The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1865-07-12
THE LAND OF SHEEP AND WOOL
WOOL GROWING IN IOWA.
The Shearing Festival at Grinnell.

If any lingering of old time skepticism
has cherished doubts as to the adaptation
of the soil and climate of Iowa to the sue
cessful rearing of sheep and growth of
wool, such doubts are now entirely swept
away, or left without semblance of foun-
dation, by the rable facts developed
through the intelligent zeal and patient eff
forts of such pioneer wool growers of Iowa
as Hon j b. Grnnell, Member of Con-
gress for the Fourth district, (the pioneer
fockmaster OF Iowa,)J j. S. Mcfarland
and II. Denton of Iowa City, A. Dixon
of indianapolis, S. S. Gilmore of Oska-
loosa, and others all deserving more
than merely honorable mention.
Last Wednesday, these and all who
have laborcd amidst many discourage
ments and in spite Unpopular predictions
of failure, to demonstrate tho superiority
of Iowa AS a sheep-raising and wool-pro-
ducing State, were amply repaid for years
OF effort and sacrifice in the exhibition
made on that day. at Grinnell, of sheep
and wool fully equaling if not, indeed,
excelling the best productions of even far
famed Vermont. The day was all that
could be desired; and the exhibition
ground, in the public park at Grinnell,
well chosen. The attendance of exhibit
ors and spectators was by no means as
large as it might aavc been h d the rates
Of freight by railroad been less GENEROUSLY
levied, and communication with the South
and West been less difficult and tedious.
The fact, however, that sheep were car
'ied from Toledo, twenty-five miles dis
tant, and from Oskaloosa, more than
thirty miles distant, attests the interest
taken in the exhibition and the desire to
render it success. In the number of
superior sheep, and in the average of su-
periorty, the exhibition greatly exceeded
the most sanguine expectations. Indeed
this feature elected general surprise and
admiration. Several old flock -masters on
the ground, who had visited numerous
fairs, &c, in the East assured us that
they had never before seen SO large a pro-
portion of first class sheep and fine feeccs
at any exhibition, even in Vermont. The
Sheep exhibited were all Merlnos, and
mostly nearly pure blooded.
The shearing contest was lively and
participated in by several experts and
amateurs. One or two of the latter did
some rather serious clipping but the ex-
cellcnt shearing performed by some of the
former more than atoned for want of skill
others, at least 10 all but the suffering
sheep. Hon. j. b. Grinnell, though the
master spirit of the exhibition, had not
contemplated an entrance into the lists as
a shearer, but what Member of Congress
dare resist a vote of his constituents So
amidst much merriment and the cracking
of many Il joke, the Member of the Fourth
District seized his sheep and his shears,
and soon had his fleece ready for folding !;
beating his competitor in the weight of
fleece, but moi quite winning the prize,
as will be seen by the list of awards.
The following is the list of entries and
results of shearing as carefully recorded,
on each weighing of carcass and fleece,
by Mr. j. S. Mcfarland, the efficient
Secretary: