Arizona weekly citizen., 1889-10-05

Lambing time being safely past, the
 spring shearing follows at once. The
 Navajos shear but once a year. but
 nearly all other sheep owners twfce-iu
 May and September. The shearing is the
 most picturesque feature of southwestern
 sheep raising. It would fairly paralyzs
 an eastern wool grower. whose men lay
 their subjects on table and shear thirty
 to forty head a day per man. to watch
 the operation in New Mexico. It Is ligts
 ming thrice fabricated. Each man shears
 from D to 150 head day, and it is of
 record that in a contest single man hss
 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 O few Navaios;
 the first flock is brought down from the
 hills. and the fun commences. With shouts and carajoes and flying sticks, tss
 flock is turned in toward the corral, the | little band of goats serving as an advance l 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 ticiftar station at the inside of the fence. Andinow 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 so tight rat tossed 0pon their backs would have to run on wool to the e-other side of the corral before he could reach the ground Unable to move moro 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 his place dragging his reluctant victim back ward behind him. Then he throws the
 sheep upon It's side. gathers it's four little feet into bunch and ties them with a soft. coarse cord or thong. Then he is rushed back to the bunch for more, and so on until be has as big Q row of captives as he can lay out without crowding his neighbors on either hand. Then, graspinS , bunch of legs in his left hand and the keen sheep shears i'll his right, he wades in It is pretty sight to see an expert shearer at work With lightning rapidity and marvellous dexterity he drives ths heavy shears down through the dense and matted wool, rolling it down from tho sides as If 1t were a solid fabric which one might pick up entire; sliding the rizor like blades unhesitatlng,y over the angles and into the hollcws. 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 be will shear l25 sheep day
 Slowly around tho corral paces the scorer. In his right hand Is pencil; In his left Is piece of cardboard. with nun 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 unoP "Cuarante-seisP "Numero cincof as the case may be, each yell delivered with that emphatic junction which seems indigenous here. Each man receives a number at the commencement of the shearing season, and it serves him ls a name until it's close Theyell, there fore. means merely that Jesus Romero temporarily dubbed No 21-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 a 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 attituds Eorking twelve hours, with half an hours lntermission 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 @ boy saose clothes have been stolen while hO was swimming It is pretty safe prop osition that the world doesn't contain c sorrier. forlorner specimen than @ shorr Sheep And at our New Mexican attitudes from 5000 to 5000 feet above the sea level-the dwindled wool wearers CTS doubtless anxious for that proverbial tenn pering of the wind
 Having sharpened his shears on a fat sandstone, the ghearer collars anothe. batch of recalcitrant victims and goes on with his breakback job. Meanwhile a stunte,i laborer gathers up the feeces in @ big piece of burlap and carries his bundle v, { l,a, Col gIr posts, set firmly in the ground and framed n with boards at the top. hangs a huge burlap sack from whose neck project the head and shoulders of man, who Is busy tramping the wool down with his feet. His companion. perched upon the boards above. takes the feeces from the gatherer and dumps them into the bag When the sack Is full 1t Is sewed up and rolled aside. its place on the hooks being taken by an empty one. All day long two little pals. | anos 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 l or brand marks of the owner. and bloodier | but equally important work has been | going on a little way from the corral. at a stout post. The shearers must eat, and | .here is nothing so cheap as mutton. So Ghile 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 | 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 1 the men crowd to supper. A little later | sees them rolled in their blankets upon the ground. snoring away their fatigus iiI peep O day again renews the bustla New Nexico Cor. Globe Damocrat