Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1863-07-14
Sheep and wool as Substitutes CT Accidental
Crops.
eoNTRrnUTED ny A GRANT COUNTY MAN FoR
THE BENEFIT o. FAEMERs.

The 6EEAEA4 "a, "a k1 As
These trying times Of industrial bewiIder-
fnent, when the anxiety OF people isintense to
/ find and adopt that business which promises
T the most certain and unchanging rewards Tor
labor and the least doubtful oil all pursuits, II
NAV be well for us 10 reason together And
as The sheen and wool business appears to
4 stand first ia the public mind, not IN practice
1 but in thought and intent as worthy OF trial,
that branch Of industry will be duly consider
! ed.
By our habits of shifting from one thing to
/ another our industry has been greatly paralys-
/ ed, by failures, By graphing with fuctuating
articles, and by over doing in branches that
never became to us habit in early life. In
I many branches Of industry, whatever may be
1 most profitable is at the same time most liable
4 10 accidental failure, yet singular, most inVi-
ting-alluring by the very iogs that surround
The mercantile trafic rarely closes career
successfaly bnt generally IN bankruptcy.
The learned professions are myth, often from
necessity leading to Incidence and the wees
4 or to career of demagoguelsm. lhe me-
4 chances arts yasciliate with the e5b and iioW
4 OF the financial current, or from The progress
( OF the arts and machine labor which cause
manual ahor TO either fuctuate or give way
/ And il The more substantial pursuits OF lle
upoa the farm, monopoiies, high freight tariffs,
/ bali the profits Of labor, rendering the same
+ a mere day work calling. The grain farmer,
II he oGn.S farm and be clear Of debt, nay
live very well, school his children and be hap-
nv. But to rise above and be Independent q
I feyerses and accidents requires more skill, IN
dusty, economy and average good health than
are possessed by the masses, even OF good
farmers.
Then it is clear that the grain producing
! farmer ought 10 include something more in his
scope Of industry than mere plowing and seed
inq. harvesting and ihreshing. With very lit
tie labor be may odd an orchard, few swarms
Of bees, and The like; these are Invaluable, as
they are among the ornamental and render
\ farm life more agreeable and attractive, but
4 they are feeble supports except as making the
farm house AN asylum TO the SOU. Horses,
cattle. and hogs may do very we at times as
substantial supports, but our climate is evil
IDENTIFY not adapted for raising them with
certain and high degree of profit In the LAM
ouaoe OF some one, "a man III Wisconsin has
ssto keep boarding house seven months of the
swear for his stock and devote more attention
slo them than to his family"
Then it becomes evident that substanta al
changes ought to be made IN the pursuits of
farm hfe-something added, something wholly
or in part abandoned. The writer hereof
,yonld not suggest any great changes, we'll
knowing that fixed habits and practices be-
come cherished and seem to be al middle lie
a part Of the man; especially is this so with
the working classes therefore, TO change long
nraeticed pursuits is next to impiaetrvab'e, If
moi demoyalizing He would merely enjoin
that less attention be given 10 grain, and that
more caDital and land be devoted TO that class
of stock which, beyond any doubt, upon the
basis Of figures, facts and experience, pays
near 100 per cent. above any other. He all
Il ludes of course 10 sheep.
1t is unnecessary to more than allnde to the
matter Of adaptedness OF Grant County Tor
sheep they thrive wei, are perfectly heath
FIJI summers and winters, live TO that extreme
Old age allotted to the species, breed 10 cer-
tainty--oftcn bringing doubcts, are liab'e to
scarcely any of the diseases IN parts elsewhere
distinguished for sheep, and mature fleeces
that average in quality aud weight above com
mon. Experience has not yet fully proven
but II is believed that in this country the grade
of wool improves each year IN fineness with
out the help of mixture with higher grades.
IF this be so. we may in time rva saxony.
Normandy and Spain, producing fleece that
shall excel the world.
That in Grant County we can raise sheep
much cheaper than our eastern fiiends, count
inr in transportation charges, and be tieir ri
vas in all other respects, may be proven by
facts and figures. Noting that our lands are
| 50 mutl cheaper and better for grazing, forage
u.
not exceeding a fourth of theirs, beside the
considerations previously noted, we can always
,tnderseIl them. 1t must be observed that the
heavy expense for sheep consists IN the Capital
| invested in land and stock, or what IS The same
thing. the interest and taxes on such capital.
In the estimate below ii will be seen that the
4 interest is the heavy item. 1t is equally pain
that whenever the interest upon capital invest
ed in any business dips SO deeply into the prof
its as TO make the business nonzpayng, 1t must
be abandoned In Mr.. Holoway's estimate be-
| low. the interest on capital amounts to just half
his entire expenses, while in New York he
would have TO employ coub'c as mech capital
therefore the interest would be double. But
cheap land may be employed, say land at $40
per acre, IN which case four-fifths of the I'M
ierest expense would be sayel--eqnal 10 sa-
wing Of about nlne -tenths of the expenses as
compared with New York sheep farms.
1t IS evident that with such advantages in
our favor we could grow rich on raising sheep
/ al los nrices for wool, while our eastern
friends would have to abandon the business.
At prices however low in the scale of proba-
bIliiies we could still do we'll on sheep; and
with the certainty that New York and New
England would abandon the business, giving
us thereby he monopoly and thereafter con-
segment extrayagant rise, we could still not
fail to grow rich upon the very reterses-
whether of dull markets or high markets. IN
deed low sca:e Of prices for wool for two
years must absolutely warrant for rs extrava-
CANT prices for succeeding years. But these
calculations are designed for adverse times,
when the worst comes 10 the worst, which
must happen IN any business. Their logic is
designed for those who have thought but little
upon the subject.
In view ofglving positive Information as TO
The profits of sheep for this gear, the writer
hereof called on Mr. j. @. holloway of Ian
caster, than whom perhaps there is not one in
tie county more thorough il experience and
calculating in practice in he management Of
sheep He consented at once to render
statement Of expenses and profits for his flock
Of sheep for the current year, which Is as FOL-
lows;
aIy iock consists Of 29l hoad full blnodrd
They sheered this year ITO
hounds; average per lead over pounds:
] have ALREADY sold my wosl at ski, -5Te
cents per pound, the ioial an eaatug 70 $3.50 90
'g Wis ,@ sear : Ass- = $50 500 90
Sola50 fatted wethers for mutton yalaedat 25) on
Tote income for year 800 o.
estimate that acre cf lad supports
"a a a average four sheep, but -dow loo
acres to the SOL head. Probable cost Of
lay. grain aud paSturage for the year 100 90