New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-03
TEXANS AND THEIR FLOORS
THE SHEEP is FOOLISH ChhAl Ohh
THAT NEEDS MUCH CARE.


times herd ON foot or mounted on Jack 30 sum"
that the rider feet within lew 'h'''' W Wv
ground The plan is frequently ndopted Vi ""'
pcnninc the flock nj night, In order To prevent ''e
wool becoming dscolored and soiied' as !. nus. "
when n large number Of sheep are hudu'e" 'oe',".'
in an lnclosed space. The stock Is urNc" "f INV
fresh clean quarters every night: quarters ua'
erc unfenced and can be changed as OFTEN as
seems desirable. Their charge being thus uhpro-
tected. the herdcrs must literally sleep WIN one
eye open and on the alert ot''n III '"c
silent watches Of the night they rise, build hres
fire off guns and resort to other devices ioi ii'E"'
ening of the wolves sheep are silly creatures ana
very tnid. one Of their number. pacK
sheep gcttirG up in the darkness to change MS
position will sometimes cause the whole Hook 10
dash off fralticay. they know not where alra'd
Of they know what The sound OF the S'"'u'-
fancOus movement Of countless scainperlhE i'ot'
sound resembling the heavy rumblnE oil thihd'f
wakens the hcrders and they must he up ana
AWAY following over brier and bramhle' scramDhhS
~, bu,e AND stumbling over rocks and stones until
tb.v succeed in heading of the ruaWayS. i'r-
chance by that time daylight is breaking anu inc
night upon which they counted for repos' mas p''h
spent in fatigue. Another reason Tor not P''''"h
the flock is that the sheep are then nj merit !"
rise as early s they please and begin to Feed tho
in charge kccping "A lookout as theE P'cP'' 0'
hasty breakfast
In VIVA. IS known the Landing time on Il S"''P
ranch the ranchman is so,citous regarding MS
nock "a is an Eastern farmer concerning ms "'"y
planted crop In flock consisting OF thouS'"uS ''
sheen hundreds of lambs arrive In a day ana 'he
bcrlcrs are kept proportionatcly busy. seeing th't
the newcomers are not trampled on and that t"e
mothers are willing to care FOR them '"''P arc
peculiar in this respect Outlines they 40 not o""
thei- newborn lambs or display the least interest
I'm them. sheep being much ak" IN appearance
II is am ,ut .or the herdcr to discover TO when
ri Cd belongs.
little handling must be carried in of Of the range 10
the herder's camp he led by hand untn IL gets
strong enough to follow the hock. AFTER the Sh'ep
are corrailci at evening the careful herde' goes o"'
again over the range search for missing ones hat
have not been able to keep mp with the flock Tor II
LEFT out Al night mother and offspring would noth
become prey To- the coyotes and larger wolves
called 'ioafcrs' that infest the country
The score, Of making woo,-growlng profitable IL
10 raise the sheep at small an expense as p'sSp'''
This can readiy be done In a section 81 country Tx"
Southwestern Texas. where the grass keeps heauu-
fully green the whole year round. but fresh range
mus, always be- provided After large noch "i
sheep has passed several times over inc same
ground tho verlurc Is eaten of bare and c'an c'oSN
f. tho roots 81 that It Will be tine before the
heritage viii again spring ny. Nearly Al ne Eth@-
Ing near tho watcrcourscs In soon nbbcd on IN tbs
way and onterpriAng ranchmen push further ara
further out on the great divides where th'H n''h-
may obtain abundance OF fresh food. me h't''t'
move their tents and remain out f'r "''k7 h'"''hN
the water necessary for their own subsistence ~
huge barrels once 4 week over the Intervening nH''
and ,lrivin. no immense nocks n Co water them
about a. often II - obvious that under ih''" rir-
cumstauco, the luxury of a bath ls cdom inl'S'l
H. ana even the cleaning OF the necessary c''hinf
utensils is contrived with Wow 90 usns as hii' a.
