842 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 



and mutton are equally the main object sought in sheep husbandry, 

 and with that end in view the middle- wool rams are bred to the fine- 

 wool ewes, and the fine- wool rams to the medium or coarse-wool ewes. 



]n the main the sheep-raising industry is confined to the general 

 farmer. In central and western Nebraska there are a number of stock- 

 men who are exclusively sheep-raisers, but such are the exception 

 instead of the rule. Their flocks seldom number less than 1,000 or 

 more than 5,000; Merino sheep comprise the bulk of every flock, and 

 yet a few of the flockinasters are using medium-wool rams. With 

 these the production of wool is, of course, the chief object, but mutton 

 is always an essential consideration. 



The shearing season begins in May and continues until July. The 

 bulk of the wool clip is made from May 15 to June 15, immediately 

 after lambing. The only sheep that are shorn early in the spring are 

 those that are fed for market, and while heretofore but few of the 

 feeders were shorn before shipment, it is only during the present sea- 

 son that experiments of any consequence were tried. As they were so 

 satisfactory, it is safe to assume that hereafter a very considerable 

 number of sheep will be shorn before shipment, especially by those who 

 are favorably situated to do so. The additional profits from this course 

 fully warrant this new departure. It has been ascertained that the 

 fleece from a full-fed sheep is much greater than from sheep that have 

 simply been wintered in the ordinary way, and the wool is better in 

 quality, having a stronger fiber and a longer staple. The only serious 

 objection urged against this method is too early shearing and the dan- 

 ger from exposure, or the liability of a decline in price because of late 

 marketing. Yet it will have a tendency to prevent overmarketing, as 

 will eventually become the case when the sheep-feeding industry 

 becomes more general throughout the West. 



The shearing of the sheep is done in barns or sheds, and the wool 

 sacked at once. The farmer flocks are usually shorn by the owner 

 himself or by his hired help, and in the larger sheep districts, in the 

 western part of the State, the shearing is done by bands of men who go 

 from place to place, and who receive from 5 to 9 cents per head. They 

 also tie up the fleece. The wool is usually disposed of at once either to 

 the local buyers or to factories, when it is possible to dispose of it in 

 that way, otherwise it is consigned either to St. Louis, Chicago, or to 

 the Eastern markets, although the bulk of the consignment goes either 

 to St. Louis or Chicago, these two places being the favorite wool mar- 

 kets. Some few shepherds in the western part of the State who have 

 car shipments bale their wool instead of sacking it. However, this is 

 done only when a lower freight rate is made for wool done up in this 

 manner. Some farmers who have only a few sheep sell their wool to 

 the local merchants the same as other produce. More wool is now 

 handled at Omaha and Sioux City, but not in sufficient quantities to 

 make a general market. 



