The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1891-07-17
North Dakota.
Editorial Correspondence.

the valley of the James River. From th
hills near the insane asylum you can l0o
down upon the town and II you are in tn
least sentimental cannot but admire Tn
beauty of the place. The James River
frnged with timber sweeps around one side
and then with this setting of dark green
the illimitable prairie in lighter shad,
stretches away until you can apparently St,
the curvature of the earths surface. James
town is the county seat of Stutsman county
has good county buildings, fine schoO
house, elegant brick blocks and daily
newspaper, The jamestown Alert, which i:
model of western journalistic enterprise
jamestown is a city of churches and all de
nominations are represented. 1t was Sun.
day morning at Hotel Gladstone. We came
to breakfast somewhat late for the previous
days journey had been tiresOme and anyway
ii was Sunday morning. Opposite us at the
table sat a gentleman who very much re-
sembled our eX-cOngressman Col A. Il.
Bis. 1t seemed natural TO talk politics to
Slch man and when once begun our
conversation was extended along other
lines and was very pleasant. Mr.. Beck,
our newly made acquaintance, was resi-
dent of Washington, had been soldier i'm
the Union army. had resided in Louis
lana and spent considerable time in Europe,
and is q member of the Cosmos club in
Washington which includes many Of Wash
ingtOn's foremost literary and scientific men,
He was partner in business ventures with
Geo. Z. Lemon, pension attorney, and was
at present in North Dakota where he owned
several thousand acres of land and large
band of sheep on ranch south of James
town. Come down to the stock yards
where they are unloading a train load of
ny Mr.
evening and off we started. 1t was
strangely weird scene. The full moon came
out in the east, flooding the stock yards i'm
its mellow glow, daring riders OH their
ponies would go rushing by, the train would
move forward a few rods and car after car
would be opened and the hungry, thirsty
three-year-Old steers would rush down the
dock, believing and fighting for their chance
at the watering trOughs. There seated on
the walking planks of the stock yards we
talked of ''honest John Beardsley, F." of college
life, of foreign emigration and the agrarian
movement until it was time to 20 back to
the hotel. The June evenings i'm Dakota
are delightful and one can drink in the pure
air with sense of exhiliratiOn.
THE SHEEP Rancho.
Monday morning two horse buggy was
at the hotel to take us out to Mr.. Beck's
rancho, twelve miles south of Jamestown.
With hotel lunch for dinner done up in
case of an emergency, a compass and field
glass, we struck off across the prairie south
for Buffalo River. Wepassed along beauti-
full fields of wheat, miles and miles of
wheat, and still more miles of unbroken
prairie. Occasionally we stop to bring the
focus Of the field glass to bear on the won
drous beauty of the scene. Here was
school house, the typical American building.
What sort of a teacher might be moulding
the youthful minds was unknown, only
whoever she was, she was possessed of great
bravery to withstand the billiards of winter
and hot winds of summer, and she will
doubtless have her reward either in the
shape of 100 acres of land from the govern
ment OF be the honored wife of Dakota
husband who has at least quarter section,
and quite probable rewards of both kinds
The Buffalo river is not river but series
of slOughs, and in these wild ducks are very
thick. Crossing this river we came upon
beautiful little valley of several thousand
acres and in the center there were one thou |
sand sheep feeding, Elm herded by little |
twelve-year-old girl Oh pony. A dog was
also on duty and did almost the entire work |
of keeping the band together. The little |
shepherdess would hardly serve for type |
of that class as the pictures of today repre- |
sent. Bare-foOted, astr.de a pony, an old |
wool hat covering a sweet but terribly sun
burned face, made up the picture.
DOES SHEEP RAISING PAY.
The way they figure out in Dakota is to |
have large bodied, fine wool sheep, about |
threefourth Merino blood and one-fOurth |
coarse wool The coarse wool sheep are |
not sufficiently gregariOus TO herd together |
in large bands, and their wool is so open
that the dirt penehates it. Something like |
the infusion of One-fOurth coarse wool
blood gives strength of constitution and
size. Such grade of sheep is laid down
for about $3.50 or $500 for one eve and
one lamb after shearing. The maximum
profits require about 00ssheep in one band
as one herdsman can care for a band of that |
size, as well as less number. $500 sheep
on the above calculation consisting of 1850
ewes and 1850 lambs will require an invest |
will be necessary for the erection of build |
ings, putting up hay, paying for herding
help and shearing. This class of sheep |
should shear at the least calculation seven |
pounds of unwashed wool, which will bring |
l5cts per pound. On the income side from
wool will be S2,625 at the lowest estimate.
OF increase there will be 600 lambs, which |
will cost nothing to raise until they are
worth 100 per head or 200, while the
1850 of what wero lambs last year now as
yearlings are worth $1.00 each more than
they we're the year before, making $1,25O |
to add to yeur income. Then on total
investment and outlay of $4,000 you have
an income Of over $1,000. From this should
be something deducted for loss by death,
which under ordinary circumstances would
not exceed per cent or fifty from the flock.
The figures given above are inside rather
than outside. $3.50 to S4.75 per eve and
lamb are the actual figures for cost. Some
breeders who use Shropshire rams claim
100 percent of increase. Eight pounds of
wool is given instead of seven as the clip
per annum. The second and subsequent
years, no additional shed room and build |
ings would be required. There is illimitable |
pasture, an unsurpassed climate, high and
dry land which has ever been the natural |
conditions under which sheep flourish. |
Wool being product that does not spoil i'm |
transit, that has great value i'm small COM
pass. cannot have the margin taken i'm
freightage.
the establishment of wooden mills at
Minneapolis, with its great water power,