The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1910-07-23
coYoTE-PRoor FENCE TESTED
WITH sArIsrACroRY RESULTS
T. II. Tailor of Mancos, Colo, Consid.
ers Fence Splendid In.
vestment.

u coyotc.proof fence has been tried IN
with highly satisfactory results. An
experiment begun Nv thc l.. :. Depart.
mcni Of Agriculture on the Wallow
National Forrest, In Oregon. 10 discov
er whether sheep could be advantage
ously pastured within such an enclosure.
led Mr.. Taylor to give the new method
a trial. The outcome is set forth in n
letter of the Department, n follows:
After reading the description of
your covotr proof fence in Oregon, |
constructed II fence Ia enclose about
500 acres Ia the same manner. The
fence was const ructed during the fall
of 1905, aud In the spring of 1909 and
1919 one thousand head Of ewes were
LANDED in this enclosure In the
%vernacdlar of the herdor one hun
bred per cent of the lambs were saved.
bat is a lamb to each eve, "and one
man did all the work. ] think the per
cent Of the lambs would AVE been
higher, but one animal, presumably a
coyote, was inside when the fence was
constructed. II was impossible TO cap.
ture this animal even with hounds.
Some of the herders thought the ami.
NAL was not a coyote, but since coyote
! tracks were found in several places !
am of the opinion that il was. What.
ever the animal was it raised it's young
inside the enclosure"
Connecting his loss with the rapacity
of this animal Mr.. Taylor says:
"A great many of the lambs were
killed and a small hole eaten behind
the foreleg and the remainder Of the
carcass was untouched. On the land
outside q the enclosure il required the
services Of three men and a pack of
hounds 10 care for one thousand ewes.
and only % per cent of the lambs were
saved. This per cent could not have
been saved without the assistance of
the hounds.
al consider this fence n splendid in.
vestment since II easily pays for itself
in three years. ON the other hand, il
is often difficult ana sometimes impos.
sible to get men during the lambing
season. For this reason the money
value of the fence can hardly be est.
mated
The Department u Agriculture en-
tered upon the experiment OF enclosing
sheep range within n fence which would
turn stock.destroying animals in the
behalf that this method would save
forage r. well as stock and wages. This
belief has been fully justified by the re.
suits. The Oregon enclosure carried
more sheep than an equal area Of range
Of the same quality outside, produced
a heavier lamb crop, heavier sheep, and
more wool, and at the same time re.
suited in a better condition of the range
itself. These advantages are due 10 the
different behavior of sheep pastured
within such an enclosure from that of
sheep herded in the ordinary way.
When a band Of sheep move in
charge Of q herder, it must be kept
from scattering much. As a result
much of the forage Is wasted through
tramping. Within an enclosure, how.
ever, the sheep soon learn 10 spread out
and shift for themselves. Under these
conditions IL is not TO be wondered AT
that a given area supports more sheep,
puts them in better condition, and suf.
fers less wear and tear. The success
Of the new method. however, depends
on the determination of all dangerous
animals within the enclosure, and on
the maintenance of a fence which will
keep On outside attacks.
Mr.. Taylor bcneves that the Wal.
Iowa plan Of construction is open 10
Improvement in one particular. He ad-
v~ocates placing IA barbed wire on the
ground before the wove wire IL un.
rolled, and stapling it down. az ex.
pect TO build another enclosure soon, -
his letter concludes, "and will have
a barbed wire stretched around the en-.
closure and have the men place their
foot on the wire and press il close 10
the ground and staple IL. With the
fence already constructed II seemed al.
most impossible TO get the wire as close
TO the ground as IL necessary on ac.
.n..as "A A.