Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1853-02-02
AGRICULTURAL.
Give Stock in tI,e Uniaca stntes.
STATISTICS,

The seventh census, taken in June 1850,
We gather the following facts as to the live
stock of the United States. II will be re-
membered that allowance must be made
for the increase Of two years. We copy,
from the Journal of the United States Ag-
ricuItural Society, edited and published by
DR.. Lee.
The statistics place valuable facts before
the reader, TO which we invite particular
attention.
HoRSES,--If. it should be necessary to
place every farmer In the Union OH horse
back, there are 1926 $50 horses in the
country, for their service. Ohio has the
honor of rearing and keeping more horses
than any other State the whole number
reported being about 473, S97 New York
had 447O14; Pennsylvania, $50, 1893; and
Kentucky, Sl5,5S1.
The Improvement of four and half mil
lion horses, worth at least 5000 goo, 900, is
an object worthy of more attention than it
has hitherto received. State and County
Agricultural Societies have done something,
aud the high price Of good animals more,
TO encourage the breeding and rearing Of
superior roadsters, and good horses Of all
work. But the years of service rendered
by majority Of them are fewer than they
ought to be IN this country. 10 prolong
their lives and increase their value, their
natural wants constitution and diseases
must be more studied and better understood
by those that own and use them. We ought
to excel all other nations in the number OF
fine horses, for we possess unequalled adj
vantages for producing them to any desira-
bic extent.
ASSES AND MULES.-Of these us eful
animals the census gives only 559,O7O in
all the States and Territories. New Mex
leo had 1854, and only 5,079 horses; Ten
neSsee is the largest producer Of mules,
reporting 75,303; Kentucky had 65,609;
Alabama 59. S95 and Georgia, 81, 1873.
The growing of mules is profitable, and
the business has been considerably extend
ed within the last two years.
MILCH CowS.-The number Of cows ex-
cseds the estimates that we have had oc-
casion to make of this kind oil farm stock,
in all the States except New York, where
the returns are below what we expected
from the number given by the State CEN
sus of 1915 The whole number of cows
in the United States two years ago was g.
991,946. OF these, New York had 931,-
324 Ohio, 544,499; Pennsylvania, $780,
224 and Georgia, 334 1913.
Cows differ more in value for milking
purposes than is generally supposed
Thousands fail to pay their way, and are
positive tax on their owners while a
first rate mixer yields large profit on the
TODD consumed. How 20 DANISH all indif-
ierent and worthless kinds, and fill their
places with superior animals is question
for the intelligent growers of neat stock to
consider. Deterioration is practised by a
hundred farmers where Improvement is
duly studied by one. As general thing,
COWS and their offspring must be better
kept before any decided change for the bet
ter is attainable. High quality in ances-
trail blood avails nothing in the veins of a
starved calf. Without good keeping, the
best breeds of stock are utterly worthless.
WORKING OXEN AND OTHER CATTLE
We are not informed to what age young
steers must attain before they are entitled
to rank as working oxen," or whether, in
case they have never been subjected to
the yoke, they are excluded no matter what
their years, from tho catalogue of "worklng
cattle we suspect that entire uniiormi-
ty in separating working oxen" and GOTH
or cattle" has not been observed in all the
States. BE that as it may, the latter num-
Der 10, 265, $780, while the former are set
down at 1888, 1851. By adding together
the mich cows working oxen, aud other
cattle, it will be seen that the aggregate of
neat stock was Is, 355. 1897 head New
York contains nearly three times as many
oxen as Ohio or Pennsylvania. New York
has 178,9O9; Ohio, 65, 3S1 Pennsylvania,
61,527 Missouri III, 268; which places
the latter next to New York in this kind OF
stock.
SHEEP.-Many will be disappointed to
find that all the sheep in the United States
numbered only 21,62l ,482, at the last GEN.
sus. This Is a small increase on the re-
turns Of 1910, and state Of things that
does not promise rapid advancement in
the production of wool for many years to
come. Much has been written on this
branch of huSbandry, and in favor of pro-
ducing at least wool enough for home con-
sumption but somehow it happens that we
import annually many million pounds, and
cut the threats Of thousands of young
sheep for their pelts and tallow, instead OF
keeping them to increase our hocks.
1t it believed that stock companies might
be formed, having from $4,000 to $780,
600 capital each to carry on the business OF
breeding sheep and growing wool, where
lands are cheap, as in some parts OF Viz
gina, Tennessee and Texas, and realize a
reasonable profit. Economy, capital and
skill, brought together in sheep husbandry,
could hardly fail of success. There is Just
now unusual activity in the business of M
porting French and Spanish sheep into this
country, many of which unite great weight
of carcass and fleece, with fair degree of
fneness and evenness of the fibre and it
IS to be hoped that wool growing will soon
be as hourishing as any other department
OF industry. Ohio and New York keep
more sheep than any other States.
sw!NE,-lt is pretty evident that many
American farmers think more Of hogs than
OF sheep, for their hogs outnumber their
sheep by nearly ten millions. This is
singular tact, and in the judgment Of many,
indicates badly cultivated taste which so
greatly prefers the flesh of swine 10 that of
sheep, to say nothing of the superiority of
wool to hair. Over thirty million hoes ESQ,
315,719) are a sufficient stock to render
pork and bacon-maklng, as it really is, a
very important branch Of American hus-
bandry. Tennessee takes the lead in this
Observation-Disclosures nearly four times