The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1909-02-11
SHEEP RAISING ON
IRRIGATED LANDS
IDAHO RANcHER VERY SUCCESSFUL
q. G. Mullen. of Nsmpa. reIls How
He Started illustrates Many
Interesting Points.

News made by that gen 'leman, who Is
: . rancher near Nampa
The editor OF the Capital News hav
ing kindly encouraged mC 10 write a
little mora on the subject OF sheep on
the farm, will try 10 give few fig
nrcs on what ! have done in small
way These articles are not written
for entertainment, but are strictly for
business My sheep are lambing no y,
and ! have but little for anything
but business Work on the farm al
any time is anything but lazy man 5
Job. but winter finds us with the most
spare time, and like 10 have the
lambs come early, SO can give them
full attention.
The one time that you must look
after sheep is in lambing If weather
is cold they may chill 10 death; occa-
sionally mother will not own her
lamb, and IN case OF twins you must
see they keep together at first We
have little pens to put them in, where
there are twins or mothers are in
clined 70 leave them However, they
are generally the hes. Of mothers. and
grieve over their dead lambs in way
to make your heart ache. On the
r5nch there are none OF the dreadful
cries Of starving orphans that you
hear one the range. My first sheep
was one Of these orphans. We made
one visit to the Landing ground, and
! that was all | ever wanted. | can
/ hear those cries yet. and the time will
come when such things will not be
| tolerated There will be laws to
cover this, just as there is for feeding
and watering stock ~ shipping. These
! orphan losses in a financial way are
| also favorable 70 ranch sheep. We al
ways have few for some unavoidable
reason. but we raise them on cows
milk like calf Rangemen tell me it
is better 10 have lambs some later. so
they will have green grass to eat, and
that they do better. We do not find
il so The lambs will begin TO nibble
at the hay when three or four days
old, and soon eat as well as their
mothers. They are all started and
care for themselves when spring work
is on. when most farmers are worked
10 death The ranRemen forget that
when they arc lambing that is all they
have to do, while a farmer has many
other things 20 attend TO-
Conditions Differ
find in nearly every way that
sheep on the ranch and range are en-
tirely different businesses The range
man. from money point OF view, just
lets his orphans die, loses stray sheep
in the brush without bothering about
il. and the sick must get we'll them
selves or die But such methods on
the ranch would be a disgrace We
will expect To keep a better grade. or
even pure breds, and SO cannot afford
such losses Here is where | suffered
When | started IN on sheep, only ono
man that knew OF was handling them
on the ranch. and had no one TO ask |
advice OF when in trouble except the |
range man. and all he knew was 10 |
let them die could do that without |
any help, so Just had TO blunder along |
reading all | could find in papers on /
the subject and studying my own. /
forgot 10 say how little | knew OF I
stock. and OF farm work except what /
had read, until came TO the ranch
here eight years ago. | scarcely knew
a sheep when lzsaw one, so il is very
evident il | could make it pay at all |
that any farmer raised to the business
ought to make a big thing of it. Dis
eussions on sheep IN ice papers have
been great help 10 me. and may we
hope these lines on my mistakes may
help some other farmer from going
the same rough road Let us consult
together and profit by others mis-
takes.
Sheep Vary
Before give my figures would
like TO say that my sheep are the ordi
nary scrub. range sheep, that | have
f,taLyaI 80. fVr,,, - bs.tf
a dozen. They are all sizes, and coarse
and fine wool of all grades. The one
trouble in getting started on the ranch
IS that range men don't want to sell
hundred or two, so you have to pick
them up wherever you can. So mine
are III no way a selected lot This
simply emphasizes what said above
about my making any profit Pure
bred sheep or good grades. like any
other stock, will pay better than
scrubs, and | can say right here |
don't intend to always have scrubs:
but they proved both cheap and profit
able, and are especially good to prae-
tice on, for q beginner is bound to
lose more or less, and. in fact, any one
IN stock must expect some losses.
will only give my last three years
-eceipts;
1905 Average fleece, 10 pounds. at
I5tc, Si55
ieoe-Averaee fleece. pounds, a,
'oc, 81 80.
1907 Average fleece. 81 pounds. at !
.ec sl24.
This is a bad showing as every year
ny average was lower, but let me ex-
slain. In 1905 my sheep were all good
ives. only one old range sheep in the
OF. and thar sheared a pounds They Z
yeraged just trifle less than 10 (
rounds The next year made bad /
,reak buying some old range peliers /,
figured tina. the wool and lamb d
would pay the bill and would not h
cunt the old sheep anything But It h
idn't pan out, They only SHARED At (
nd A pounds. and some died. more {
a Nherup.
Tess-Mr Dumley's lust the mean.
st man He teid me last evening he'd ,
each me how to whistle II ia quicker
. my lips
Jess-oh. taat old scheme Then he