Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1863-04-09

retain the animal, which will best pay
for the care bestowed upon it and the
consumption of its food. But then
the question Immediately occurs,
whether the carcass or the fleece pre-
dominates and rules the investment.
This question must, of course, be de-
cided by every one for himself, taking
into view his location and the uniform
demand for wool and mutton in his
vicinity a.a Eg3aa.5a- rrh .g.fg /.
For the last few years some of our
most enterprising farmers. have been
making an effort to, combine these OBJ
jects in the same animal by crossing
the Cotswold buck with the fine wool
ewes. Different reasons lead me to
doubt the propriety of this experiment.
The Cotswold is truly a noble sheep,
bearing a good fleece Of respectable
wool, combining also the properties of
early maturity, large size aptitude
10 take on fat, and is really about all
that the producers of mutton can de-
sire. But | confidently believe the
correct policy is to breed them sepa-
rate and distinct Annmber of years
since i.made similareSperiment with
the Leicester, but, after two years
experience, abandoned it as a move in
the wrong direction. tf, =, yg;es,....
The Cotswold will pay well, if fair
ly and judiciously managed, yielding
an annual fleece of from six to ten
pounds of wool per head, and when
three or four years old will weigh
from 200 TO 800 pounds gross. -Four
pounds of wool to ono hundred lbs of
carcass is probably about fair esti-
mate. This wool is about 33k per cent.
less valuable. than the common fine
wool Of the country. n few years
since the French variety were partially
distributed through this region, and
being highly recommended by those
who found their interest in recon.
mending them, i was induced to give
them trial !; but these, being tested
by two or three years experience,
we're also abandoned. Within the
last few years the Messrs, Ladd, Of
Jefferson county, Ohio, at much ex-
pense, imported a flock of the Silesian
variety. These sheep are much adj
mired, producing a heavy fleece of fine
wool and, by those best qualified to
Judge correctly, arc admitted to be a
very decided improvement, upon the
focks common in the country. Hav-
ing no experience with this variety
of sheep, | cannot give the relative
weight Of wool and carcass. ,.# r.,|
\ few years ago the Saxon mania
prevailed, aud few tasty wool grow
ers, and those desiring the glory of
producing the most wool, do yet and
will continue to produce them, inas-
amuch. as this is coniessedly the most
beautiful wool in the world. A good
flock of ewes of this variety viii av-
erage in weight eighty, or ninety
pounds gross, and will yield fleece
of two to two aud half pounds per
head. O, AT the present time, and pret-
ty generally throughout this region,
the current Of popular favor is verg-
ing, or rather settling down, IN favor
of the Spanish Sierino sheep,or at least
in a strong cross from that variety !;
and with this growing sentiment in
their favor | fully concur. la physic-
al form and symmetrical proportions
they are almost perfection, and | am
by no means prepared to grant that
even for mutton purposes they are not
the most profitable sheep. .....s.