148 WESTERN GRAZING GROUNDS AND FOREST RANGES 



which they have lost. A band of sheep thus covered 

 offers an amusing signt with the flapping blankets wav- 

 ing in the wind, but they have saved their owners many 

 thousands of dollars in the last few years. In the old 

 happy days of the business this would have been laughed 



Pens and Yards in Which Sheep are Dipped and Handled in Northern Arizona. 



at, but today the careful sheepmen cannot afford to 

 neglect such precautions. 



Weight of Fleece. The average clip varies with the 

 states. In the Southwest the average is probably about 

 6 l /2 pounds, while in the Northwest it is about 7 l /2. The 

 average for California is close to 9 pounds, doubtless 

 due to the habit of semi-yearly shearing, which seems 

 to make a more rapid growth of wool, but it does not 

 command so good a price, owing to its short staple. 



