The daily sentinel., 1908-03-13
The Herder
Of Sheep
LIFE AND DUTIES
Of Central Figure Of Great
Industry Herders Great
Responsibility Something
About the Shearer and how
Shtaring is Done.

Naturally the central figure in the
sheep business is the herder, writes
Arthur Chapman, in the American
Review of Reviews for March. He
is the man whom the owners depends
for the safety of an average flock
from 1000 to $500 sheep, which
may be worth from $4,000 to $780,
900. 1t has been the custom to look
upon the sheep herder as man who
takes up this employment because he
is 'locoed" or because he cannot do
anything else. Nothing could be fur
Their from the truth. No sheep owner
could put so much responsibility on
the shoulders of an incompetent or
irresponsible man. The herders are
selected from the best material the
labor market has to offer. and are
paid from $50 to SIS a month and
board. The herder is furnished with
everything he needs, and there is no
limit to the quantity or quality of his
fare. He is given carte blanche to
order what the market affords, and
the camp tender" who comes with
supplies once or twice a week, sees
that the order is promptly filled. The
sheep wagon, in which the herder
lives in winter, is veritable house
on wheels. 1t is a canvas covered
wagon, containing cookstove, bunk,
cupboard, and, in short, everything
that can make life bearable for the
herder. In one of these wagons a
man can remain comfortable while
a 'norther" RACES without. In sum-
mer, while in the mountains, he lives
in tent, but this is all man re-
quires among such ideal natural sur
roundings.
In the spring, at Landing time, is
the herder's season of responsibility.
1t is then that May snowstorm will
wipe out the years crop of lambs, if
the flock Is caught in a bad place.
and it is then that the band must be
closely guarded against the dangers
from coyotes and wolves. Care must
always be exercised in changing feed
ing ground. lest the sheep get among
poison weeds and die. Countless
sheep have been lost in this manner,
the herder being unaware of any
danger until the poisoned animals
begun to drop by the score.
strengthening time brings to the
fore another interesting class of men
the shearers. These men begin
their work in the South, where the
shearing is early, and work north
through the season, finishing their
work in Montana and Canada. The
shearing is done by contract, in pens
that are equipped with costly ma
chinery. Formerly sheep were clip
ped by shears, but the modern shear
ing knife, run by steam or electricity.
is used nearly altogether today. The
machine is not much faster than the
old-fashioned shears, but it does the
work in much more cleanly fashion,
and leaves less wool on the sheep.
The saving of from a quarter to half
pound of wool on each sheep
amounts to a great deal of money
when SO many millions of sheep are
sheared in Il season.
The shearing is done early in the
summer. The herders bring up their
bands of sheep and run the animals
into pens. The shearers in the pens
grasp the animals and soon the keen
knives are cutting through the wool.
The fleece cO---es 81 al---O5t in SIM
gle garment, SO neatly do the slfillful
shearers work. Despite the exhaust
ing nature of the work, the men
standing all day in STOPPING pos
ture, some astounding records are
made. One shearer, Frank Hewitt,
of Sarotoga, Wyo., who is credited
with being the champion shearer of
the United States, won medal at
the Chicago exposition, in competi-
ton with 10 other shearers, by shear
ing 100 sheep in three hours and 81
minutes. 1t is said that this shearer
turns out an average of IT'S sheep
day throughout shearing season.
With dozen men shearing sheep
with such rapidity, 1t is no wonder
that the wool is soon stacked high
in sacks at the sheds, ready for ship
ment. About 100 sheep a day may
be accepted as the general average
for shearer. The operators get s
cents per fleece, so it is seen that
it is none too much when one con-
siders the eXbaustinr nature of the