Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1912-05-17

thousands of acres Of The open
range have been reclaimed and
instead Of the far reaching street
ches Of prairie and sage brush we
now see a net work Of canals and
bitches leading to hundreds Of fine
ranches During the winter the
sheep men drive their flocks to
the ranches Ehcle they buy hay
for feeding during the winter when
/ it is necessary to feed the sheep.
Some winters it is necessary TO fee
for three months or more but some
seasons the sheep thrive on the
range for the entire twelve months.
The latter part of March, or as
soon as the snow is gone and the
mud dried so that the travelling is
good, they again go out on the
range BY this time the grass is
an inch or so high and down in
the sage brush clumps millions of
wild flowers are springing up.
These seem to be as nourishing as
the grass and the sheep like them
even better.
The sheepmen are now lambing
in sheds or large tents, sometimes
with the aid of artificial heat and |
often without, in the latter part of |
February and March. This meth
cd of early lambing is proving so
safe and profitable that the sheep
men are depending on it more all
time. By the old method the lamb
began to drop in April and if the
weather proved good for a month
or so they soon grew strong enough
to follow their mothers into the
mountains for the summer range.
They shear the sheep late in May
or early in June before driving
to the mountains for the summer.
Shearing has become a simplified
process since the introduction of
machinery. Twenty to twenty five
men work in a plant and can shear
as many as two thousand sheep a
day.
BY the middle of July the early
lambs are ready for shipment. All
through the summer till late in
hundreds of car loads
of lambs are shipped out of Idaho
to eastern markets.
Five or six years ago the sheep /
business was at its height in Idaho, !
but the reclamation of the desert
has greatly diminished the range,
also Roosevelt's plan of conserv-
ing the national forests has caused /.
men to cut down their number of 4.
sheep and as a result the sheep1 ,
business can never pay as largely {
again.
The irrigation companies have /
lone much to open the great fer f
lie tracts of Southern Idaho to the s
settlers. Thousands of acres have T
,een reclaimed and are being put q
lndeF cultivation, due to the able O
irrigation systems of these COM
,anies. The majority of the people q
N this land are farming scien- 2
ifically which will soon greatly b
,nhance the value Ofythe land, also {
ring Idaho to the front in an agri-
cultural way. Il
Seven years ago there was no
Twin Falls city. Now Twin Falls S
s a growing city of six thousand II
Eighty five per cent Z
If the land on the Twin Falls tract n
5 in cultivation at present. They Il
lave the largest centralized school
ystem in the state, and rural free Z
There are three large t.
nd large hotels besides num- b
'er of smaller first class places. e
fuch of the farm land on this trae
will sell for 500 an acre while V
and close to town will bring an o
lmost fabulous price. The pro- |;
uctive qualities of the soil are a
Chemists say it con- g
aims every element necessary for O
arming or fruit raising. s.
There are several alfalfa mills on Il
he thact where the alfalfa is Il
round into meal which is an extra u
aluable food for practically all u
inds of stock.
The soil in southern Idaho is :,
rell adapted to the raising of su- -
ar beets. Already four large beet
ugar factories have been erected +,
4 southern Idaho. Each one is
7ell supplied with beets by the
armers of the surrounding coun-
ry. This industry is said to be .
rofitable, both to the farmer and y.
he manufacturer of sugar. -
There are quite a number of %