August 28, 1941
Sheep Business in
Klamath Has Long
History, Future
By RUTH KINO
Klamath county' 1041 Umh crop la on the mov nd within
the next 30 dy moat of the 80,000 rant and firm rtltnd
woolle will be Inmb chop and roaaU. A few hundred not fat
tened on the range will bn fed through part of the winter and
marketed In enrly spring.
The tory of the theep Induttry In the Klamath bailn I an
Inlereitlng one dntlng back to long before there were cultivated
crop in tno nasin. Today there
tar
me oia any, wno rememner
U time when hay wan con'
(timed to the Innt atraw and
money rolled Into the pocket
of ahnep miners In comfortable
um.
Numbere Reduced
There I itlll money In the In
duttry but production coita have
risen tteadlly In the Innt decade
end range restriction! cut heav
ily Into grating area. Sheep
men fearing the lots of -coveted
range ran bidding Into prohibi
tive figure In the early history
of the country and llieto factor
have ilnce the late 00' reduced
the theep population In the coun
try from approximately 280,
' 000 head to thl year' total of
85,000.
There wat time when rang
waa almost unlimited, iheep
grazed on both lde of the Ut
line, Grou In the hill wa
plentiful and government con
trolled land wa almost un
kauwn. Q'hos day have gone with
the old fetid between the cattle
men and theep men and today
the entire Industry I controlled
here by a few.
Herder Slain
Scott McKendree, president of
the Klamath County Wool Grow
er' association, and E. M, Ham
mond, Merrill, tell some Inter
esting fact of earlier day.
McKendree' father, O. T. Mc
Kendree ran iheep here at the
time that John Freeze, I. D.
Applogate, Charle 8herlock and
Dennis O'Conner, J. P. Harter,
the Whitney Brother, the Mo
C'artirt, Jack and Patty, partner
of O. T. McKendree, D. B. Mur
phy and many other trailed
band.
The old timer tell of the
Boddy family who prior to 1889
ran a few theep In the hill
above the D. E Alexander ranch
nt Adam point. On day a
band of wanduring Indiana killed
Oddy and hit two ton, one of
om waa hording theep at tha
time of tha mawacre, Mr.
IJoddy, who with her tmaJI
daughter, escaped acrot the
hill, la tor married Miko Hart
cry, alto a theep man.
There w a a winter when
mow wit deep and theep died
by- the hundreds. There wa
plenty of hay but transportation
or ieea tnrougn the tnow was
Impossible and the animals died
In their track of itsrvatlon.
Bltternet Oona
There waa the time too when
men mistrusted their own neigh
bor and theep died mysterious
ly. Waler hole were fenced
and herder war mistreated.
Yet through good time and bad
the aheep have continued to
feed peacefully upon the food
that the hills and valley htvt
provided and tha bltternet be
Qen men he long been for-
Dlteate ravaged the flock In
1020 and every thing that bleat
ed In the bailn wa dipped for
tcable, a paratlta that decreaed
the wool crop. Animal were
driven through huge tank of
disinfectant, not once but lev
ers, I time. '
About this time or bit be
fore came the Hammond, father
and tont, E. M. "CJene," and W.
E.; the Cox brothers, Charlet.
Henry and John; Dick and
Denni Lacey; Hugh O'Conner,
brother to Dennis; George Yager,
Michael O'Conner, Dave Mc
Aullffe, Leo Sagehorn and Jerry
and Jock O'Conner. Pat Brown
know sheep a did Pat O'Keefe
Oo ran some 30,000 head, and
l and Maurice O'Keefe who
are no relation to Pat.
The Wilton brother cama into
the valley about 30 year ago
Seed Growers:
During the pttt 7 year the
teed induttry In Klamath
Basin hat doubled many
timet, and now It ena of the
bett oath eropt.
Thlt Important crop alto de
mand tha bet in seed clean
ing equipment, experience
and ability.
Blnca that time I hav triad
earnestly to give . you the
For the best seed cleaning and
marketing service.
Lou Brager's
Warehouse
Hatfield
(till live here folk who long
and later, the Hatklnt brother!,
Uither, Calvin and Chetter; the
Lewis Kandra family and Ned
O'Conner arrived, The list It
long and many of them hav re
tired or hav taken the long
trail of "no return."
