The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1882-10-26
For THE HERALD.
LETTER FROM COLORADO.
Special Correspondence.
PUEBLO, COL, Oct. 5. 1882.

sheep business, but he's just got
to have sand This is undoubted.
Is a correct statement Of the case.
The business is profitable u hen
managed with care, judgment and
Industry, but it entails Il life of
solitude 10 great extent and one
full of yicissitudes. A man should
have proper appreciation OF
these things and an understand
ing Of the business before going
into it. They tell OF a high
toned Englishman who came here
few years ago with $4,000 and
went away owing $4,000. He
was always blasting this bloody
country, you know, and lived
high. In the larguage Of an
old.timer blamed if be cared what
he paid for anything. Offer him
horse worth $40 and charge him
$3.50 and he'd give you check.
He dldn't care what be paid for
his sheep. Had $500 of them, and
you used 10 See thirty or forty En-
glishmen loafng on him. You
bet be didn't have the trouble
of selling them sheep. Sheriff did
it for him Of course such a man
could not succeed in raising
sheep. But as an off set to this,
and to illustrate the real character
OF the business, here is another
instance given me by an old her.
der. Said he: ! wanted a man
to herd sheep, and l met one
coming out of Pueblo who said
be would like to work for me.
Look here, said I, i won't pay
you any wages, but III give you
25O lambs which you must herd
as part of the flock He agreed
| to that and worked Ter me three
years and q halt, until be had to
60 away and be married, and then
l bought him out. The wool had
paid all expenses and be had
$2,25O coming to him IN cash.
1t is needless to say that there
is no royal road to success and
wealth in the sheep business, or
any other calling, in Colorado,
any more than there is in every
part Of the world. There is no
hope for it without economy and
industry and strict personal atten-
ton, and even with all these the
fates sometimes decree failure.
But as rule man who knows
what he is about may invest from
$4,000 to $4,000 in sheep and
realize a return of twenty five per
cent per annum. Comparing this
with the profits of cattle raising
it will be found that the latter
promise larger, though more tar
dy, returns, but the advantages
on the side of sheep are smaller
requirements in the way Of capital
and the ready returns Of cash
from the yearly crop of wool.
Some old timers assert that they
can run a flock Of 5000 sheep,
year in and year out, at an ave-
rage cost of fifty cents per head.
For such as they-and there are
many of them-the above estimate
Of profit would need to be ma.
terially changed. Your old-timer
has lived twenty years, perhaps,
in this part of the country. He
is deeply attached to the soil and
knows no other home. He has
spent years in the mountains pros
pecting and while he may like asoft
bed and q tight roof, and good
dinner rs we'll as his neighbor,
there have been epochs in bis life
when any one Of them would be
no nearer his reach than the joys
of a Mabommedan paradise, and
'he counteth none of these things
dear when his mind is set on the
accomplishment of any object,
When this man takes up the busi-
ness of sheep-raising he is in dead
earnest. He knows nothing
thinks of nothing, but sheep; lives
among them, studies and masters
every detail Of their management
and institutes rigid economy
He will have good sheep, good
corrsls, and probably good sheds
but be will care little for the com
! forts of his cabin. One Of TIE
most successful sheep men in this
region began by living in q cave
near Colorado Springs. To lone
. lEnoee tho. ol6.timar has lOno aof