Arizona weekly citizen., 1889-05-18
IN NEW MEXICO.
4 APlcTURESoUE FEATURE OF SOUTH
 WEST ERN SHEEP RAISING.

Dense HAAss oi duouIe0 Wooi-An Ex-
 pert shearer at Work-Fatiguins Labor.
 Lambing time being safely past. the
 spring shearing follows at once. The
 Navajos shear but once @ 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 paralyze
 an eastern wool grower, whose men lay
 their subjects on table and shear thirty
 to forty head day per man, to watch
 the operation in New Mexico. It Is Igke-
 ming thrice fabricated Each man shears
 from 70 to 150 head 6 day, and 1t Is of
 record that in a contest 8 single man hss
 Bheared over POO 3heep 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
 Iexicans. Pueblos and O few Navajos;
 the first flock is brought down from the
 hills. and the fun commences. With
 shouts and cara joes and flying sticks, tlse
 flock is turned in toward the 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 few hours the shorn
 and shabby shadow of their former selves.
 and likely patched with many a crimson
 nick. Within the inclosure are from fifty
 to eighty shearers. each with his own par
 ticular station at the inside of the fence.
 And now the 2.500 sheep are in. the gap is
 closed and the ball opens
 Three-quarters of the area of the corral
 Is one dense mass of huddled wool. Ii
 seems impossible that living creatures ran be packed 50 tight. A rat tossed
 apon their backs would have to run on
 wool to the other side of the corral before
 ne could reach the ground Unable to move more than their heads, with inglo- rious unanimity of tail turned toward the common foe. trembling and breathless. the timid creatures await their fate. There is a grand rush of the shearers
 Each man grabs shesp by the hind legs or by the wool-if he be ambitious he takes one in each hand-and runs to bis place dragging his reluctant victim back ward behind Eim Then he throws the
 ,hesp upon its side. gathers it's four little feet into bunch and ties them with e soft, coarse cord or thong. Then ke Is rushed back to the bunch for more, and so on until he has as big a row of captives ss he can lay out without crowding his neighbors on either hand Then, grasping bunch of legs in his left hand and the keen sheep shears in his right. he wades in It is pretty sight to see an expert shearer at work With lightning rapidity and marvellous dexterity he drives the I,a. rbo I< matted wool, rolling 1t down from the one might pick up entire; sliding the rszor like blades unhesitatingly over the angles and into the hollows. hidden by their thick coat. but seldom nicking the skin The current wages for shearers are two cents per head for common sheep. three cents for improved sheep. and board. A good shearer. therefore. makes good money for this country. as he will shear 125 sheep day.
 Slowly around the corral paces the scorer In his right hand is a pencil; in his left Is piece of cardboard. with num- bers from one up to the aggregate of the shearers running down its left hand edge. and each number commanding line of its own across the card Every few sec onds comes cry from some part of the | corral "Viente unoi" "Cuarante-seisl' "Numero cincoi" as the case may be. each | yell delivered with that emphatic unction l which seems indigenous here. Each man receives a number at the commencement l of the shearing season. and 1t serves him l 2s a name until it's close. The yell. there fore. means merely that Jesus Romero dubbed No 2l-has finished | shearing a sheep. and the scorer tallies | one to his credit accordingly.
 Saving wood-an occupation which in | the east has some notor:ety as spine | sprainer-is 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 the 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 working twelve hours. with half an hours | for dinner.
 In an incredibly short time the shearer mas done 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 | 'st-ose clothes have been stolen while he was swimming It is pretty safe prop osition that the world doesn't contain Q sorrier. forlorner specimen than @ shorE | sheep And at our New Mexican attitudes from 5000 to 5000 feet above the sea ,evel-the dwindled wool weare.s are doubtless anxious for that proverbial tenn pering of the wind
 Having sharpene6 his shears on a fat r the shearer collars another batch of recalcitrant victims and goes on with his break back job Meanwhile laborer gathers up the deeces in pig piece of burlap and carries his bundle 10 the corral Here. upon four tall. strong posts. set firmly in the ground and framed n with boards at the top. hangs a huge Jurlap sack from whose neck project the seud and shoulders of a man. who Is busy -ramping the wool down with his feet. His companion. perched upon the boards lbove takes the tleeces from the gatherer md dumps them into the bag When the sack Is full 1t Is sewed up and rolled aside. empty one. All day long two little pals mos are trotting about inside the corral, lrined with xisps of greasewood, with which they sweep into tho corners each stray lock of wool which would otherwise De lost.
 Meanwhile the sacks have been weighed. md upon each has been marked its weight averaging 225 pounds-with the initials ,r brand marks of the owner. and bloodier ,ut equally important work has been going on little way from the corral. at tout post. The shearers must eat. and here Is nothing so cheap as mutton So ehile the multitudinous click of the shears ills the rare. bright air, two strap ,ing fellows are busy all day killing and dressing fat wethers. Close by are the camp fires and greasy kettles ,f the men. who eat like sin.
 When the sun sinks behind the long nesas the shears are instantly still and he men crowd to supper. A little later lees them rolled in their blankets upon he ground. snoring away their fatigue .il peep O day again renews the bustle = Nay4 Maxico Co- lilnlsa narrSo..rat