The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1920-08-06
SHEEP RAISER SEE
END0F INDUSTRY
Valley County's Largest Sheep
Man Explains Situation as
Affecting Growers.
SHIPS 5000 HEAD CHICAGO
With the Market Price of Wool 1Oc
Pound Less than Cost of Pro-
ducti0n Sheep Men Are
Selling Their Flocks.


Selling Their Fiocks.
An event of intense interest to the
city and farm population of Valley
county is now being enacted. The po-
sition in which the sheep raisers of
Valley county now find themselvs is
one that will affect this community in
everyday business.
Thursday morning Mr.. John Etchart,
who has the largest sheep ranch in
Valley county, on the Porcupine, is
loading about six thousand sheep for
shipment to the Chicago markets.
That fact in itself is not of consider
able Importance to anyone except the
principals in the case.
The really important fact is that
this shipment is made up in large
part Of yearling sheep, ones that
should be held over another year for
wool, increased growth and for breed
ing purposes.
Wool is big factor in the sheep
industry, stated Mr.. Etchart, when
questioned regarding the present sit
uation as affecting the growers.
And upon whether or not the
rancher can make any money on the
wool depends the development and
maintenance of his flocks. To give
actual facts in the case: This one
ranch referred to sheared and sent to
the Boston markets one hundred and
thirty thousand pounds of wool. At
present an allowance of 25 cents is
given on each pound, the wool being
held for more favorable market or
until the holder cannot afford to wait
for his money any longer. If wool
will bring only 80 cents per pound
this year, which seems quite probable,
each and every pound will represent
net loss to the grower of about
10 cents. On account of the prices of
feed, hay, help, food for the men,
horses, shearing expense, grazing ex-
pense, and the many other things too
numerous to mention, the cost of grow
ing the wool is figured at approx
mately 40 cents pound. Is it any
wonder that the ranchers are making
an effort to get rid of such an annual
loss? Whereas a few years ago the
range was free, it now costs up to one
dollar per head. Hay is necessary
now on account of the shortage of
winter range and the lack of grazing
facilities, the latter because of the
lack of rain, and is way out of sight
as to price. Salaries of sheep herders,
and help of all sorts has kept pace
with the other costs of living and adds
It's increase to the total cost, of oper-
alton.
A flock of sheep does not just grow,
as some people imagine, Mr.. Etchart
continued. They are constantly under
the watchful care of numbers of herd
ers. Even then there are unavoid-
able losses, due to coyotes, punching,
drowning, sickness and other things.
Some years ago one rancher lost 5000
sheep over night because of the sud-
den rise of large creek. The water
surrounded the flock and caused loss
which cannot be covered by insurance
as can most other kinds of business.
This past spring one rancher nearby
lost over 200 sheep and lambs in one
week during lambing season from coy
otes alone. Even after the herders
stayed all night with the sheep, set out
lanterns and scare-crows to frighten
the coyotes away, they would persist
emily make their nightly raids. On
one occasion, cold stormy night
600 sheep piled, or punched, in coulee
and most of them were smothered and
killed.
Such things go to show that in or
der to get the wool needed for the
clothes and other uses for great GEN.
ters of population as we'll as in farm
ing communities such as these, the
wool grower has to take chances far
in excess of those taken in most other
lines of business. No brief is held
for the high cost of wool or any other
product except that the grower is en-
titled to fair and reasonable profit
on his investment after paying all ex-
penses.
Mr.. Etchart went on to tell of the
use of wool in the manufacture of
cloth, it's cost, and reasons. as he sees
them, for the over-production of wool
as the market now reports. He calls
attention to the fact that most So
called all-wool goods are not miscalled
in the technical sense of the word.
However, it is a fact that nearly all
products marked as call wool" are
simply old wool cloth, rewoven with
a small portion of new or virgin wool.
This, he says, is cheaper than the use
of all virgin wool, as old wool cloth
may be bought from junk collectors
for far less than half of what virgin
wool may be purchased. In a suit of