The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1929-04-11
ON A NEW TRAIL
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well, our supervisor, an old standby
in the sheep game out here. They
knew that he knew his business. They
PLANTED alfalfa or sweet clover as he
suggested, housed those sheep right,
raised them right and took halt the
returns.
Nineteen of the twenty of them
came back in on the plan the next
year. And all the investors were
glad to increase their investments.
"The next year it was pretty much
the same story, except that the IN
vestors paid half the shearing eX-
penses as we'll as taxes and all COM
pany expenses. We had seventy-five
co-operators. This year we have
eighty. We could have had a good
many more but one supervisor can
only reach so many ranches once
month.
an a thing like this you find your
men as you go along. AS you find
your men you grow The first year
we had out 5000 sheep. The next
year it was $4,000. Last year we had
$4,000 and laid the basis for sub
stantia4 expansion throughout Mon
tana and neighboring states in 1929.
1--WE put out well-bred Rambouillet
ewes, purebred Hampshire bucks. At
present we have them in floeks of
from 100 to 500 on so ranches. all
within 100 miles of here. Some of
our best co-operators are old-time COW
outfits that never handled sheep at all
before.
"At Landing time this year every
one of our eo-operators dlsinfected
the belly of every newborn lamb
within two hours after that lamb hit
the ground. We saved lot of loss
from navel infection.
"And every co-operator now num-
bers his lambs, painted on the side,
with bar for twins.
So now when they find lambs all
huddled up with cold at corner of
the corral they can be restored to
their mothers and saved.
"And so on. We raised 80 per cent
of all lambs born last year, the high
est figure for any big outfit | know
of in this state.
1--WE have many times the acreage
of sweet clover in this country we had
three years ago. From five to 20
sheep to an acre of sweet clover is
the usual thing now, instead of one
sheep to four acres of range as it
used to be.
"The ranchers are satisfied. The
investors are satisfied. There is no
stock for sale. Not at present. But
as time goes on and these fellows who
are raising the sheep get more and
more on their feet they will want to
come in too as investors. hope they
will anyway.
"And | see no real reason why this
plan adapted to other situations,
might not be worked with the invest
ing and operating groups identical.
To which report of his interview
with Lewis Penwell, the interviewer
appends the following:
Question: Mr.. Penwell's closing re-
mark merits special attention. 1t may
be read in the light of challenge
to the 100 per cent farmers cooper
atives to extend supervision and con-
troll as this $3.50 company has done,
right back to the grass roots.
Why not? Doesn't cooperative
production offer possibility of the
same large-scale benefits that are
claimed for corporate farming, yet
without that outright surrender of
freehold farms and rights which the
enthusiasts for corporate ownership
and management have been predict
ing, with dignified hosannas, in re-
cent issues of Farm & Fireside?
We hear a good deal about COOP
erative production nowadays. We see
very little of it. But in the face of
impending control, for instance, may