WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI KIVER. 



971 



tlius far pursued succevssfully this iraportaat industry in opposition to 

 prejudice, perjury, and lawlessness. Mr. Geoi-ge CLamplin, of Red 

 Bluff', Tehama County, Cal., writes as follows: 



I keep 18,000 grade Spanisli Merinos, giving an average of 9 pounds of wool each 

 at two shearings, selling at an average of 15 cents per pound. Get 75 per cent in- 

 crease on the evres, bred at a cost of ahout $1 for all charges except for use of land. 

 My sheep are kept from early fall to some time in January on some 30,000 acres of 

 grain stuhhle and 4,000 acres of vineyard, eating the leaves and cleaning the vine- 

 yard and killing and destroying all insects and disease, saving a large expense of 

 plowing and cleaning up. They are turned loose, with two or three men to look 

 after them. I dip with lime and sulphur, costing half a cent a head, and pay 5 cents 

 per head for fall shearing, and 6 cents in spring. Land values too complicated. 



I would like to say a fewwords in regard to the prejudice against sheep and about 

 the hue and cry that a hand of sheep traveling over a country are as had as a fire. 

 The law unfortunately is against sheep; while sheep have to be kept on land bought 

 or Government land, cattle and horses are permitted to run at large. I drive my 

 sheep over 100 miles to the mountains, and I take all the pains possible to keep my 

 men from firing the country, for when a fire does get out, particularly in the fall 

 when the leaves are dead and dry, it destroys quantities of feed, burning up the 

 browsing which is our richest feed. If there are no fires lighted and the sheep are 

 fed over a country, they prevent fires from running by eating up the leaves and the 

 vegetation that would burn. There is a very strong prejndice against sheep, some 

 wanting large damage if sheep are even permitted to look at land, but by fair treat- 

 ment we are wearing that off, and hope to see the time when this will be gone. 

 Respectfully yours, 



George Champi,in. 



The following letter from Mr. G-. 0. McCoy will be found of much 

 interest : 



I usually winter about 3,000 sheep. They shear about 3 pounds in the fall and 

 4 pounds in the spring. I mark about 65 per cent of lambs of the ewes bred. It 

 costs me about $1 a head to run my sheep, exclusive of the interest on the land in- 

 vestment.. I run a sheep ranch for wool and mutton. You ask what are the dis- 

 advantages. None but prejudice of people who know nothing about the business, 

 and in some cases it is jealousy. I herd the year around; pay $25 a month and fur- 

 nish the camp. Cost of the shearing, 5 cents per head in the spring and 6 cents 

 in the fall. It costs me about 1 cent a head to dip, which I do spring and fall. 

 My ranch is worth $20,000. The prices I sold wool lor are as follows : 



Fall clip. 



Cents. 



Spring clip. 



Cents. 



Octoljer 11, 1878 



14, 1879 



1, 1880 



16. 1881 



15. 1882 



16. 1883 

 10,1884 



2, 1885 



17. 1886 



20. 1887 



10. 1888 



16. 1889 



4. 1890 



8. 1891 



13 



20 

 16 

 15 

 124 



Hi 

 9 



14i 

 8i 

 12i 

 114 

 13i 

 11 



May 6,1879. 



25. 1880, 



25. 1881, 



10. 1882, 

 29,1883, 

 23, 1884 



4, 1885, 

 — , 1886, 



7,18S7 

 16,1888 

 15,1889, 



15. 1890, 



12. 1891, 



20 



30 



22 



26i 



21J 



17i 



17i 



184 



20 



12J 

 19 

 21 

 20 



Those are my sales in Red Bluff for cash on delivery. I she.ir in the spring here 

 on the ranch, 10 miles from town, drive them 100 miles and summer on the summit of 



