WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 769 



When I started with sheep I was in debt $3,000, but to-day I own a homo worth 

 $5,000, and my total indebtedness amounts to less than a thousand dollars, and it is 

 sheep that did it. 



A. H. Eogers, Plankinton, Aurora County : 



In the fall of 1890 I bought in Wyoming 494 grade Merino owes three and four 

 years old. They cost $3.87i cents per head. We had an unusually cold wet spell 

 while my lambs were dropping; about do of my ewes failed to breed; but I have 318 

 as fine lambs as I ever saw. My wool clip averaged 6 pounds 3i ounces. This low 

 average is, I think, due to change of climate and the fact that they had only 10| 

 months' growth of wool, having been sheared in 1890, late in July, and this year mid- 

 dle of May. If sold at present offer my wool would bring me $200. We have any 

 amount of land abandoned for farming, which yields the finest grasses for a sheep 

 range. Water is readily obtained at from 20 to 175 feet. I bought my shecji in 

 September, 1890, and did not feed them a mouthful of anything until February 6, 

 1891, at which time they were fit for mutton. 



Correspondeut of American Wool Reporter, Willow Lakes, S. Dak. : 

 The sheep industry in this section is growing very fast, in fact, I believe that 

 North and South Dakota bid fair to be two of the largest wool-producing States in 

 the Union. The number of sheep is increasing very fast. According to last spring's 

 assessment we had in this county over 60,000, and there have been this fall over 

 5,000 more shipped into this county. All kinds of Fheep are bred here, but the Me- 

 rino and Shropshire are the two leading breeds. The climate seems to be perfectly 

 adapted to sheep, being dry and not changeable. I came from Vermont and brought 

 full-blood Merino sheep with me. They grow larger and shear much heavier here 

 than there. In some localities the sheep graze all winter, not getting any hay what- 

 ever. Wool buyers, not being as numerous in this locality last season as we would 

 like to see them (there being only one in this county), a great niauy were compelled 

 to ship their own wool to commission men. Their prices not giviug very good satis- 

 faction, we would be very glad to have wool buyers more plentiful another season. 



INSPECTION OF SHEEP. 

 AN ACT to amenci chapter 135 of the laws of 1885 in relation to the inspection of sheep. 



Be it enacted, etc., That section one, chapter one hundred and thirty-five of the 

 laws of 1885, be amended to read as follows : 



Sec. 1. In every county in this State containing two thousand sheep or more, the 

 county commissioners shall appoint a sheep inspector, who shall be selected by the 

 sheep-owners of the county at a meeting for that purpose; such inspector shall hold 

 his office for the period of two years, unless removed for cause. Any inspector may 

 act in any adjoining county having no inspector on the request of the commissioners 

 thereof. The meeting mentioned in this section shall be called by the county com- 

 missioners, and they shall give notice of such meeting by notice published in a news- 

 paper of the county for two successive weeks prior to the date of the meetiug, and 

 the first publication shall be at least twenty days before the day fixed for the meet- 

 ing, and said notice shall give time and place of holding the same. 



Sec. 2. That section two of chapter one hundred and thirty-five of the laws of 

 1885 be amended to read as follows ; It shall be the duty of the sheep inspector 

 whenever he shall have knowledge or information that any sheep within his juris- 

 diction have the scab or any other malignant contagious disease, to inspect said 

 flock and report in writing the result of his inspection to the county auditor of his 

 county, to be filed by him for reference for the county commissioners or any party 

 concerned, and said inspector shall give to owner or agent directions for treatment, 

 and require from same a report every montli thereafter until tho inspector is satis- 

 fied that the disease is cured, when he shall again inspect the flock and give his ccr- 

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