Book Description

Ranching and Texas remain synonymous for people around the world, although our knowledge of ranch life more often comes from the movies than from herding cattle on the Panhandle Plains. Yet there still are Texans for whom ranching is a daily way of life, and this book tells their stories.Through Lawrence Clayton's words and Wyman Meinzer's evocative black-and-white photographs, you will visit sixteen working ranches across Texas: Alta Vista, Canales, Catarina, O'Connor, and Ray in South Texas; R. A. Brown, Chimney Creek, Goodnight, J A, Moorhouse, Nail, and Renderbrook Spade in the Panhandle and Northwest Texas; and Henderson Cove, Hudspeth River, Long X, and Hoskins 101 in the Trans-Pecos. Many of these ranches trace their beginnings to the open range, and all of them are known today for running a quality "outfit."Clayton recounts the history and current operation of each ranch, often drawing on stories handed down over generations. Quotes from ranch owners and employees give a feel for the challenges and rewards of modern-day ranching and also underscore how much ranching varies across the different regions of Texas. Meinzer's photographs capture the endless prairies and the weather-worn faces of the men and women who work the cattle, as well as the tools of their trade. For everyone fascinated by Texas ranching, this book offers enjoyable reading and viewing of this proud and increasingly rare way of life. ... Read more

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Award Winner for Book Design
This book has received an Award of Excellence from the 2001 Southern Books Competition. "The austere black and white Contemporary Ranches of Texas with its barbed-wire rule and powerfully understated photographs captures the essence of Texas." Congratulations to the author and photographer, designer Ellen McKie and the University of Texas Press. ... Read more

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Indispensable to the Old West lover's library
Novelist and historian Wellman here provides an indescribably superior one-volume story of the range-cattle business that reads as easily as fiction.Beginning with the Spanish roots of the Southwestern cattle ranches, he goes on to tell something of the early Anglo settlement of Texas, the troubles with the Comanches, the "hide-and-tallow empire" built up in antebellum days, the effects of the Civil War, the clashes with the Kansans, the founding of Abilene.He talks about stampedes and what was done about them, great trail towns and their lawmen, lean years and fat ones, the cowboy's work and play, and a gallery of unforgettable Western characters, good, bad, and indifferent.He studies the Lincoln County War, the coming of "bobwire," and why cowmen hated sheep.There is information I got from this book that I've found nowhere else.You will say the same.Every lover of Western social history should be glad to see it back in print. ... Read more

Book Description

The Texas Longhorn made more history than any other breed of cattle the world has known. These wiry, intractable beasts were themselves pioneers in a harsh land, moving elementally with drouth, grass, Arctic blizzards, and burning winds. Their story is the bedrock on which the history of the cow country of America is founded. J. Frank Dobie was a tale spinner who appreciated the proper place of legend and folklore in history. In The Longhorns, he tells of the Spanish conquistadors, who brought their cattle with them; of ranching in the turbulent colonial times; of the cowboy, whose abandon, energy, insolence, and pride epitomized the booming West. He writes of terrifying stampedes, titantic bull fights on the range, ghost steers, and encounters with Indians. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The history of the Longhorns from beginning to end
As horses were introduced to America by the Spanish, so too were cattle, and both species became feral, then wild, and learned to survive on their own under extreme conditions in the west.Not infrequently some retained some of their domestication.Texas was the land of their beginning as catalysts to a lifestyle peculiarly western because of how they developed.The Longhorns were tough individuals as well as part of a breed apart, and Dobie was just the sort of person to describe them for what they were, and the men who made it their purpose to use them.Dobie is a story teller of exceptional talent as well as an historian of necessity if his stories are to carry any weight.Each Chapter deals with an aspect of the beast and its habitat from which they were removed to form enormous herds driven north by cowboys over tractless miles to railheads when they arrivedor to distant markets before their coming.Cowboys were tough, but also gentle as they crooned softly to the cattle on a stormy night hopefully to prevent "stompedes."Dobies' tales of individual Longhorns illustrates that within the being of some was a spirit that exceeded normal expectation, and contributed to human emotions in spite of themselves.The Longhorns began to fade as bloodlines were mixed to improve the breed, and as railheads came closer to the herds.For "improved" cattle had not the prowess or the ability to survive without the help of man as did the pure Longhorns.They were a breed in transition from one life style to another, but their memory remains because of Dobie and his tales.Fascinating reading.

A History of Longhorn Cattle at the Grass Roots
J. Frank Dobie spent his life documenting the grassroots history of Texas and this book is probably his finest examples.I've read all of his books and found this one to be the most informative.There's also a wonderful collection of photographs of many of the different variations of horn and hide at the rear of this book.You'll learn how the cattle came north from Mexico in the beginning and how early settlers rooted them out of the thickets of East Texas to start their herds.You'll learn about many of the principal cattlemen of early Texas including their drives north to the Kansas railhead.

