The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1888-01-11

Commercial Advertiser. writing from
the islands opposite Santa Barbara.
says: No human being now lives on
either San Nicholas or Anacapa. but
Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa are both
inhabited by few men, who utilize the
islands for the pasturage of large bands
Of sheep. Here, by the way, L will re-
mark that i'm California every collection
of animals of any sort is called
"band." A herd of cattle. a flock of
and everything that walks-when seen
in numbers is known as n band. and it
is regarded rs u sure sign of being a
''tenderfoot" to use any other term.
Some years ago it was asccrtained
that the two islands last mentioned Of
fered unusual facilities for the raising
OF sheep, and consequently they were
stocked with these animals from the
mainland. Santa Cruz island is under
the control OF a company, while Santa
Rosa is owned by one man. There are
two reasons why these islands are fa-
vorable for sheep. On the mainland,
in all directions, grows weed which
bears very large burrs, and tho sheep,
in feeding around, always get numbers
Of these in their wool, and so reduce its
market value greatly. On the island
none of these burrs, are found. On the
mainland, too, it is necessary 10 have
herders employed TO see that the sheep
do not wander away, and also that wild
animals do not devour the young and
defenseless lambs On the islands
there arc no wild animals. and the
CHI To-
to wander ut will. During the greater
part of the year no more than half
dozen men are needed on either island,
but when shearing time comes-which
is once every six months-there is n
lively scene for while. Large parties
of shearers are brought over from the
mainland, and they must be expert
riders, as well as skillful handlers of the
shears. Many horses are kept on the
islands, and us soon rs the shearers
arrive these are caught and saddled.
and all hands 90 10 one end of the is
land, which is quite billy, and partly
covered with husk and timber. The
shearing corrals are about the center of
the island, and the men form line at
some distance from each other, reach
ing from shore TO shore, and so sweep
it clear of the sheep, driving all before
them TO the corrals. This process is re-
peated from the other end of the island
and in this way few of the an imals es-
cape the roundup"
The scene in the shearing sheds is an
interesting one to the observer who has
never been present ut such n spectacle
in California. Fifty or sixty swarthy
natives or half-breed Indians, stripped
TO the waist, are gathered in long
shed open ut the sides. On one side is
the corral where the sheep are waitin @
to be deprived of their coats, which in
this climate grows SO rapidly that the
clipping process takes place twice year
Ea CHI man goes into the corral, which
has numerous gates, and, Selling sheep
by the hind-legs, drags it on the shear
ing floor under the she'd. Here it is
thrown on It's back. and the shearer
holds it motionless with his legs while
the rapid snip, snip of the shears cuts
the wool from the animals BODY. Walk
ing up and down the length of the shed
is a boy with n can full of peculiar
composition, which he is ready ut call
TO apply TO wounds unavoidably made
w tiC upOu TIC WlllCu
are more than usually obstreperous. 1t
is the mark of n good shearer never to
send n blood-stained fleece 70 the pack
ine-bench, but sometimes the sheep
struggle 80 that it is almost impossible
to avoid wounding them. Each man
rs he finishes taking the fleece from the
sheep, runs 1T full speed with it to the
other end of the shed. where he hands
it TO the packer, while ''tally-keeper"
gives the shcarcr brass check repre-
scnting the value OF 5 cents, and ut the
same time enters Il record upon book
opposite the Shearers name
the CELEBRITY with which IN accom-
plished shcarcr will remove heavy
/ fleece Is remarkable, and there Is al
VANS more or less rivalry between the
men on such occasions. Whenever
visitors are present the swiftest men
make II point of getting up match. and
| have held the wa. ch and seen fleece
removed in just four minutes and TWEEN
| ~ seconds from the time the sheep left
| the corral. This. of course, is rapid
work, the average time being from
eight TO twelve minutes per sheep. The
standard price is 5 cents a head, and as
the men are given their board it is seen
that very fair wages may be made. The
work is very unpleasant, however. The
dust and scent of the sheep rises in
clouds and is perfectly sitting, while the
effort to hold Il struggling animal in
position and at the same time remove
the wool without injuring it Is very try
ing, both to the muscles and the pa
thence.
After the days work is done the men
gather in their quarters, and, with
greasy packs of cards. gamble away the
checks which they have received for
their labor. 1t often happens that the
shearers 60 back to the mainland after
n hard months labor without nickel
to show for all they have done, while
someone more fortunate with the cards
will have gathered in good store of
checks without having touched sheep.