THE SHEEP-TRADE. 189 



tance of several miles as orderly as a shep- 

 herd, and drive them back to the pen again 

 at night, without any other guidance than 

 tHeir own extraordinar>' instmcts. 

 In former times there were extensive pro- 



r^if^^r ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ranchos scattered over 

 naJi the province, in some cases amountinp- 



TO irom tliree to five hundred thousand head 

 01 sheep. The custom has usually been to 

 tarm out the ewes to the rancheros, who make 

 a return of twenty per cent, upon tlie stock 

 in merchantable carncros—a term applied to 

 Sheep generally, and particularly to w^ethers 

 nt for market. 



Sheep may be reckoned the staple produc- 

 non of New Mexico, and the principal article 

 01 exportation. Between ten and twenty 

 years ago, about 200,000 head were annually 

 Qnven to the,southem markets; indeed, it is 

 sserted, tliat, during the most flourishing 

 omes, as many as 500,000 were exported in 

 one year. Tliis trade has constituted a profita- 

 fZ ^*^J^ess to some of the ricos of the coun- 

 Y" -^iiey would buy sheep of *^— -■ ^ 



ty-five cents per 

 one to two hun- 



J-neros at from fifty to sevei 

 ^ead, and sell them at from 

 ^red per cent, advance in the southern mar- 

 j A large quantity of wool is of coinse 

 produced, but of an inferior quahty. Incon- 



th T*^^-^ amounts have been introduced into 



"^ United States via Missouri, which have 



sometimes been sold as low as fifteen cents 



per pound. It is bought, however, at the 



^€w Mexican ranchos at a very low rate — 



