CHAPTER III. 



THE SHEEP INDUSTRY IN MINNESOTA, IOWA, NEBRASKA, MISSOURI, AND 



KANSAS. 



MINNESOTA. 



The climatic conditions of Minnesota are favorable for tlie sheep 

 industry. Malarial diseases are almost unknown and the atmosphere 

 is dry and invigorating. The average mean temperature in summer is 

 70.50° F.; winter mean, 25°. The annual mean temperature for St. 

 Paul and vicinity in 1891 was 44°. There is an interval of five months 

 or more nearly every year between killing frosts, when the temperature 

 is favorable to vegetation. 



The Minnesota wolf-bounty law assists in promoting the sheep 

 industry, and thus enhancing the taxable wealth of the State. This 

 law provides a bounty of $5 for the scalp of any wolf killed between 

 the months of November and May, and $3 for those killed from May 1 

 to November 1. When a wolf is killed, if the bounty is to be secured, 

 the head and ears complete must be delivered to the county auditor in 

 twenty days, and oath must be made that it was killed within the 

 county. This is a wise provision and of great value to the State as 

 well as to stock-owners, and should be kept in force so long as wolves 

 are prevalent. 



The adaptability of Minnesota for the sheep industry and the favor 

 with which it is regarded by the farmers and breeders is clearly mani- 

 fest by the steady development of the industry since sheep were first 

 introduced into the State. Authentic statistics give the number of 

 sheep for different periods during the past thirty-two years, as follows: 

 The number in 1860 was 13,044; in 1870, 131,343; in 1880, 267,598; in 

 1890, 327,375; and in 1892 it was 357,101. 



NUMBER AND VALUE OF SHEEP. 



The distribution of sheep throughout the State is ascertained by the 

 abstract of assessment of 1891 for taxation purposes. This shows that 

 the largest number of sheep owned in any one county was in Cotton- 

 wood, which received taxes on 20,818 head. The counties having 10,000 

 and less than 15,000 were Jackson and Olmsted ; those having 5,000 and 

 less than 10,000 are Blue Earth, Clay, Dakota, Dodge, Douglas, Fari- 

 bault, Fillmore, Goodhue, Kandiyohi, Lincoln, Lyon, Martin, Mower, 

 Murray, Nobles, Ottertail, Polk, Redwood, Renville, Rice, Stearns, 

 Steele, Wabasha, Wright, and YcUow Medicine; those having 1,000 



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