Evening star., 1917-02-11
nes WORTHLESS Dogs for High Price of ClotEdmg

in the United States. The wool clip last
year weighed about 290.O00,O0O pounds
1t was taken from 100000 sheep
most of which are owned in the west
and southwest.
sheep must have wide areas over
which to Craze. The best lands be-
yond the Mississippi river have long
since been cut into farms, but 100000
600 acres. barren, almost, and broken.
remain unappropriated and unreserved.
lands, but the flock owners are with
out rights and do not know at the be-
ginning of a year what their status
will be at the end.
I am in the sheep business today,
has been said to me many a time by
some member of this squatter band,
but I don't know how it will be to-
morrow.
Now and then a homesteader comes
along and bets the United States, as
the phrase goes among herders and
cowboys. that he can hang on for three
years. He moves before he starves to
death, thus losing his bet. and the
sheep Craze on. The lands should be
classified and those good only for pas
turage leased 70 stockmen for some
definite period of time.
ing and 31,5O0,000 acres of such lands
as ] have described. Montana has A.
10000 sheep and 22,000,000 acres of
public land. Mexico has S,5O0,o0o sheep
and 100000 acres of unsold land.
Sheep tand land run into the millions
elsewhere--in Utah. Idaho. Oregon.
Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Califor-
MIA. Were the lands leased and stock
men given rights. the sheep industry
might become as prosperous as 1t Is in
Australia.
I'm the Australian states pastoralists
enjoy the advantage of a settled land
policy. The lessee builds fences. digs
wells and makes other necessary I'M
large enough and his lease long enough
to Justify the expense. Furthermore, he
employs his capital freely In breeding
the class of sheep best adapted TO the
section in which his business is located.
Fifty years ago and later fne Mer1no
sheep were bred in Vermont and ship
ped all over this country and to Europe
and Australia. Rams were sold at prices
ranging from 5000 to $4,000 and up
ward / attended the state fair in YER
mont last fall and saw but one hock
of Merino sheep on exhibition.
THE Merino rams bought IN the
United States by Australian f1ock-mas-
ters, and called Vermonts' even to this
day, developed a fine strain OF Ineir
own in that far-away country. Her.
cules, the ram that was sold for
$500. is an Australian Merino. While
we have in a sense discouraged the
sheep industry, Australia has actively
given It practical support in every pos
sible direction. .--r
$50, while the American hocks have
been dwindling in numbers, the sheep
in Australia have increased 5,600.000
during the last sixteen years. There
is a ranch in Idaho that has 10000
head 1t is the largest one we have.
so far es I know. l have seen fiocks In
Australia and New Zealand. however.
of 100000 head. Our farmers in the
east say that land has become too dear
for the business of raising sheep. I
found that grass land valued at $3.50 an
acre is profitably used for sheep In GER
tain parts of Australia. Usually, how
ever, the fiocks are pastured on public
land. Nearly one-half- OF the occupied
land in New Zealand is in holdings of
more than 5000 acres. Ninety holdings
contain more than $4,000 acres each.
Sheep lands in the Australian states
is divided into fenced paddocks of from