The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-17
COWBOY WORK OF TODAY
Changes in the Methods of Former
Rounding Ups.
The Dehorning of CattIe-IngeniOus
Mode of BrandinE-A New Glass of
Men on the RnnGes-Wi1d YeIIers
and WhOOpers of n Decade Ago
Giving Way to the 'Specialists."

One of the things that strikes a person
who nowadays goes upon a Southwest
range for the first time in some years is
the general practice of dehorning The
long horned Texas steer has almost
passed away. Twenty years ago the cat
tleman's pride was the length of the
widely extending horns on his cattle. The
longest-horned in the herd were punched
out as the select. The stockmen in the
Indian Territory came forward at about
1880 with herds of short horned cattle.
Their juicy, tender beef caught the buy
ers fancy in the Eastern markets, and
from that time the popularity OF long
horns departed. Long horns became a
drug in the cattle market. Dehorning
soon became popular, and the practice
has become well night universal in Texas
and the Territories.
Dehorning cattle has brought a new in
strument into the equipment of a cattle
range. 1t is a steel apparatus. with
handles about three feet long, and alto
gether weighing fifteen pounds 1t is
known as the "dehorner." 1t has two
sharp knives, one stationary and one
movable. and resembles a tree pruning
fork. When the handles are apart the
knives are open, and will then encircle
the largest cattle horns. When the han
dies are pinched together the knives close
in, and in a twinkling the horns are cut
away clear and smooth. The large cattle
companies have their own dehorning out
fits, but there are gangs each of five men,
that go about the Southwest doing moth
ing but dehorning cattle at so much a
head. One OF the gang is the roper
He magically heaves his lariat about a
critters hind leg and. by the sudden back
ing OF his pony, throws the animal down.
There are two "bulldoggers." They hold
the struggling believing animal down, by
one man holding on to the tail like grim
death, while another man plants a big
knee across the beasts reck. The man who
manipulates the dehorner is the fourth in
the gang. The fifth man stands close at
hand with pail Of pine tar and a brush
The moment the horns have been cut away
and blood begins to squirt. the tar is daubed
over the wound. The beast staggers to
It's feet and runs msdly away. Once in a
while fractions. nervous COW will die
from the loss of blood and the shock The
time spent in dehorning is not over two
minutes from the moment the bulldog
gers get the critter in hand until they
loose it. gang, or outfit, as they are
more properly known on the range of five
men. will dehorn $50 cattle day Carload
lots of cattle horns are shipped from Ari-
iona and New Mexico. Button. glue. comb.
and phosphate factories are the main buy
ers of cattle horns. The shippers pay the
cattlemen from to I-2 cents a pound
for the stuff (. o. b.
Nowadays. also. the branding on a well
regulated cattle ranch is done systematic
ally and with improved inventions. The
picturesque scenes that formerly charac-
terized a roplng and branding have been
supplanted by practical contrivances for
saving time and doing a neat job The
old fashioned way was more artistic. but
it is too expensive for this day of sharp
competition and economy OF time. The old
time vaqueros and cowboys used to spend
days and weeks every year in ranging over
hill and vale and through canyons in
search of cattle.
The COWS, steers and calves were leis-
urely punched, and on a certain day were
finally driven in a herd into the open.
There the master lariat throwers roped
the cattle one after another, and dexter
Ously held them while the branders would
apply the hot irons. 1t took weeks to
brand an ordinary sized herd. The appren-
tice cowboy looked on with admiration.
The cowboys on a modern ranch must
keep close track of their cattle. The COWS
are not given so wide range as in former
years when land was free and cattlemen
were fewer. None are allowed to 80 wan
ierng miles and miles away, where the
may be branded and aimed
by a competing cattleman or company.
Nowadays outfits of a dozen or two do7t n
men on the larger ranges. and of a less
number on smaller ranges. keep moving
over the range half of the year. Then out
Its go with extra horses. covered wagons, |
cook tents and branding pen and NOV
able corral. There is 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. |
There is seldom any roping and lariat |
throwing as of old. That may injure a |
,alf or COW and take away half its value.
The writer saw recently one of these |
outfits at work on the Aztec |
Cattle Company's range in Navajo County. |
There was none of the wild yelling and |
whooping of the cowboys of a decade ago |
rs the punches of cattle were driven. In |
deed. not one OF the cowboys wore the !
regulation bucksIin suit and carried a |
brace of pistols at his waist as OF yore.
Hardly a person in the whole outfit spoke
t was all hard-headed business propo-
iition for every man. The boss rode SLOW
Y about, seeing that no time was lost and
10 animal was misused SO as to damage |
its worth as beef. The cows and calves