CHAPTER X 
RANGE SHLEP 
THE natural conditions and environment in the western 
states, and the extensive scale on which the sheep industry 
is conducted, together with the high price of labor and 
the comparative inaccessibility of some of the larger 
sheep ranges, have rendered it necessary to develop a 
system of management which is comparatively, uniform 
throughout the range districts, although certain minor 
differences prevail in various localities on account of cli- 
matic, labor and transportation conditions. 
HERDING 
The great western ranges, unlike other sheep countries,. 
are absolutely devoid of sheep fences. Consequently, 
the sheep must be herded every day of the year except 
when they are shut in the feed-lots in the winter. At 
evening, they are brought in close to the herder’s camp 
where they lie down during the night. Next morning, 
they are out grazing early and the herder must be up to 
keep watch of them. The herder is assisted by a camp 
tender who moves camp and brings out supplies. One 
camp tender may in some cases tend more than one herder. 
The heavy expense of herding range sheep makes it neces- 
sary to give each man as many sheep as he can take care 
of, which will be 2000 to 3000 wethers or 1000 to 1500 
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