Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1872-08-21
PARHER'S COL UMN.
California Shesr.


The Isnche from which / write-the
Teen j. is called-seems to me the
finest property in the United States. 1t
contains nearly 100000 acres, and lies
at the junction of Sierra Nevada with the
Coas, Range, which bend around toward
each other in a vast sweep, and from the
bottom of the great San joaquin Valley.
The two mountain ranges do not quite
meet. The Tejon Pass, a narrow defile,
separates them, and gives egress from the
valley into the Los Angeles country.
You may r:de for eighty miles on the
country road upon this great estate; it
supports thi. year over 10000 sheep.
and it has a peasan:ry town OF its own,
about whom shall tell you presently.
The Tejon is devoted to sheep; and
here | saw the o. Grafton OF sheariug-
eight or nine weeks are require: to shear
the whul. nuck-as well as tie various
details of The management Of Califor.
hia sheep farm. What We call at home
flock is here callrd baad of sheep.
7 heee bands consist usually of from
1900 To Goo sherp. and each band is
in charge of a shepherd. OF course the
sheep are scattered over many miles of
territory, each baud has limited lange,
defined to some extent by the vicinity of
water, aid it Is customary in California
30 drive every night into corral, or in
closure usually fenced with brush, and
with narrow entrance. This corral is
near wafer and the sheep drink at morn
ing and evening. The shepherd sleeps
near by, in a hnt, or in the mountain
pert Of the I'ejonRancho, on "tepestra."
The corral is to keep the she , together
at night. and protect thm in a measure
against the attacks of wild beasts, which,
curiou-ly enough, are tos cowardly to
venture after dark inside of even low
fence. The tepestra is to protect the
shcphe'd himself against the attacks of
grizzly bears, which are still abundant
IN the mountains, especially in the Coast
Range. The tepestra is a platform
about twelve feet high. built on stout
Ioles. soldly set in the ground
Upon this platform the shepherd sleeps,
in the mountains. at the entrance Of the
corral; the grizzly bear cannot climb a
pole, though he can get upa tree large
enough to give his claws hold. 1t is,
believe, not unfrequent for grizzly
TO stand up at the side of a tapestra at
night and try to rouse out the shep
herd. But all the men are armed with
guns which they carry day and night.
The izzly does not usually attack
sheep. The California lion. a strong but
very cowarlly beast, the wild cat the
fox, and the cay o,te, are the Sleeps enc
mics. The last named is easily poisoned
with meal which has sirycbnine pow
dered over 1t. / he others are hunted
when they become troublesome, and as
the lion. or the slightest alarm, takes 10
a tree and will run even from a small
dog, it is not accounted very trouble
some beast. Indians, Spaniards, Chi
nese, and some Scutchmen, serve as
shepherds in California The last are
throughout the best; and the Chinese
make very faithful shepherds if they are
properly and carefully trained. They
are apt TO herd the sheep too closely to
gether at first. Dogs have found but
little used in the sheep ranches | have
seen. They are not often thoroughly
trained, and where they are neglected,
become a nuisance OF course, the shep
herds have to be supplied at stated inter
walls with food. They usually receive
weeks rations, which they cook for
themselves. At the Tejon :here are two
supplystations and every morning dom
keys and mules were sent out with food .
to some distant shepherds. The ration
masters count the sheep as they deliver
the rations. and thus all the bands are
counted once week and if any sheep
are missing they must be accounted for.
The shepherd is allowed to kill sheep
once in so many days, but he must
keep the pelt, which is valuable. Above
the ration-masters are the major domos.
Zach Of these has charge of certain
number of hands; en- a smaller estate
there is usually hut one msior-dom,. 1t
is his duty to see that the shepherds are
competent; that new rasturase is ready
when band has need for it E; to see that
the corrals are in good order; 10 provide
extra hands at lambing ime to examine
the sheep, TO keep out scab, which is al
most the only disease sheep are subject
TO in this State, and to give out the ra-
tions for distribution. On euch an es-
tate as the Tjon there is finally, gen
eral superintendent and bookkeeper and
storekeeper-for here in the wilderness
a supply of goods of various kinds must
be kept for the use of the people. A
blacksmith, teamster, plowmen, gardeners
and house servants make up the Tejon's
Company. The gardeners and sevants
are chinese as they usually are in this
State, and very good men they are
civil, cbliging and competent.
WRINKLE ABOUT THE AGEoF HORSES
The following information as to ascer-