796 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 



Another estimate of the number of live stock in Colorado was made 

 by the live-stock department of Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Kail- 

 road Company, which is as follows: Horses, 227,690; mules and asses, 

 13,770; cattle, 1,000,700; goats, 7,150; swine, 38,010; and sheep, 

 854,800. They also estimate the number of steer cattle, from yearlings 

 up, for sale and which can be shipped during 1891, at 300,000 head, 

 and the number of wethers for sale and shipment during 1891 at 213,700 

 head. 



The Colorado Bureau of Immigration, which has devoted consider- 

 able attention to collecting information regarding the resources of the 

 State and in making exhibits of her products, in their investigations 

 show that but little attention was devoted to sheep, the board seeming 

 to rely on the assessors' reports mainly for information about this 

 industry. Of the sheep on hand during 1890, they estimate that 253,774 

 were grown for mutton and 572,034 for wool; in all, 825,808 sheep in 

 the State au increase of 168,262 head over the number reported by the 

 assessors to the auditor of State. 



In making an estimate for this report the number of sheep given by 

 the auditor of State, in his last biennial report for 1890. is taken as a 

 basis for calculation as to the actual number. The auditor's report 

 simply consists of an abstract of the number reported by the assessors 

 in each county for taxation purposes, and the total number given for 

 the State is 657,546, valued at $758,584. To this number should first 

 be added 200,000 head, the number known to have been sold and 

 shipped or driven out of the State before the assessor made his rounds, 

 and this would bring the number up to 857,546 head, giving an excess 

 of over 20,000 above the board of immigration's estimate. To this num- 

 ber there should be added the lamb crop of 1890, which at a low esti- 

 mate is 214,454 head, and is not included in the assessors' inventory. 

 This would bring the number up to 1,062,000 head, and to this can 

 safely be added 60 per cent more, which gives a total number, at a con- 

 servative estimate, of 1,699,200 sheep now on hand in Colorado. The 

 60 per cent increase is the lowest average estimate that reputable sheep 

 men say should be added to the assessor's report to give the actual 

 number, lambs not included. 



The average value of the different animals of the flocks may be class- 

 ified as follows: Lambs, $2; ewes, $2.75; wethers, $3; which would 

 give a total value of the sheep of the State at about $4,462,500. The 

 wool clip of 1890 is estimated by many at 11,000,000 pounds, but from 

 the best information, based upon the amount left in the hands of the 

 growers in December, 1890, and the shipments made up to that time, 

 the annual wool clip for 1890 will not exceed 10,000,000 pounds, valued 

 at about $1,500,000. An estimate of other property necessary for the 

 prosecution of the business, such as ranches, ranch property, leases, 

 etc., added to other items, would give what the sheep industry repre- 

 sents to the State of Colorado, which I think, at a low conservative esti- 



