Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-06-29
IN NEW MEXICO.
ArcTuREsoue FEATURE OF SOUTH
WESTERN SHEEP RAISING

9hooring the Flock oo . Sheep RaDch-A
Denss Mas Ut Huddled w0os-An Ex-
peu she.rer ~ work-F.figuing Labor.
Landing time being safely past. the
spring shearing follows at once The
Savajos shear but once q year. but
nearly ali other sheep owners twice-in
May AID September The shearing Is the
most pictureslue feature OF southwestern
sheep raising IL would fairly paralyze
an eastern wool grower. whose men lay
their subjects on table and shear thirty
To forty head dag per man. to watch
the operation in New Mexico 1t is ligh,
ming thrice fabricated Each man shears
from - to 80 head day. and il is OF
record thai III contest a single man has
shesar1 over 30 sheep between sunrise
and sunset The shearing point Is chosen
usually a. near the railroad as possible.
To says carriage. il being much cheaper
and easier to transport wool on the boof
than ii the sack A corral about 10 feet
high is built of railroad ties or cedar
posts the army Of shearers comes trudg
ing iii fruna all quarters Of the compass
Mexicnns. Pueblos and few Navajos.
the first lock is brought down from the
hills and the fun commences With
shouts and carajoes and flying sticks. the
hDcss Is turned in toward the corral. the
little band OF goats serving as all advance
guard and pilot Fat. rotund and woolly,
they jam into the corral. from which they
are to emerge In u few hours the shorn
and shabby shadow Of theiI former selves.
and likely patched with many crimson
uick Within the Enclosure are from fifty
To eighty shearers. each with his own par
ticular station at the inside Of the fence
AID ,a,u no r(tu shaan in the pan ia
closed and the ball opens.
Three-quarters of the area Of the corral
il one dense mass Of huddled wool II
seems impossible that living creatures
can 10 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 unanimity of tail turned toward the
common foe trembling and GREATNESS,
the timid creatures await their fate
There Is q grand rush OF the shearers
Each man grabs u sheep by the hind legs
or by the wool-if he be ambitious he
takes one In each hand-and runs to his
place dragging his reluctant victim back
ward behind him Then be throws the
sheep upon its side gathers its four little
feet into bunch and ties them with a
soft coarse cord or thong Then he is
rushad h,ck IN the bunch for more and
az an until he has as big a row Of captives
"a ba can Law ont without crowdjuo his
ne,ghbor, on either hand Then. crashing
n h,,nch of leps In his left hand and the
keen sheep shears In his right. he wades
in 1t is pretty sight to see ali expert
shearer at work With lightning rapldity
and marvellous dexterity lie drives the
heavy shears down through the dense and
matted wool rolling il down from the
sides as il il were a solid fabric which
one mipbt pick up entire, sliding the
r,,zor like blades unbesitatincy over the
any,es and INTO the bellows. hidden by
their thick coat. but seldom pickinp the
slun The current wages for shearers are
two cents Der head for common sheep,
three cents for improved sheep and board
A good sbearer therefore. makes good
money for this country, as he will shear
l35 sheep 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
b RS from one up to the aggregate of the
stearers running down its left hand edge.
and each number commanding line of
i,s own ACROSS tho card Every few sec
ou,ls comes a cry from some part of the
corral .viente unol' "Cuarunte seis,"
"Numero cincoi" as the case NAV be each
veil delivered with that emphatic JUNCTION
which seems indigenous here Each man
receives a number at the commencement
of the shearug season. and it serves him
az a name until It's close The yell there
fore means merely that Jesus Romero
Temporarily Dubbed No 2l-has finished
sbear,np a sheep. and the scorer tallies
Que to his credit accordingly
Saving wood-an occupation which In
the cas-, has some notoriety as spine
sprainer-is a simple nap as compared to
the New Mexican fashion of sheep shear
,np which is perhaps, the most fltlg,Iing
work IN the world The sheep is on the
ground. the shearer is OH his feet. ben,
till his hands are within three inches to II
foot from the ground. and in this attitude
working twelve hours, with half al hours
intermissiou for dinner
In Nh incredibly short time the shearer
has done with his six or eight first victims
and uuties them all They 20 skipping
uack to their companious looking and
possibiy feeling something like bo,
whose. cloth he, have tp.pu ri Glen while he
was swimming 1t isa pretty safe prop
os,tion that the world doesn't contain Il
sorr,er forlorner specimen than a shoru
sheep And at our New Mexican attitudes
from s UW to 5000 feet above the sea
level-the dwindled wool wearers are
doubtless anxious for that prov.rblal TEN
per,nv OF the wind
Having sharpened his shears on a fat
sandstone the shearer collars another
batch of recalcitrant victims and goes on
with his break back Job Meanwhile a
stunted laborer gat hers up the tieeces i'll a
big p,,se of blrlap and carries his bundle
To the corral Here. upon four tall strong
posts. set firmly in the ground and framed
IN witt boards at the top hangs huge
burlap sack from whose neck project the
head and shoulders Of man who is busy
tramp,ug the wool down with his feet
Hi. conpauion pprched upop the boards
and du,nps them into tho bao When the
sack is full II Is sewed up and rolled aside