t,...be u tho precious Iqud. certain house a'il
or ,,utholI. which comprised 'wo women 'ni @'N-
cr,i children who hal spent several weeks "' Vur
Of those divide camps. declared hat on ih. morn
lnr ih.v ,.ft there was hardly water enough "iihh
miles merely 90 make th'lr con"'. ana ih.f h'I
l,ree trti,i ,uu - s'r,I ,'5thine. which mI.. o"
Numbered when they rrnched water I'm TINT rr ton
sb..t, have been known 10 go nearly threr weeks
without water. It IS thought that they get c't-
tain quantity % moisture from tn large thi.k
leaves Of the cactus OF rri.ky pear. which SOME
times covers the ground th.re for an ar" or more
In one spot AMI o. said io retain ihc i'" i'i long
while iu I's green puip.urHe
\ MlsIsslppian. 8 YOUNG married man. went 'o
Southwestern Texas ana prc-"mpf"i a Tract 90
school land situated OF wat"r-hol" or lax" 10
the otherwise dry bed ~ lars" river II" moved
In a big country wagon all the way across the
country with wife and i,ttlc child ana very
few household goods lie had only s. IN his pocket
when he made the move At the end OF four
wears ne had gotten the titles to the land though
another candidate had appeared ana laid claim 10
u-ovned nearly n thousand sheep worth from
& 20 81 a head. and n small bunch "i h"iS'' ana
OF IN" pflUclpdl mon 10 "'h'''"' NV
county IL which he now lives. lie h"tl"d his
oo,k himself with great care. looking especially
,o.r IN. lambs with his wi'c's assistance. ana
only hiring help at sh.arng time. OF when he h"d
10 'dip" his mock 10 prevent the spreading "l
som. disease which had gotten among them
He said that he liked To hay" black Hh"rp IN
hi. flock. that he used them counters that
~ looking over his sheep at the close "f day
~ M. missed one OF the black ones h" knc"
bunch had dropped out OF the flock FOR one sh'"p
v,ould never stay OF alone they always go III
punches.
# Is ,1ry troubosom" To count sheep. th'y are
60 much alike and even II run through chute
thcy come eaping out on" precisely hh" III" "'"'''
until the eye becomes confused ana can S''r'r}
coun, corr,ctlY The rauchmen tell gr"ai tales
about the tricks that have been played upon H"''P
buyers from time to time. owing to ms '.in'"l'y
Of counting a hock correctly. An EngIi'hman VII"
Invested IN thousands OF sheep. buying up s'N-
eral qnau nocks In order 10 secure the number
and Kind that he wanted. paid the owner OF each
email fock f1r several hundreds In excess 81 me
real number purchased. the sheep having p'"n
driven around and forced through th" chute a 8 Zoe
ond time while he was counting. The naive ""s-
,,,r.rs regard any such irregularities rracts"d
,,,o, q "t4ndar-foot" as quite legitimat" ana most
amusing.
ti,uiur Is not only rosortcd TO when few OF tho
nocE give evidence Of disease, but they are sub
tc,od TO that process when 1t Is rumor"d tha' niy
Of the sheep ON ncehborinE ranches 'Vih'" SNhp-
,,,s ~ sickness Sometimes the simple fact that
an unhealthy nock driven through the rang"
on the way 10 some distant point viii prompt
careful owners 10 remember the traditional ounce
of prevention. a big vat 10 prepared, fun oi lpnd
sitonrly imp, grated win medicinal inriedl'hif
aud Ir,o this bath the frightened flock are forced
mn, oftet another. strong aims bclrg In readiness
an either eiIe to force tobeuus hcnds beneath
,ho flood \ thoiuuph bnptlan ~ THE hlnl II
,n,tty orirarpus IN preventing OF cutting III" acnb
aud other diaenscH, bat occasionally ~ "n"fih"uH
mach viii have to be- dipped three ~ four times, IN
.,,t,t,, ,siuus Wnib Some sheer. ihr,tH adopt the
ntan NJ dipping then no,h immediately niioi Hhtni
ma when the chonloau have The beet chnnc" ~
a, inn directly 90 the Hkln Hhooh ouh o"inl,M
ami inllufn enough after they hir Hhnin, WIN The
ninL non shuWlur Through The fuK on lholi hhrh1