396 INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS 



nine days traveling last summer, before I commenced 

 buying, with three hands and three horses — cash out, 

 $5.61, including horse-shoeing and wagon-repairing — all 

 the horse-feed purchased, and nearly all the provision 

 taken from home. I spent about a week in buying, and 

 hired an extra hand at a dollar a day, which with the 

 cost of collecting and keeping sheep &c. is all included, as 

 before stated, in the average expense per head. I was 

 3 weeks on the road home — 800 sheep, 4 horses, 3 hands, 

 and about half the time 4 hands to board, and the ex- 

 pense for every thing was $35.04, averaging $1.66 3 /4, a 

 day, and grain enormously dear on account of the scar- 

 city occasioned by a great drouth. The actual cost of 

 driving 800 average per head 4% cents, and the adding in 

 time of men and horses, not over 9 cents a head. The 

 larger the drove, the less average per head expense. 



A short piece of advice about keeping, and I have done 

 bleating about sheep. Before you start to buy, be pre- 

 pared for keeping. Sheds are necessary — but more par- 

 ticularly good "wind breakers," and dry yards. If situ- 

 ated upon clay prairie, the yard must be made dry by 

 ditching and the use of straw. Sheep are loth to leave 

 the grass in the fall, even after all nutriment is gone 

 from it. Be careful that you do not let them get poor at 

 this season. Put them up and if they refuse hay, give 

 them sheaf oats ; fed in boxes well constructed there will 

 be no loss. If you keep the sheep fat the first part of the 

 winter there is no danger. Prairie hay does not agree so 

 well with sheep the first winter, and they will need more 

 nursing with grain, turnips, tar, salt, sulphur, copperas, 

 &c. 



The best paint for marking sheep is dry Venetian red. 

 It combines with the oil of the wool and is indelible. A 

 thief stole twenty five from me and tried his best to cover 

 up the mark with tar — but it would not do — the guilty 

 blush was there. 



Another much neglected thing about keeping sheep 

 must be attended to — that is, poisoning the wolves. A 



