THE HORTH-WESTERH DISTRICT. 265 



deep. A number perished in spite of hard work to dig them 

 oat. Storm succeeded storm, and it was impossible to get the 

 sheep to the timber ; to get poles to put up shelter, or to get 

 to the hay. The sheep soon began to starve to death, and 

 many more were smothered in the snow which filled the gullies 

 as fast as they were cleared by shovelling. A few sheep were 

 left alive in the spring, but being left to pasture on the low 

 grounds, became diseased ; a number had foot-rot, and others 

 died of liver-rot. In the fall, the young men found themselves 

 with less than two hundred sickly sheep, and their funds 

 exhausted in the costly efforts to save their flock during the 

 preceding winter. The experience, however, was worth its 

 cost. Raising money from their friends, they began anew in 

 the right way, and taking advice of their experienced neighbor, 

 they began again, persevered and succeeded, and are now doing 

 well, with a flock of nearly three thousand, and every necessary 

 convenience for future success ; including a large stock of 

 experience. 



This is a common occurrence, and numerous failures have 

 occurred from lack of foresight and common sense in persons 

 who vainly think that to become rich in this business nothing 

 more is required than a flock of sheep, and to sit down and 

 watch them feed and rear their lambs. 



There is no scope in this region for the profitable keeping of 

 very large flocks, as are kept in New Mexico, and Southern 

 California, or in Western Kansas or Texas. Five thousand 

 head is as many as it is wise to keep in a single flock ; but at 

 the same time there is nothing to prevent a man who has suc- 

 cessfully built up a flock of this number, to divide it, if he can 

 find a suitable location within convenient distance, and where 

 he can give his personal attendance and superintendence at 

 proper and frequent times, and so manage two flocks of this 

 size. Experience has proved the wisdom of making a sure 

 thing of one manageable flock, rather than to try to keep two, 

 and fail with both. The old proverb, " between two stools one 

 comes to the ground," is applicable to this business. The 

 general average of the flocks through this region is from two 

 thousand to six thousand, and the lower limit is far more fre- 

 quent than the higher one. A thousand sheep is the usual 

 starting point, and is a safe one, both in case of disaster, when 

 the loss is not ruinous, and can easily be retrieved by better and 

 more experienced management, and also in case of success, 



