Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1898-12-06
THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE MEX
lCAN LAMB.

THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE MEX
ICAN LAMB.
Nothing tries the nerves OF an old
lamb feeder so much as the presence OF
the dresded stomach worm. Once get a
lot of lambs, some of which are afflicted
with this pest, and the winters feeding,
which, when things 90 wei Is delight,
becomes time Of dread. OF trouble with
out end. and loss that can hardly be
estimated. We went through such an
experience In '9S, and this year the
worms are again rampant. This turned
our eyes toward thu ranges.
Montsna lambs we have fed, and they
a re good. But they are dear this year
in the market; so OF Dakots, of Wyo-
miug ard Utah. Only New Mexico offered
lambs At what seemed practicable prices.
In September went down and bought
100. Recently went again and bought
$3.50 for our neighbors. In all 10 car
loads OF Mexican feeding stuff has been
unloaded In our neighborhood. Thus
small has our country become. We go
now To New Mexico as readily as we did
once to Indiana.
What il the Mexican lamb: He is the
product OF grading up from the hairy,
light-boned, hslf-wild Mexican sheep.
Txo or three crosses OF Merino rsms
have been put on. Now and then q
cross has been added, with
varying success. The lambs are small,
rather compact, quite well wooled, the
wool not oily, Of good staple and selling
for trifie less than eastern open-wools.
The Mexican lamb is dropped in May
aud June Sometimes he finds the world
a dry and cherries place in May. Then,
II the grass has not yet started, his
mother disowns him, and he Is penned
with her for few days until she
takes him, and then begins his pilgrim
sge. From the corral he starts CT In the
over wide prairies or through
thin-set cedar and ptnone on sunny hill
slopes. There Is grass In plenty, sach
As il is-wiry. dry, grsmma or buffalo
grass; there Is water st wide distances.
In the fiock will be some 1000 sheep.
Their shepherd Is . swarthy Mexican
who calls Presto" when he wants
them TO move on, or "Bueno borsgos!"
when he would commend. At night
they 90 to the corrsls and lie on the dry
and powdery manure that has accumu-
lated there for generation. This
manure Is like gusno; millions or tons
are wasted In that country. l have no
doubt that IL could be shipped east with
profit. And the freight rate, by the way,
would be about 81 per ton. lt Is dry
enough TO be sown In fertilizer drfii,
or vas hen VAS there.
Sometimes the shepherd does not use
a corral. Then the sheep are driven up
near the camp aud held there until they
lie down. They do not move away be-
fore morning. Those sheep do better
than the ones that see the inside OF the
corral every night. They get out to feed
e .rlier. for one thug. They escape the
suffocstiug coral dust, too. Nine out OF
ten sheep owners are native Mexicans.
They have the sheep, few ourros, an
adobe house near some spring, vile
and numerous children, and that Is all
all AT least but the mortgage. IL seems
that the Senior Americana who keeps
store has advanced goods from time TO
time, TO be paid foe msuana. and now
and then be takes mortgages on lambs
and WOOL. when settlement time comes
IL seems almost ss though the hock and
the Shepherds belong TO Senor Ameri-
csno. There Il not much coming TO the
shepherd, bat there Is always the hope
of msuans, aud the good Americana
does not let his Spanish friend suffer.
There II surprising stamina In one OF
these little lambs. And, by the way, all
Mexican lambs that | have seen were
little ones. | do not think any weighed
20 pounds this wear. The average weight
In New Mexico is around 30 pounds after
the worst tall has been thrown out. But
they are hardy, We eorralled one lot
on Tuesday night, intending 70 ship them
early next morning. When morning
came there was no train. At noon we
carried them. Next night we unlosded
them at the command OF the United
States lsw-to feed and water. That
WAS st Dodge City. home OF the wild
cow-hoy, aud | fesr home OF the nan
no lies in wait for the tenderfoot. when
we had them Ia the corral We learned Tor
the firs, time that there MS no provision
NJ all for watering them. But We were
.ssur,d that We might have hay at els
per ton. Outside the corral hay soid al
~
Pitying the supposed thirsty eondition
OF the lambs, l tried 10 water AT the Arkan-
sss River, three-fourths OF mile away
$3.50 lambs mske fine sbow-they also
make a great spread" With not hall
enough help 20 restrain them, the iesd-
.rs were at the river and the right and
left a INKS were u quarter OF nile apart
before rhe rear guard had left the corral.
There are fences In that land, but they are
OF wire. and not huilt 10 restrain lamos-
Over the pastures and sorghum fields the
lambs spread, devouring like the locusts
OF Egypt. And men ran back and forth,
and Others rode on horseback and ours
"a loudly. Others told how men had
heen taken before the magistrate ana
soed heavily for trespsssing on these
lands. Iu nv bitterness OF spirit, 1 ala
some cursipg on my own account Wen,
the moon came out and smiled on iot
Of tired fellows, trying with much noise
and exhortstion 10 get $3.50 lambs oteS
20 that corral. They had not cared 10
arink from the Arkansas River, and at
about bedtime they were again Ia bounds
And for a miracle We had them all-yes,
and a. the count now shows possibly q
fex others also,
Next morning we loaded the lambs
again and Travelled on eastward. "hen
the next feeding-ststiouw WAS reschea, !,
was night; 20 We went on. Not untii
sunday morning did we unload them
again. There thev founi gr"zing ana
water. after nearly five days without
~nre- or food worth mentioning: oIly
one was in bad condition; he had got
iop n and been stood on. After Two
a.vs' re.t xe came on, reaching home In
.s hours. True. the little fellows we're
- rss and tired, but they were all ii'eiy.
Not one Was dead liz IL grave over
.iyht that when Upe'e Sam says that
lambs must be- watered At certain place.
he do, cot see that the Possioiii'ies OF
watering are supplied there.
~N@