The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-10-05


satisfied with their place on Wolfe
! Creek, mainly because it was twenty
miles from Russell and the railroad.
They therefore projected a move, and
finding their present location an eligible
one, they persuaded the occupants to
move by payments of small sums of
money. At the same time they traded,
partly with the government and partly
with the railroad, and became possessed
at comparatively small cost of eleven
"eightics," OF cighths of sections, MAX
ing eight hundred and eighty acres in
all, and covering the creek for three
miles in line. Part of this is held un-
der the Homestead law, part under the
Presumption act, and part was bought
outright. doubt if the whole rancho
will cost 81, 800 for land.
The sheep now on hand number
about five thousand, divided into three
herds, each in charge of a herder, whose
duty it is to let the sheep go pretty
much where they please, and to bring
them back at sundown without losing
any. No other occupation that l ever
heard of takes so little work, in fact, the
best hcr,lcr is the one who disturbs his
flock the least. The sheep naturally
keep together and Craze as they walk.
If the hcrder will turn them around
when noon comes he will have done
enough. Many herds have at their
head a goat with bell, bearing great
wisdom in his face, and having the en-
tire respect of his following. TO I'M
dcrsand the principle of 'herding' OH
which the whole sheep business of this
state is based a few words of explana-
ton are necessary: So small portion
of the land is owned by individuals that
no one makes pretencc of confining
his flocks to his own range, but they
are suffered to go at will over govern
ment and railroad land, with no one to
molcst or make afraid. The limit is
practically about three miles from the
corral or pen in which they are enclosed
nights. One other matter pertains
The water supply is not large, and the
streams are not frequent; to control the
land through which stream runs is
really to possess the use of the land back
of it, so that the model sheep rancho is
ono where the owner controls the wa
ter by owning or holding the land
through which the creek (more proper
" brooke passes, and has wide expan.
ses of land for the herds to browse over.
Such an one is Cedar Greek rancho,
for, as have noted, Messrs. Eaton x
Clifford own the land on both sides OF
the water for three miles, while unnum-
bercd thousands of acres of beautiful
pasturage lie on both sides of them, and
the rich grass asks to be eaten.
The firm has now about five thousand
sheep and one hundred fine merino
| L. IL. = al,
what they propose TO grow and to keep
They have few Mexican sheep OF
hand, but are selling them off and fill
ing up with crosses on the merino from
their own lambs. OF course the natur
al increase in lambs will make it easy
for the firm to,accumulate sheep to rcacl
the expected figure of ten thousand. i
is not difficult to sell at fair prices here
to new men coming in any overplus.
intended on beginning this letter tC
speak only of the ranch OH which hav'
been. but | find on looking it over tina
have spread out n little into the gencr
alities of sheep raising, and it may no
be out of the way to answer few sup
posable questions, such as Vernon
farmer might ask if he wanted to fin,
out about the country:
How do they have to feed in winter
| doubt if there is any real winter il
Kansas. Clifford IL Eaton have ncve
fed more than ten days in any winter
[ Last winter fifty tons of hay suffice,
/ for five thousand sheep, and the los
/ was not more than onc-half of one pc
/ cent.
How about farming?
} If YOU want to farm, don't come here
: You can get large crops, but they ar
= comparatively worthless to sell whel
= YOU do get them. Corn at fifteen cent
t or less, rye at twenty cents, wheat q
c fifty to sixty cents, potatoes at twent
| cents, and other things in proportion
d, are not encouraging to the farmer
+ though they are TO the sheep farmer
C who can buy them cheaper than lie ca
T. raise them.
f What about dairy products?
+ 1t costs about nothing to keep cattle
: and butter and cheese are too cheap {
. pay for making. Butter at ten
n twenty cents II pound, and cheese &
: seven to ten cents don't indicate tha
q YOU can make much off dairy in Kal
c sas.
: What can ! get for my wool?
! For good fieeces from half bred mel
l. ino (unwashcO. thirty cents is fai
d rate. Clifford II Eaton sold twenty-fou
II thousand pounds this season at that rat,
IS for large portion, but less for Mex
Il can and heavy rams fieeces. A hal
Il bred eve which will shear one dollG
a and thirty cents worth of wool an
C drop lamb worth not less than tw
dollars, is the standard of fMessrs. Eato
c Il Clifford; five hundred of them max
l. II good source of income.
e What about the things that You hay
e TO go to the store for?
If The stores are robbers nests, and [
= buy of them is to be cheated furiousl,
+ All tea, coffee, sugar, etc, must |
y bought by the quantity in Kansas Gil
n or Chicago. In that way they wi
Y come as cheaply rs now to You.
e Is there plenty of wood and lumber
/, Enough wood grows on the banks
e the creek for firewood. All lumb,
n must be brought from Chicago, and wi
IS cost Twenty-Five or twenty-three dolla
n per one thousand feet delivered her
'e AS much stone rs may be needed ca
Ie be dug out almost anywhere, and it
}. of such curious character that it can b
Il and is, cut with saw in preference
d any other way. Stone costs nothiI
y but the digging.
N What kind of water is there?
IS Good wells are easily dug, and vie
n a pleasant but very hard water. So
D water must be gathered as in Vernon
At Is good garden possible?
N The best garden ever seen by any ms
lie in Addison county is easy enough, an
Sc besides all the things they have ther
v sweet potatoes and other warm china
rs vegetables can be raised.
lt The idea which should be borne
- mind is that the emigrant can have he
er in one branch of business more prospe
T. ity than he can ever hope for in We
N mont; but he must understand sheep
st he will do no good. l would advise
'p man with two thousand five hundr,
n dollars cash (or better three thousai
In dollars) to come here to make S20,0
nc in few years. | would not advise 4
pr laboriuU man IN come here hacau