If you enjoy Texas history you'll really enjoy this book.

Tales of Texas
Frank Dobie, a University of Texas professor, spent years collecting stories of the old southwest.Many are tales that he wrote down of 19th Century life.Several are collected into volumes about important parts oflife at the time, including "Longhorns" and "TheMustangs".

They provide great insight into the origin of thoseanimals and their importance to people who lived in those times.

Anotherexcellent Dobie book is "I'll Tell You a Tale," with excerptsfrom these two books and others.The anthology includes tales of gold,stories of irony, Old West characters, and saddle stories.

When Cattle was King
This book is classic Dobie in style and is "the" book on Texas Longhorns. Dobie takes us through the history of the breed, through the animal, through the men and women that loved, used and abused them, andthrough the many tales that surround them, both fiction and fact. Theanimal stands large in this work, but the flavor of the old days, of thehardships, of the ranch life, of the love for the land of the people wholived and died there is a part of it too. For anyone with an interest inthis breed, this book is a must read. For anyone else with a feel for theSouthwestern United States, Texas, cowboys, or the land, it's time wellspent. ... Read more

Book Description

How did animal breeding emerge as a movement? Who took part and for what reasons? How do the pedigree and market systems work? What light might the movement shed on the assumptions behind human eugenics?

InBred for Perfection, Margaret Derry provides the most comprehensive and accessible book yet published on the human quest to improve and develop livestock. Derry, herself a breeder and trained historian of science, explores the "triangle" of genetics, eugenics, and practical breeding, focusing on Shorthorn cattle, show dogs and working dogs, and one type of purebred horse, the Arabian. By examining specific breeders and the animals they produced, she illuminates the role of technology, genetics, culture, and economics in the system of purebred breeding.Bred for Perfection also provides the historical context in which this system arose, adding to our understanding of how domestication works and how our welfare--since the dawn of time--has been intertwined with the lives of animals.

Reviews (1)

cowboys: a vanishing world
This book goes beyond the surface of the hollywood myth and the media spin in order to profile images of cowboys at work and at play. His images are modern but show the timelessness of the occupation of tending cows. I am espically fond of the final image in the book: two buddist monks in red scarlet robes with saffron sashes eating a hamburger. It is not the best image but it does give hope that the cowboy will remain so long as people consume the object of the cowboy's existence. Beef. ... Read more

Book Description

An alternative approach to the common conditions affecting this species. ... Read more

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Lots of formulas for remedies
The author assumes that the reader has a fairly extensive knowledge of herbs and herbals treatments. The stance is singularly homeopathic. There are no naturopathic remedies. There is a lot of medical terminology which could be confusing. Bascially, it's a useful book, but certainly not the one I reach for first when I have to treat my goats. It's not particularly "user-friendly". ... Read more

Amazon.com

"Cattle have come on a long journey with us, from pastoral times tosettled agriculture, from the New World to post-industrialism." So writespopular historian and children's-book author Laurie Carlson in this wide-rangingmeditation on the relationship between humans and cattle throughout humanhistory.

Though her narrative suffers from a somewhat scattered approach, Carlson hasmuch to say about that long journey. Cattle have shaped human societies formillennia, she notes, figuring prominently in the lives and imaginations of thecave dwellers of Paleolithic Europe, the farmers of ancient Egypt andMesopotamia, and 19th-century Australia, South America, and the American West,to name but a few. She stops in at each of these times and places, ponderingcuriosities as she does. Along the way, for instance, she writes of scandalsinvolving tainted beef served to American field soldiers during the Spanish-American War and subsequent advances in food safety; the efforts of Germanscientists to reverse-breed cattle to arrive at the ancestral aurochs, extinctfor nearly four centuries; the ravages of "zoonoses," or animal-borne diseasessuch as smallpox and cowpox; and the role of the cattle industry in thedevelopment of transcontinental railroads. She also observes that cattlehusbandry has gone from an economic given to a source of controversy throughoutmuch of the world, thanks to the rise of new bovine diseases and the effects ofovergrazing on already threatened environments. --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Required reading for every cattle rancher.
For a sociology/history book, this book is amazingly readable. Although it does not hold itself out to be a treatise, it is filled with well-documented facts, and the book's endnotes and references provide a wealth of material for those seeking further academic materials. It was published before the case of Mad Cow disease was found in the United States in December 2003, but it contains a very informative discussion of BSE and discusses the outbreaks in Great Britain and Europe. It presents a balanced view of the commercial cattle industry in the U.S., addressing both its problems and benefits, without advocating positions or taking sides. I bought extra copies to give to my cattle grower friends, including those who are trying to raise grass-fed cattle to supply the growing demand for grass-fed beef and dairy products raised without growth hormones, antibiotics, or stimulants.

