Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1859-05-11
Plt1.nrnn. April %. Isl


PlrrssrRo, April 22, 1860.
AsnHEw BrKrlt, Esq, Dallas, Texas
Dear Siri-l undertake TO redeem my pro-
mise To you. when we parted al Louisville
I promised 10 give you some Information about
Sheep and Wool grewingi hay, made sever.
al promises Of a similar sort. As informed
sou have been long engaged in the Sheep
snl Wool business; II is the leading branch
Of stock raising IN Western Pennsylvania,
and is brought TO q gIeat state OF periselion'-
Our growers have but small farms, consequent
IL but email h0eks,-lj0 TO 800 acres Il the
size Of Pennsylvania sheep farmland as
YOU know, We haze six months OF the twelve
10 feed, and are limhed as % the number we
can keep. Our Aocks number from loo 10
1000 head, o,er sionally 1000, usually 300 10
GOO head, all OF the Merno families aud cross
Is Of the Merinoes. The best and most profit.
able sheen We have nre what may justly be
termed American MsriHo they are the sheep
the cross Of all Merino families, and hy great
care. selecting the best ewes aud bucks, aud
continuing to do So, We have arrived ~ sheep
that has size, health and quality, and m shorl,
combine more OF the good than any other class
OF sheep.
will send in a few days, sixty OF this class
Of sheen on, to our Rancho Mt Gabriel Mills,
Williams 1n.coun,y, Ia your State; as told
YOU, we have flock there, sent out nearly hYe
wears since. They nre in charge OF Mr.. John
Elliott the 10, Of GO more sending out are
buck, and ewes, from some dozen or more OF
rood fockS in our vicinity. We require them
"a keen up our stock | would consider the
same elias. Of sheep We have here the best
adspted for your country; but as they cannot
b. got in any quantity, the next best thing for
YOU is. to get the Missouri, Arkansas or what
!. called the native sheep Of Texts, and cross
with fine Mcrino bucks, YOU will in this way,
BY the second or third cross, get up very
good animal, and very fine quality of Wool,
I have n sample OF Wool of the first and sec.
ond cross with our fine bucks with the class Of
ewes | speak Of. grown in Texas, and II is a
very great Improvement on the native stocks.
II you can do no better, (but il is the last shiftl
buy the Mexican eve and cross with the Me-
rino bucks | object to the Mexican stock Tor
the following reasons, or may say reason: they
have bred in and IN for long time, and ARE
literally run down To almost nothing speak
in general terms; there may be some growers
in Mexico or elsewhere, OF NJ xlcnn sheep,
tina. have given more attention and care 10
their flocks, but speak from my own obSer"a-
ton, las YOU know have been twice 10 your
State, looting after the Sheep intcr.st) a mos'
withou, nm exception the Mexican sheep saw
w.re poor things, ;mzV, coarse, fee6te she
visited the rancho OF gentleman IN Bur
net county, his ewes were then Iamblng daily,
lin January.l lie remarked TO me that his
lambs looked well enough for few days, but
would gradually draw up and fall away and
die; he could not tell the reason. discover.
ed the eve failed to give sufficient mix to
suppor, the lamb, and in many cases go dry
entirely, before the lamb is old enough to eat
pr,ss. You know the Spanish cow OF your
State. does not milk so well as what you call
the American stock noticed it was partirn.
larly so with the Mexican eve. In fact, too
MANY OF what is called the Arkansas and Ms.
.ouri sheep are approaching the same condl ION
of the Mexican. My recommendation to YOU
would be to start your flock with sma Ter
number of sheep and select ewes at higher
nfce, to get good stock, but with cure even the
most Indifferent sheep will do well with you.
| shall give YOU nv opinion what is necessary
10 do in order to be successful in growing sheep
in Texas. believe all your Middle, Nothern
and Western Texas is first rate sheep coun-
try; your climate is good, you have no excess
OF cold or heat und you ole free from the eX-
cess of ruin that we have. Much rain is bad
for sheep; your grass is good, in short, nature
has done her part for your country, as sheep
country.
Now, in order TO he successful grower you
must get healthy sheep, and this you can do
bv selecting the hearty looking sheep, (all will
b. healthy if properly bred) You must herd
them BY day and have them enclosed at night;
salt them once week by throwing IN small
handruls on the clean short grass. You must
keen YOUR bucks away from your flock until
the first of November, then turn IN the bucks,
two or three TO the 100 ewes, your lambs will
drop in AprI in three weeks alter and mark
them; in the last of August or first Of Sep
TENDER wean them; take them away from the
flock and herd separately for two or three
weeks; and the eve will dry up her milk, and
the lamb be weaned. This is very important
for the health Of both lamb and eve. The
reason why prefer A prl for the lambs to come
is the Spring grass is then very good, and the
eve is better prepared with fine flow Of milk
to we'll support her lamb and the weather is
sufficiently warm to insure every lamb living {;
and as May is the clipping time, the eve is not
reduced in strength or her fleece impaired ms 1t
would be if she bore lamb in Feb, instead
OF April. One thing YOU must guard well,
not TO breed in and in, this you understand
This has been the cause above all others of de.
generating all the stock Of your country, of all
kinds. give it as my decided opinion, il
YOU have your lambs come in April, you will
require no shelters, houses, or sheds at ALL
YOUR cod is dry cold, and at time when
the sheep have good covering of wool upon
their backs; we here, in Pennsylvania, where
the freezes are much more severe, do not house
% per cent Of our sheep. My word for it, il
YOU start with healthy sheep and give them the
Intention [ have directed, YOU will succeed be.