Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-06-03

Owners of FlOsl<s Are Reaping Prof |
it's From the High Prices of Beef.
Montana Taking Position as Great
est sheep state In the Union-Ma-
chine Shearing Is Common.
Some modern philosophers contend
that the best way to avoid the high
prices of beef is to eat something else.
The sheepmen of the far west are of
the opinion that the best substitute is
mutton, and, judging from the rapid
ity with which their possessions are
growing and the increased demand for
the salable animals of the fiocks, 9th
er persons must have the same feel
ing, says the special correspondent of
the New York Post, writing from Rus
sell, Kan. The development of the
sheep raising business i'll the west in
the last five years has been marvellous.
The fiocks which were formerly found
mostly on the sunburnt plains of Texas
and New Mexico, on the pine dotted
mountain slopes of Wyoming and Mon
tana or in the least valuable regions
of the plains region have been scat
tered over much wider territory.
The farmers of the west as they di-
vided up their lands into smaller hold
ings found that sheep were very
profitable addition to the farm, and the
feeders who once devoted all their at
tenton to cattle have discovered that
there is an equal profit and less risk
in fattening sheep.
The manner Of managing sheep on
the western ranges varies greatly in
different parts of the country and with
different sheepmen. In some readily
accessible localities large and COM
modious sheep wagons follow the
bands of sheep from place to place,
and in these wagons the herders carry
their necessary utensils, food, cloth
ing and beds. The usual form of sheep
wagon contains cook stove, conven-
lent arrangements for sleeping and a
supply Of medicines. These wagons
are hauled by two or four horses, ac-
cording to the condition Of the roads.
In still more accessible places one wag-
on may be required to furnish service
for a number of herders, who sleep in
tents Mt night near the sheep. In such
conditions each herder establishes a
camp in some locality convenient to
water, fuel and grass, protected by
lodges or trees from storm.
The old time herders, with their lone
@r;,N int farr. tor
remote from civilization, are passing
away, and the business is becoming q
much more commonplace one. There
are still dead lines in some localities
over which the sheep must not Craze
and farmers have q government pro-
lection in provision in some sections
that sheep must not come within two
miles of a titled field or homestead
These provisions are based on the wei
known destructiveness Of the vas
herds of Sheep who, in their clos'
cropping of the grass, leave the SOC
i'll fitted for cattle pasture, while, o.
course, growing crop would be de
stroyed.
Montana is taking position as thu
greatest sheep state in the Union. Thi'
season it will ship out nearly 30,OOO,O0t
pounds of wool, yet the first sheel
were brought to the state only twenty
five years ago. Great Falls and Bill
lings are rivals for the honor of bein,
the largest wool shipping points in tn
world Single companies sell 2oO,W
pounds of wool at a season. Some o
the best bred focks yield ten pounds Il
the sheep, though the average Is no
much above three pounds on the com
mon range sheep.
Machine shearing is common, and /
is interesting to see the long lines
workers with their clippers run b.
rubber tubes, obtaining power from
shaft above their heads, taking Off tn
fleeces. Shearers who can take of
more than 100 feeces day are com
mon, and they receive 8 cents fleece
The rapid growth Of the business ha
been due largely to the increased pric
of wool, though the larger demand TO
mutton has also had its effect.
The wool buyers begin early in tn
spring on the great ranches Of Texas