Monongalia mirror. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1855, 1854-07-01
AGRICULTURAL.
From tie Washington Revie,O.

-
MEssRs. EDlToRs:-I have finished
shearing my sheep, and my new breed
pleased me we'll. In shearinE in the
fall of 1852, sold all my light wooled
sheep. and went to Vermont to find
something better. I purchased three
different kinds, French, Spanish and
Celician; determined to give them all a
fair trial. l crossed the French and
Celician with some Of our fine ewes
whose feeces would weight from 2a to
81 lbs. each. My young stock has in.
creased in weight as we'll as l expected
my half Celician yearlings sheare an
average of A lbs. each; my half French
yearlings average Al lbs. each. The
Celician is several grades the finest.
In washing my sheep they were all put
through the water first, then put in a
second time and washed as well as could
be done. My young stock is 'hickly set
with wool all over down TO their very
hoofs, not like our old stock of sheep,
little wool on the back-hair on the
hips-and nothing on the belly. In
the spring of 1858, had only 1870 sheep
to shear, they all came from New York
and Vermont, except 81 ewes which
was Of our light wooled sheep; my eas.
tern sheep were nearly all ewes, and
the most Of them had lambs. The
weight of the 12O Heeces was Cos lbs of
wool. When our wool merchants came
round they would not make me an Of:
fer for my wool-they said the fleeces
were too large; one Of our buyers told
mo he would notcome to see it; he did
not want such heavy wool; SO kept
my wool until the fore part Of winter
when wool had fell greatly in price. l
then sent it to H. Blanchard, Kinder
hook, where it was graded and sold by
the first of April last: it averaged me
clear of all expenses over AZ cts per!lb
making nearly $3.50 per head-sbod'
double the amount that ever my sheep
brought me per head before, and they
were kept Just as I had always kept
my sheep. So | want the heavy fleeces,
FIVE can get it fine, for it is the nearest
road to the biggest pile we are all work.
ing for if our wool merchants here
won't buy it, some buyers elsewhere
probably will. This spring my eastern
sheep have averaged me 81 lbs each,
including young full bred stock which l
raised last season. My imported Cell
ciau ews are very fine, the weight of
their fleeces is Al lbs each s lbs. My
ewes run in lot of two hundred head
fromlast August until the 9th of January
last, when they were divided; and COM
menced giving them some grain once
every day. My eastern sheep were
kept so in alot until spring; they were
kept just as | have always kept my
sheep; my ewes nearly all had lambs
this spring. i have $50 ewes which. !
purchased last season from Mr.. Thomas
Miller, and Mr.. Thomas Buchanan;
the weight of their feeces is not 8 lbs
average and my Vermont ewes is near
ly lbs EACH, | feed the same amount
of grain to each lot as noar as might be
without weighing; my eastern sheep
ate little the most hay; especially the
Spanish sheep; the ,Celicians l think
will not eat SO much; they are finer
wool than the Spanish, but will not
shear as much per head. Il have a few
Of my Spanish bucks which brought
from Vermont yet on hands TO-. dispose
Of ,lf,here are any Of our wool grow
ers which have a more profitable kind
of sheep wo would be glad to hear from
them. think it is not the largest sheep
that is the most profitable. Iwant the
sheep that will shear. the most lbs. Of
fine wool with the least feed.
Yours, respectfully, ,is
f. WIN. PATTERSON.
West Middletown. lime oil ia