Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 22.djvu/149



OREGON BOUND 1853 139

Large chested cattle, treading heavily on their fore feet those having soft hoofs those that haul or crowd in team, and those that in the yoke hurry or fret themselves are almost sure to become lame. Whatever may be effected by treatment, much more may be by the selection of proper cattle. No yoke of oxen, however valuable, should be brought on the route, unless they are true in the draught, and satisfied to do their part in the yoke and though I have succeeded perfectly with two the heaviest oxen in the train, and one of them a bull, and they working on the tongue, the worst place in the team, yet. knowing what I do, I would not trust such again for the worth of them.

In a previous letter I advised emigrants to prepare them- selves with iron shoes. We are not now so much in favor of them. We have found that above Laramie the hoof has hard- ened so that quite commonly it is out of the question to nail on a shoe. The friends of shoeing are now more in favor of having their oxen shod a hundred miles or so east of Kanes- ville, and depending upon other means to protect their cows. It may be the safest course, though it is generally thought that the foot would thus be unfitted for service after the shoe comes off. I believe, and I think our people are all satisfied from our experience, that a safe and perhaps perfectly sure remedy may be used. Several of our working oxen that became tender in the feet, we saved by wetting the bottom of the hoof with alcohol, or alcohol and camphor. With the free use of it, twice a day, oxen went through the Black Hills with feet that were tender and threatened to fail when they went in them. Every one treated with it, has recovered with- out becoming actually foot sore and some of them, too, even when kept constantly in the draught. I have such confidence in it that with two quarts for five or six yoke of oven and a dozen loose cattle, I would depend entirely upon it. A moc- casin of leather, rawhide is best, is much used, and if adopted when the foot is first tender, will generally save it, but it is quite a trouble and only defends the hoof while it is hardening,