CHAPTER X. 



A SHEEP RANCH. 



What kind of a Ranch to Select — Profits of Sheep-Growing — 

 Mr. Post's Herd — Letters from Hon. Wm. D. Kelley, Senator 

 Conkling, and Hon. J. B. Grinnell. 



The three conditions of a good sheep-ranch are 

 wood, water, and grass. A high, rolling land for 

 grazing, a flat for hay, to be used in" case of emergency, 

 and deep wooded ravines for shelter from storms. The 

 streams, if possible, should be living all the year round, 

 with pebbly bottoms, to cleanse the sheep's hoofs and 

 prevent foot-rot. Herding is the chief expense in 

 sheep-raising. A good herder can get $30, $40, and 

 $50 per month, with food, lodging, and ponies. 

 These are the highest rates paid, and greatly increased 

 by the newness of the country. There are few females 

 out West, and the men have to do their own house- 

 keeping and cooking, which takes up much of their 

 time. The minimum of expense is only reached when 

 a man with a family raises sheep, — the wife and girls 

 keep house, and the boys and their father do the 

 herding. The climate is favorable for open and pas- 

 toral life, and for eight months in the year there is no 

 reason why the family, with their tents, could not fol- 

 low the herd and live perfectly comfortable. The time 



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