Lamb Refused
The life cycle of a iheep I
the same now a then however.
The new lamb whether born on
the rang or beneath a shed get
shakily upon unbelievably (len
der leg to nurse and within the
pan of a few short hour I able
to gambol about with hi clan.
Sometime a ewe refute her
own lamb and then It It up to the
herder to change her mind.
Often it takes several day and
tine a lamb nurtet frequently
it It no small task to tee Hint
each unwanted Infant it not ne
glected. If a lamb die at birth,
one of a pair of twin born to
another ewe I often substituted
to that the udder of the bereaved
mother It not ruined. Herders,
to fool the ewe, tkln the small
dead on and use the tkln to
rub the intruder.
Ewet know too, the bleat of
their own young and to the un
initiated, watching a ewe seek
out her lamb among several hun
dred bleating animalt I an amaz
ing experience.
Ewe lambing in sheds will
produce a larger number of
twin than those on range, the
average running about 120 per
cent for those having thed care.
Range ewet run about 08 per
cent, according to McKendree,
who ttated that the county aver
age for twin thl teaton wat
the best In year.
Lambing began In late Febru
ary and early March In the sheds
and a month later In the open.
By April 1, It grata It luth
enough to provide picking the
bands ar itarted for the spring
grazing areat. Trucks are em
ployed only occasionally to move
theep, most of the animalt being
trailed.
In the Merrill country the
Lewlt Kandra and McKendree
band (tart out on Stukel moun
tain; tha Jack McCartie and Cox
band tart from the Bonanza
country and the O'Keefe' feed
first in the Lava Bed. Hatklnt
brother truck o u t h to the
Hackamore range In northern
California, the sheep working
gradually to higher ground for
the summer month.
Travel Four Mile
Bands will travel about four
miles a day beginning to feed
early and "kegglng" up or noon
ing in the heat of tha da.v, feed
ing again In the late afternoon.
Herders ut two dogt to the
band, theep men raiting their
own dogt and culling for -the
"likeliest" animalt. English
Drovert, commonly known at
short haired ihtpherd, are the
mott versatile, the puppies In
heriting the herding initlnct
from generation back. Austral
ian shepherds and the common
shepherd, too, are widely used
and each and every one of them
i a one-man, dog,
Trained to follow directions
Instantly they ignore command
of herder other than their own.
Constantly alert, they seek out
straggler, never rest until the
band Is bedded and sleep with
DANCE
Midlgnd
Grange Hall
Saturday, Aug. 30
Mule by Johnny Soto
bt, most honest and con
scientious tervlc that my 17
year of actual experience
ha afforded.
Fori thl reason I have in
stilled additional equipment
which make it the most
completely equipped plant In
Klamath Bailn.
Com In and let' talk It
over, there I no obligation.
Head in' for
Y wP ' ' ' - if iK
(. ivw1. J
, - :u , ; 4 .jr'trf ,w i J
I 'fats r j .
-- - .. .in i-i ..t&tff- LA
on eye open for theep killing ,f, . . ;TCin " r t '
One camp tender to every two
bandt contacts the herder at
least once In two days, checking
on hit food supplies and other
needs. Contrary to the old way
of leaving herdert on the open
range will) only the tky for
shelter, men who follow the
sheep today have . hortet for
trailing In the hill country, pack
ing back a small tent and their
bed.
Where roadt permit, covered
trailen or "arks" are hooked
behind a car or truck and taken
Into tho range region. Here the
herder hut most of the comforts
of home. Hit bed it In the dry.
The four-whcclcd room provide!
space for a tiny ttove, compact
ttorage space for clothing, com
modities and to stretch a leg in.
Shtaring Fascinating
Shearing It usually completed
by lato Juno or early July and
to the greenhorn thlt It one of
the most fascinating spectacles,
In this part- of the country,
the individual bands congregate
near shearing pent where mi
gratory shearing crews com for
the teaton' work. Crew work
from the low country to the
high or from south to north, the
shearing teaton coming much
earlier in the warmer climatet.
