416 MANAGEMENT ON RANGES IN THE WEST 



Expense of Marketing Wool. — There is a great deal of ex- 

 pense involved in preparing and marketing wool in the West. 

 Charges for shearing, sacking, storing, and shipping make large 

 inroads on the gross receipts. Prior to government control of the 

 railroads, the cost of shipping by rail to Boston, based on 100 

 pounds, varied from $1.32 to $2.60; the cheapest transcontinental 

 rate is on the Pacific Coast, where the railways meet the competition 

 of water transportation. It costs more to ship wool to Boston from 

 points in the inter-mountain region of the West than it does from 

 the interior of Australia by the way of Liverpool. 



Spring and Summer Management. — The Lambing Period. — 

 In general, one may say that spring management on the range really 

 begins with the lambing period. Careful preparation has to be 

 made for lambing, not only in such matters as help and equipment, 

 but also in locating and preparing the lambing ground or bed. 



The location should be where feed and water are plentiful. 

 This is necessary because a large number of sheep have to be re- 

 stricted to a comparatively small area for a considerable length of 

 time, and it is also necessary because good feed and water are 

 essential in starting the ewes to suckle well soon after the lambs are 

 born. In some regions, the Yakima Valley in Washington being 

 one, harvested feeds are the chief reliance during lambing. In the 

 Southwest it is not uncommon for owners to have to haul water 

 five to ten miles and store it in large metal tanks at the lambing 

 grounds before lambing begins. Men who own large areas often set 

 aside tracts for lambing on which they erect buildings or corrals 

 and dig wells. An attempt should be made to locate the lambing 

 ground where there is natural shelter from cold winds and storms, 

 but when this is not possible, artificial protection should be pro- 

 vided. Elsewhere mention has been made of tents used for housing 

 ewes with their new-born lambs. In the Northwest, where the 

 weather is often cold and stormy in the lambing season, immense 

 bams are constructed at heavy cost. In places further south, brush 

 and small trees are often cut and arranged so as to provide fairly 

 effective protection against cold, chilling winds. Should shelter 

 from the cold not be needed there is always need, however, of corrals 

 and pens so that ewes and lambs can be sorted from time to time. 



If possible, the lambing grounds should be located where they 

 will not draw an unusual number of predatory animals. In many 

 regions it is impossible to locate where the attacks of such animals 



