Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1881-02-17
PROTECTING SPEEP INTERESTS

AT the annual meeting OF the kabbas wool
Grosers and SHEEP Breeders Association
held in Topeka, January lSh and 18th.
1881, the following resolution was unani-
mously adopted.
"Rcsoiped, That a committee OF FIVE mem
bers of this association be appointed TO com-
plete siaii-t,cs showing the rapid growth Of
the sheep interest. OF The state; ALEC TO me-
morialIze the ies islaiure Of ths state now In
session 10 enact good practical Law for the
prevention Of the spread of contagious dis
es-er, whether developed within u state or
introduced by importation from other statsf;
also 10 urge the pa sage Of efficient y OFF calp
and dog lass, and sny other legislation nee
esssry to protect and encourage sheep-bresd
ing and WOOL growing"
Messrs. Hilton, Bartholomew, W adsworlh,
Wi'wer and Delhi we're appointed as the
committee on statistics and memorisl.
Ia compliance with the foregoing rssolu-
ton the nldsr-igned memorislists would re-
spccuully call your attention frs, TO the
won ieriui growth Of the sheep interests Of
the state during the past year.
Tue aeee s)rs' returns as published in the
fourth quarterly report Of the state board Of
agriculture for 1880 show that there we're
43e. 492 saeep ia the state on March l, 1880.
Az very large percentage Of these were
breeding ewes. your memoriAlists feel cafe
ia estimating the natural increase Il La, 900
making the number OF she<p i1 the state on
July 1. 1880, about coo, 600 exclusive Of i'm
postatious.
Toe number Of sheep imported during the
past season has probably never been equsled
10 the history Of any other state in the In
ion in the rame tim, and YET, 60 quietly hiss
this importation BEEN efecied that compare
lively lev in the Ella are aware OF its ex-
tent.
This great immigration Of sheep may be
atiribu ei TO two causes. One, the great de-
maud Tor them IN the ststs-,he other, the
failure Of the grasses Of Colorado and north.
srn NV Mexico, on account Of the great
drouib, and the consequent exodus OF sheep
ia great numbers TO Kansas.
A careful record was kept by the cattle
men of the upper Arkansas valley Of sll The
sheep that wrre driyen from southern Color
ado aud northern New Mexico into Kansas
durirg the past ne s-on, and they report the
number to he more than 250, 900 A very
large number we're slsO driven in from
por,hern Colorado, b-sides an unusually
large impo,trion irou the eastern states.
FROM the bert information attainsble from
members Of this association In all parts Of
the state, and from other reliable sourc,s
ycur memorialists fee! warranted in placing
the increase by importation in the sheep
population Of the sfste during 1880. 1t 40O,
600, making 100000 IN all From this
deduct 100 ZOO. q very liberal estimate) -
the number cold for mutton, and the nun
Der 10 the state on January !, 1881, will APP
pronimote 900, 900 TO watch 100000 will be
sddel by natural Increase within the next
six months, and the indications 1t percent
are that the sheep immigr alton from other
states will b. fully ss great in 1881 as it ha,
b.en 10 1880.
From these figures it will be readily seen
thar sheep raising is fast becoming an tn
portant wealIh-producing industry of the
81 ATE. and ane tina, rhouid have ali the en-
cour cement and protection the state Can
legally give IT.
One Of the consequences of the large i'm
ports,iou of sheep during the past Year has
been the development Of a contagious dis
ease familia,ly known as ''sc.b," smong
many of the ,cks of the state. Ii 10 a. cur
able disease if proper remedies are applied,
and it, spread can be prevented il prop-r
precsu,ions are taken. Your memoriali-is
therefore pray the enactment of law that
will. a, far as practicable prohibit the i'm
po,ts,ion of di-essed sheep, and also COM
pel those owning sheep in the state thst are
so deceased, to take effective measures TO
cure them.
Sc.b hss been ersdica,ed from New z al
and and also driven out OF Australia by the
enactment of Law imposing penalty of
$500 for every case found BY inspectors sew.
en- month after the passage Of the act. II
equally o. stringent ne,suns were taken
here i, would no doubt prove equally as ef-
fe ,:ive.
The state wool growers association DOS
m, v;.b IN discourage the importation of