ei 



Sheep west of the Pecos are said to be free from scab. 

 Mr.Corbit, who has a flock at Fort Stockton, told me that 

 when , he obtained about 1200 from the vicinity of San 

 Antonio, some of them were diseased with the scab, but 

 all iiave now become well and in good condition, without 

 the application of any remedies. This may be on account 

 of the waters of that region being slightly mineralized, 

 joined with the good pasturage and pure mountain air. 

 Fort Stockton has an elevation of 3000 feet above the sea, 

 and many of the mountains of that region are a few hun- 

 dred feet higher. 



Several thousand sheep are kept along the Rio Grande 

 above Fort Quitman; also about 7000 are pastured in the 

 Chinati mountains, in Presidio county. In 1874, there 

 were said to be about 1,445,700 sheep in Texas. 



During the last threfj, years many thousands of sheep 

 have been introduced into the State, especially in the 

 counties west and southwest of San Antonio. About 

 70,000 sheep are now on the prairies, vklleys and hills of 

 Kinney county. Uvalde county has 50,000 or more. Mr. 

 John Kennedy, living on the Savinal, in the eastern part of 

 Uvalde county, has lately sold several thousand caftle for 

 $10,000, preparatory to engaging in the sheep business. 

 About 4000 of these cattle were driven last fall (1875) up 

 into the valley of the Pecos, where they have better pas- 

 turage. 



In western Texas there is an area of more than 50,000 

 square miles suitable for sheep, affording more than suffi- 

 cient pasturage for all 'the sheep in the United States. In 

 1874 the number of sheep in the United States was 33,783,- 

 600. ' It is said that an acre will keep three sheep. Suppose 

 tljiat one acre in western Texas will only keep half that 

 number, still it wiU keep mo.|-e sheep than are now in the 

 United States. 



At present California has the most sheep of any State. 

 4,683,200 were there in 1874. A gentleman who left Cali- 

 fornia last spring ^and went through Arizona and New 

 Mexiico into Texas, told me last August that 10,000 sheep 

 were on their way from California to Texas over the route 

 which he came. The following is from a late newspaper : 



