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OREGON BOUND 1853 125

important than the age of cattle. More cattle are supposed to have given out on the road in this state, than will, with the same usage, fail hereafter. Those that have failed are of all ages, but, in all cases, I presume, in poor condition. It is not well, however, to take heavy cattle. Those that are young and no more than ordinarily heavy built, travel easiest and longest. Men I have seen who have been through and are going again, generally have oxen from four to six years old, and loose cattle young, and none of them unusually heavy in the body. Cattle must be in good condition. Were I to prepare again for the expedition, I would grain up my oxen all winter, and have them fat when I started. And this is the opinion of all I have heard speak on the subject.

Stags do not make a good team unless they are quick. They are naturally too slow to travel with oxen, but if they are quick, their hardiness renders them far superior. We cannot rely much upon cows for draught. We make nothing of "break- ing in" a cow nor, in fact, anything else but they are of little service. A young man, who feels himself rather smart, seizes a cow by the horn with one hand, and with the other on her neck to hold her, lets her splurge for a minute or two, when she finds she is fast, and allows herself to be quietly led into the yoke, and in an hour is drawing as if proud of her new mission. And so we do with anything we want in the team. I got a stag, five years old, quick and strong, that had never been in the yoke, and a bull of the same age, a large, powerful, self-reliant animal, that had never had a restraint upon him, and knew nothing of restraints till we put a log chain on his head, and we have them now both in the team, the best animals in it. Cows, however, are not heavy enough for service, and are not reliable in bad places. I have two cows in the yoke, working very well, but they are of near twice the usual size and weight while they are the only ones in our company now in the team, though we started with a dozen or so

Emigrants should be particularly careful to have their wagons right. They should be very light and easy running. The cover