The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-12-02

In private letter to a gentleman in this
city Mr.. William Milliken, formerly Of this
State, but now a resident of Colorado, writes
as follows concerning the sheep industry:
Prior to about 1S60-62 Colorado had hut
few sheep. Many tiocks were owned in New
Mexico that were at times grazed in Eastern
Colorado. They were owned almost exclu-
siveiy oy Mexlcans who kept them for their
meat and what wool they needed for blankets
requirements was allowed to remain upon
the sleeps back until shed by disease or
nature, or II shorn it was thrown into piles
10 be given away or into arrOyos to be
washed away by floods. The Romeros and
others owning trains freighting from the
Missouri river would load their own teams
back with wool, commencing this, am told
in 1856 Until the demand created by the war
and the tariff of .'62" very little wool
found its way out of this country except bv
parties owning large freight trains hauling
their own. To hire it hauled the freight TO
Missouri river would exceed its value there
The only cash demand there was for sheep
prior to the tariff of ''67'' was from govern
1853 L. B. Maxwell, OF Land Grant
fame, drove $4,000 head to California on com
mission for various Mexican owners,
The buying of wool fer shipment did not
begin till 1864 though | know of one party
who sold a clip Of 600 fleeces in s'63." and mn
to this time the shearing was done with
knives, the shearer receiving one fleece for
snearing certain number. The herders
worked under the peonage system receiving
about So per month in barter, the EMPLOYERS
managing to keep there debtors thereby ew-
ing their labor for years. The emancipation
proclamation killed that system of labor i'm a
great measure Except the rich ones. the
Mexicans dressed very much as Indians
women wearing wooden skirt of their own
make and shirt, using at times a blanket
the mems clothing consisted of pair of drill
ing drawers, shirt and blanket. The herd
er's food was meat from the herd, bread from
corn meal and shorts or middlings, and in
ridge. One of the first shippers of wool
know we'll. He bought a little in 1864
and in 1864 bought largely, paying at first
cents per fleece then up to is cents,
ne paying for M shearl9g He had shearing
brought their herds, to HIM to shear
and buy their wool. He is merchant. he
paid for the wool largely in goods, at round
profit. am not informed of eastern dealers
coming here to buy until 1867 or after but
when they did come a new order of business
was developed as to the manner of shearing.
selling and so forth. The Mexicans estab
lished their own shearing camps as near
settlements as grass and water would permit
but still they owned no land-merely had
camp the improvements of which would
hourly exceed $50 in value The sheen in
those days would average about pounds of
wool per head, was of a coar Sc kenny ouality
suitable only Tor carpets, coarse blankets
and coarser satnetts. Following the tariff
| of ct Americans began to engage in the
business and to improve the grade of wool
by introducing Spanish merinO rams until
the average clip per head has been increased
Dy the crossing Oh the Dreeds to six to eight
pounds and instead of being coarse as above
It Is now OF good clothing grade. The
Mexican owners have by using grade rams
from Americans focks increased the average
OF their herds to 4 to 5 pounds. Thousands
Of dollars have been invested in lands and
improvements where nothing was invested
before, But you may say cattle business
would have required the same but il is not
SO, 1t requires larger investments in lands
and especially in improvements for sheep
IMAM cattle. Inc herders instead of working
as poems for $500 per month have since 1867
receh ed an average Of $1,000 and instead of
being fed as formerly, are given plenty of
meat, bacon, beans. potatoes, fruits, syrups,
coffee and tea, and they dress better in the
same proportion. Now some NAV saw this
can not be attributed to Republican rule and
protection. Would Democratic rule and free
wool have accomplished as much? The
annual clip of New Mexico has been in
creased from one to about eight millions
pounds and Colorado's to nearly the same
have been wool grower eighteen years
and have taken eighteen clips, the first being
taken off in 1872 In 1888 there was reduc.
ton in the tariff Taking the average
PiiCo oOtdlucu lTOm lolz 10 1888 Inclusive.
| and then from 1884 to 1889 inclusive find
that for the latte period it is seven cents
pound less which on $4,000 lbs, the average
yearly clip for the same period amounts to
quite snug little sum. This same propor-
ton will apply to other growers. But If you
believe In free wool you will say it is benefit
ing the few at the expense of the many. If
YOU believe thus tell me how? fail to see it.
On the other hand Isay we have benefited the
Kansas and Nebraska farmers, looking to
them for our supply of grain. We have also
benefited farmers even so far away as Yer
mont, for from them we buy eur merino rams
creating demand they would hardly have
had from any other locality. / believe in a
Policy enabling us to supply and control our
own markets. Tom Patterson told York
County, Maine, voters that free wool would
give them cheaper clothing and then came
back here and told us free wool would en-
able growers to get better prices. Free raw
material is great hobby. AS regards wool
being raw material it costs about 50 cents per
year to run sheep here and taking average
price of woo in 1888 and average clip per
head of fiocks here-it costs in 1883 so cents
In labor and supplies to produce GIL to 65
cents worth of raw material and in 1889 it
costs the same to produce about dollars
worth