The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-17
Park County Is Forging to the
Front.
PROSPECT is EXCELLENT
Three-Fifths OF the County Consists of
Grazing Landslide Not Have to
Feed in the winter-Tarif
Cuts no Figure.

just now. Long wains loaded down
with the white fieeces slowed in sacks
stand in the street and many and fran
tic are the attempts Of the kodak fiend
to get snap shot of the long string
of horses and wagons moving slowly in
painting procession toward the freight
house. Park county Is gradually be-
coming a great sheep county. Slowly
the horses and cattle are being crowded
off the range and their places taken by
bands of wool bearing animals. This
years assessment enumerated nearly
$4,000 sheep in Park county and they
were valued at something like $40, 900.
The receipts from the annual wool clip
in this county amounts to nearly twice
the net proceeds of the mines, as shown
by the list of the assessor. Wool rails
ers in Park county are among the most
intelligent and independent class in the
community. The Standard reporter
often has occasion to interview men in
different walks of life in the line of
his duty and there is no man so ready
with fund of information and with
his business affairs so we'll in hand as
the average fiockmaster.
To-day the Standard reporter talked
look for the sheep business here and
found that a great deal of information
was to be had from this source. James
H. Proffitt owns a band of sheep in
the Shields river valley and comes of a
family who know all about the sheep
business. To him the reporter address
ed a number of inquiries
Yes" said Mr.. Proffitt, in answer to
a question. Il will be glad to tell you
anything l can about the sheep bust
ness. Park county is a good place to
raise sheep. / suppose the principal
reason is because the hard winters don't
kill the sheep off the way they do in
some other localities. There Is about
5000 square miles in this county and
fully three-fifths of this is grazing and
agricultural land. We are getting lots
of sheep here. Many who have left
here have returned after trying it in
other places and say Park county is the
place to stay. We don't have to feed
sheep here as much as they do else
where. That is one reason why sheep
pay well in Park county-we get along
with less expense than they do in lots
of places"
What is the difference between this
year and any other in the sheep bust
ness. Mr. Proffitt?' asked the reporter.
There's lots of difference. In the
first place. the price of wool is higher
is one good thing. Another thing not
so good is that the clip is lighter. We
only get about six or six and half
pounds this year where we should get
seven and a half ! will tell you some
thing about the sheep business and
then you will understand what l mean.
A few years ago we raised Merino sheep
nearly altogether. They We're fine
wooded sheep and clipped about 9 or 10
pounds. Some years whole bands
clipped an average of 10 pounds. Now
the bands are nearly all Cotswolds. The
wool is coarser, but they don't shear
nearly so much. About seven and one
half pounds is the average guess. 1t
will be only little while until we breed
back to the Merino. They see they have
gone too far. at least / think we have.
In a few years they will clip several
pounds heavier: they will be bred back
to where they belong
The reporter talked to several other
sheepmen. They all seemed to be of
Mr.. Proffitt's opinion and told nearly
the same story The Standard man had
one question he always asked, and the
replies varied but little-just little in
the wording and not at all in the view
taken. 1t was: What do you think
Of 20-cent wool?' The answer given by
one of the fiockmasters will answer for
ALL He gave the pencil pusher a quiz
zical look and said:
Now, young fellow, I suppose you
want to ask if l think the tariff is put
ting money in my pocket this year.
guess the republicans all think the
sheepmen have come over to them,
dent they? Well, sheepmen are not
such fools as lots of people think they
are. 1t don't take a smart man to know
what he is talking about this year,
though, If he is in the sheep business.
] suppose you newspaper fellows think
you can learn a great deal by reading
the papers, but / wouldn't wonder If 1
could tell you something you didn't
know, and / don't reckon I've seen it
in any paper this year. either. Wonder
what you would say If told you wool
wasn't any higher this year than it was
last, or the year before, for that mat
ter? You didn't know that, did you?
Thought not Well, it's fact. It's like
this, you see: There was a time when
the buyer bought grease. dirt and all
kinds of foreign substance along with
his wool. Then he sometimes got
about 10 per cent. wool out of what he
got. There have been years when it
was pretty dirty. I guess from 70 to SIS
per cent shrinlSage would be a good
average. Now, last winter was a hard
one and there was but little grease
came into the WOOL It's pretty clean
this year-cleaner than 1t has been
since L can TeIneIflDeT-nOt much dirt
and very fine and clear. There is only
about IS or so per cent. grease and dirt
this year. The fact is wool would
weigh more and be worth less if it was
dirty. We would get about IA cents if
the wool averaged as it did other wears
but we would be selling dirt and grease
with the wool, and it would weigh lots
more. No, / don't think the tariff cuts
much figure / know some sheepmen
over in Canada and they say wool has
gone up over there just as it has here
Our tariff wouldn't help them any, l
guess, would it? You can say that the
sheepmen consider supply and demand
about the only regulator for the price
of wool. There is a demand for the
wool this year and the price is high be-
cause they get value received for every
cent they pay, and that's the cause of
20-cent wool"
Among the clips that have been sold
in Park county this year is the banner
clip of Montana from Smith Bros
sheep ranch on the Musselshell 1t
amounts to about 100000 pounds. fills 20
freight cars and sold for 177s cents
Others are: Blair a Stearns, two car