Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1847-08-20
THF RICHMOND ENQUIRER.

in either summer or Writer, laud hence ,he san'
suine and erroneous statements atio'"" y e..
ers of small focks on The praries,l boz cp"",.
focSs 10 The sane food-f :cks which arr ,'.onu
me,ous 10 be allowed the privilege ol se'ee''.'
ana rejection in their food AID The disastrous sum
sequences will not be long in exhibiting '"e''
selves. ;,c;,al
In reviewing the preceding iacis' me i'o,;on If
advantages ol The pralTIcs lot tne ,,a;nls.-
wool seem 10 Ge narrowed dow" ~ W. ,r;,b a
,he cbeanness and fertility oil the LANDS, WIN d
contingent right inurng The settler 10 u>e. ME-
on, rayipa I,r il, all lie unappToffia'e" l.';
dona;nl II VIC admit ;aal,hc soil oi Ihe pldn'e,
l. sc well sdapied 10 the artificial grasses as tha'
If New YoI. or New England, q poin' @h'eI,,
10 saw rhc least OF il, is doubtful ioi esPel'enedd
has shown il 10 be Otherwise 10 EilchlSa" GU
some other portions OF the Wesl, inc on'y W.
liar and exclusive advantages wn.9l '"e r.,
haze over the lands OF The old Midcie anu t s,
arn S,a,cs !, their chearness and freedom from
ron, where unsettled. Emigration IS rapiuy
ahriduine The latter privilege, however-mole
andy Than can well be appreciated wHhou,
reference 10 the statistics OF the severai
new Northwestern States. And il VIII De
remembered hat when prairie is be!ien rouna
By population and depasiufed by numerous nochs
and herds, is better srasses-al leasl iof sheeP-
would lie soon eyeTmins!ed, and, consequently,
though there ish; &c len or fii!y 'housana acres
OF common an! Tree pas;urase, IL ""uid Ie VI
trihiag avail TO The dock-mas'eT.
But taking Ibis privilege for what II IS worth,
and taking into account the difference in The price
of landsScallins one 81 25, and the ether $40
per acre-and lhen in myjudgmanl, The eastern
will prove cheaper all things considered than me
prairie lands, for Sheep Husbandry speak, OF
course, Of the prairies as wholes-n 81 mat mar
low margin Of each, which is attached 10 Inc
farms lying partly on the outer and woodeo anus
The prai.ies mu>l first be plowed, undoubled-
lys 10 seed them down effec'uay with Inc cult
waited grasses. /! requires from tour 10 SIX yoke
Of cycn, SAYS nIr. So!on Robinson, 10 break up
! from one IL orc and halt acres per diem sup
nose we concedc this expense 10 he paid Tor oy The
| first grain crop used as covering Tor the grass
then The nrairies are 10 be lenced-adequate build
| ipes and CHER fixtures provided, for The Use o.
family, The storage Of hay, The shelter oil animals
&c Where are The materials for these things
and for luel 10 be found, on plain wholly desiI-
luie ol trees, unless on he occasional Islands
and where stones arc entirely wanting, excepting
sparsely scattered powders, and, very rarely,
rocky iidges or clifis2 Cunccding that al! The
wood on The margins Of The p.ai'ies will nc! b.
wanted Tor The local supply-whch, as general
lhipg il undoubtedly wl-uhat would be The
cos OF fences, buildings and fuel where every
s;:c! vas transported from three 10 fifteen miles
BY land carriage2 Fuel, II has been said, can be
obtained from The local dispositions ot coal. IL
| is true that Illinois and southwestern lGdana,
| al least constitute enc vast coal basin. bul
| any one possessing The slishtcs; pracncal
acquaintance with the subject, knows mai IL
REQUIRES assoc iarcd, aggregate and corporate
wealth, TO carry TN mining operations 10 an extent
sufficient 10 steadily and efficiently supply con-
siderable market Even in level country where
coal is covered with deep superficial deposition
Of earth, individuals may, where The stratum is
cut through or uncovered in avlnes orihe beds oil
streams quarry their own coal; but such opporir-
miles are rare The idea that individuals would
find il within The compass Of their means 10 sink
vertical shafts and Iaise coal-each one Tor him
sef-un the bosums Of the prairies, is utterly pre-
poserous Coal has never yet borne price in
our cities which would justly even companies
in lff !. by vertical shafts. Lei The coal, how
ever. be as cheap as il may be, 1.-THE points OF er-
cavaiion, the mere Garage of II, Tor The wants ol
five months winter where The Int fmnmeer Ire
auen,ly indicates degree al cold rcm de2iecs'o
SO degrees below 0 degrees will he 40 onerous
tax on agricultural Industry. Aad canals can
never furrnw the bosoms ii mosl fihose vas! cry
plains; and ages must psc before railroads will
SO inverIacc hem, as 10 bring coal cheapiy with
in The reach VI population scattered over their en-
tire surfaces.
