The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-07-17
WOOL GROWING In MINNESOTA.
Spanish Merino Sheep the Most
Profitable.
From the ST. Peter Tribune.

TRAVERSE, July l, 1868.
Mr.. EDITOR:-In answer to your re-
quest to write letter for publication on
the best kinds of sheep for Minnesota,
their management, &C., | must say it
would be too much of an undertaking for
me to do the subject justice, but will
throw out some hints, in hope that an
ADLER pen may take it up hereafter.
The Leicester, Dishby and Blackwell are
the same breed of sheep Robert Bake
well, of England, from whom the name
came, called his sheep the improved
Leicester. 1t was said of Robert Bake
wells sheep, they were too dear to buy,
and too fat to eat. When mutton is the
principal object they are good sheep.
The Southdown sheep are medium wooded
sheep, but the sweetest mutton the world
has been able to produce. In our large
cities the mutton of a Southdown sheep
will sell for one cent per pound more than
that Of any other breed. The Hampshire
Down are much the same kind of sheep
as the Southdown. Some think the Hamp-
shire Down crossed with Cot'swold makes
the most profitable breed of sheep for
mutton. The Sussex and Shropshres are
very much like the Hampshire Downs.
The Silesian sheep are nearly as large as
the French Merino, while the wool is very
much finer. All Of those long-wooled or
medium-wooled breeds Of sheep will do
well on the rich pastures of Minnesota, but
l do not think they will be nearly as profit
able as the Spanish Merino. The Saxony
are not very hardy sheep, although the
finest wooded in the world, and the wool
usually sells very high; yet they are no
profitable. They will not shear over two
or three pounds to the fleece, and | have
seen large f1ocks that did not average over
one and three fourth pounds.
! am well satisfied in my own mind tnat
we can get no breed Of sheep that will be
more profitable than the Spanish Merino.
Yet | would not discourage those who cal
culate to make wool-growing their princ
pal business from experimenting on small
scale with the different breeds of the coun-
try, and becoming convinced by their own
experience.
We Will make a comparison, for in
stance, between the SOuthdown and Span
ish Merino grades:
10 SouthdOwn ewes say will
cost, delivered at Traverse.
Sept. 1st, 1868. ......... $500 90
400 lbs wool, June goth 1864 at
10 cents per Id. .............$ 160 CO
10 lambs, Sept list 1864, $50. 287 80
Total receipts for wool and
lambs 5447 30
MEEINOS SPANISH GRADES
100 ewes delivered at Traverse
Sept. 1st, 1868. ........ 800 90
500 lbs wool, June Goth, 1864 ut
SO cents per lb. $500 90
% lambs, Sept. LIST, 1864, 800 2S5 90
Total receipts for wool and
lambs. ....S'SJ w
Interest on 800 invested in
SouthdOwn 10 per cent. per
anNutn S4o W
Cost of keeping 100 Southdown
ewes one year at 1.15 each. 115 90
Total expenses. .......... $Io5 w
Interest on $500 invested i'll
Spanish Merino ewes at 10
per cent. per annum. ....... $40 90
Cost of keeping 100 Spanish
MerinO ewes one year at LOO
each. 100 90
Total expensee. $40 90
Receipts on 100 Southdown ewes. ... Az 80
Interest and expenses. . 155 90
Net profits 1922 90
Receipts on 100 Spanish Merino ewes $50 90
Interest and expenses. .......... 14O 90
Net profits ............. $445 90
Deduct $45 Oh each lot for loss will leave:
Profit on Merino ewes. ............ 400 90
Profit ON SouthdOWns. Observation-Disclosures. 247 so
Balance in favor of Merinos. 800. 1852 so
AS general rule sheep consume food
in proportion to their weight, hence il
will cost more to winter the coarse wooded
| sheep than the fine.
One of the great secrets OF successful
wool growing is to feed them regularly,
and to give them plenty of it, but in no
case give them more hay in the winter than
they will eat up clean in two hours time.
They should be fed three times day; at
sunrise, at II NJ, and at sunset. To win
ter one hundred head of sheep in Mime
sofa well, it will take about twenty tons
of hay, one hundred bushels of corn, one
hundred and fifty bushels of mangel wur-
eel, rutabagas, or Swedish turnips. The
mangel wurzel grow fine on our sandy
soil, and the rutabaga, or Swedish turnip
do well on our sandy loan. Sometimes
single rutabaga will weigh twenty pounds