Arizona weekly citizen., 1889-04-20
IN NEW MEXICO.
A PICTURESQUE FEATURE OF SOUTH
 WESTERN SHEEP RAISING.
shearing the Flock op a Sheep Ranch-A Dense Mas of Huddied vool-An En- pert shearer at work-F Fatiguins Labor.

Dense Mas of Huddied Wool-An En- pert shearer at Work Fatiguine Labor.
 Lambing 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 paralyze an eastern wool grower. whose men lay their subjects on a table and shear thirty to forty head day per man. to watch the operation in New Mexico It is light ming thrice fabricated Each man shears from 75 to 150 head a day. and it is of record that In a contest single man has sheared over 200 sheep between sunrise and sunset The shearing point Is chosen usually as near the railroad as possible. to save carriage, it 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 Mexicans, Pueblos and a few Navajos; the first flock is brought down from the hills. and the fun commenc 3. With shouts and carajoes and flying sticks, tse
 
 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 crimson nick. Within the inclosure are from fifty to eighty shearers, each with his own par ticular station at the inside of the fence &l &l,,0 0eI fr, io closed and the ball opens
 Three-quarters of the area of the corral Is one dense mass of huddled wool It seems impossible that living creatures can be packed so tight A ra& tossed 1bon 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 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 wolff he be ambitious he takes one in each hand-and runs to his place dragging his reluctant victim back ward behind him Then he throws the sheep upon It's side, gathers it's four little
 
 soft, coarse cord or thong. Then he Is rushed back to the bunch for more. and so on until he has as big a row of captives as 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 a pretty sight to see an expert shearer at 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 if 1t were a solid fabric which one might pick up entire; sliding the razor 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 a day.
 Slowly around the corral paces the scorer In his right hand is a pencil; in his left is a piece of cardboard. with num- bers from one up to the aggregate of the shearers running down it's left hand edge. and each number commanding line of it's own across the card Every few sec onds comes cry from some part of the corral "Viente unol" "Cuarante-seisi' "Numero cincoi" as the case may be. each yell delivered with that emphatic unction which seems indigenous here. Each mar receives a number at the commencement of the shearing season. and it serves him l ss a name until it's close The yell, there tore. means merely that Jesus Romero 70 uporarily dubbed No 21-has finished sLs, ring | shesp. and the scorer tallies one to bis credit accordingly.
 Saui,, wood-an occupation which in inc east Sas some notoriety as spine snrainer-is . simple nap as compared to tbe New May, '.s.n fashion of sheep shear ing, which is. D. ~Eaps; the most fatiguing work in the world The seeeP IS on 'ns ground. the shearer ts on bl> iees, oeh' till his hands are with.S tbree ln,' .o foot from the ground. al. d .n this at "uIe working twelve hours. witt baIf an houi intermissiou for dinner.
 In an incredibly short time .'he shearer has done with his six or eight irSt victims and unties them all They go skipping back to their companions, looking and possibly feeling something like a boy whose clothes have been stolen while he was swimming It Is pretty safe prop osition that the world doesn't contain 8 sorrier, forlorner specimen than a shorn sheep. And at our New Mexican attitudes from 5000 to 5000 feet above the sea levcl-the dwindled wool wearers are doubtless anxious for that proverbial tenn pering of the wind. :
 Having sharpened his shears on . fat sandstone. the shcazer collars another batch of recalcitrant victims and goes on with his breakback job. Meanwhile a stunted laborer gathers up the feeces in big piece of burlap and carries his bundle to the corral Here. upon four tall. strong posts. set firmly in the ground and framed in with boards at the top. hangs a huge burlap sack from whose neck project tho head and shoulders of 8 man, who is busy tramping the wool down with bis feet His companion, perched upon the boards above. takes the heeces from the gatherer and dumps them into the bag When the sack Is full 1t is sewed up and rolled aside. It's place on the hooks being taken by an 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.
 Meanwhile the sacks have been weighed. and upon each has been marked it's weight averaging 225 pounds--with the initials or brand marks of the owner, and bloodier but equally important work has been going on little way from the corral. at a 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 arc the smouldering camp fires and greasy kettles of the men. who eat like sin.
 When the sun sinks behind the long mesas the shears are instantly still and the men crowd to supper. A little later sees them rolled In their blankets upon the ground. snoring away their fatigue Lil peep O day again renews the bustle
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