The little schooner Santa Rosa arrived in port from Santa Barbara a few
days ago. She comes up to this city twice a year to secure provisions,
clothing, lumber, etc., for use on Santa Rosa Island, being owned by the
great sheep raiser A.P. Moore, who owns the island and the 80,000 sheep
that exist upon it. The island is about 30 miles south of Santa Barbara,
and is 24 miles in length and 16 in breadth, and contains about 74,000
acres of land, which are admirably adapted to sheep raising. Last June,
Moore clipped 1,014 sacks of wool from these sheep, each sack containing
an average of 410 pounds of wool, making a total of 415,740 pounds,
which he sold at 27 cents a pound, bringing him in $112,349.80, or a
clear profit of over $80,000. This is said to be a low yield, so it is
evident that sheep raising there, when taking into consideration that
shearing takes place twice a year, and that a profit is made off the
sale of mutton, etc., is very profitable. The island is divided into
four quarters by fences running clear across at right angles, and the
sheep do not have to be herded like those ranging about the foothills.
Four men are employed regularly the year round to keep the ranch in
order, and to look after the sheep, and during the shearing time fifty
or more shearers are employed. These men secure forty or fifty days'
work, and the average number of sheep sheared in a day is about ninety,
for which five cents a clip is paid, thus $4.50 a day being made by each
man, or something over $200 for the season, or over $400 for ninety days
out of the year. Although the shearing of ninety sheep in a day is the
average, a great many will go as high as 110, and one man has been known
to shear 125.
Of course, every man tries to shear as many as he can, and, owing to
haste, frequently the animals are severely cut by the sharp shears. If
the wound is serious, the sheep immediately has its throat cut and is
turned into mutton and disposed of to the butchers, and the shearer, if
in the habit of frequently inflicting such wounds, is discharged. In the
shearing of these 80,000 sheep, a hundred or more are injured to such an
extent as to necessitate their being killed, but the wool and meat are
of course turned into profit.
Although no herding is necessary, about 200 or more trained goats are
kept on the island continually, which to all intents and purposes take
the place of the shepherd dogs so necessary in mountainous districts
where sheep are raised. Whenever the animals are removed from one
quarter to another, the man in charge takes out with him several of the
goats, exclaims in Spanish, "Cheva" (meaning sheep). The goat, through
its training, understands what is wanted, and immediately runs to the
band, and the sheep accept it as their leader, following wherever it
goes. The goat, in turn, follows the man to whatever point he wishes to
take the band.
To prevent the sheep from contracting disease, it is necessary to give
them a washing twice a year. Moore, having so many on hand, found it
necessary to invent some way to accomplish this whereby not so much
expense would be incurred and time wasted. After experimenting for some
time, he had a ditch dug 8 feet in depth, a little over 1 foot in width,
and 100 feet long. In this he put 600 gallons of water, 200 pounds of
sulphur, 100 pounds of lime, and 6 pounds of soda, all of which is
heated to 138°. The goats lead the sheep into a corral or trap at one
end, and the animals are compelled to swim through to the further end,
thus securing a bath and taking their medicine at one and the same time.
The owner of the island and sheep, A.P. Moore, a few years ago purchased
the property from the widow of his deceased brother Henry, for $600,000.
Owing to ill health, he has rented it to his brother Lawrence for
$140,000 a year, and soon starts for Boston, where he will settle down
for the rest of his life. He still retains an interest in the Santa Cruz
Island ranch, which is about 25 miles southeast of Santa Barbara. This
island contains about 64,000 acres, and on it are 25,000 sheep. On
Catalina Island, 60 miles east of Santa Barbara, are 15,000 sheep, and
on Clementa Island, 80 miles east of that city, are 10,000 sheep. Forty
miles west of the same city is San Miguel, on which are 2,000 sheep.
Each one of these ranches has a sailing vessel to carry freight, etc.,
to and fro between the islands and the mainland, and they are kept busy
the greater part of the time.--_San Francisco Call_.
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