, 1888-07-04
In NEW MEXICO.
a PICTURESQUE FEATURE OF SOUTH
WESTERN SHEEP RAISING.

Landing time being safely past. the
spring shearing follows at once. The
Navajos shear but once a year, but
nearly all other sheep owners twice-in
May and September. The shearing Is the
most picturesque feature of southwestern
sheep raising. It would fairly p~aralyze
an eastern wool grower. whose men lay
their subjects on a table and shear thirty
to forty head a day per man, to watch
the operation in New Mexico. It is light.
ming thrice fabricated Each man shears
from IS to $50 head a day, and 1t Is of
record that In a contest a single man has
sheared over POI sheep between sunrise
and sunset. The shearing point is chosen
usually as near the railroad as possible,
to save carriage. 1t being much cheaper
and easier to transport wool on the hoof
than In the sack A corral about 10 feet
high Is built Of railroad ties or cedar
posts. the army OF shearers comes trudg-
ing in from all quarters Of the compass
MeAicans. Pueblos and q few Navaios;
the first flock Is brought down from the
hills. and the fun commences. With
shouts aud c~araioes and flying sticks, the
dock Is turned in toward tie corral, the
little band of goats serving as an advance
guard and pilot. Fat. rotund and woolly,
they jam Into the corral. from which they
are TO emerge in a few hours TIE shorn
and shabby shadow of their former selves,
and likely patched with many a crimson
nick Within the Enclosure are from fifty
To eighty shearers, each with his own par
ticular station at the inside Of the fence.
And now the $500 sheep are in, the gap Is
closed and the ball opens.
TEree-quarters of the area OF the corral
is one dense mass of huddled wool. 1t
seems impossible that living creatures
can DO packed so tight. A rat tossed
upon their backs would have to run on
wool to the other side of the corral before
he could reach the ground Unable to
move more than their heads. with inglo-
rious unanimlty OF tail turned toward the
common foe. trembling and b~reathless,
the timid creatures await their fate.
There is u grand rush of the shearers.
Zach man grabs a sheep by the hind legs
or by the wolff he be ambitious he
takes one In each hRnd-and runs to his
place dragging his reluctant victim back.
ward behind him Then he throws the
sheep upon Its side, gathers its four little
feet into a bunch aud ties them with a
soft. coarse cord or thong Then be Is
rushed back to the bunch for more, and
80 on until he has as big u row of captives
as he can lay out without crowding his
neighbOrs on either hand Then, grasping
u bunch OF legs In his left hand and the
keen sheep shears in his right, he wades
In 1t Is a pretty sight TO see an expert
shearer nj work With lightning rapidity
and marvellous dexterity he drives the
heavy shears down through the dense and
matted wool. rolling 1t down from the
sides as II II were u oolid fabric which
one might pick up entire. sliding the
rnzor like blades unhesitatingly over the
angles and Into the hollows, hidden by
their thick coat. but seldom nicking the
slah The current wages for shearers are
fxVn canfa mar kaad for aop,nnp ehaan
three cents for improved sheep. and board.
A good shearer. therefore. makes good
money for this country. as he will shear
l25 sheep a day.
Slowly around the corral PAGES the
scorer In his right hand Is a pencil; In
his left is a piece Of cardboard. with mum
beers from one up to the aggregate of the
shearers running down its left hand edge,
and each number commanding a line of
its own across the card. Every few sec
onds comes a cry from some part of the
corral "Viente- unol" "Cuarante-seisl"
"Numero cincoi' as the case may be-. each
yell delivered with that emphatic JUNCTION
which seems indigenous here. Each man
receives n number at tho commencement
Of the shearing season. and 1t serves him
as a name until its close. The yell, there.
fore, means merely that Jesus Romero
temporarily dubbed No. 21-has finished
ehcaIihk - hACCPs hhd luo bCOEeI lhIllG5
one to Ills credit accordingly.
Saving wood-an occupation which In
the east has some notoriety as a spine
sprainer-is a simple nap as compared TO
the New Mexican fashion Of sheep shear
Ing. which Is. perhaps, the most fatiguing
work in the world The sheep is on tho
ground. the shearer is on his feet, bent
till his hands are within three inches to a
foot from the ground. and In this attitude
- ~. 49,. ILL., LII -. 1--H
tntermission for dinner.
In an Incredibly short time the shearer
has Ion with his six or eight FIRST victims
and unties them all They go skipping
back to their companions, looking and
possibly feeling something like a boy
whose clothes nave been stolen while he
was swimming 1t Is G pretty safe prop
ositiou that the world doesn't contain a
sorrier :orlorner specimen than a shorn
sheep And at our New Mexican attitudes
from 5000 to 5000 feet above the sea
level-the dwindled wool wearers are
doubtless anxious for that proverbial tenn
pering Of the wind
Having sharpened his shears on n fat
sandstone. the shearer collars another
batch Of recalcitrant victims and goes on
with his breakback Job. Meanwhile q
stunted laborer gathers up the ieeces In a
big piece Of burlap and carries his bundle
70 tue corTa1 here, upo Tour tall, strong
posts. set firmly In the ground and framed
In with boards at the top. hangs a huge
burlIp sack from whose neck project the
bead and shoulders OF a man, who Is busy
trauipinR the wool down with his feet.
Hix companion. perched upon the. boards
above. takes the heeces from the gatberer
and dumps them into the bag When the
sack is fun 1t is sewed up and rolled aside.
its place on he hooks being taken by un
empty one All day long two little pals
amos are trotting about inside the corral,
armed with wisps OF greasewood. with
which they sweep into the corners each
stray lock OF wool. which would otherwise
BE- lost
Lille the sacks have been weighed,
and upon each has been marked its weight
averaging PCS pounds-with the initials
OF brand marks of the owner, and bloodier
but equally important work has been
going on e little way from the corral. at n
stout post The shearers must eat, and
there Is nothing SO cheap as mutton. So
while the multitudinous click of the
shears fills the rare. bright air, two strap
ping fellows are busy all day killing and
dressing fat wethers. Close by are the
smoulderiEg camp fires and greasy kettles
Of the men. who eat like sin.
When ii a sun sinks behind tho LONG