Omaha daily bee., 1884-02-01
AN EXTENSIVE SHEEP RANGE.
How Eighty Thousand Sheep are
wsshed-Profits of the Ranch.
San Praneisco Gall.

San Francisco Gail.
The little schooner Santa Rosa arrived
in port from Santa Barbara a few days
ago. She comes up 10 this port twice q
year to aecure provisions, clothing, lum-
Der, ETC., for use on Santa Rosa Island,
being owned by the great sheep raiser,A
=. Moore, who owns the island and the
80, 200 sheep that exist upon 1t. The
island is about thirty miles south of
Santa Barbara, and is twenty.four miles
Ia length and sixteen in breadth, and
Contains about $4,000 acres of land which
are admirably adapted to sheep-raising,
Last year Moore clipped LOLA sacks Of
wool from these sheep, each sack contain
ing an average of 4l0 pounds of wool,
making q total of 415, lao pounds, which
he sold at 81 cents spound, bringing him
in SIP, $40, 80, or q clear profit of over
$50, 600. This is said to to be a low
yield, so it is evident that sheep-raising
there, when taken into consideration
that shearing takes place twice q year
and that q profit is mads off the sale of
mutton, etc., is very profitable. The
island is divided into four quarters by
fences running clear across at right
angles, and the sheep have not to be
herded like those ranging about the foot
hills.
Four men are employed regularly the
year round to keep the Ianch in order
and to look after the sheep, and during
shearing time fifty or more shearers are
employed. These secure forty or fifty
days work, and the average number Of
sheep sheared Is about ninety, for which
s cents a clip is paid, thus $3.50 a day
being made by each man, or something
over $400 for the season, or over $500
for ninety days out of the year. Although
the shearing of ninety sheep a day is the
avearge, a great many will go as high as
ITO, and one man has been known to
shear 125. Of course every man tries to
shear as many as he can, and owing to
haste frequently the animals are severely
cut by the sharp shears. If the wound
is serious, the sheep Immediately has its
throat cut, and is turned into mutton
and disposed of to the butchers, and the
shearer, if in the habit of frequently in
Aicting such wounds, is discharged. In
the shearing of these 8 $1,000 sheep a hun
dred or more are injured to such an eI-
tent as to necessitate their being killed,
but the wool and meat are of course
turned into profit.
Although no herding is necessary, about
200 trained goats are kept on the island
continually, which to all intents and pur-
poses take the place of the shepherd dogs
80 necessary in mountainous districts
where sheep are raised. Whenever the
animals are to be removed from one quar-
ter of the island to another, the man in
charge takes out with him several of the
goats, exclaims in Spanish, "Cheava"
(meaning sleepy The goat through its
training understands what is wanted, and
immediately runs to the band, and the
sheep accept it as their leader, following
wherever it goes. The goat in turn fol-
lows the nan to whatever point he wishes
to take the band. To prevent sheep from
contracting disease it is necessary to give
them a washing twice q year. Moore,
having 80 many on hand, found it neces-
sary to invent some way to accomplish
this, whereby not SO much expense would
be incurred, and time wasted. After e1-
perimenting for some time he had a ditch
dug eight feet in depth, a little over one
foot in width, and 100 feet long. In this
he put 600 gallons of water, 200 pounds
of sulphur, 100 pounds of lime, and six
pounds of soda, all of which is heated to
100 degrees. The goats lead the sheep
into a corral or trap at one end and the
animals are compelled to swim through to
the further end, thus securing q bath and
taking their medicine at one and the
same time.
The owner Of the island and sheep, A.
F. Moore, a few years ago purchased the
property from the widow Of his deceased
brother, Henry, for $500, 600. Owing to
his ill-health he. has rented it to his
brother Lawrence for $140, 600 ,ar,
and soon starts for Boston, where he will
settle down for the rest of his life. He
still retains an interest in Santa Cruz
Island ranch, which is about twenty-five
miles southeast of Santa Barbara. This
island contains about $4,000 acres, and
on it are $4,000 sheep. On Catalina
Island, sixty miles east of Santa Barbars,
are Is, 900 sheep, and on Clementa island,
eighty miles east Of that city, are 10000
sheep. Forty miles west of the same city
is San Miguel, on which are 1000 sheep.
Each one of these ranches has a sailing
vessel to carry freight, etc, to and fro
between the island and the main land and
they are kept busy the greater part of the
time.