The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1920-10-08
HOPE FOR RELIEF
OF FLOckMASTERS

Out OF the adyersity that has over.
taken the sheep man. who has had 10
pay double for all he buys and with
less than half It's cost realized from
his wool clip--out OF this bad condi.
ton. there may be some good To come
for after all. as the philosopher tells
US. sweet are the uses OF adyersity
to ind the good In everything.
The two past years have been lean
years for the sheep industry through
out the Northwest. In the high cost
OF hay last winter II Is calculated
that the wool clip cost the growers
not less than dollar q pound. And
yet he Is unable TO realize even four
bits for his fieeces. There are no buy
ers at any price.
Tragic Plight Of Sheep Men.
So the plight OF the wool grower
Is tragic and depiorable. Down at
Mountainhome not long ago live
stock loan company OF Spokane clos.
ed In on sheep man considered rich.
Certainly Jose Bangochea was the
wealthiest fiockmaster in Idaho II
not In all the adjoining states com.
prising the great sheep ranges OF the
intermountain region. Men like Ban.
gochea have been the developers OF
the country II has paid very well to
sell them farm products. Before
their advent with their bands of sheep
hay used TO command no more than
" per ton In the stack. Prosperity
followed along their every trail, for
they paid their tenders high wages
and fed them on the best staple gro
ceries. A trustworthy herded In the
past two or three years earned ms
much ak s125 per month, with prac.
tically no personal expenses but what
clothing he wore out One of these
men told The Recorder not long ago
that after herding sheep for six
months he had paid all his own bills
out OF his wages of Sl25 per month
and still had s1l3 per month clear.
He said he could very well have saw.
ed three or four dollars more and
stiil have met all his personal liza.
bilities.
The sheep men saw their way to
liberal buying, for they had two re-
+ liable sources of income. their wool
clips ard the Increase from their
fiocks.
But two lean years came along and
the average sheep man, unless IL b.
that he has other resources 10 keep
him going. is right now down and
out or headed In that direction In
the winter OF 19l71s he saw the ON
inous scarcity Of snow on the noun
tain tops and observed the same gen
eral condition the following fall
when he remained with his foeks NJ
j In the hills Till the early SHOWS drove
him down. The drought OF the prev
ious season had shortened the feed
on the meadows and foot hills. but
still he held on his hungry sheep
from the haystaeks through The
breeding season. In their weakened
condition from lack Of food the ewes
failed OF their wonted fecundity and
the lamb crop this spring was short
indeed only about 60 per cent of the
normal. Thus again was the sheep
man hit hard in his income source
with the price Of necessary hay 10
take him through 10 spring grass as
high as $50 per ton. indeed higher in
numerous instances for small lots.
There are thousands OF Jose Bango
cheas throughout the Northwest sheer
country who are almost driven 10 dee.
pair by the conditl2ns brouah, upon
them AZ this time m tbs Situation
the man with vision ahead thinks