At the McCartie pent near Bly
this teeson the crew were all
Mexicans, working under a cap
tain who owned the shearing
machinery'. Clippers wcro oper
ated by a gasoline motor recruit
ed from tome abandoned auto
mobile, nine clippers operating
from the tamo motor.
Ewet were separated ' from
their Iambi in a pole corral and
driven with the aid of the rust
ling dogt into the individual pent
in front of each shearer.
Crowded into a small space,
the struggling ewe was grasped
by a hind leg and thrown, tome
shearers clipping without tying
the animal, other tying the hind
legs together. Either way is ac
ceptable, although the loose me
thod Is regarded as the better.
The Australian method is slto
sometimes used, a system easier
on the temper and feelings of the
animal. The thearer, in the pen
with the theep, grasps the note,
Low Cost and Speed
For the Potato Harvest
McCormick-Deering
Power Potato Diggers
i icCORMICK-DEERING
Fy Power-Driven Potato
Diggers provide an efficient,
low-cost method of harvesting
the potato crop. They are
built in one and two-row sizes
to work behind the Farraall
Tractor, The one-row ma
chine digs 7 acres aday, and the
wo-row digger, 12 to 14 acres.
Power to operate the ele
vating mechanism is obtained
Come in and see one of
f.W.IKlEMMg
Farm Equipment
' TM 80, lth St.
Weekly Page
Summer Range Then
1
rv ' iiM?" i
Mm l uri tf
VSZ (vYjn$m !,r
. .. .. . . jfs a
Klamath county thotp, once basis for one of the largest farm
industries in southern Oregon, have dwindled but still form a
large local agricultural activity. Above, a herder starts for the
summer range with horse, dogt and a large band. Below, theep
ar loaded into box car for thipment to market.
turns It to the side and the sheep
comes back on Its haunches
against the body of the worker.
Wool rolled away from the
body in one piece is kicked to
the tyer who ties it with paper
twine. Jute or fibre twine is
never used since particles pene
trato the clips and will not take
dye. Particles of paper twine
dissolve when the wool is
scoured.
Tho fleeces, thrown to the
sacker perched on a high plat
direct from the tractor engine
through the power take-off.
In some soil conditions, it is
necessary to be able to change
the speed of the elevator
quickly. This Is provided
for In the McCormick-Deering
by .an automobile-type trans
mission with - three forward
speeds and one reverse which
can be supplied as an attach
ment, these diggers on our fltor
-Klamath Falls, Oregon
of Farm News
to Market
form, beneath which swings the
huge burlap sack, are tromped
firmly Into the container.
The sacker this season at the
McCartie sheds was an accom
plished linguist, speaking six
languages. Beneath a canopy of
old sacking, he stomped hour af
ter hour, sweat glistening down
the brown surface of his chest,
the oily mound of wool greasing
his clothing and skin.
Wool to Boston
Each animal produces four or
septTi-7
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& FARM MACHINERY SHOW vJU
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forn ana Banning J7oe Bvry Affr
noon Except Sunday,
PLUS Special Acts BaIwmb Rich ttv
eluding world famous acrobats, comadiant
and other top-flight performers who will win
your applausa !
EXTRAVAGANZA EXTRAORDINARY!
tvry night at Race Track Grandstand t
A brilliant aggregation ol glamorous Girls
and famous entertainers of stag, screen ,
radio and circus fame. A riot of beauty,
music, fun and thrills for all)
HORSE SHOW!
A.
PLUS Special Acts
..n n ....
1 tj I I k
ffltt MIDWAY THRILLS I tCjlVA '
.yjw(2a manv frcs actii ?
Including FolocK
Bros. Black Hon.
' Troupe I
five grades of wool with tha
finest grade produced on the
back. Sackt hold from 200 to
300 pounds and most of the wool
produced here goes to Boston,
wool center of the United State.
Here buyer assemble and bid on
the lot sent In by field buyer.
The clips then go to the mill.
Clip from black or brown theep
are packed separately, once
mixed with white fleece it must
be hnd picked. Animal pro
duce from 8 to 9 pound.
Shearer average around 100
head per day working by the
piece or fleece and earn from
$12 to $15 per day, plus board.
