WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 839 



braska the sheep subsist mainly on the native prairie grasses, blue stem 

 and buffalo grass affording the bulk of pasturage. There are numer- 

 ous other kinds of grasses, but not so general as the two mentioned. 

 The buffalo grass is about the only kind that affords winter pasturage 

 to any extent, and is now confined to western counties of the State. 

 The other sorts are worthless after heavy frosts. Hay is produced in 

 large quantities in almost any portion of the State and is sufficiently 

 nutritious to maintain stock during the winter. Grain feed is generally 

 abundant every season at reasonable prices, so that the flock masters 

 have no fear as to their food supply. 



The water supply is also abundant and excellent in nearly all the 

 streams of the State. Aside from these rivers, creeks, and streams, 

 water is supplied from wells drawn by wind power. The supply ap- 

 parently is inexhaustible in these wells. The writer has never heard 

 of any well of any consequence ever having gone dry. 



Timber throughout the State is very scarce except along a few of the 

 streams. The only timber is what has been produced artificially on the 

 timber claims, or in the groves set out by the early settlers, so that it 

 is not to be depended on for shelter. The usual shelter consists of 

 cheaply constructed sheds, although in the broken and hilly portions 

 of the State the canyons and ravines afford considerable protection. 

 The only shelter required for sheep is during the winter, and that is 

 seldom used in the daytime except during deep snows or severe winter 

 storms. The experienced shepherd always provides the requisite 

 amount of shelter for such periods. 



The annual losses from all sources have been reduced to the minimum 

 and are generally uniform each year, for the reason that sheep-owners 

 have become familiar with the industry and the best methods to be 

 pursued; hence it is comparatively easy to forecast the annual loss. 



During the early period of sheep husbandry in Nebraska, when the 

 country was new and flock-masters inexperienced, the losses some years 

 were very heavy, especially from exposure. But now, owing to a bet- 

 ter knowledge of the country, its climate, and the most practical meth- 

 ods of conducting the business, the losses are greatly reduced. Espe- 

 cially is this true from losses caused by severe weather. In fact, a large 

 number of sheepmen report no loss, or at most, a few head on account 

 of exposure. It is a rare occurrence to have a loss of 5 per cent any 

 year. The average losses reported to me from exposure ranged from 1 

 to 2 per cent, except in a few exceptional cases. The greatest loss re- 

 ported for 1890 and 1891 occurred in Sherman and Stanton counties. 

 In summarizing the various reports on the subject of loss from expos- 

 ure, the average for Nebraska would not exceed 2 per cent. 



The animal loss from depredations of wild animals and dogs, unlike 

 the loss from exposure, appears to be steadily increasing rather than 

 declining, and therefor is unquestionably the most serious loss encoun- 

 tered by the shepherds of the State. In some of the eastern counties 