II we suppose that adequate buildings can be
CONSTRUCTED, with sufficient economy with trans
ported timber the question still remains, What
resource is there for fences? Fences Of earth
bav. been proposed, but these will not sand long
enough 10 pay Tor building, unless their sides are
constructed al such an angle as wcu'd be Who'll
" INADEQUATE to 'lurn" sheep. Hedges, besides
The oher considerable expense OF cuiiiyaing
them, would require fe' ces 10 pTotecl them from
animals until they attained a considerable size;
and il is exceedingly questionable whether any
good hedsa.planl can be ionnd, which IS capable
Of resisting the rigorous and tickle climate OF the
Northeastern States. The different ihorns, and
CHER MIS- uses, in England, have generally iaii-
cd 10 all he Northern States.
Timber may be grown, both for iuel houses
and fences, by the proper planning, cultivation
and protection Of suitable uees-but The expense
and delay attending this course would raise the
prairies 10, or above the price OF New YORK and
New England sheep lands.
Ii has been claimed thai The shepherd system
will render fences unnecessary, TO any hui very
limited extent, on The praiTics. Now, while
there is bu here and there settler on The margins
of some OF these great plains, and while mock
OF sheep can constantly seek new pasiuTaee, as
The old fails, over boundless range without en-
coun;erng another mans flock, sheep require SO
little looking after that the shepherd system is
the high price of labor. Under such ciIcum-
stances, one man, provided with a horse and
brace Of dogs, can perhaps give The necessary
attention 10 one thousand sheep, and have some
lime for other occupations But This state OF
things terminated already on most OF the praires
this side OF The Mississippi, will soon be unknown
even on hose in The territories bordering on The
Missouri and its western tributaries. When WOOL
growers become 10 any degree numerous on Inc
borders oflhe praries, (aslhey certainly soon Will,
il these regions do possess any peculiar advan-
tages for this branch OF husoandry, how are sheep
TO be KEEP; separate wilheutlhat multitude oil Shop
herds which the same services require in Spain,
| Germany or Australia land whose labor and
subsistence: would cost more, during series OF
wears, than the fences in regions where wood and
stone are plenly.
! II the sheep are not kept separa.e-if allowed
10 run promiscuously together, how could The pro-
periy Of each holder be separated oul OF The vas
general flock on prairie FIVE, Ten or fifteen miles
in mean diameter Tor The purposes OF slaughter,
sale, washing, shearing, folding, OF any other in
cident OF their busbandry2 What protection
| would there be against wholesale the!i, when no
| man coud count his scattered flock? What
would prevent promiscuous interbrccdins-and
" hat object would il be, therefore, to attempt TO
procure choice breeds, or improve those already
| possessed What security would there be against
| those yasabond rams which the carelessness Of
some individual is always sure 10 lei loose on
neishborhood, 10 begel lambs on every poorly-ienc-
ed farm, TO perish in the storms Of February and
March?s Finally, how could contagious and
unless promptly checked-highly malignant AID
fatal diseases like The scab and boot-ai, be mel
with ne proper vigor, and treated with the ne
cessary skill and care, among mutiud OF hold
ers sca,ered over miles OF surface; and suppos
Ing all The necessary yioor skill and care brought
no action, wha; would they al avail where i
was impossible 10 separate The healthy from he
diseased The cured from The sck7 . Lei either
of these diseases break oul among liuck of ten
thousand sheep, running together without 1clo.
sules, and any one familiar with their diagnosis
and treatment, knows that if i, were possible 10
drive Them from The fock-which is extremely
Doubtful would cos, far more han The value III
The sheep Tue, hesr diseas have no; YET visited,