The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-12-16

As large proportion Of ouE readers are
| peculiarly interested in the raising OF sheep
! and the improvement Of their heeces we give
the remarks upon sheep and wool at length
heep--Tbere was between 1910 and 1850
an increase OF 2 500 IUS in the number of sheep
in the United States 1t viii he useful 90 OBJ.
serve with some closeness the progress of sheep
breeding in different parts of the country. We
perceive that in New England there has oc-
Cured remarkable decrease in their number
! There were in that division of the Union, in
| Is40, 3Sll ,3O7; in 1850, the number had de-
clined to 2,l64,352, being decrease of
| GAG S55, or 45 per cent.
In the five Atlantic Middle States--Now
York New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and
Maryland-there was decrease from ,402 S5l
to 5,6ll ,39l, equal to l,76l 400, or about 90 y
per cent. In Pennsylvania there was gain,
however, during this period Of i55, COS sheep
We see that while there has been positive
diminuton Of 3 40S 900 in the States above
named, there has been an augmentation of
I57l7,60S in those south of Maryland and
west 81 New York Ohio has gained most
largely, having been returned as pasturing, in
1910, 2,02S,IOl and in 1850, 3,9i2, 929 an in
crease Of l,9l452S, or nearly iGG per cent
In each OF the States south and west OF the
lines indicated, there has been very large
proportional increase in this kind of stock, and
there is reasonable ground for the opinion that
4 tll2 billy lands of Virginia, North and South
Carolina, faDnessee and the prairies of Illinois,
Iowa, and Texas vii prove highly favorable
for the rearing of sheep tor ..eir wool and
pelts.
| New Mexico has the extraordinary number
OF 3TI al sheep, more than six to each in
habltant, proving the soil and climate of that
Territory to be well adapted to this description
OF stock, and giving promise of iasga add
\ tO9 from that quarter to the supply of wool
The impOftqpce of fostering this great branch
of national produetLlc is shown by the fact, IA
assumed by an Intelligent writer on the sub
jet, that our population annually consumes
, an amount OF wool equal to pounds for each
person.
If this cstimat, Gs even an approximation to
correctness, We are yet very ,ay short of pro-
duclng quantity adequate to the wants of the
country and it is equally clear that we possess
an amount OF unemployed land adapted to
grazing sufficient TO support iiocks numerous
enough TO clothe the people Of the world
Wooi-AnalagOus TO the use for which it
serves to cotton wool is product of only less
Importance to the prosperity of the country
LbaD that leading staple of our agriculture and
cOmnt.cG
1t is very gratifying fact that though the
number of sheep has increased in ten years
but twelve per cent, the aggregate weight of
their feeces has augmented lorty.six per cent,
In le+Q there wee ,37l sheep, yield
ing 35,s02 ia pouEdsOf wool, equal to sl-lOO
ponds per head
Ia 1880 the average weight OF each geece
was 2 42-l00 pounds, from which it would ap.
pear that such ap improvement had taken
place in the various breeds Gf the American
sheep as TO increase their average product
about thirty'two per cent throughout the
United States And critical analysis of the