Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1867-12-11
Horticultural.



Sheep can be bought in this section for near
ly half what they could be sold for this time
last year And yet, low as wool is, it is
worth nearly as much as IL was year ago.
Then the depression in the wool market was
thought TO be merely temporary, and wool
growers hoped for remunerative prices in the
future. Now, however, there is a general feel
ing that wool will rule low for some years,
and many farmers are selling their sheep at
any prices that is offered. Butter and cheese
pay better than wool growing, and thousands
will quit the business in disgust. Observing
men predicted such result during the sheep
fever, and were laughed at as old fogies.
II the best time to engage in business is
when others are leaving it, the present is a
good time to buy sheep II would be strange
II the United States, with its almost unlimited
extent Of territory, should not raise its own
wool, and If we are to raise wool we can hard
ly expect to see time when sheep can be
bought at lower rates. The duty on wool is
now as high as we can reasonably ask for, and
If there is any business in which we can com
pete with the cheap labor Of foreign countries,
it is in wool-growing. There is less labor TO
raise a dollars worth Of wool than to raise a
dollars worth of any other farm product. 1t
is lot so much the cheap labor of other coun-
tries that the wool grower has to fear, as the
cheap land, and the low rates at which so con-
centrated an article as wool can be transport
ed. And this competition with cheap land we
cannot escape from. Those of us who have
farms that cost 800 to $3.50 per acre must
compete with the farmer on the prairie, who
paid only 81 25 II we cannot compete with
him in growing wool, we must grow something
eles, the freight on which affords us sufficient
protection. Buffalo skins are high, but don't
think, when land is worth 500 On acre, we
can raise buffaloes, and feed them four or five
years simply for the skins. If we wish to en-
gage in this kicd Of business, we must seek
cheaper land.
do not say tthat we cannot raise sheep on
land worth 500 an acre, simply for their
wool, but the probabilities are that the profits
cannot be very large. Take one of the three
year-old Merno wethers that sold the other
day for 50 70, and how much do you suppose it
has cost to feed him He shesred four pounds
the first year, and five pounds the next, and
five pounds this year-say fourteen pounds.
| sold the first two clips for 60 cents The
last clips not sold, but would not bring more
than 40 cents. This sheep, therefore, has
brought me in, say $2.40, for the first year,
So 90 for the second year, and 50 90 for the
third year-$7 40 in all. The sheep sold for
81 rs, so that the gross receipts for three and
half years keep amount to Sl0.l5 Wash
ing, shearing, tying up the wool, and market
ing the three clips, would cost so cents, and
it will be liberal to say | have received 50 65
for feed and attendance. Now, such sheep
would probably consume in three years and
half, ton ofhey, or it's equivalent. Ofcourse
he was not fed exclusively on hay, and only
put it in this form to enable us to get some
idea OF the amount Of food such sheep would
eat. An acre OF good clover would furnish
food enough for half a dozen Of such sheep for
a year--part mown and part grazed. To keep
sheep three years and half, therefore, we
should need as much as seven-twelfths of an
acre would produce in year. In other words,
this sheep which has brought me 50 65, has
eaten food equal to what could be obtained
from a little over half an acre of good clover.
This makes better show for the profr of
wool-growing than l expected, and when we
take into consideration the fact that the ma
nure will do nearly as much good as if the
clover had been ploughed under, am not
sure thst there is any kind ofstock which, for
the care and labor bestowed, will pay much
better.-J. Harris, IN american Agriculturist