782 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 



D. L. Swinney, Fremont County: 



I think the sheep industry would be a fair paying business if we could get a fair 

 protection in the custom-house and could get the railroads to carry our wool and 

 mutton to market at a more reasonable rate than we have to pay now. I think the 

 sheep industry will he the main live-stock industry in the State in the course of 

 time. 



John McCrady, Sweetwater County: 



I drove the first stock sheep that ever came into this county, in 1878, from Colo- 

 rado. Have followed the business mostly ever since. Have also driven from Texas 

 here and one drive from California; sometimes with a profit, but not always. The 

 only way sheep can be run in this country at a profit is on a basis of 5,000 head 

 or more. It does not pay to run less, for the reason that it requires the same amount 

 of labor to run a small bunch of 500 head as 2,500. The more sheep you have the 

 less yosr expense per head of running them will be. We keep them on the move all 

 the time, never over five days in one camp ; have movable camps, and never corral 

 unless to shear and doctor them, or separate them in some way. 



J. S. Woodruff, Fremont County: 



Sheep are handled here in flocks of from 1,800 to 4,000; 2 men with each band. 

 They have a team and wagon, tent and supplies, and go with the flock all the time; 

 move every few days. The sheep and horses live exclusively on the range the year 

 through. It requires about 5 acres to each sheep. The grass arid sage are very 

 nutritious, but small and thinly scattered, such as will grow on dry and barren soil 

 with no rain. An Eastern .farmer could not comprehend or catch on to our way 

 of stock-raising only to see it. The profits aie large, and the chances simply des- 

 perate. If snow comes, or a hard winter, we are helpless, 



D. V. Bayne, Johnson County : 



It is very difficult to make a specific statement with regard to increase of sheep, 

 because you may unknowingly trust too much to an inexperienced or careless shep- 

 herd in lambing season, or you may encounter a bad storm at this critical time. It 

 is difficult to make specific statements as to destruction by wild animals, because 

 so much depends upon the guardianship of the herd. Destruction by exposure 

 ranges from 1 per cent to 75 per cent, as feed, care, and storms vary. In my opinion 

 sheep can be made a success here only in bands of more than 1,000, because you 

 must protect them from Avild animals, whether in the wilderness among the pines 

 or in 10 paces from your cottage door. Some men in Wyoming have done well upon 

 the range system exclusively, but many times sheep fare better eating hay than dig- 

 ging in 2 feet of snow for food. At present, grades are preferable to thoroughbreds, 

 because they are better rustlers and better mothers. With Wyoming's range facili- 

 ties and healthy climate the development of her agricultural lands would make her 

 an excellent sheep country. 



Dr. Gilligan, Green Kiver, Sweetwater County : 



The local markets of the towns of this county are very good, utilizing a large 

 number of muttons which dress an average weight of 68 pounds, or 112 pounds 

 gross. The surplus muttons from this country go to Kansas City or Denver and 

 Chicago. Cattle are scarce now in this country. They have been replaced by horses, 

 mules, and sheep, for which this country is especially adapted. 



W. W. Gleasou, manager Warren Live Stock Company, Cheyenne: 



We now have 110,000 sheep and 2.500 Angora goats. Our crop of lambs for 1890 

 was 25,000, and our Angora kids number 700. We turn off every year as feeders or 

 mutton sheep our four-year-old wethers, five-year-old ewes, and such lambs as are 



