the master Iariat
ihr"Ners roped the cattle one after another and
dtNteTously hcld them while the branders woulG
Apply the not irons IL took weeks 10 brand an
ordinary sized herd The apprentice cowboy
looked on with admiration. The cowboys on a
modern rancn must keep close track Of their
cattle Ihe COWS are not given vide "A range
as in former years when land free and
csttIem-n were fewer Non. ar. allowed 10 20
wandering miles and miles away wher. In.
mavericks may Toe branded and claimed by a
competing catieman or company. Nowadays
'4ttS ~ f4pLfl or TWO n men on the larger
ranges ana OF a less number on smaller ranges.
Keep moving over thu range half Of the year.
Then outfits 20 with extra horses. covered
wagons. cook tents and a branding pen and a
movable corral Thcrc is Il boss or captain His
word is Law in the outfit Every day punches
OF cattle are driven in from the range and shut
IN the movable corral Tn -re j. seldom any
T"png and lariat throwing Of old. That may
inJure a calf or cow and take away half its
value.
The writer saw recently one Of these business
Ike outfits at work on th- Aztec Cattle Com
pany's range in Navajo County. There was
none Of The Wild yelling and WhOoping Of thu
boys Of decade the punches of cat
IL were driven Indeed not one of the cowboys
wore the regulation buckskin suit and carried "a
brace ot pistols at his waist as Of yorc. Hardly
person in the whole outfit spoke. II was all a
hard headed business proposition for every man.
The bass rode slowly ABOUT. seeing that tine
was lost and no animal misused TO
damage lis worth bc-f. The COWS and calves
were separated 10y tn, cowboys horses and
We're driven into din sr"rt coTraIs. From eacn
corral narrow pasSagrway of boards Ted To u
still narrower arrangement, that at a distance
T--embied an old horse power. This the
with long blunt poles. and 10y punching and
beating they drove the COWS ana calves in
single file through the passaSeWay. At the fur
ther end the animals. by one, were forced
into The branding box
4 man stood without and at one side with "A
long wooden lever in his hands He watched
the cattle as they emerged into the box When
each animal was well in he suddenly pushed the
lever down. the movable side Of the box closed
tight without injury. In a trice the brander
Snafched M one of III. branding irnus frorp tho