The shearing captain work on
contract, shearing, tying and
sacking. The owner of the band
furnishes the corral, wrangler
and lacks. Sacki thl season
were worth six bits each and bid
fair to cost more another season.
Each sack weighs four pounds.
Buyers dock one per cent on dirt.
The struggling animal,
sheared, is turned loose into a
runway for branding. Lamp
black that scours out of wool
easily is used on the naked hide,
each band having its own indiv
idual brand. Some owners have
several band brands in addition
to the general brand. Paint with
a lead base is never used.
Marker Sheep
Black sheep are used as mark
ers, about eight blacks being run
to a band of 800 to 1000 animals.
Branded, they are turned loose
to recover their lambs and trt
for the grazing country.
Many of the herder in thl
particular community are Irish.
In other sections of the sheep
country, Basques and Portuguese
follow the sheep.
Prices have varied widely in
the history of the Industry in
Klamath county. During boom
years, sheep men bought and
sold ewes for as high as $60 per
head and a good ram brought
$175 to $185. It was not uncom
mon for a band of purebred to
sell for $35 ttraight run. In
other times when money ha
been tleht. a good ewe told more
than once for $3. Lambs this
year or bringing from $8.75 to
$0.50 FOB and the quality of
shipment is high.
Earlv August finds mott of the
range crop ready for the rails
and both ewes and lambs are
trailed to the shipping points
where they are separated, the
ewes trailing back to feeding
grounds, preparatory to the trek
to home corrals net ore coia w
ther. Average shipping weight
of lambs is from 80 to 00 pounds.
Twenty.thousand pounds of
mutton is shipped to the car, and
nearlv all cars leaving Klamath
shipping points are single
Hprlcerl.
1941 officers of the Wool
Growers' association, in addition
to Chairman Scott McKenaree
are C. A. Henderson, secretary;
Pat Quinlan, vice president and
Lewis Kandra. Merrill, Mike bui
livan. Klamath Falls, and Jerry
McCartie, Bonanza, directors.
,
There are three flags ... on
ton of the Acropolis, the Greek
in the middle, the German on
one side, the Italian on the other.
The Greeks look at them and
say, "Christ hung between two
thieves." Frederick Crane, U,
S. oil man formerly in Athen.
Looking for Bargains? Turn
to the Classified page.
I A:
INSPECTIONS
CERTIFIED
SEED HOPEFUL
Klamath county' second field
Intoectlon for potato certifica
tion ha Just been completed by
Profetsor O. R. Hytlop of Ore
gon State college, and all field
that passed the first Inspection,
with the exception of 20 acre,
patted the second intpectlon.
According to Hytlop, there It
a alight trace of leafroll showing
In tome part of the fieldt but
no more than hat shown In pre
vious yeart. The situation In
certified fields at far at leafroll
it concerned 1 very good.
Among the other serious diseases
the percentage of rugose mosaic
it tmaller than latt year, at was
alto the percentage of blackleg.
The percentage of mild mosaic
compare very favorably with
that of last year and the cloudy
conditions hav made it much
easier to tee in the field. On the
whole, Hytlop states, the Klam
ath certified crop it exception
ally good. So far very little evi
dence of ring rot ha shown up.
A survey of commercial field
wat alto made by Professor Hy
tlop, from Pine Grove to Strong
hold, and none of those exam
lned north of the state line
thowed any dangerous quantity
of leafroll. Several fieldt not en
tered for certification were al
mott good enough to pass for
certification and showed only
slight traces of leafroll. Among
the badly diseased fields found
in Klamath county, the mott
teriou losses are being caused
By rugose mosaic, velvet leaf.
wide leaf, and blackleg. Even
these badly run-out lots of seed
thowed very little of the leaf'
roll trouble. In the California
fields a larger precentage of.leai-
roll was observed and in tome
caet it it very doubtful U the
fields will be worth digging after
the net necrosit begin to thow
in the tuber.
