El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-09-03

A LBUQUERQUE, n. II. Sept. D.
/ n This city is headquarters for one
OF the greatest Wool-growing
sections in the world. and incidental
" for one OF the most picturesque OF
Z american industries
The whole southwest is character
lied by a striking contrast between
an old, crude civilization which is dy-
ing out and a new and modern one
| which is almost eLplosively alive.
This modern current Of life has
trtckled in along the railroads some
{ what incongruously and with sur
prising results. like water let into
a desert by means Of an irrigating
canal
But a few miles back from the rail-
roads, the leisurely. picturesque life
Of the old Spanish-Indian regime goes
/ its way little disturbed. So Albu-
querque is a thriving town. much
] more metropolitan ror its size than
a similar town in the east, and as
! thoroughly American as chewing
gum But within a days ride Of II
! are Mexican villages where witch
craft is still practiced and where
they still thrash grain as in biblical
times by driving a flock Of goats
around the threshing floor
a Business OF Contrasts.
This contrast is nowhere better
seen than in the sheep business. Its
commercial machinery OF buying and
selling and insuring, conferred here in
Albuquerque, Is as modern as Wall
Street. It is carried on by shrewd
and worried looking men who drive
enormous distances in high powered
cars. watch the stock market with
keen Intensity, and take frequent
trips to New York and Boston But
the actual care Of the sheep is in the
hands Of Mexicans, who carry on
their trade as il was carried on for
generations before the railroads and
the Hgringoes" came
A change is coming slowly in this
end Of the business too The ten
dency is 10 raise more feed for the
sheep, build more shelters and more
fences, improve the breed and take
better care Of the stock. But this
change is coming slowly. For the
most part the sheep are still raised on
the open range as they were a hun
dred years ago. For this work Mexi-
cans are indispensable and their
methods and habits are as unchang-
ing as the mountains
The sheep range is most OF the
state Part Of II is public land, part
OF it Is the great Spanish land grants
and part under the forest service, but
altogether II Is a stretch Of noun
tain and desert and mesa land, IN
fenced. untamed and untamable. To
realize the sweep and emptiness Of
IL you must see It There are many
high points from which you can look
across a 100 miles OF wilderness and
see nothing that you can certainly
identity as the work Of men
Following the Herds.
The sheep are ranged in the noun
tains during the sumner, and are
mesa lands when the first SHOWS
come. They are brought together
once a year for shearing and dipping
at some headquarters. The rest OF
the time the sheep herders (neTer !
called shepherds in this country fol- ]
common for these men TO be away I
from home for six months, and they I
have been known to stay for Is 1
months. They are lazy fellows, but I
they know sheep as well as they /
know themselves. and they have one 1
great yirtue-they viii stay with the 4
herd.
These men are not usually inspired
by any great loyalty TO their en-
pIoyers, but they are inspired by a
oyalty to the sheep which is almost
instructive They are Of peon stock
md no doubt in the old days the
leon who deserted the sheep Jared
ladly. There was whipping post
Ind cat-o-nine-tails waiting for him
L best and a load from a musket at
worst For practical reasons he would
'ather die with the herd in a blizzard
han come home without it Thus
oyalty to the sheep has become al
most a race trait with the Mexicans,
md one Of inestimable value TO the
gringo" capitalists who own the
heep and take down the profits. The
iheep herder gets his bacon and beans
nd perhaps $40 a month.
The Organization.
The organization Of q sheep outfit
s as exact as that OF an army. The
lwner OF all the sheep is known TO
lis employees as el patron (the boss).
The sheep are divided into small 4
ierds, and in charge OF each three I
.erds Is a sort Of Eunarior ofFsrer ~