132 AGRICULTURAL APPROPRIATION BILL, 1924. | 



28,000 arres of typical western orrazinor land that was withdrawn from 

 settlement b}' order of the President in 1015. This area is suflicient 

 to maintain the 4.000 breeding ewes which were contemplated when 

 the project was started, but has not been realized as yet. We have !^ 

 at the present time about 1.500 breeding ewes, 50 mature rams, about ' 

 100 ram lambs, and 550 ewe lambs, or a total of about 2.200 head of 

 breeding sheep on that ranch. We had expected to add about 2.500 d 

 ewes, to bring this up to a total of 4,000 ewes of breeding age needed t 

 for the proper study of range-sheep problems, ^^^len we bring this 

 up the returns will more than pay for the upkeep and maintenance 

 of the station. In fact, with the 1,500 ewes of breeding age, 550 ewe 

 lambs, and 150 rums during the lust year there was a gross return 

 from this station amounting to about S25,000, including cash turned 

 into the Treasury and the inventory value of young stock added and 

 of wool on hand at the close of the year. 



Mr. Anderson. What was the cost of operation ( 



Mr. Sheets. The cost of operation is about §28,000. 



Mr. Buchanan. That does not mean an}- improvements at all ? 



Mr. Sheets. That does not mean any improvements. 



Mr. Anderson. Were there any improvements made on the place 

 last year i 



Mr. Sheets. Yes, sir. We are completing the reservoir for the 

 water supply station which has been one of the things that has 

 been needed ever since the station was established in 1915. We 

 built 12 miles of fence and added more room to the laborer's cottage. 



Mr. Anderson. If I remember aright this S8.000 immediately 

 available covers the buildings out there on that sheep ranch. What 

 are you going to do with this next year { The chairman of the 

 Agricultural Committee is very jealous about any construction, so 

 I want to know what the reason for spending this S8,000 is. 



Mr. Sheets. There is one item that has been needed and is now 

 very greatly needed which we have an opportunity to put in in 

 cooperation with some other ranchmen at a considerable saving of 

 money, and that is the electric power for lights and for other power 

 at that station. The neighboring ranchmen — the Wood Livestock 

 Co., I believe it is — are putting in their poles for this line and with 

 our participation we will be able to get our power for something like 

 $1,000 to $1,800, while if we put it in alone it would cost several 

 times that. 



Mr. Anderson. Where do you get the power from i 



Mr. Sheets. From the main line between Dubois and Spencer. 



Mr. Anderson. Do you use it for electric lights only i 



Mr. Sheets. For electric lights, for pumping, for the })repuration 

 of feeds, for the filling of silos, and for general farm-power purposes. 



Mr. Anderson. Are you producing anything on the ranch now 

 except grass ? 



Mr. Sheets. We have been producing some corn and some sun- 

 flowers. That has been the chief task (here, to get enough feed other 

 than roughage like hay. In fact, it is the problem of the ranchmen 

 everywhere, but we huv(> Ixmmi vei-y successful with sunflowei-s and 

 fairly successful with corn, and I believe as time goes on we will have 

 gotten the land in shape in the way of stones and other obstacles, so 

 that it will produce a little more. 



Mr. BuciiANA.N. Is this rockv land ( 



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