The Marshall republican., 1906-12-07

In the horse department a foreman
aud forty men have charge Of a hero
Of six hundred Percheron and thorough
bred brood mares, but as the brccdins
farm occupies six hundred acres, Their,
IS no c%rowding.
There are icver any murders or slug
| gings, nor even a strike 20 add 10 the
zest OF excitement 10 the life OF Oh,
ranch. All the employees here. as else.
where in southwest Texas, are Mexi.
cans. who are actually content 70 BE-
faithful. industrious. honest, trustworth,
servants as long as they arc dceently
| treated
At a salary Of ten dollars n month
and rent and provisions they rendei
faithful and chccrfully willing service
under all circumstances. and train thcii
| children 20 take up their tasks where
they lay them down. The old cook al
the ranch house has held his post fol
fifty years. There Is no labor problem
In southwest Texas.
The only time when there Is keen nc.
tivity around the ranch Is during the
great spring roundup, when the calves
are branded. There were 2l,ooo ealye,
10 Dranu last spring.
II took the corporal and his thirty
vaqueros a solid month of severe toll TO
10 the trick. Cowboys. by the way,
never sec anything but hard work. Their
hours arc from 4 a. m. 10 8 p. m, or as
much 'longcr rs circumstances may re-
quire. every day in the year.
Santa Gertrudcs ranch was founded in
1853 by Captain Richard King. a former
Mississippi river pilot. who, with his
friend Captain Miflin Kennedy. had
charge OF the transport service on the
Rio Grande which supplied General Tay-
lor's army during the Mexican war.
Captain Kings ambition was to possess
the largest and best conducted ranch In
Texas, but he died twenty years ago.
after accommodating 10000 acres.
The property was left 20 his widow.
Mrs. ii. NJ. King, who turned the entire
management over to her son-in-law. X
J. Kleberg. n lawyer. who was born and
brought up within one hundred and fifty
miles Of the ranch. Under Mr.. Kle-
bergs management the acreage has been
increased more than so per cent.
When Mr.. Klebcrg took charge OF the
ranch Il was stocked with the usual in
fcrior long horned native cattle. He at
tempted to improve the breed. but the
costly blooded bulls he brought TO the
ranch invariably died a few days after
their arrival.
Investigation led to the conviction that
the fatal malady was caused by the bite
Of a tick, with which all cattle were IN
tested, but 20 which the native cattle
were immune. He invited the co-opera-
ton OF the Agricultural Department In
seeking n preventive. In due time .
process Of incubation which was found
TO DO almost infallible was perfected at
Santa Gertrudes.
The discovery put an end TO the loss
Of untold millions. for Texas cattle had
heretofore left a trail Of infection and
death among their kind wherever they
went in the North. incidentally, Mr..
Kleberg was enabled TO breed up his
cattle until all those on the ranch are
now from one-half to hiteen-sixteenths
Hereford or Durham.
The practical value Of the discovery
was illustrated last spring, when a lot Of
10000 yearling steers was sold at SIS Q
head, and another lot Of seven hundred
bull calves was sold at SO a head. Long
horn yearlings were worth 81.