The herald., 1894-05-21
SHEEP RAISING IN ARIZONA
George Stones Experiences i'll
the Santa Ritas.
How Don Policarpia Understood the
Share Business.
The Remarkable Way In which a Band
of 100 sheep Was Stolen, So
That No Trace of Them
Could BE Found.

A good many people in Loa Angeles
will recollect George Stone, who used to
make some of the finest ladiea' shoes
that were ever manufactured here, for
the Queen shoe store, over dozen
years ago. Stone was a general fnvorite
with verybody at that time, and az the
town did not contain more than seven
or eight thousand inhabitants then. ev-
erybody knew him. lie was afflicted
with asthma, and when the great Arizo-
ma mining boom broke loose in 1879.
George was one OF the first to make his
way into the territory, by the overland
route with wagon and q team Of
horses.
After he reached Tucson he engaged
in mining aud has always been success
full in that line, until silver fizzled out q
year or GO ago. The climate OF Southern
Arizona is incompatible for sufferers from
ssthma, and two or three visits made
to the coast have convinced Stone that
the closer he sticks to tho dry mountain
air OF the Santa Rtas the better is his
breathing apparatus. He is not the
only one whose experience has been
similar.
In the course of time Mr.. Stone be-
came manager OF a silver mine in the
northern foothills OF the Santa Ritas,
and it was while there that he conceived
the plan Of attempting to run sheep
ranch. 1t 10 with his successes and
tribulations that this article will deal.
At the time that Stone went to Tucson,
and for many years thereafter, the foot
hills and the valley OF the Santa Cruz
WAS the ideal grazing country OF the
Pacific. Hay and grass grew lush and
rank everywhere, and there was moth
ing but giant jack rabbits to eat them
up. In lstsr years overlooking and
drouths completely destroyed this fine
pnstursge, and it WAS only laat year that
the plains and hills, which for several
years had been bare OF grasses. once
more assumed a green hue, when the
waters Of the summer rainy season
poured out unstinted upon the parched
country.
1t wac before the serious drouths be-
gan in Arizona that Stone purchased
herd Of ordinary sheep, and ne added
TO it band OF IL selected merno rams,
which he bought in California for the
purpose OF improving his stock.
There is not place on the face OF the
earth, for a man who is fond OF country
life, that can compare with the place
which he selected for his ranch house.
1t lies about 80 miles southeast of Tucson
III the foothills of the Santa Rita range,
one of the loveliest sierras OF Arizona.
The road is an easy one, and although
it 10 ali uphill work, the ascent is easy.
1t lies over series OF we'll defined
ridges which can be seen distinctly one
from tho other at q distance. On one
side OF the valley are the San Javier
mountains, looming up so sharp and
clear against the lovely blue sky, while
on the other side the Catslinss, the Rim
cons and the Santa Rita range stand
with only QUE gap, through which
passes the Southern Pacific road on
it's way to the Crescent city, to break
the piles OF limb covered excrescsnces
that rise high up from the level of the
valley.
Arizona scenery has been so
often described that 1t is use
less to refer to the hopeless and
monotonous tumble of palo verde,
meequit, greasewood. and dozen kinds
of cactus, from the giant suahuRro and
the big.bellied bisnaga, to the slim
ocstillo and the prickly cholla. That is
the vegetation OF the plains, but what
difference there is when one reaches
the mountain cafions! Here live oak,
ash trees, wild wnlnuts and many other
kinds OF timber that produce both fine
shade and building material, are num-
erous.
1t was near one OF such csfions that
Stone built himself a comfortable ranch
house and extensive corrals, and pro-
ceeded to compare notes as to the dif-
ferences that exist between the build
ing CT dainty ladies' bottines and raising
lambs for the market and sheep for
wool.
As his knowledge OF rams and ewes
was confined to the story OF Mary's lit
tie lamb, he engaged the services OF
Mexican from Magdalens, Sonora, who
had earned a reputation as sheep
herder, and to him he intrusted the care
OF his band, on shares. While the feed
wac good, Stone was very we'll pleased
with his venture, but later on when the
drouths killed the pasture his face grew
haggard in his efforts to keep track OF
the beating animate. 1t was necessary
to hunt for places where there was q lit
tie dried hay or weeds in order to save
them from starvation, and last year he
seriously contemplated the idea OF send
ing to California for carload OF pressed
alfalfa to preserve his sheep from de-
struction.
Sheep, as is we'll known, will 60 a
couple OF weeks without water. It was
astonishing to see them last summer,
thin, and with caved-in TANKS, making
their way to take their occasional drink.
They may not have observed, with the
governors of North and South Carolina,
that it was long time between drinks.
but it was. And the way they would
guzzle the clear, cool water that came in
q limpid stream from way up in the
mountains, waa something phenomenal.
Five gallons apiece was about the allow
ance, and after they had thus filed their
ssomachB with the liquid, their paunches
would become distended and they would
look as fat and heavy as If they had not
been chewing cactus leavee for steady
diet for days and days, and using the
spineB az toothpicks.
Besides the want of pasturage there
were other things to contend with. First
of all, there was the ubiquitous coyote,
whose horrid concerts at night would
fill stones musical soul with anguish,
and cause him to mutter. many times
apd oftan cuasw0rds Of the trua Saxon