Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1852-03-03
SHEEP HUSBANDRY IN MARYLAND,
TAX ON noes


The highly important department of
Sheep Husbandry has engaged the attention
of the Medey's District Agricultural Society,
in Montgomery county, Nd, for some time
past. At a late special meeting of the Club
a committee of three members was appoint
ed to report on the subject, which they did
a. this meeting of the Society. As the sub
ject of this report is one Of considerable
momen. to almost every farmer in the State,
but particularly to those owning thin lands,
we here annex copy which we find in the
Rockville Journal, communicated from near
Poolsville by a correspondent:
REPORT ON SHEEP HUsBASDRY.
The committee TO whom was referred
the subject of sheep husbandry at the las,
meeting of the Society beg leave 10 report,
Tha. in the absence of sufficient stals,i-
cal information, and the time to report in
being limited, they enter on the duty assign
ed them with considerable dif1idence. The
importance Of the subject would seem to
require mature delibera.ion in order 10 ar
rive at correct conclusions, which may ulti-
mately lead to the investment of consider
able capital in this department ofhusbandry
To arrive at this has been the chief aim
| Of your committee. By cursory glance
q. the returns of the wool crop raised in the
United States during the year 1850, it ap.
pears that the demand exceeded The domes-
tic supply by eighteen millions of pounds
which had to be imported, although paying
duty of 80 per cent. in order to supply
our manufactures. This is not all abou
twenty millions of dollars are annually ex.
pended in importing woolen fabrics; several
Of our small manufactures had to stop fol
| want Of wool, the imported wool costing
too much. According to the opinion Of Z
northern manufacturer, the business OF man
ufac,uring wool in this country is on better
basis than before, inasmuch as the charac
ter, skill and capital engaged in it are suct
that foreign competition is defied. A very
few years, and all the articles Of wool viii
| be of home manufacture. Should this pre-
dc,ion be realized it would tend at once to
remove all doubts regarding the demand as
well as the profits of sheep husbandry.
The clip for the year 1851 canno, fall
short of seventy millions Of pounds, aversg.
ing three pounds to the fleece; this, at thr.
,y cents per pound, (Which is the minimum
price of wool during the last eight years.
would be worth twenty-oLe millions ol
dollars. If to this sum Re added the value
Of the sheep annually bu,chered, we will a,
once perceive The Importance Of this depart.
ment of husbar.dry.
The quar,tly Of wool required for each
person Ii, ihe United States has been various
ly Calculated by different statistical writers
from four to twelve pounds each. Assum-
ing, however, the former Of these numbers,
according to the census of 1850 there exists
large defici, in the domestic supply.
The question then ARISES, can we raise
sutficiency of wool 10 meet The present
demand and get amply compensated? You,
committee have no hesitation in answering
this question affirinatively
The facilities of growing wool in the
United States are not surpassed by any
country of similar exten, Of wool region on
the globe. Every thing tending to make The
business profitable exists in an eminent de-
gree, particularly in the southern and south
west portions of the Union.
| Mild winters, cheap lands, a sparce popu-
| laion, high price Of mutton in proportion