The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-08
TALES OF SHEEP RANCHES
Incidents of the Life Peculiar TO this
Western Industry.
Risks That Have to BE Assumed by
the Growcr-Thc Solitary Life OF
stance Where "a Herder's Deyo-
ton to Duty Cost Him His Life.

ton to Duty Cost Him His Life
He was one OF the many Montanans whC
have visited the city during the past win
ter. tail. broad shouldered. with just the
suggestion Of slouchiness in his bearing
a suggestion which his speech scentuated
There was nothing in his dress which
would distinguish him from a citizen OF
New Mexico. or Arizona, or California. or
any Other Western State. and the hotel
register alone gave the clew to his home.
How is Montana? All right; she is
always all right. Perhaps just at the
present minute Montana people are not
gazing on green lawns all spang!ed with
| crotons and crocuses and other pretty
flowers. like you people here. Not very
likely to, either, with the thermometer
chasing itself back and forth over the
zero mark. Right now most Of us are fig
uring out how we pulled through the win
ter On stock and sheep more than laying
out posy beds.
You see. it isn't like it was years ago
when we turned out cattle in the fall
/
| where from tie North Pole to the-the
! quator. That times gone Railroads and
! barbed wire fences have cut up most OF
! the big ranges. and the price of beef is
not so far above the cost Of production
| that man can afford to take those big
| chances any more Now we put up a lit
tic hay for the stock, and when the
dogies are getting weak on their legs in
the spring. just before the green Grass
comes. we turn 'em on to the stacks and
this keeps the losses down. You Eastern
people think that it's the winter that kills.
but it isn't. The green grass is what cuts
profits down. The cattle eat it greedily
and get secured by it. until they are weak
ened beyond recovery. The stOckman is
more scared of a warm spring day than
he is Of a month of zero weather earlier
Cattle are as good as a bank account
and about as steady. but sheep are the
things to take a iier on in the West They
require more care and 1t costs more money
to run them. but when we get a good
year there's good money in them. By the
way. this is going to be a good year. For
instance. | am running a band Of about
% coo sheep up in the northern part OF the
State. That means clip of about no 0O0
pounds of WOOL The price of wool this
year. delivered al the railway looks as If
~ were going TO run between 20 and %
cents. At the lowest figure. then. ought
to get $2S.OCO for my clip. The increase in |
the band pays all expenses, hay, herding,
corras. sheds, and shearing when mutton
is worth what il is now, so the clip is pure
velvet
Am I going to blow myself for trip 20 |
the Paris Exposition Well. son, I'll think |
about that. Sheep growing is not always I
the bright dream il is this year Back in |
80. sheep that were worth s. went begging 1
at 70 cents a head. while wool buyers |
thought they were philanthropists If they |
gave you more than . cents pound for I
the wool. and usually insisted on a come
back privilege at that. We are just get
ting our money back now from the hard
times Before then we did the buckets Of
business pretty freely. and it
took about four years OF storm to make US
see that woogrOwing was not always a
bonanza. / tell you. let 1900 or 1900 sheep
pile up on you and then get almost nothing
Tor what is left because they have been
eating wool and you'll know how funny
IL is to sit and see a few thousand dollars
melting out Of your pocket day after day.
You won't forget IT,
Don't you know what 'piling up
means' Then this is a chance for you TO
get into the game cheap. To start in the
sheep business you must have a home
ranch. Then there's the out-stations con-
aected by telephone. if you want to do it
right. You send out each herder with
from three to five thousand sheen He
goes right out on TO the range taking mis-
.hucE. tent dog blankets. and such
hings. He's got from $4,000 to Sl5. 900 OF
sour cold cash. and maybe you'll see him
again in q month maybe not for six
money. and that's all there is to IT, AMI
lerders are queer People I don't suppose
IN Eastern business man would trust his
money TO lot Of lunatics but that is what .
sc DO, and what We have to DO right
long. Montana has more inmates in her
insane asylum than in her States prison
md the majority Of them are sheep herd
rs. Whether it's cumming with sheep
nd hearing nothing. day in and day out
,ut their internal Bsa-baa- baaing all the
ime or whether its the solitude is be-
ond me- but I know herders get uutty as
regular thing. and 10 does not make any
Inference whether they are ignorant o.
ducd:ed. Swedes or Scotchmen. they all
% he same road. First you notice when
Gu go out TO take them their monthly
rub they don't like TO talk much: then ,
hey get to avoiding you, actually run ,,
way from you. and al there is to do is
aave your orders in. writing. Finally /
hey may meet you with all sorts Of fool {
0mplainJs. poison in their coffee magg0ts q
D their -four. rusty bacon kicks about d
Their herders they have not seen for 1
iouths. and an sorts of chmer4s. You Is
re lucky If they don't walk in 10 the b
ONE station and leave their sheep 70 f
rift Their voices change and they talk q
nd act like goats. They kick up rocks "
n the prairie and pile them uD into d
II they do come into the g,
ONE ranch all you can DO is to give hem
leir money and let EN- go tc town and
lruw il away. When its gone they get a
God sense and come back to work 81
What makes EN- act like thai? | don't W
now: | didn't make EN-. Cowpunchers IT
Ont get that way. y sheepherder gees al
vi in the morning. and after he re1che, "
'ed. he sleeps more or less. He don't get W
is meals regularly, because he is too n
nv or careless or something. Then. at Il
light he don't sleep we'll. II anyone comes
see him he is apt to talk all night as
)t. There's good reason for that though
[ night he runs the sheep into a corral. A
ow, if anything happens there is trouble.
may get too cold, OF a Wu or coyote
ay bark or a tWig break. or the ice in
lie creek crack or q piece Of paper blow
ross the prairie in the moonlight Then O
lose sheep get to milling and unless al
icy are stopped they circle round and q
Iund. huddling toward the centre. until =
ne or two 20 dpwn, the others pile up On =.
lem. and go on top, and keep il up until ',
lpre is "a bpaD OF wO1l and mutton VIII n "a