Year: 1868

tie plague, that great lumber of cattle
whose flesh is consumed in the northern
states comes from Texas. Much of the
beef used in this city is originally from
that state and reaches US by way of Chi
cago.


The resources in cattle of the plains of
Texas are enormous. During the war the
southern confederacy obtained its meat
very largely from this region, and it was
an object of the battles of Vicksburg and
Port Hudson, ect., to occupy the Missis-
sippi, so as to cut of this supply.


From fifty miles west of Houston to the
Indian territory, and the country of the
Camanches, the prairies are :raversed by
vast herds of cattle, which it would be i'm
possible to enumerate. A person travelling
on horseback over these plains my see
moving masses of thousand of them COM
ing to the water holes to drink, and man
on foot would be in as great danger as
among pack of wolves. 80


The experienced herdsman, however,
mounted upon one Of the little ponies of
that region, goes among the largest herds
with impunity, and drives them where he
will and with his losso he can bring the
strongest steer in the herd to the ground,
helpless and completely under control.


These immense herds of apparently
wild cattle are nevertheless, owned and
quite strictly accounted for. The owner
may live in Houston, or in any portion of
the south, or in Chicago, or in New York,
and may never visit his cattle from one
years end to another, and they are still as
secure property as real estate would be
in the same region. Wherever his stock
may be found within the borders of Tex
as, which is larger than the whole of New
England and New York together, with
certain ineffaceable brand, he can claim it.
He may send requisition to some person
in the state, saying that he desires GER
tain number of cattle bearing his brand
set to him, and that he will pay two dol
lars, or dollar and fifty cents per head,
to persons brining his cattle from the
pralrles.


The Texas law in relation to property
in brands is exceedingly strict, and is en-
forced necessarily with great rigor-oth-
erwise there would be no security for pro-
perty. A person finding cow of anoth
er mans brand lying dead on the prairie,
dare not take off and carry away her hide
unless authorized to do So A herdsman
is generally employed to keep some little
surveillance over the herd, to see that they
are kept together as much as possible,
and to bring out cattle when they are
needed for the market, and to brand the
calves which every year at the proper time.
The cows roam the prairies and bear
calves do the milking without interfer-
ence until, at certain age, it is neces-
sary for the owner to have his brand plac-
ed upon them. Then, the herd is driven
into pound, winding gradually to a mar
row passage, and finally to an aperture
through which the claves can only pass
one by one. The brander stands ready
for them as they come with red hot
iron he burns mark indelibly in the
hide, sometimes in addition to this, he
mrkes some peculiar slit in the ear. Oc-
casionally in Texan paper containing
between one and two hundred advertise
ments of different brands We may find no
tices of ear marks, such as "hole and slit
in the left ear, two crops and slit in right,
or Swallow fork and upper bit in left
ear" The operation, is no doubt, pain
full to the poor animal at the time, but in
about ten days the mark of the hot iron
heals over, and there is left clearly de-
fined elevation of the hide and protuber-
ance of long hair, which is rather orna-
metal than otherwise, and which enables
a person. to recognize the brand at quite
distance. A small price is sometimes
paid persons for bringing in calves be-
longing to certain herds, that they may
be branded and set loose again upon the
prairies. 1t is usual, for this reason, for
persons to advertise their brands in the
newspapers in the county where they
range, and offer certain price for bring
ing in their cattle or offering them for
sale. Sometime person will buy sever
al brands and apply to the legislature for
permission to combine all these brands
into one. This being granted, all the
young belonging to this mans herd are
stamped with this new brand, until after
a while, the old ones all being sent to
market, nothing but the last adopted
brand remains


There are still many unclaimed cattle
in the western part of the state In Live
Oak county, there are probably thousands
roaming wild without owners. 1t has
happened from the war that families own


ing small herds on the plains have been
so broken up, the male members of the
family being killed, that the survivors
are unable to take the proper steps to re-
claim their property; and their calvces
not being branded, have grown to full
sized cattle, and are remaining wild with
out brands.


The Texan cattle are driven in herds
to Missouri and Illinois, aud there fed,
after which they are sent on to New York
as stall fed beef. The method of driving
them is to place bells on the front two or
three tame steers or mules, which the 9th