Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1853-08-31

Sheep EgsasNandYy.

have had considerable experience ii
growing wool-having been engaged If
the business for thirty-fve years, and
having had the same flock without chan
ging for twenty-five, which | bred for
about ten years, with view to make
them fine; but finding their neeces too
light, and their constitutions too tender
for this climate, determined to increase
the weight of the feeces as fast as
could, without materially injuring The
quality, and have succeeded SO far as to
make my flock, consisting of ewes anc
lambs, Gas | keep no wethers,) shear
three and three-fourth pounds, which
sold for forty-sevcn cents pound, ma
king one dollar and seventy-six fleece
including commission, My sheep have
long staples, thick wool, very free from
yolk; have strong constitutions, anl
perfectly healthy, not one in two hun
dred and fifty having been ailing in an,
way, to my knowledge, this winter, ane
when get them up to four pounds pei
head, with about the quality they now
have, shall have accomplished all ev.
err expected to.
have no doubt my flock would have
shorn some two ounces more per heat
by this time, if had not, some four OF
five years ago, sold all of two stocks o.
young ewes, and though l obtained {
large price | lost by the operation, a:
in consequence OF that sale have no
been able, till last year, to raise the av-
erage weight, over about three and one.
half pounds. | have no account OF
more than four sales. Those sales have
all been made in the winter. In l84e
it sold for forty cents, and for the three
last years for forty-seven showing that
there has been no variation in the price
of such wool and | see by reference
to my bills, that the asserting has beer
very uniform. The prices of low and
medium wool have been more fluctua-
ating, and | understand that such woods
are now dull, and that the prospect for
another year is not fattering.
AS my object in writing this is to in
duce wool-growers to take more pains
in breeding and managing their nocks
and as any knowledge l may have ac-
CURED, | am free to communicate, shall
briefly state how | have managed to
make mine differ from most others.
In the first place, kept few or nc
wethers, consequently have raised a
large number of lambs in proportion tc
the number of my flock, and have been
able to sell about the number I have
raised, and always, Except in the in
stance medtioned above, have selected
such as were most imperfect making
such selections when l tag them. /
made but little use of bucks of my own
raising, but have procured the heaviest
tleeced, built, and strongest constituted
ones l could, without much trouble or
expense; and when l have found one
neararight, have used him as long as he
remained vigorous, on old ewes not
related to him. / think judicious Sc
lection of bucks for any desired i'm
provement, the m ost difficult matter that
falls to the lot Of the shepherd; and for
that reason l have practised using a
strange buck on q few sheep, so as not
to suffer too much if he should be bad
cross; and never buy buck out Of a
flock that has not been well bred for a
long time, fearing their stock may run
back on some defects Of their progeni-
tors. 1t is well understood by all who
are conversant with the subject. that no
important, desirable change in any breed
of animals, has been made in a short
time; but rather that it takes long
tlme, and much attention, to produce a
breed that will generally have the par
tlcular qualities desired. If, then, we
are negligent in this respect, we cannot
expect to improve. The principal rea-
son why we have so few good flocks is,
because sheep owners are so frequently
changing them. This beginning every
few years anew, gives no opportunity to
become acquitted with the desirable
qualities of particular animals. Such
exists in all flocks that have any preten-
sions to excellence ; and families, or the
descendants of particular sheep, may be
traced by a discerning person, in any
flock of long standing, thus little at
'ention to any particular defects, such
as coarse TANKS, thin wool, or short o,
long toes, may be exterpated from a
flock by disposing of such as possess
them.
think it very important for every
wool-grower to know how his wool as.
sorts, to enable him to know whether
he is going astray, or not, in his efforts
to improve and this is one important
reason why l approve of the depot sys.
tenn of selling wool and the more see
of lis operation, the more | am convin.
ced that ii is for the interest of all w he
intend to have good article, and il
good order, to have it sold in a syste
matte way. Any excitement anon;
spectators, which raises wool a.
bove its value TO the manufacturer in
variably creates reaction, and declin,
on the next clip, which will more thar
counterbalance the advance on the pre-
vious one.-[Albany Cultivator.
PoTATo RoT.--We are afraid, from