The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-04-16
SHEEP AND CAIILE.
How the Hard Winter Has Affected the
Industries of the Staked Plains.

HOW tho HARD winter has [suecfeu Jne
Industries of the Staked Plains.
The loneliest business in the world
: the herding of sheep on the
Staked Plains The herder who from
sunrise to sunset watches a flock of
sheep with his dog undergoes a sort of
Imprisonment but little better than that
Of the isolated convict. He is bronzed
oy exposure, and but for his beard
night be taken for almost anything
except pale-faced American. Dressed
With all the warmth his scant wardrobe
affords, and protected from the weather
oy long yellow oilskin slicker, he
moves about his flock all day. keeping
he sheep together so Is to pen them
when the day is done, and 60 through
L similar process the next day. The
sheep craze is about over. 1t has fol-
owed the mining craze, and the bust
! ness is now getting into the hands of
hose who attend 10 it with the same
| devotion that every successful business
nan gives to his business. The only
/ trustworthy estimate of sheep-raising
Is a profitable industry is to be obtained
rom men who have been successful IN
the business. There are plenty who
nave failed TO make money in sheep. \
numerous class of incompetents were
specially attracted to wool-growing a
few wears ago because of the wonderful
ease with which it was supposed for
tunes could be made out of it.
1t was the popular belief that it was
only necessary to purchase 4 flock OF
sheep. turn them over TO an irresponsible
herd r.. and the golden fleece was sure
! to follow. 4 large number of persons
who entertained this Tallacy have come
to grief. and as Il necessary consequence
the credit of the business has been in
jured and many who are engaged in it
and are earnestly striving to succeed
have been injured through 10 fault of
their own. When sheep were on a big
| boom, nearly three years ago, quite a
number of extensive cattlemen caught
| the fever and bought them. As they
! did not give the cattle their personal
attention, they trusted their sheep inter-
! eStS to others likewise, and many of
| them lost money; for there is no queS-
ton that sheep require much closer at
| tention than cattle, nor Is there any
doubt that they repaY that attention.
| There were other cattlcmen who turned
their entire stocks into sheep and by
! giving them their personal supervision,
| have made money and have since had
no cause to regret their change of bust
ness. There has been much shrinkage
in value of sheep. Two or three years
| ago sheep were worth So and Sc per
| head which are now valued at half the
money But cattle have more than
| kept pace with them in this respect.
u hen the cattle fever" was at its
height they ranged as high as $50 and
SO. Mr.. Slaughter, the Dallas cattle
king, was oiie.ed Sl.2j0.000 for his
stock on guarantee Of only So, 600 head
in the summer of 1882. In the imme-
diate vicinity of Colorado cattle can
now be contracted for spring delivery
ut SIP per head. with calves thrown in.
and within Il hundred miles of that
place are offered at $40. This has
of all kinds ever experienced in
this section of the State. Thousands
of sheep have persisted, but the losses
have been confined to the old and
thickly settled districts, which are
largely Overstocked, and where every
thing went into the winter poor. Out
here on the plains the losses have been
trihing. The losses among cattle have
been confined to no district, but have
been very general all over the State.
On these very plains, where sheep
thrive winter and summer, cattle do
worse than anywhere else, because of
! the entire absence of shelter. When q
nOrther strikes them they turn their
heads away from the blizzard, and
travel day and night Until the storm is
over.
Many OF them 90 until they drop from
hunger and fatigue, never to rise again.
Every winter they have drifted further
and further out or the plains. and many
thousands have persisted for water be-
fore they could he driven back to their
old ranges. The storms have been so
fire Iuent and have followed in such
quick succession that the cattle have
continued to drift south, almost without
stopping. until now it is said that along
the banks of the PecoS River there is.
as far aS the eye can reach up and down
the stream. solid herd of cattle, which
have drifted in from the north, many of
them from ranges 200 and 800 miles
away. The Pccos is already heavily
overStocked, aad as most of these north
ern cattle are dead-poor now they can
not be driven back until grass shoots up
i'll the spring. Before this time large
number OF them must perish
A singular fact is the demonstration
that the wire fences erected to prevent
cattle from drifting are an injury instead
of benefit During northers the cattle
drift up agains: the fences in large herds
and struggle in a mass. The weaker
are trampled under foot. and, as they
fall, others. whipped on by the cutting
wind press over them. The fence
serves as q trap TO hold the cattle unit
many of them perish, either from cold.
hunger. or thirst. and when the wire
gives way the cattle start at a break
neck pace and drift to the south for hum
dreds OF miles, many of them never to
be seen again. General Brinkley Otel.
one of the largest cattlc-ownerS in the