Some experiments are being
tried on the spraying of potato
vine to kill them. This com
bination of sinox and aulphate
of ammonia has killed leaves
and vines very successfully. The
skin has already set on the
tubers of the dead vines. Obser
vations are being made for ctesn
end discoloration. There appears
to be no injury to the tuber yet
and the vines ara killed appar
ently as effectively as with
sharp frost. It is very doubtful
$25 REWARD
Will' b paid br tha manufac
turer for any- Corn or Callous
GREAT CHRISTOPHER Corn
Salva cannot remove. It never
faili. 35c and 60e at Everbodr'i
Cut-Rat Drugt . Phone 3625.
01 Main St.
m wa, jars. , mi r jam1 : :.tB8asraBpBaaaaaBSar.''inij; ; ", aasi
Next lino, try thttraln
Fellow Citizens of
. '
Do you realize what fine SOUTHERN
PACIFIC train service you have to other
places in Oregon and California1? J-ook!
9 FIVI &P. train dally In aaeh direction.
DAY and OVtRNICHT rraln to both
Porrlnd and San Prancitco. You can
enjoy a restful daytime trip, or travel
whlla you llaap.
St (vary regular ear I AIR-COOLtD.
j. Our fare are lew cheaper than driving
"ft your own ear. Per example, here's all it
coat in chair carat
KLAMATH FALLS to OmWay RomJtrlp
PORTLAND ..,.,. $5.90 $10.65
SAN FRANCISCO. .... $6.60 $11.90
Next time you pltn a trip, drop In or telephone
and let us show you what we have to offerl
C. H. REEVES
Diitricl TrrifU 6 Poimf f Aft
S.P. Sudeo, Sprint tod 0k Sa.
Ttlepnoo JUL
PAGE THIRTEEN
If th spraying of tha Vint thl
lata In the teaton will do much
gocd for preventing tha tprd
of dlteate, at tha aphid popula
tion doe not appear to be very
great and the temperature ara
cool. Mr. A. E. Grou, manager of
the experimental area, it carry
ing on ome potato vlna killing
experiments at tha experiment
station and hi soma good plot
that may be teen now.
Oregon wheat farmer are be
ing contacted by county AAA
associations to sign winter wheat
plant for their farm prior to
the deadline October 31.
Every farmer who will plant
fall whaat M ..... must lflf
plan for his farm if he 1 to be
eligible for participation in th
1942 farm conservation program.
By signing the plan the farmer
declares his intention to seed
within his wheat acreage allot
ment and also indicates the num
ber of acres on which he will
have wheat in 1942.
With 1942 marketing quota
already proclaimed and almott
sure to be in effect, county of
fices ara stressing the import
ance of seeding within allot
ments. Changes in the wheat
program for 1942 provide that
the non-allotment option can b
chosen only by farmers normally
cutting wheat for hay and with
an allotment in excess of 19
acres. Those with allotments ol
fewer than 15 acres are exempt
from quota restriction, how
ever. ,
The state AAA office also
points out that it will not b
possible for non allotment farmi
to seed up to their usual acres,
.s was me case in ittti, wiuioui
incurring deductions from parity
and conservation payment. .
Read the Classified page.
BACKACHE,
LEG PAINS MAY
BE DANGER SIGH
. Of Tired Kidneys
If btetcseb azul b pthn an vakfat yea
tniacrmbla, doo 't juft com plain aad do Mule
about than. Nature may m wirafec 709 that
your kidney ned attention.
Tbe kidoeya are Nature a chiaf wayof telrfitt
exeeaa arid aad poiaoaotia waata oat ol Ua
blood. They help mart people pass about J
Stntaadir.
If tha 1ft mftaa r4 lMn feika. .mJ 1114m.
loot work wall, poisonous waste matter stays
la tse blood. Tnese poisons may start "rr"f
baeksebas. rheumatic Dams. Int mim. 1am r
pen sod eo-Tjy, .getting op iiita, iwelkBf,
puffin ess under the eyes, headaches and diin
Dees. rraqun or scanty psassite wits, smart
ing sad burning sometimes shows there is some
thins wrong with your kidoeya or bladder.
Don't watt! Aak your druggist for Doan'a
Pflk, used rocwsafully by miQiooa (or over 40
rears. They give luppywlwf. aod will bp
tbe IS miles of kidney tubes fiush out poison-
out waste from the blood. Get Doaa a Pija.
DEADLINE SET
DN NEXT YEAR
WHEAT PLANS