Weekly journal-miner., 1915-03-03
. WHY SHEEPMEN
 . ARE JUBILANT

-
 .:- Wool selling for 28c pound, T. T. as against lSc pound last year, < T. and with excellent prospects for T. -:. higher price for the better + !. grades of the clip. t !. Plenty of feed on the desert, I. !. and a large percentage of in "s' .- crease in lambs is assured. t. T. Certainty of early fat spring .t' !. lambs for shipment to the east T. i. ern market at a high price. -t' I. Prospects of cleaning up I. !. enough money this year to last + !. them through several dull sea .t' 4. sons. ss ts.++%.%+ i. + !. I. + .s- i. T.
 Assessor C. E. Gentry and his dep uty, Ed. Stephens, arc back from their assessing trip to the southeastern part of the county and have an inter esting story to tell of conditions in that section, particularly regarding the outlook for the sheep industry.
 Their journey covered over $50 miles, and was made in the county machine, auto travel they declaring, despite minor mishaps, and bad roads, being the only mode of covering the ground with expedition. They assess cd the parts visited, and in addition Mr. Gentry succeeded in picking up quite few bands of sheep which will be added to the assessment roll this year. Heretofore there have been certain sheepmen who escaped taxa ton by claiming their bands were on the rolls of other counties, but by correspondence Mir. Gentry ascertain ed which sheep had been assessed elsewhere and which had not, and therefore was in a position to corner the tax-dodgers.
 Speaking of sheep, Mr. Gentry said: "A highly prosperous year faces the men engaged in this in dustry, the best in fact for a long period. The desert is green and feed ing will be good for many months to come. The sheepmen are figuring on a large percentage of lambs and ow- ing to the abundance oi, the feed the prospects for early fat lambs are cx- ceptionally good. These will bring good price on the eastern market, and will aid in making plethoric the purses of the owners. The clip this year is unusually heavy and already part of it has been contracted for by buyers at 2Sc a pound. What this means can easily be determined when it is stated that the price last year was but lSc pound. Of course the better grades of the wool will bring more than 28c. These prices in con nection with the fact that the clip this season Is better and heavier than for some time, demonstrates that the sheepmen, to speak fguratively, "arc in clover" Shearing Is now going on and the sheep are going under the shears to the number of about 2000 a day.
 During our journey we were al Castle Hot Springs resort. The hotel is full to overhowing this early in the season, in fact it is the best year that place has ever known. There are l20| employees there, something which in itself indicates that capacity business is being done.
 "The outlook in mining is excellent, there being a number of properties operating and more making prelim- mary preparations for resuming.
 "The Monte Christo has a large tonnage on its dump and work is steadily progressing blocking out the fabulously rich ore of that wonderful mine. The Monarch, about 10 or 12 miles east of Wickenburg, but in the l confines of this county has resumed with small force and the Octave has small force at work cleaning up and getting ready for resumption in the immediate future.
 rOne of the noteworthy improve ments in the Martinez country is the l placing under water of about 500 | acres of land by F.. J. Howard. He has constructed concrete dam at the headwaters of Date creek, 100 feet high by 70 feet in width, and will con serve enough water from that stream to irrigate all of his large acreage. The land, when once under reclama ton will be as fertile as any within the confines of the county. The site of the dam is a natural one, reducing in large measure its cost of con 
 The recent trip was the first of number necessary to do the work of field assessing in this county. In couple of days the assessor and his deputy will again sally forth in the joy-wagon for a trip to