COST OF RUNNING STOCK ON RANGES 201 



herds it is probably more than $2, leaving out deprecia- 

 tion, losses and interest. 



The Montana sheepmen estimated that their average 

 investment for lands, sheep and improvements equaled 

 $12 for each sheep they owned. 



In that region, owing to climatic and other causes, 

 the sheepmen have been forced to make heavy invest- 

 ments in lands, especially hay lands. Many of them, 

 foreseeing the inroads of the settlers, also purchased or 

 leased large areas of railroad lands on which to handle 

 their stock part of the year. Added to this there is 

 the annual dipping cost, which years ago was hardly 

 considered, and many other expenses which seem to 

 follow improvement in breeding, and it is not hard to 

 see where the extra expense piles up. 



Basis of Estimates. In all these cost estimates no 

 account whatever has been taken of the item of dete- 

 rioration. Few sheepmen when asked to estimate the 

 cost of running a band of sheep think to add to that 

 cost the yearly reduction in value of the herd due to 

 increasing age. This I believe may be placed at more 

 than 10 per cent of the investment per year and be very 

 conservative. 



Take a band of 1,000 two-year-old ewes. Up to and 

 including their sixth year they may be considered as 

 in their prime. After that time they deteriorate very 

 rapidly. The band becomes a "broken-mouthed" band 

 and should be sold just as soon as a buyer can be 

 found. They are not safe for range-grazing purposes, 

 although on soft feeds like alfalfa they may be used for 

 a year or two more. Thus the band at five years may 

 be worth, we will say, $5 as breeding ewes, while at 

 seven and over they are well sold at from $2 to $2.50. 



