Hi all:
    I am transcribing a 1912 Forest Ranger diary and have run across a term 
that I do not understand.
    The stockmen and Forest Rangers are conducting a cattle drive to count 
the number head on the range and match with permits that have been issued. 
They drive the cattle into a corral, count them and bush them.
    What do they mean by "bush" them?
gail carbiener
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    Here is an excerpt from the dairy:
"Sent the men out. Put two shoes on my horse and rode to the meadows and 
unpacked & had dinner. Then rode to Burgess ranch and counted & Bushed the 
cattle gathered."

    McAllister was the Assistant Forest Supervisor on the Dixie National 
Forest at the time headquartered in St. George, Utah. He was there and my 
diaries cover the period from 1907 to 1919. The diaries a hard cover books, 
6 1/2" x 4 3/4" with about 200 pages, yellow paper blue lines vertical and 
horizontal making 1/4" squares. His detail is wonderful.
    At the time the Dixie NF covered the area from Cedar City and Zion south 
to Arizona, and included the Arizona strip, west to Nevada, northwest to 
Modena at the railroad. In 1912 this was significant and strong Mormon 
country, still is.
    Last night I transcribed a day that included another, but different, 
reference to "bush." Here it is:
====================
Wednesday June 26, 1912

Rode with Lee Terry and Joe Woodbury to the head of Slaughter creek and 
geathered [gathered] cattle from there down west & north of Big Mountain. 
Drove to Pulsipher's corral and counted & Bushed. Pulsipher corral is a 
fright of a place. The corral is side hill and rough and it is bad to get in 
either down the creek or around the ledge. Rode back to Pine Canyon & 
geathered [gathered] cattle as we went. A bush of a tail was found on the 
trail as Pulsipher, Benson & I came along. The rest of the boys were 1/4 of 
a mile ahead. After thinking & talking the matter over we found there was no 
way of finding out how the tail came there. I advised John to call all 
together and tell them what had happened and that we would not stand for it 
and if it was done their permits would be cancelled [canceled]. Whipple was 
at camp when we returned and he reported very few cattle in Nephi Canyon or 
around Terry's Ranch.