Provocative look at how people and animals relate
Carlson tackles a huge topic with interesting facts and details. She argues FOR cattle in a way that makes sense for both environmentalist-minded readers as well as ranch types.

Carlson really needs an editor
The history of cattle was an attractive subject for a lifelong city dweller interested in learning new things. Unfortunately, much if not most of the book is neither a history nor about cattle. Carlson takes a quirky, scattershot approach to her subject and is never able to focus her thoughts. Unfortunately, there apparently was no editor to bring some order to the book, or even to correct the numerous factual errors. The author is something of a mystic, and as such uncritically collects myths and regurgitates them. Cattle have a mystical significance for her, and this somehow seems to give her license to include her ill-informed musings on many unrelated subjects within the pages of the book. However, there was some useful information about cattle and the products made from them scattered through the book; hence the two star rating. If you have a high tolerance for irrelevance and are not a stickler for accuracy, the book may be worth reading. ... Read more

Book Description

This unique book explains how changes in poultry and egg production and processing have paced the entire agricultural field. Completely revised to include current information on the North American and global poultry industry, this comprehensive overview brings together the biology and technology of poultry, and includes a complete accounting of all phases of the industry.Topics covered include: poultry biology, incubation, genetics and breeding, nutrition, feeds and additives, management, animal waste, food safety, health, housing and equipment, eggs, layers, and meat production; as well as comprehensive appendices that discussing the raising of poultry, game, and ornamental birds.For employees, managers, and owners of poultry producing businesses. ... Read more

Book Description

From lists of fundamental start-up equipment to advice on charting income and expenses, this book guides small farmers through feeding, sheltering, and breeding cows, pigs, goats, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. Breeders and farmers learn the full scope of husbandry and care, including which records should be maintained-health records, breeding journals, milk sheets, and family trees-to which ointments, sprays, and syringes should be kept in the animal first aid box. Included are farrowing charts and pregnancy diaries that detail each step of gestation. Extensive details and instructions are provided on castration, giving iron, docking tails, and caring for newborns. Farmers' accounts, photos, a glossary of terminology, and a list of resources offer support to experienced and novice farmers alike. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

this is really awful
This has got to be the worst book on "farming" I have ever read. Amazingly, the cover reads "Compared to All Creatures Great and Small" well yeah it compares...it compares POORLY.

If this were merely a memoir, I'd let the poor grammar and randomly-generated thoughts pass...after all, I'm not one to stifle creativity.

However, when someone passes off copious "borrowing" from Storey publications, inter-dispersed with reminiscing from their barnyard, and chock-full of misleading or mistaken "facts"...that's too much.

For instance:

Pg 37: "Make sure every animal has clean, fresh water daily. You wouldn't want to drink dirty defecated water..."
(Is she referring to drinking water fouled with feces? You'd think an author would phrase themselves better)

Pg 69: "If you stagger breeding dates, you could have milk all year long" misleading... does (except for the Pygmy breed) only come into heat in the fall - winter. I have never heard of any Dairy Goat breeding in the summer.

Pg 220: 1 gallon of milk does NOT weigh 8 lbs...A gallon of milk with 2% butterfat weighs about 10.2 lbs (by the way- NO mention of pasteurizing milk apparently this author is fine with Tuberculosis, Brucellosis, and Toxoplasmosis...all transmittable to people in milk, if your animals are infected)

Pg 246 "I keep a cheap pair of scissors on hand in case I need to cut away the excess skin around a wound. The scissors I use have a flat and a sharp edge" ?!?! Have you ever used a scalpel blade??? Try it sometime!

Overall, it is a difficult read given the poor grammar, fragmentary sentences, and general randomness of the (albeit few) nuggets of real information.

As an aside....I do like "chatty" books, and an informal read can be fun. This is neither.

A much better buy is Backyard Livestock by Steven Thomas. Don't waste your money with this one...

Want To Raise Chickens?
A quick fun book to read for anyone who's fantasized about raising livestock in their back yard, but never quite got up the nerve to do so. Full of interesting little tips, presented in a readable format. This is not the "dry" book you would expect.

Covers almost everything imaginable
Farm Animals: Your Guide To Raising Livestock by animal husbandry expert Jeanie Peck-Whiting is a no-nonsense guide filled with hard information on the care, feeding, and breeding of cows, pigs, goats, rabbits, ducks, or chickens. From what records a small farmer should keep to milking goats to animal first aid, Farm Animals covers almost everything imaginable in direct, straightforward language understandable to farmers of all experience levels. A first-rate, salt-of-the-earth guide, Farm Animals is also highly recommended for students in 4-H programs. ... Read more