The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-04-02
THE UP-T0-DATE SHEPHERD
HE BLOWS NO PIPES, NOR DOES He
CARRY A CROOK.

But He Manages More Sheep Than His
Ancient Prototype-Tending Flocks on
the Western PIains-Festivities of the
shearing Season.
Wichita, Kan, Feb. 19.-One Of the
coming great industries of our country,
and one that may be said to have al
ready arrived to a large extent, is the
raising OF sheep. Many parts Of the
west are peculiarly adapted to this in
dustry. There is unlimited pasture on
the vast plains and prairies. Sheep
flourish best in dry atmosphere, and
this is to be obtained in the dryest pos
sible form in such climate as that Of
Kansas and other far western states.
Few people not interested in the
sheep industry have any idea how
largely we are indebted to Mexico for
the replenishing of our fiocks. Hun
dreds of thousands of sheep are driven
into the United States every year from
the dominions of the Montezumas.
or course sheep are bred largely in
many of our southern states. but very
little attempt has been made to i'm
by southern breeders to improve. the
character of their flucks. Western
breeders, on the contrary, devote q
great deal of thought and care to i'm
proving the different breeds. Their
motto is always Excelsior" They are
constantly striving to produce better
lambs each year. Few people have
any idea of the great wealth of many
of the men engaged in sheep-raising.
Here in Kansas we have several sheep
raisers, whose checks are good for sew
en- figures.
The question is often asked why the
United States cannot produce wooden
fabrics equal in quality to those made
abroad. We have lust as good ma
chinery and facilities and workmen.
The only trouble is that we have not
as yet been able to produce as good a
quality of wool. I think the reasons
for this are that the sheep-raising in
dustry in Europe is one which has ex-
listed almost from time immemorial,
while in our country it is only in its in
fancy. In years gone by our sheep
raisers have paid little or no attention
to improving the breeds, but this seri-
Gus error is now being rapidly correct
ed by the sheep-raisers of our great
west. The sheep one sees in the west
differ largely in appearance from their
brethren of the east. Their legs are
longer, their noses more tapering, and
the wool is much thicker upon their
backs and sides. There is nothing in
which the real is more different from
the ideal than the life of shepherd.
We are all familiar with those beauti-
full portrayals in oil of lovely maidens,
dressed in white, with long sashes, and
carrying crooks adorned with gayly
colored ribbons, and with similar por-
traitures of handsome young men, ell
egantly attired in immaculate peasant
dresses, and playing upon pipes. If
you visit any Of the great sheep ranch
es of the far west you will not see any
young people Of that kind. Females as
caretakers for sheep seem to have fall
en- into what an ex-President of the
United States would call innocuous
desuetude, There are no shepherdess-
es on the plains of the far west. The
sheep are tended by men, roughly at
tired, and OF speech and manner as
rough as their clothes. But they ar
nearly always good fellows, with
hearts as gentle and tender as that Of
the gentlest woman, but brave, withal
as lions if occasion requires. They
cannot play upon pipes or dance grace
full dances around May-poles, like the
shepherds who find so much favor in
the sight of artists in oil and water
colors. But they have a knowledge OF
the weather, the trees and plants, the
running streams, the nature, habits
and needs Of their focks, which dc
not believe the shepherds of the oil
paintings ever possess
The life Of sheep herder on the
plains is a very monotonous one dur
ing the greater part of the year
There are no diversions Of any kind
Here in Kansas rain seldom falls, and
day follows day in a constant success
sion of cloudless blue sky and sunshine
Tie sheep herder has nothing to look
at but sky and earth, blending togeth-
er in the distant horizon, his sheer
forming the Only object that diversi-
fles the prospect. lie hears no sound
save the bleating Of his sheep, and the
only things to interest him are the
gambols of the young lambs and the
ease with which their mothers pick
out their own particular offspring SIM
ply by their ability to recognize the cry
OF their own young, even though 1t be
among the bleating of a hundred 9th
ers.
There is another thing which some
times occurs to vary the monotony OF
the shepherds life, but it is far from
being a welcome variation. That is
when that dreaded disease, the scab
breaks out among his flock Readers
Of Charles Reades delightful novel OF
's'It Is Never Too Late to Mend viii
remember how the scab broke out
among George Feilding's flock, and
how his worthless shepherd, Abner, de-
serted his service rather than remain
and fight with the dreaded scourge
When the scab breaks out every sheer
must be sheared and washed and an
nointed with some medicament to kill
the disorder. Every owner of long
haired dog knows what mango is
among dogs, and he will be able tc
form a faint idea of what scab is
among sheep.
When the sheep-shearing season ar
rives at the sheep corral, the shep-
herds, who have been so lonely all the
,,oe+ of tho vaar find themselves in the