1879 .] 
AMERICAN AG-RIC QLT U HIST 
13 
Among the Colorado Sheep Ranches. 
Leaving Kiowa, a Kansas and Pacific Railway 
‘Station, 31 miles east of Denver, we drove 8 miles 
over the plains in a buck-board wagon, reaching 
Col. W. Raymond’s well known ranch at the close 
of a lovely October day. We were warmly wel¬ 
comed by the proprietor and his young wife, who, 
having finished her school days in New York, 
had come two thousand miles to grace a ranch¬ 
man’s home. There is a novelty and charm about 
-this life which attract very many from the older 
States, and one is constantly discovering in the 
rough herder’s garb, men of education and culture. 
They are fond of the freedom and exhilaration of 
this mode of existence, which also promises health, 
wealth, and adventure. Very many of the herders 
or hired men are fresh from college; youths who 
are serving their apprenticeship in the occupation 
fortable. The sheep soon come to know the 
herders, and manifest as much affection for them 
as sheep are capable of. It is not well, however, 
to have them become too tame, because they hang 
back and do not drive well. The thrifty owner 
has his sheep out of the corral and upon the plains 
by daylight. They feed until about 10 o’clock, 
then “bunch up,” or form a compact mass, until 
4 o’clock, and from then they feed until driven in at 
dark. They eat gramma, buffalo, wire, and bunch 
grass. Wild hay is cut and stacked for feeding 
in winter, so that they may not want for food 
should there be a heavy fall of snow. The herders 
generally have horses of their own, which subsist 
on prairie grass, are very much attached to their 
owners, and become wonderfully skilled in manag¬ 
ing sl eep. Give them the rein and they will gather 
in and keep the flock together with as much dex¬ 
terity as the shepherd’s dog who accompanies them. 
The dog is an essential part of the “ outfit,” being 
the approach of the enemy. When no herders 
were sleeping with the sheep, he has recently, upon 
two occasions, taken the entire flock around the 
ranchman’s house in the middle of the night to 
arouse him and secure protection from the advanc¬ 
ing wolves. Christo, who is twenty-four years of 
age, will probably be gathered to his fathers this 
year, and he has so strong a hold upon the affec¬ 
tions of his present owner, that he will be buried 
with due honors. 
The Mexican sheep, as a general thing, are pur¬ 
chased about the first of October. The bucks are 
turned in with them in December, and the lambing 
season begins about the middle of May. Shearing 
begins about the first of June. The Mexican sheep 
shear from two to four pounds, and improved sheep 
from four to eight pounds. Of course there are ex¬ 
ceptions ; for example :—The Willard Bros., at 
their shearing-match last year, clipped thirty-two 
and one half pounds of wool from one Vermont 
of sheep-raising. Others come here from the 
Eastern and Middle States to engage in mining 
-operations. They are unsuccessful,become straight¬ 
ened for money, and take to herding because 
herders are in demand, Their wages vary from 
$15.00 to $30.00 a month and board, according to ca¬ 
pacity^ and experience. Many not only remain with 
-their sheep during the day, but sleep near them in 
the corrals at night, as a protection against wolves. 
On three successive nights since we have been here, 
these wolves have made a descent upon the corral, 
killing several lambs. In the early days of Colorado 
sheep-raising, the herders were accustomed to camp 
with their flocks wherever night overtook them. 
This, however, was found to be a dangerous prac¬ 
tice, inasmuch as the sudden storms of the Colorado 
plains would blind and scatter the sheep, and often 
lead to great loss. Sheep invariably go before a 
storm. Sometimes they can not be checked, but 
will push on to certain destruction. We recall one 
instance where three thousand sheep in southern 
Colorado, overtaken at night by a sudden storm, 
blindly followed their leader over a precipice, and 
perished in the waters below, not one escaping. 
Now the ranchmen have their sheep corralled at 
sunset, instead of keeping them out on the plains. 
In the engraving the Sheep are represented as com¬ 
ing in for the night. Though generally manifest¬ 
ing but little intelligence, they invariably display 
much sagacity in wending their way toward the 
corral, which they know will afford them protec¬ 
tion against wolves, and keep them warm and com¬ 
a companion to his owner, and exercising a con¬ 
stant vigilance for the safety of the flock. Herder, 
horse, dog, and sheep together make a very pic¬ 
turesque appearance as they move over the plains. 
The flocks, comprising Mexican sheep and their 
increase from Merino bucks, generally number 
from 1,000 to 3,000. During the winter the larger 
flocks are generally divided in order to insure bet¬ 
ter feeding and better protection. One herder can 
readily manage 2,500 sheep, but he has to have his 
wits about him constantly. The leader of a flock 
is generally a Mexican goat, whose prowess is re¬ 
cognized by the whole herd, and whose prominent 
figure enables him to be easily seen both by the 
sheep and the herder. In the accompanying en¬ 
graving there is seen heading the sheep, the famous 
‘ 1 stag ’ ’ Christo. This venerable goat has a history. 
He was brought from New Mexico many years ago, 
has been a leader for several different flocks, and 
now in his old age, though so decrepid as to travel 
at times with difficulty, has no idea of surrendering 
his leadership, but is invariably found at the front 
when necessary. The whole expression of his 
countenance, his dignified bearing, even his walk 
and the firm manner in which he plants his front 
feet, indicate that he realizes his responsibility and 
feels his importance. Old Christo shows an intel¬ 
ligence at times which is little less than human. 
For example, he snuffs the approach of wolves 
from afar, and often, when the unsuspecting sheep 
and lambs about him are sleeping in fancied 
security, he wakes the ranchman to make known 
ram, which brought twenty cents a pound. In 
shearing sheep great care must be exercised not 
to begin too early, on account of late 6torms. 
The shearers are paid from five to eight cents a 
sheep for their work. One man can shear from 
twenty to seventy sheep in a day. Mexican wool 
brought last year from sixteen to twenty cents a 
pound (prices are much less this year), according 
to the absence or presence of “kemp,” a hairy, 
valueless substance. As sheep improve, the quan¬ 
tity of kemp gradually diminishes. The fleece of 
the native Mexican sheep is a coarse carpet wool, 
but as the flocks are improved by the introduc¬ 
tion of Merino bucks, the quality of the wool is 
improved, until many of the ranchmen now claim 
that it is fully as good as that grown in the Eastern 
States. They further maintain that when their im¬ 
proved sheep become disassociated in the public 
mind from the native Mexicans, their wool will 
justly command as good a price as is paid for East¬ 
ern fleece. Owing to the scarcity of water, sheep 
are rarely washed in Colorado, and it is stated that 
many tons of dirt are annually shipped east in the 
Colorado fleece. Until recently, the ranchmen dis¬ 
posed of their wool to local dealers and agents. 
Two years ago they began to consign it to New 
York, Boston, Philadelphia, Hartford, and other 
Eastern houses.—The main disease among the sheep 
is scab, which is due, like the itch in man, to a 
minute mite, and may be communicated from one 
animal to another. The treatment is, to dip the 
sheep in some liquid that will destroy the parasite; 
