New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1917-09-28
(From The Earth)

Frank A. Hubbell, of Albuquerque
New Mexico, who pastures grea
herds of sheep in Socorro County
that state, has undertaken to grow
the finished product ready for tn
butcher, at home. His enterprise doe
not contemplate packing-house
cold storage, and all that but h
proposes to fatten sheep ready t,
be muttoned, be the buyer a hom
institution, or a Kansas City one Fl
begins with lambs, and finishes then
ready for mutton.
To the end in view, he has estab
lished farm, on the west side O
the Rio Grande five miles soutl
OF Albuquerque, where he grows fee,
for from 25,OO0 to $4,000 head o
lambs, and for from 1000 to ZOO
head Of beef cattle, yearly He be
gan this enterprise in the spring o
1916. Already it is profita Bile; max
ing at home money which, ordinarily
is made in Colorado, Nebraska
Kansas, and Missouri, where lambs
are taken to be sold, or fed, b,
growers whose main flocks are KEEP
in New Mexico and Arizona.
First Season Encouraging
| His first seasons success inspires
Mr.. Hubbell to believe that his farm
will become great show place, to b,
pointed to with pride by livestock
men of the West. He is so enthu
siastic as to believe that within fiv,
years in Albuquerque, he will be able
to invite livestock growers to visi
a feeding farm, which will be q
credit to the people of the state
of New Mexico, and that there will
be Others conducted by his neigh
bors just as creditable.
Two Enormous Silos
This season, he has been feeding
1000 head of lambs, and three O,
four carloads of cattle. He prepar.
ed for them by building two silos
of a capacity of ll00 tons. He is
convinced of the value of ensilage
Out on his ranches in Socorro Coun-
ty, he has built three silos to hold
between 500 and 600 tons of ensil-
age; every spring feeding the en-.
slage to sheep intended for lamb
ing He believes that within the mex,
five years every owner OF herd OF
sheep, in New Mexico, will have one
on his ranch. 1t takes sixty tons
Of ensilage to feed one of his herds
a month, and this may be produc ed
on six acres. He prefers corn for
ensilage. The silo he declares to
be guaranty against many ills
which beset sheepmen. 1t sets dry
weather and severe winters at de-
fiance, insures good lambs. and is
cheap One ton of ensilage, in the
silo, costs 81 in New Mexico.
Livestock Great Asset
He believes that livestock is the
foundation of the welfare OF the peo-
pie of New Mexico There are some
thing like 3,50O000 head of sheep in
the state, and he believes that it
is safe to say that 100000 of them
are brood animals. With even a
poor season there were 100000 head
of lambs last June Qol7) which add
ed to the wealth of the state. accord
ing to present prices. $l40O00O0
These 30000O0 sheep produced some
thing like 24,000,000 pounds of wool,
which, at present prices, will yield
a gross revenue of something like
Sl,000,0O0 1t, therefore, reasonably
is certain that the sheep industry
OF New Mexico will bring into the
pockets of sheepmen, by the first
of December Q9l7), S24,000000 in
round numbers.
Thousands OF Men Employed
There are $500 men with the herds
of New Mexico, taking care of the
sheep. and May G9l0, there were
2l,000 more employed for the lamb
ing season. Here were nearly 10000
men employed in a single industry
Of New Mexico, and it perhaps is
true that no other vocation is of
great benefit to the people. Ninety
nine per cent of the men employed
in the sheep industry spend their
money at home. whether they be the
owners OF flocks, or herdcrs work
ing for wages.
Mr.. Hubbell says that, bv putting
one eighth of the land OF New Mex
ico, now subject to cultivation and
Under the ditch, into alfalfa. there
might be fattened 100000 lambs, year
II: and by putting one-eighth more
of that land also into alfalfa. there
might be fattened 100000 steers and
all that by using just one-fourth of
the land of the state now actually
subject to irrigation.
Good Profit In Feeding
Mr. Hubbell has had printed. for
the information of the public. slip
setting out, in detail, the cost OF
lambs and sending them to
Kansas City to be sold. This in
cludes SOLO 5S-pound lambs deliver
ed at the feed farm. and all other
expenses to the hour they were de-
livcred to the commission house in
Kansas CITY for sale. The sum of
this is S2056077. or $3.50 per head.
Of the lot, 29o7 80-pound lambs were
sold for S26,l606S or 1913 per head:
a profit November IS. 1915 to March
25. 1910 of $5,5oo9l, or Sl.S9 per head,
on 2.2o7 lambs.
Further DEVELOPMENT Desirable
Mr.. Hubbell tells of a subs equent
by which he made pro-
fit of $3.50 per head. Commenting
on this he said in public address.
recently: "If we breed 2O000O0. and
have the feeding opportunities offer
ed us by the great valley Of the Rio
Grande. and the great Pecos Valley
where direct railway connections by
the Santa Fe make all the markets
readily accessible for the shipment
Of the finished animals, why should
we not make this $3.50 per head on