Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1884-03-30
LIFE ON A RANCH.
The Routine Dutlss OF a Texas
Sheep Hsrdsr.
Attention Reqaredbya Large Flock During
the Landing and Shsaring Seasons
Chilled Lambs Wrapped up and
Putin an Oven to Recover.
81. Louis Republican

pressed upon my mind until l became
acquainted with those who care for anu
herd sheep.
In the great cities there Is constant
push and strife, each looking out for his
own interest; neighbor pushing neigh
Dor to the wall in the grand scramble
for wealth and position; aud in this
great struggle wearing out energies ana
even life itself to be the successful one.
Some one says: Life in great city
rese mbles microscopic view OF drop
of water, where you see the larger in
sects devouring the weaker ones, and
| all scrambling and diving in their efforts
TO catch their prey or escape from theF
pursuers."
the opposite aspect of life is seen. No
striving, no worry, but everything
peaceful and quiet.
A ranch is the herder's house and the
sheds and pens for the shelter OF the
sheep; the range is the land surround
ing these OH which the sheep Craze,
although | believe the word ranch is
generally applied to the building ana
ground taken together. The word camp
is often used here when speaking OF tRe
herder's house.
Sheep herders are men Of peculiar dis
position. They must be to follow such
an occupation. Rising early, before
daylight in the winter, he cooks and
eats his meager breakfast, takes his
flock on the range, and from that until
shutdown follows them as they Craze.
AT suniown the sheep are driven home,
fed, and left in the sheds for the night,
He gets his supper, smokes his pipe, and
goes to bed, unless visitor happens to
drop in, when he chats for a while.
This routine he follows month after
month, varied only by the lambing and
shearing seasons, when, having extra
help, there is more excitement for him.
Tie work is not difficult if the sheep
are well, but if sick they require atten.
lion al night, and then the work be-
comes quite tiresome. Housekeeping
on ranches IS OIL the simplest kind.
No Scrubbing OF Floors
or securing of pans; none of the little
| worrying cares to which housekeepers
with mole extensive establishments are
subje cted. The few dishes used are
easily washed; the floor is sometimes
scrubbed the bed beinga wooden bunk,
that il, some planks nailed to the wall,
| with u mattress and blankets for bed.
| ding, il easily cared for. His food is
easily prepared, and is OF the simplest
| kind. Coffee without milk, corn bread,
| bacon, mOlasses, potatoes, and occas'
| iorally dried apples. Vegetables and
| fruit, being scarce in this part Of the
world, even during spring and summer,
are Injuries not to be thought or These
| things are scarce because farmers prefer
| 10 raise the staples, corn, oats, wheat
and cotton, because they sell readily
| and are less tr1u BILE to raise than gar
| den vegetables.
You might suppose that the herder
would improve his time and add to his
| stock of knowledge while following his
| sheep to the range by reading; but
have not met one yet that does so.
| Those who have any ambition that way
| seldom follow the occupation for any
length Of time. know OF one herder
here who is a naturalist, studying the
habits Of the insects lie meets with
while following his flock.
These men pay
| Little Attention TO Dress,
and yet they are governed more or less
by the fashion of their class. TO have
a broad brimmed, ht-colored felt hat
with leather band to secure it from be-
ing blown away by the strong winds of
our prairies; q pair of high. heeled top
boots, long enough so that the pants
may be worn inside; a slicker. that is
an oil cloth coat, and large pair of
spurs is to DO in the hCigL. of fashion.
It makes little difference as to cleanli-
ness CT face or smoothneSs of hair.
| Being in the saddle at least two-thirdS
of their time, these men become the
most graceful of riders; sitting on their
horses like statues, they ride with an
ease and grace ofmOtiOn that city folks
are entirely unacquainted with. The
riding masters of st. Louis might gain q
few useful points from the sons Of these
Texas prairies. While they cannot be
surpassed as riders they are not the
most, but certainly very awkward
walkers.
The lambng and shearing season are
the two most i'm portant events in ranch
life. The lambs begin to come in
February and the season lasts for five or
six weeks. Extra hands are necessary
during this time, for with flock of
from eight hundred to one thousand,
two men are always required TO be in
attendance during the night. Strange
osay, some of the ewes disown their
lambs, and then the herder by various
mt ans compels them to do so. One way
is 10 put the refractory eve into small
zen where she is obliged to stand still un-
till the lamb has nursed number Of
times, when she gives no further
trouble.
When Lambs are MOtherIess
other ewes are induced to take them,
or if this cannot be done, they must be
raised by the bottle. Sometimes q
norther strikes us, just in the middle OF
lsmbiDg time, and then many lambs
are lost by being chilled. When chilled
they are wrapped up and put into the
ovens, and some warm milk poured
down their threats. In most cases when
this is Cone in time they come around
all right. The ewes with lambs are
sepaiated from the rest ofthe flock, and
must have special herder until the
whole flock has LANDED, when they all
run together again.
The shearipg season comes about
May. Men who make q business of
sheariDg are employed for this work.
They shear from twenty-five to thirty
per day, depending, OF course, on the
heaviness and c,Oseness of the fleece.
High grade merinos shear on an aver
age nine pounds. The fleeces are buried
and then packed in sacks holding from
80 to 500 pounds. Burning consists in
picking out all burrs and other sub.
stances that may adhere to the wool.
Good tiock-masters are always careful
to see that their tleeces are always per-
fsctly free from tags and dirt before
sending to market. During the winter
oats, corn, cotton.seed meal, the last
being good milk producer, are fed.
Hay is gwen to the sheep when kept in
by Indictment weather.
1t has been my good fortune to see a
flock Of thOroughbreds, owned by J. D.
Kevsn, an enterprising, energetic Eug
lishman, who is uutiring in his Efforts
I IN VW,,tN h.