Sheep on the Western Prairies» 
ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE, 
For the American Agriculturist. 
“ Sheep on the Western Prairies,” 
Gent. —The article in your September No. 
under the above title, was the first one read 
by me, and it is of so much importance not 
only to the West but to the East also, that I 
wish to corroborate the statements of Mr. 
Murray, and add some of my own. 
Sheep can now be purchased for even less 
than the price he names. The distance to 
drive, which is of some importance to a per¬ 
son who would like to look into the business, 
would be from 100 to 200 miles, and the best 
time to drive, directly after shearing, or 
about the middle of September. 
There are hundreds of situations where a 
man might keep a thousand or two head of 
sheep for many years, without buying more 
than 40 acres of land, costing $50 ; and this 
merely for a home for the flock, as “ Uncle 
Sam,” the greatest landholder in the world, 
has no objection to our pasturing his big 
prairies. There are sundry such capital 
situations in this county, only 40 miles from 
Chicago. The cost of stocking such a 
business would be about thus :— 
Forty acres of land, $50 
A comfortable log cabin, two rooms, 50 
A fence, ten rails high, around the 
land, (which will keep out prairie 
wolves,) 6,400 rails—3,600 rails for 
yards, &c. making 10 , 000 , delivered in 
fence, 100 
A small stable for cow and horse, 25 
Another small building, for store¬ 
house, &c. 25 
A well of first rate water and pump, 30 
1,000 sheep, delivered on the spot, at 
$1 each, 1,000 
Any quantity of hay required at $1,50 a 
ton, delivered in the stack, and oats at 12 ^ cts. 
a bushel, or corn 16 cents. Board and wa¬ 
ges about the same as mentioned by Mr. 
Murray, though I think that item would be a 
trifle lower, say $10 a month for wages, and 
board in a family on the premises would not 
cost over $1 a week. The item of salt costs 
$1,25 to $1,50 a barrel in Chicago, and 50 
cents transportation : hauling the wool to 
Chicago 25 cts. a hundred pounds. 
No doubt about the hogs destroying the 
snakes—if they do not eat them, as some 
doubt, they certainly eat the eggs. You give 
a wrong impression to those not well versed 
in the subject, when you say “ land can be 
had for govern ment price, say $1,25 to $4 an 
acre*” &c. Government land is always 
$1,25 an acre. Improved land can be bought 
of individuals from 3 to 10 dollars an acre, 
according to location and value of improve¬ 
ments 5 often it can be had for less than the 
improvements cost $ such is the condition 
of those now in debt. 
The natural grass of the prairie it is no 
wonder that Mr. Murray prefers, because it 
is, either green or dry, better for sheep than 
the best of timothy, and the sheep also prefer 
it. There are a great many weeds which 
they are very fond of. His plan of seeding 
prairies is a good' one. The picket fence 
mentioned, though not a very expensive one, 
is not necessary. 
The cost of breaking prairie, although it 
seems low, is neverthless not so low by 25 
cents an acre as it can be done in this 
county. If I was going to cultivate prairie 
for sheep, I should* sow a good deal of rye 
for winter pasture, and save a great deal of 
hay. 
If I was breaking sod in June and July for 
wheat, I would plow five inches deep and no 
matter how wide, say 20 or 24 inches, and 
be careful to lay every furrow flat over j this 
gives a good quantity of loose earth to har¬ 
row in the wheat upon, and by the next 
spring after the wheat comes off, it will plow 
up tolerably easy, though not mellow 5 it will 
take two years to rot. 
If I was plowing in August to plant in the 
spring on the sod with corn, 2 1-2 or 3 
inches would do well; the sod will rot sooner 
than when plowed deeper. If I was plowing 
in the spring to sow oats on the sod, I would 
plow 3 1-2 or 4 inches deep. The furrow 
slice should always be turned completely 
bottom up, and lay until rotten enough to 
harrow to pieces when plowed again, let that 
be longer or shorter, which will depend a 
good deal on the time of year it was broken. 
You must understand that a “ sod crop of 
com” is planted by dropping the seed in the 
furrow or by cutting holes in the sod to drop 
the seed in, and that it cannot be cultivated, 
as the top of the sod is as dry and hard as a 
side of sole leather. 
On a sheep farm I should not adopt Mr. 
Murray’s four course system. My plan would 
be to sow rye or oats and grass at every 
sowing—or turnips and grass occasionally, 
for fall feed. But it is not necessary here 
to have rich feed to fatten up the sheep pre¬ 
vious to winter, for they are always fat. 
* $4, was intended to express the price of improved 
land, which would save several of the items of build¬ 
ing and fencing enumerated above.—E d’s. 
