The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1920-03-05
that they contemplated starting.
We looked their proposition over. It

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barns left by the lumber companie
for shelter; there was a good health
full climate; there was just one thin,
lacking, the one thing that is tn,
cause of Northern Minnesota, Wis
consin and Michigan, not being tn,
greatest sheep country in the United
States today. That one thing i,
winter feed.
OF course we were told of many
disadvantages to the industry in thi.
part of the county, such as, "The
timber wolves will eat all of the
sheep up. They will freeze tt
DEATH" etc., etc. While We listened
to the timber wolf stories with in
terest they did not sound bad. We
could see certain disadvantages such
as being about twenty-five miles
from town, no neighbors within sew
eral miles, no social life; but we de-
cided we were the men for the job,
hardships or no hardships, stumps or
no stumps, timber wolves or no tim
Der wolves. Consequently here we
are tonight.
We landed in Ely on July 4th with
a carload of horses, feed, wagon, and
hay tools. The people crowded
around the hay tools, looking them
over carefully. They are apparently
not accustomed to mowers in this
country, in spite of the fact that we
managed to put up one hundred and
fifty tons of hay after landing here,
and another summer will be able to
put up three times that much. Part
of this hay was timothy and clover
cut around the clearings at the lum-
Der camps and part Of it is blue Joint
cut along the river flats.
Realizing that winter feed is our
one big problem, upon which the sue
cess of the sheep industry in this
country depends, it all SINNERS down
to problem of land clearing. Land
upon which winter feed can be
raised. Land clearing costs money,
but the land once cleared is good for
all times. Judging from the growth
of clover among the stumps and the
growth on the land around the lum-
Der camps where the lumber COM
panies raised their potatoes, it is
plainly evident that the stump land,
when cleared is just as productive, if
not more productive of good clover
hay, than the land in the southern
part of the state, which is selling
from $50 to $500 per acre.
We started land clearing opera.
tons on September 15th. Due to
the early fall we were compelled to
stop in the latter part of October,
but during that period of time man.
aged to clear up one hundred acres
This tract will be put into oats, peas
and clover in the spring of the year:
The oats will be put up as hay and
next winter will feed a considerable
of sheep From now on that
land will be producer of mutton
and wool instead of lying idle as it
has ever since the timber was taken
off. We had expected to get larg-
err tract in shape for next springs
seeding, but all things considered, are
we'll satisfied with our first summers
progress. The work will start in at
full tilt next spring so that by next
fall we expect to have large tract
ready for the seed, After blasting
the stumps out, the soil is loose and
mellow, so that the crop can be put
in with the disc and harrow, with
put turning it with the plow.
Five hundred breeding ewes were
bought and arrived in Ely on Nov
ember 4th in the midst of the heav-
lest snow storm of the season. Our
had started. twenty-five
miles on an unbroken road through
q foot of loose snow is long ways
to go. The sheep were in good con-
dition, however, and made the trip
in two days, only one falling out to
be carried in our "pick up" wagon
On the entire trip. No sooner had
the sheep arrived at the ranch but
that they began to go through the
snow after the grass. They would
paw up the grass until satisfied and
then take turn at browsing at the
brush. They like a varied meal as
we'll as the human. Our Indian sum-
ner, which everyone was looking for,
lid not come this fall, for some un-
Known reason, but that did not both
sr the sheep. They continued to go
through the snow after their feed un-
it nearly Christmas time. By that
lime the snow had become too deep
Tor them so we started to feed hay.
We are feeding nothing but hay and |
'he sheep are all in good thrifty con-
lition and doing well.
Most of the ewes are young West
erners, but there are a few Shrop-
'hires, few Hampshires and a few
Cotswolds. Perhaps it is not just to
he Shropshires and Hampshires, but
from our observations, so far, they
are not nearly so well adapted to
this country as the Westereners and
Cotswoids. They will not get out
and rustic as much, but prefer to
stay around the barn and have the
feed brought to them. The Cots
wolds are great rustlers, are strong
and hardy and promise to give fine
results. We have not decided as to