Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1854-12-15

Mr.. bingham mas oecn enSaSeu
in sending sheep West, for number
Of years, and with very great sue
cess. Indeed, had all engaged in
this business, been as careful 10 Sc
lect and send as good sheep West,
as Mr.. Bingham has, there would
not have been so great n cause for
complaint, as now Justly exists. TO
say the Western farmers have been
deceived by false representations
from i,inerant sheep peddlers, is as
true as II is wrong, and those who
have practised it, will, nay, must ac-
knowledge the injustice of the wrong
done.
In company with Mr. Prase, Of
Brandon, we started Immediately az
ter our State Fair at Bratileboro.
and took out some over hundred
of as fine lot Of full bloods as ever
saw-weni TO Buffalo 10y cars, cross
ed Lake Erie in steamer, landing
at Monroe. took the Southern Mich
igan Railroad and were in Chicago
all safe in nine days from starting. -
From Chicago, we went to Spring
field, 10 attend the Illinois State Fair
which was held under very favorable
auspices. Here we became acquaint-
ed with some Of the most prominent
farmers of this young and vigorous
state, made some good sales, and re-
turned to Chicago and went up on
Rock River where we made a"stand''.
While in Sangamon County we be-
came acquainted with Mr.. James Mac
Connell e. Sons who own between
them some 1900 sheep, and who are
perfeciing their flocks by crossing
with the French Merinos, Macon
nell having made two trips to Yer
mont and purchased some foil bloods
Of A. l.. Bingham. Other families
in this southern part of Illinois have
large hocks and are improving them
by the use Of blooded sheep. While
in this State accidenily found the
following scrap in the alton I'eie-
graph which will show The reader
what they are doing in the sheep
raising business. The Editor says
"a single family in Sangamon coun-
~, says the Register, have 100
sheep, all Of good blood. The yield
is larger than the finest in Ohio. II
is fact that there is no better coun-
try on earth for wool growing than
Illinois. Every farmer wlio has tried
the business has amassed fortune
BY it. The expenses are less and
the profits three times larger, than in
any other state in the Union"
In Winnebago county, through
which Rock River runs, we made
some large sales. Elk Gov. Bib,
formerly of Ohio, has moved into
this FL Dorado of Illinois, and owns
five thousand acres Of as good land
as lies out Of doors. He bought
"Napoleon" who took the first pre-
MUM at Braitleboro, at our State
Fair, and likewise at the State Fair
in Illinois, with eight full blood ewes
and sixty half blood French and
Spanish ewes, amounting to $4,000
and upwards. Sheppard Leech, Esq,
OF Rockford, formerly Of Piltslord,
in this State, whose beautiful farm
Of eight hundred acres lies within
two and half miles OF the city, al
so purchased some of our flock, and
others in that vicinity went and did
likewise. There is 10 mistake bu,
that sheep will do well in these Wes-
tern States, for they have an album
dance and variety OF ''fodder," and
the farmers are not fearful that "they
will eat themselves up" as our far
mers are in the New England States.
wished our Vermonters could have
seen field OF clover, timothy, corn
aud oats of $50 acres which Mr..
Leech let our sheep into this fall
the corn standing, and the oats in
stacks, and witnessed the change
that came over those Vermont sheep
in the short time of three weeks
Here they had been haIf-s,arved,
chasing round the fields after a lew
struggling spears Of grass, and tor
meDted all summer with grasshop-
pers there they had not only the
privilege Of Lying IN clover" DuI
went into forty acre corn field and
husked as much as they pleased, fin
ishing up with standing dinner from
some huge cat and wheat stacks,
which the owner thought would be a
fine thing for them to give them
start. Nothing troubles Western
farmers SO much as poor stock-poor