Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1898-11-24

GOOD GRAZING LANDS
Large Tracts Near Chicago Owned
by Railroads.
of sheep Feed Upon Mead
oyyx Close to the City-SaIes of
the Animals Yearly
Increasing.

Twenty-Five nunCreQ IAousdAu AeaG
Of sheep annually feed and fatten at
Chicago's western gateway, grazing
in meadows fewer than 50 miles from
the city limits
The immense grazing grounds over
which these producers Of wool and
mutton roam until they have reached
the killing condition are owned Tor
the most part by the big western rail
roads. They are Of immense value,
living so close 10 the boundaries Of
a big city. and upon them are erected
expensive plants for shearing and dip
ping sheep. But the railroads do not
complain Of the first cost or OF the
expense of maintenance, Tor these
yards bring TO them an immensely
valuable traffic and one that is con-
stautly on the increase.
Ten years age Chicago was a small
consumer Of mutton. Then sheep
were raised for their wool and the
carcasses were considered Of little val
ue. Along came the removal OF the
high protective tariff on wool and the
profits Of the sheepraisers dwindled.
Their attention was then called to the
wool producer as an article Of diet,
the old-time strains were crossed and
changed until America began TO pro-
duce an animal for food purposes the
equal Of the famous English sheep.
American butchers, too, made great
strides in the science of slaughter, and
Englishmen no longer complain Of the
quality of the mutton served to them
here. The result is appareSt in the
statistics Of the Chicago stockyards,
which show that the demand for NUT
ton in this city has increased dur
ing the last ten years 400 per cent.
One of the greatest sheep stations
in the vicinity of Chicago is that Of
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, at
Montgomery. II lies just three miles
west Of Aurora and 40 miles from the
city limits. 1t is large enough to ac-
commodate $4,000 sheep al one time.
In the shearing shop are 20 machines,
capable of clipping 2,1o0 sheep each
day.
In this big shearing pen the wind lit
orally Is tempered to the shorn
lamb" for artificial heat is provided
and so regulated that the animals just
deprived Of their heavy coats may not
suffer on account Of the change. Shear
ing goes on here in the coolest months
Of the year just as during midsum
mer, the animals being confined with
in the heated sheds until they have
gotten used TO the loss Of their coats.
They are transferred from time to
time to sheds having lower tempera-
ture until the journey into the open
air does not chill them.
At Montgomery and at Plano this
road provides 900 acres Of lands for
grazing purposes. grain elevator,
having a capacity of 100000 bushels,
and hay barns, in which 800 tons may
be stored, are prominent objects upon
the big farm. The herds are treated
to mineral water of quality so good
that much Of IL is bottled for table
use in this city. A big hotel accom-
modates the owners Of the sheep un-
til such times are the animals are
ready for market.
No other corporate interest deals
as lightly with its customers as the
railroads with the sheepraiser. In
every case the yardage is free. The
grain consumed is charged for at es-
tablished rates, according 10 the mar
ket price. Grazing costs the uniform
rate Of one-haIf Of one cent a day
per head. All the work about the sta
tion is done by railroad employees. who
work upon fixed salaries.
Dipping costs 2H cents per head.
Shearing is done for ten cents head.
OF this seven cents goes 10 the OPP
orator and three cents toward the
maintenance Of the plant. All shear
ing is done by machinery, and il is said
that the excess wool secured by this |
method more than pays the cost Of re-
moving the coat.
No part Of the expense incurred after |
the sheep are landed at the railroad |
company's plant is collected until the |
owner Of the sheep has disposed OF |
them The charges follow the mani
fest, and the droyer settles the whole |
bill at the gtockyards. In one case
a Montana droyer who kept his focks |
at Montgomery, shipped them TO Liv-
erpool. He WAS obliged TO pay only !
his personal expenses up TO the time |
he disposed Of his sheep. when the bill |
OF the Burlington was collected.-Cbl- |
cago Times-Herald.