WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI EIVEE. 989 



stock at most 160 tons. Hay is customarily sold at $10 per ton. To 

 harvest it costs him $1.50 per ton for labor. These 3,800 sheep are 

 managed by 2 herders and 1 packer, with 4 horses for their use, the 

 cost, including everything, being $50 per man per month — 



Making per annum $1, 800 



Six men at lambing 300 



Shearing 3,800 slieep (including sacks, twine, and bo.ird), at 10 cents 380 



Hauling wool to market 313 



160 tons of hay, at cost 240 



Total cost 3,033 



Cr. 



By 31,350 pounds of wool, at 16 cents $5,016 



By 1,000 two-year-old wethers and dry ewes, at $2.75 2, 750 



By 80 per cent of lambs from 2,600 ewes, 2,080, at $2.00 4, 160 



By 140 tons surplus hay above needs, held at $10 per ton 1, 400 



13, 328 

 Total cost 3, 033 



Net income 10, 293 



I took the foregoing data from the lips of A. J. Shrum, at the town 

 of Mitchell, Crook County, Oregon, July 23, 1891. Mr. Shrum made 

 his statement in round numbers and very deliberately; as he keeps no 

 accounts they may not be exact, but I have no reason to question their 

 close approximation to the truth. It will be noted that the annual cost 

 of maintenance lacks but a small fraction of 80 cents per head, and 

 many letters I have received give 50 cents per head as the cost of keep- 

 ing sound sheep. But in Mr. Shrum's case his judicious investment 

 in land is a source of additional income instead of a charge against 

 his flock, and his success is attributable to many favoring circum- 

 stances; the most important of these are, first, his well sheltered and 

 warm winter range; second, the nearness (not 50 miles) of excellent 

 summer range; third, and above all, plenty of alfalfa hay for win- 

 ter. I heard of his success as a wool-grower at a long distance from 

 his locality. Naturally and properly Mr. Shrum is inducting his sons 

 into his chosen pursuit, and the famUy now own lands controlling 9 

 mUes of the creek upon which the two hay farms mentioned are located. 

 This gives them the grazing of the lands adjoining this length of the 

 stream to such an extent that they call it their range, but until they 

 have the right to control it they can not prevent others from grazing 

 upon it. In fact, there are about 60,000 sheep from Wasco and Sher- 

 man counties which feed over it as they pass to the Blue Mountains in 

 the spring and return in the fall. The case of Mr Shrum inducting 

 his sons into wool-growing as his partners is not an isolated one. I met 

 a Mr. Ben. Kelsey, of Fossil, Gilliam County, at Dallas City on June 4, 

 waiting to make sale of 98,000 pounds of very fine and light high 

 grade Merino wool, the product of sheep owned by himself and sons. 



