St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-07-23
SHEEP ANE HORSES
Being Extensively Raised i'm Nom
tana for Profit.

tana for Pr0fit.
Special Correspondence Of the Globe.
LIVINGSTON, July 21.-The sheep-shear-
ing season is over, and half the clip is at
shipping points, good quantity of which
has already been forwarded to the Eastern
markets. The remainder will be ready for
shipping by the last Of this month. The
sheep sheared lighter this season than last,
and the clip on the whole was not as salts
factory. On account of the dryness of the
season the wool was sandy and did not
suit buyers as well as the clip of former
years. Montana woods takes the head of
all territorial wools. and there is consider
able competition between the Eastern COM
mission houses which is to receive the bulk
OF it. The superiority of the Montana clip
and the popularity it has achieved has laid
basis for fraud in the business. Sheep
growers in adjoining territories. knowing of
the demand and ready sale Montana wool
meets with. drive their flocks into Men
tana and shear them there. By this means
the Montana woods will soon be classified
the same as other territorial woods, if it is
not protected from fraud. Notwithstand-
ing the clip of genuine Montana wool was
lighter this season, the output is greater.
Last year the clip was estimated at $780,
600 pounds. while this season it will reach
g, 900, 900 pounds, so it can be seen that a
great many sheep must have been driven
into the territory from Oregon, Wyoming
and Idaho. There are
MANY EASTERN HOUSES
that have been detected putting I'D Wyom-
ing, North Utah and Oregon woods and
classifying them as Montana product. A
disaster befell many growers last March.
They had failed to put upa sufficient guam
tity of hay, and there being little grass on
the range, the sheep became sick and from
that time there appeared break in the fibre.
Those which stood the weather all right
clipped well. The advance in wool cannot
fail to strengthen the value of f1ocks, and
will tend materially to lessen the mutton
output from what it would have been had
the price remained down. With wool at
the present ruling price flock OF wethers
that will shear ten or eleven pounds will be
as profitable to keep for wool as they are to
sell for mutton; in fact one crop of wool
will bring as much as many shippers real
lied per head for their mutton sheep last
year. OF course, there is no telling that
wool will be worth as much next year, but
the probabilities are that it will be worth
more. The present rise is the result of a
legitimate demand and ought to last for sew
eral years. However, the selling of old
sheep is really the only true system of sheep
growing. The quality of the focks can be
kept up in no other way. Then with many
other growers it will be found vastly bene-
fetal to sell off the wethers so as to make
more room for the young sheep. 1t is bet
ter to keep reasonably small flock well
than large one poorly. Whatever plan is
adopted one thing must not be lost sight of.
and that is that the flock should have annie
room and fresh range. Where this is to be
had it will pay to keep wethers as long as
wool stays at present prices-until they be-
come pretty well along in years. Of this
the grower must be the Judge, for one not
familiar with the flock is not capable of
judging OF the minute details of manage
ment.
HORSE GROWING
is becoming one of the important industries
OF Montana. 1t is now where the cattle in
austry was ten years ago. Then the road
to the Eastern market had not only Just
been opened and cattle men were only lust
beginning to realize the importance of their
occupation. Horsemen have only Just now
realized that they can market their stock
prohtably IN the states, and are beginning
to understand that the horse interest is
liable to develop into one of scarcely less
Importance than cattle growing. They are
not quite so sanguine as beef growers were.
for horses are not marketed for their flesh.
but few more years of success will allay
their fears. The horse shipments of last
year are estimated at LOCO head. but when
they reach 20, 600 or 80, 900, which will not
be great many years, things will look
quite different. 1t must be remembered
also, that the quality of our horses will i'm
prove, and that. too, as rapidly as the num-
bers increase, and by the time our output
reaches 10, 900 head, instead of ten and
en-llundred-p horses being the
best, there will scarcely be an animal
shipped that does not weigh above these
figures. The horse interest of the territory
is moving rapidly along. and will increase
in Importance more rapidly than either
sheep or cattle did at the dates referred to.
The Montana horse will soon cut as I'M
portant figure in the industrial world as
do our wool and cattle in the leading trade
centers. and the horse growers viii be
growing wealthy quite as rapidly as any
class in the territory that is following any
safe and legitimate calling