Read the following information and then answer the skill practice questions.

Longhorn Cattle

The Spanish brought cattle to…(North America), beginning with (Christopher) Columbus, who left stock in Santo Domingo in 1493. In 1521 the Spanish transported cattle to Mexico, and wherever they placed missions and settlements, they took cattle and horses with them. Some animals escaped; others were turned loose. Several breeds intermixed, and the multicolored longhorn evolved into a superb open-range cow.

Thin-flanked and flat-sided with horns stretching as wide as eight feet, the tough longhorn could forage for itself, protect its young from wolves, go for days without water, withstand blizzards and heat waves, resist tick fever, and if necessary, eat prickly pears and brush. Its large horns sometimes made the animal wobble when it walked and forced cowboys to twist its head in order to get the 1,200-pound beast through the five-foot-wide door of the rail car. The main defect of the longhorn was too much bone and horn in relation to meat-it was said that you could pack all of the steer’s roasting meat on one of its horns. But the longhorn became the basis of the range cattle industry…

Source: David G. McComb, Texas: A Modern History, UT Press, 1989. Texas and Texans (Copyright 1993), Glencoe

Skill Focus Practice-Study the reading and answer the following questions.

1. Which generalization is supported by the factual details in paragraph 1?

  1. Longhorns were cattle derived from many breeds the Spanish brought to North America.
  2. More than 400 years passed before the longhorn appeared on the Texas open range.

2. Which generalization is supported by the factual details in paragraph 2?

  1. The physical makeup of the longhorn made it ideal for transporting long distances by rail and processing into large quantities of beef.
  2. The longhorn adapted to and withstood severe conditions in Texas.

Read the following Expert Information and answer the questions that follow.

Answer the following questions.

  1. Why were cattle branded? ______

2. Define remuda. ______

3. List the four cattle trails. ______

4. The trail boss was responsible for ______

5. The ______was the assistant to the trail boss.

6. The horses were taken care of by the ______

7. ______riders rode at the back of the herd. This was considered the worst job.

8. Describe the cook’s responsibilities. ______

9. What was cowboy life really like? ______

10. List some of the hazards a cowboy might experience on the trail.

Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’, Keep them Dogies Rollin’!

You are the trail boss for a ranch in Texas. You have many duties you must accomplish before taking the cattle north to the railroads. The first thing you must do is locate a cook for the trail. Once you have found your cook, you and the cook must plan the drive.

  1. Turn to page 475 in your textbook. Using the map on this page, choose one of the five cattle trails. ______.
  2. Using the scale in the bottom of the map figure the mileage for the trail ______.
  3. Herds could move approximately 16 miles a day. Calculate the total number of days it will take you to complete the drive ______.
  4. You have a herd of 3,000 cattle, which you can sell at the end of the trail for $40 a head (per cow). How much can you get from the sale of your cattle? ______
  5. Each drive needed 60 horses (remuda). Each horse could be sold at the end of the drive for $20. How much can you get from the sale of your remuda? ______
  6. You need one (1) cowboy for every 250 cows. Determine how many cowboys you will need. ______
  7. It’s time to pay the cowboys their wages. Calculate the pay for each of the following:
  • each cowboy - $30 a month
  • wrangler - $40 a month (He was paid more because he pulled double duty, keeper of the remuda and herding cattle.)
  • trail boss - $100 a month
  • cook - $90 a month

Note: if it takes longer than a month (30 days) for your cattle drive you must pay for two full months salary.

Total wages: ______

8. Supplies: have the cook add up the total cost for supplies using the list below.

Cost of the chuck wagon $75

Team of mules to pull the chuck wagon$50

Cooking Utensils (pots, pans, plates, etc.)$18

300 lbs. of flour$9.75

50 lbs. of sugar$3.00

20 lbs. dried fruit$2.00

60 lbs. coffee$15.00

100 lbs. pinto beans$4.50

6 lbs. salt$.60

40 lbs. of lard (congealed animal fat)$3.90

6 lbs. baking powder$3.00

2 lbs. baking soda$.20

1 dozen boxes of matches$.25

5 gal. molasses$3.00

7 lbs. onions$7.00

225 lbs. potatoes$2.25

200 lbs. bacon$28.00

269 lbs. oats (feed for mules)$3.70

12 bars of soap$.50

2 lbs. pepper$.50

1 coffee mill (to grind coffee beans)$1.00

1 monkey wrench$.75

6 boxes axle grease$.50

3 lanterns$1.00

1 bunch lamp wicks$.10

5 gal. coal oil$1.15

45 boxes horseshoes$.75 each box

5 bags horseshoe nails$.05 each bag

3 horseshoe rasps$.85 each rasp

3 shoeing hammers$.74 each hammer

1 shoeing pinchers$1.00

8 lbs. hobble rope$1.20

4 curry combs$1.00

1 ax and handle$1.25

vinegar (2 quarts)$.30 each quart

Total cost of supplies: ______

  1. Add the profit from the sale of your cattle and horses______
  2. Add the total number of expenses (wages + supplies) ______
  3. Subtract your total number of expenses from the sale of your cattle and horses to get your total profit margin from the drive. ______
  4. Predict a situation that could happen along the trail that might cut into your profit margin.

Explain your answer. ______

______.

13. Complete the following chart.

Cowboy MythCowboy Reality

1. Cowboy life was easy1.

2. Cowboys made a lot of money2.

3. Cowboy’s days were funfilled3.

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Updated 05/30/07