258 RURAL CALIFORNIA 



of the sheepmen in the inter-mountain states came 

 from California or are the sons of men from Cali- 

 fornia." 



It was claimed by a writer of the time that one 

 hundred and fifty thousand sheep were driven east- 

 ward from southern California and seventy-five thou- 

 sand from northern California in 1881. Thus Cali- 

 fornia largely passed on her flocks, flockmasters and 

 herders to the great interior development of sheep 

 husbandry when the industry in this State seemed 

 hedged about by insurmountable difficulties. 



During the two decades following 1890,, the sheep 

 interests of California passed through a very quiet 

 period. The lowest point in numbers was reached 

 in 1900 when the enumeration was 2,001,501 and the 

 lowest point in valuation of sheep was in 1897, when 

 the farm value was placed at $4,800,787 or $1.50 

 average value a head, for all sheep reported in that 

 year. Conditions for grazing sheep in California 

 remained adverse and public policy discriminated 

 against the wool-producer. Associated efforts were 

 put forth by leading California flock-masters to 

 remedy both conditions but largely without avail. 

 New interest was awakened in mutton sheep among 

 which Shropshires have gained a leading place, there 

 being, according to the Census of 1920, 6242 pure- 

 bred Shropshires against 1372 pure-bred Hamp- 

 shires,, their nearest competitors. Other leading 

 mutton breeds are in much smaller number though 

 being severally promoted by enterprising breeders. 

 There has also been interest in newer breeds both of 



