Omaha daily bee., 1899-09-24
SHEEP RAISING In WYOMING
Extent of the Business Carried On in the
Northwestern Part of the State.
FACTS ABOUT WOOL AND MUTTON BELT
How the FIocks Are Managed in
Summer and Winter-Finest
Range in the Wcst-The
Wool Clip.
FACTS ABOUT WOOL AND MUTTON BEL

l.. M. Ormsby Of Fremont, Neb., now an
extensive sheep raiser in Wyoming, was in
Omaha this week feeling the pulse OF the
mutton market. Mr.. Ormsby's headquarters
Is casper, the thriving wool center OF Wy
omlng, whence are shipped millions of
pounds of wool annually. Last year the
wool clip amounted to 1000, 900 pounds, and
stimates for this year place the clip at
10000 900 pounds. Natrona, Converse and
johnson counties, each larger than some
eastern states, are the great sheep feeding
sections of the state. Ten years ago there
was scarcely a flock in that region. Now
there are tens of thousands, yielding in
comes hardly surpassed by cattlemen Of
twenty years ago. Omaha is the great mar
ket for Wyoming. Before marketing, how
ever, sheep are put in prime condition with
Nebraska corn and Nebraska grass.
How the business is Conducted.
we run our sheep In bands of about 1000
EACH" said Mr.. Ormsby, land have one man
and a shepherd dog to a band. With every
two bands there Is usually a camp-moyer
whose duty is to hunt range and water and
move the camps there when the feed
around the last location has been exhausted.
The herder must keep his sheep on good
feed all the time. With every band there
goes a sheep wagon, which is a house on
"ASNio, NohtdluiuB u DSu, CUPBOARD, COOK
stove, cooking utensils, provisions, etc. At
night the herder brings the sheep in around
the camp, and as plenty OF bells are kept
on them he Is supposed to hear the disturb
ance should a mountain lion, coyote or other
animal get among them, and hurry out with
his gun to protect the flock. This happens
nearly every night, as these animals are
numerous and destructive.
After the lambing and shearing time
is over, usually by the end of May, the
flocks start for the summer ranges, which
are generally In the mountains. Last sum-
mer we had 5000 of our sheep In the Big
Horn mountains, at an altitude of about
10000 feet, and the rest about 100 miles
away in another section. 1t is very beau
tiful up In the mountains. We were near
Cloud park, nearly IA, 900 feet above the sea
level, and in two hours ride from the camp
we could reach perpetual snow. 1t showed
every month in the summer, and ice froze
every night in our lamp. The streams were
filled with trout, and on the mountains there
were deer, elk, grouse and other game.
THE sheep have there fine feed and
plenty OF pure, ice-cold water, but IL is
dangerous, by reason of the snow, to keep
them in the mountains after September.
So We move them down into the valley,
where they remain until the snow comes.
Then they are taken into the bad lands for
the winter. As there is no water in these
Bad Lands, the grass cannot be fed off in
the summer, and this consequently leaves a
good winter range. The sheep can get snow
in the winter and don't need water, while
We melt the snow for cooking and drinking
and for the horses. The Bad Lands are a
remarkably rough and broken country. and
this protects the sheep from the severity OF
the winters storms, We stay by them in
winters billiards just as we do in the sum
mer. and with the thermometer sometimes
at 40 degrees below zero 1t is no picnic.
sheariBg Time.
THE winter over, the shearing season be-
gins and is ended by the last OF May or
June, accordingly as II was begun before or
after the Landing time. Until within the
last three years the shearing was mostly
done at the railroad pens, the sheep being
driven there for that purpose and then
taken back to the range, Now most OF the
wool is sheared at private pens located all
throuQh the oountry for 200 milas fron tha