The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-08-31
agricultural department.
CONDUCTED BY ALBERT CHAPMAN
Sheep Husbandry in Kern
Coiinty-Experience of a Pr
Oneer.


we take from the "Southern Callforni-
an published at Bakersfield, Kern !
Co.. Cal.
During the last fifteen years, Califor-
mia has made wonderful advancement
In agriculture. This is especially true
Of sheep husbandry, and in no portion
of the State during the period mention
ed, have sheep increased more in num-
bers, or improved more in quality than
in Kern county. From few thousand
Mexican Mustang sheep, shearing a
bout two and one-half or three pounds
of wool, or rather, of hair, per year, our
flocks have increased more than
fifteen fold in number, and the
average weight of fleece per head
has more than doubled. Kern is prob
ably the best sheep growing county in
the State. Sheep-raisers of our neigh
boring counties on the coast are fully
aware of our advantages, and it is to
the hills and mountains of Kern that
many bring their sheep to Craze during
the summer. During the dry years of
'63 and '64, many sheep and cattle died
of starvation in the coast counties, but
Kern had not only feed enough to keep
her own flocks and herds in fine condi-
ton, but kept from starvation hun
dreds of thousands of stock driven here
by our less favored neighbors.
Stock raisers and taxpayers, with
reason, complain that it is not right for
stock that is taxed and shorn in other
counties to be driven here and subsist
upon the feed that ought to be eaten by
the focks owned within the county.
But our county will not long be depriv-
ed ofthe revenue that rightfully belongs
to her, for our mountain valleys and
mountain streams are fast being settled
upon by the intelligent, industrious
immigrants who are now docking to-
and making their homes in all portions
of our golden State, made so more by
the farmers golden grain than the min
er's gold dust taken from the ground.
Sheep raising is on the eve of new
departure in Kern county, for success
fully engaging in the sheep business
without owning foot of land. With
out person owns large tract of land,
the only way to raise sheep successfully
from this time forward, is to have a
farm that will produce hay. The farm
should be fenced and sown with alfalfa.
Two or three crops of hay can be cut
from it during the sum- er; then, in
the fall, when grass on the dry hills
and plains has been consumed, the
sheep owner can bring his flocks and
Craze them upon his alfalfa fields until
the rains come, and green feed is abund-
ant upon the hills again. 1t has been
estimated that an acre of alfalfa will
keep from fifteen to twenty sheep the
year round. Then, If the hay is cut
and fed to them, it will, with the pas
turage, keep four times as many sheep
three months, or by taking the average
estimate, an acre will keep seventy
head three months, and one hundred
and sixty acres will keep II 200. Now
all sheep men know from bitter expert
ence, that it is the three months that
come between the old and new feed
that causes them the greatest anxiety,
for then 1t is impossible to find suffici-
ent feed for the focks. No other county
in California can begin to compare with
this in Its facilities for raising alfalfa,
or any other crop that Is grown by irri-
CATION for here we have the largest
body of rich land to be found in Cali
fornia, and it seems as if nature wished
to doubly bless us. for through the
whole breadth of this land runs one of
the largest and most beautiful rivers in
the state. There were many disadvant-
ages that our pioneer sheep men had to
encounter. that our new settlers know
nothing of. The cost and time consum-
ed In getting our wool to market, and
of bringing our supplies from San Fran
cisco, was great drawback Our wool
had to be taken to the ocean, or to the
San Joaquin on wagons, distance of
over vuu iiuuuIv'. anu nity iIiIiUs, :.
cost of about three cents a pound.
Then, there was an additional cost to
get ii to San Francisco. Wool would
often lay at the corrals for months be-
fore teams could be found to haul it,
and Notwithstanding all of this cost and
delay, the highest price that gladdened
the eyes of the sheep raiser was from
ten to fourteen cents per pound, deliv-
cred in San Francisco. All our supplies
had to be procured by the same way al
a heavy cost. Our mail came by steam
eli from New York to San Francisco
From there, once week to San Pedro
by the same manner, and then brought
by stage to Los Angeles, it then came
by fast prairie schooner usually drawn
by mules or oxen) TO some ranch with
in the county, then was distributed b,
indians on horseback. We considered
that our mail had made fast time then
and that we were in big luck if we re
leaving New York. During one season
we had our mail carried by camels from
the Government Station at Fort Telor
to Los Angeles. distance by trail 0
seventy-five miles The camels easil,
made the trip and returned in tw,
days. At one time they strayed AVA
from the fort and wandered over to tn
San Emedio Rancho. An Indian from
the Ranch came across them Will
hunting horses in the hills. AS he hat
never seen such animals, he was yer.
much frightened, and rushing down t.
the house, he exclaimed that Their
We're some devils up in the mountains
and he had seen them
The fiocks of the pioneers were yer.
much troubled by wild animals. FIJI