The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1922-04-11
SHEEP |NDUSTY
RECOVERING FAST


good thing to be alive in the sheep
raising country, remarks the Reno
Journal. Owners of flocks, it is
indicated from many directions, are
more cheerful regarding their I'M
dertakings than they have been for
several years. Last season seemed
to have marked the low point in
the industry for several years, and
the recovery in many cases has
been rapid. In not few instances
gloomy condition prevailed until
the first of the present year and
only since then have the most of
the domestic sheep raisers become
convinced that profits are again
possible upon their business out
lays.
Several factors stand out very
prominently in this change. To be
sure the advance in prices of wool
and mutton since last fall have
done more to prepare the way for
the better times that have either
arrived or are in sight. These bet
ter values have been of special sig
nificance to many domestic owners
who either from choice or under
pressure, had held their wool clips
for a season or two back, and so
were able to place these in the
market for sale at nearly double
the figure that could have been
secured a year ago.
Another development that has
helped to speed the recovery well
coined has been the rapid decline
during the past twelve months
of running expenses. From nearly
all the growing sections of this
country the latest reports admit a
falling off in this respect that has
ranged all the way from nothing
to 30 per cent. On the average
this drop has probably been about
rs per cent. The factors in this
change involve almost everything
connected with the cost of owning
sheep. For instance, herders'
wages have been lowered very ma
terially during the year and at the
same time feed costs have been
sharply cut. For the latter reason,
even in cases where range condi-
tions have been rather unfavorable,
either owing to drought or to the
severity of the last winter, feeding
costs have been low enough to give
sheepmen no cause for worry And
the outlay for hay and other forage
is likely to be returned to those
who have spent the money in the
betterment of the quality and condi-
ton of the woods to be shorn this
spring.
All in all, it may be said that
sheep nearly everywhere here in
the state have wintered well and
fleeces are at least in average con-
dition on this account.
Landing reports too, from nearly
all sections of the state, have been
encouraging and if prices of sheep
products are maintained near the
present levels for the next six or
eight months eve lambs are likely
to be saved in relatively big num-
bers to replenish stocks depleted
by the heavy sheep and lamb sales
of the last two seasons. This way
of handling the situation would
doubtless show very quick returns
were it not that the proportion of
old ewes in the bands in many
parts of the country is unusually
large. To replace these animals
and at the same keep up anywhere
near the usual flow Of shipments
to the slaughter houses will tend
to restrict the growth Of the flocks
which otherwise might be rapid.
However, with conditions at all like
the present ones lasting for two
or three years the present sheep
population of the country ought
to be the lowest during that period.
The satisfactory marketing condi-
tons in the seaboard markets dur
ing late months stimulated an early
movement to contract for this