SIIEEP-RAISING was originally and to a large extent has continued a pastoral industry; and because sheep can thrive upon scanty vegetation and succeed best when given free range, they are popular in countries where land is cheap and pastures abundant, and where the industry can be carried on extensively, as in South Ameri can countries (notably Argentina), Australia, New Zealand, the Western United States, portions of Russia, and South Africa• These are now the leading sheep-raising countries of the world, although the industry is still promi nent in Great Britain, France, and Spain.
In the United States sheep-raising has under gone many changes, due to the prices and demands for certain qualities of wool (q.v.) and mutton, the tariff, and other conditions. As an industry it now flourishes mainly in the middle and far West, where it is at its height and is considered one of the most profitable branches of agriculture. The census of 1900 showed a total of nearly sixty-two million sheep in the United States, nearly 55 per eent, of which were on farms and ranges in the western division of the country. Montana headed the list, with over six million head, followed by Wyoming, New Mexico. Ohio, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, etc.
The growing appreciation and the increased demand for lamb and mutton in the United States has increased the revenue from flocks, and has resulted in changes in the kind of sheep kept. As an indication of the increase in lamb and mutton consumption, the reports of the Union Stock Yards at Chicago may be cited. In 1885 about 1,000,000 sheep were received for slaugh ter; in 1890 a little over 2,000,000; in 1900 about 3.500.000; and in 1902 over 4,500,000, val ued at over $19,000,000. Of those received in 1902 more than 3.500.000 were slaughtered there, the largest record for any year. A large pro portion of these came originally from the sheep ranches of the West, although many were fat tened farther east. In 1870 more than four-fifths of the sheep in the United States were either pure-bred or grade Merinos. During the closing decade of the nineteenth century there was a marked tendency to increase the mutton breeds or crosses having better mutton qualities. In the States east of the Mississippi River the coarse or medium-wooled mutton breeds have gradually gained prominence because, as population has increased, meat has become more important than wool. In the Southwest the Merinos still pre dominate, being held by sonic to be better 'rustlers;' but in the Northwest the aim of the majority of sheep-raisers is to breed a general purpose animal, with wool of medium fineness, shearing 7 to S pounds, and of good mutton qualities. Tins is usually brought about by
en)ssing the Merino or Ilambouillet with the Cotswold or Line(dn, thoroughbred stock, espe cially bucks, being the foundation of the flocks on the better ranches.
The management of sheep under range eondi tions differs widely from that adopted in the Eastern States or in older countries. The natu ral eonditions and' environment in the Western States. the extensive scale upon which the sheep industry is eonducted, the high price of labor, and the comparative inaccessibility of some of the larger ranges. have resulted in a tolerably uniform system of management, somewhat modi fied, however, by climatic and other conditions. Formerly the sheep were kept almost entirely upon the public domain, but with the increasing eompetition for this open range and the set tling of the country, the practice of owning or leasing land has become very common, although there are still 'tramp' bands which rove from south to north and back with the season. In many eases immense tracts of land are acquired by lease or purchase, and this usually means the cont•oI of a much larger tract. The leased tracts are inclosed with fence, and are supplied with facilities for watering the stock. Generally, how ever, the sheep-raiser does not own or lease all the land required for range, hut relies upon the open ranges and the forests in the mountains for summer grazing• The land which he controls is the winter range, and is usually located in prox imity to the headquarters of the ranch. 3n the range the bands number from 1800 to 3000 sheep, depending upon the character of the coun try. Each band is in charge of a herder, as sisted by dogs which prevent the sheep from straying away and guard them at night. Camp tenders supply the herders' wants and main tain a lookout for good range. In the fall the sheep are bronght to the winter range, which is more protected from the snow and has not been fed down during the Where no provision is made for feeding when storms prevent ranging heavy losses are likely to occur. The best sheep men, however, put up alfalfa (q.v.) or prairie hay for such emer gencies, and some even plan to fatten the sheep somewhat during winter by this extra feeding, to prepare them for the market. On some of the ranches several hundred acres of alfalfa are raised (costing from 75 cents to $1.25 a ton), and as several crops are cut during the season. a hay gang is kept employed throughout the sum mer.