Buchanan County bulletin and guardian. (Independence, Iowa) 1866-1869, 1867-12-13

from week to week, one thing seems very
strange 70 me, and that is, how little interest
the farming community take in their county
paper. Scarcely . word from them 10 ever
heard !; seldom . report Of good crops and
how raised ; or Of the raising Of stock Of any
kind, not one word from the farmer in this
vicinity. Now what is the reason ofall this?
Il therA'not enterprise enough in them to
take hold Of this matter, or are they all so
stupid ard careless u to take no interest in
their affairs. This ought not to be ; farmers
should take MORE pains and give other PEG.
pie tho benefit Of their experience in the
management Of the farm, and the different
modes practiced by them in raising different
crops to the best advantage; then no doubt
all would be benefited by so doing. As it
now is, nearly all Of the columns Of our pa
pers are taken up by advertising merchants,
quacks and s~uperannuated ministers, whose
sands Of life have nearly run out, but who,
while suffering from all Of the innumerable
ills that flesh 10 heir to, made certain won~
derful discoveries, &c, they seeing it greats
ly TO their interest to make known their dis.
coveries through the medium Of your paper.
In the first place, farming in Iowa pays as
we'll IS in almost any other State in the I'm
ion, good crops Of almost every kind being
grown here peculiar to this climate. Stock
can be raised here a. we'll and as cheap % it
can be in any Of the northern or western
States, and Jet how seldom does one see the
report Of . nice pair Of oxen or steers raised
or fattened. On the contrary, 60 where you
will and you will see that detestable creature
or thing called the hog, and in these, even,
there seems to be no pains taken to get
those Of good breed. Anything that has
bristles aud can squeal answers the purpose
here. In cattle there is not much more
pains taken just % in sheep with a few hon.
orable exceptions. How long will this state
Of things continue? Why does not the far.
mer see that this 10 not for his benefit ? Sim
| ply because he sees no figures 70 show him
| the actual difference. 1t requires no great
scholar to arrange the figures in the matter
of difference between choice animals and
those Of very ordinary quality, TO show the
| difference at once.
Why there are not more sheep kept BY the
farmers ! cannot Gee, for as q source Of prof
it they equal any kind Of stock kept on the
farm. What fsv are kept are allowed to run
ct large and care for themselves, with . large
drove Of hogs ready u catch and eat every
lamb ~ soon ~ dropped. This is why the
keeping Of sheep is not more profitable. Let
the farmer get . few nice sheep and then
take esrs of them, and they will be Q source
Of profit to him. They amply pay for every
particle OF good care and are easily kept,
only give them good warm shelter from the
~isds and rain, and they will thrive on fair
keeping. Many may cay this is all humbug,
this sheep business. tell you il is no hum
bug. Look if you please to some Of the
Eastern States, Vermont, New Hampshire
and New York for instance, wealthy farming
communities, and how have hey made shel
money? By raising stock, nice stock. Look
at Vermont, If you please, who by . little in
dustry end perseverance, now stands ahead
Of the world on the matter Of horses and
sheep. What has been done BY her can be
doae hers better. Just Is good sheep can
be raised here a in Vermont, and made 10
cut much heavier Aeeces even than has yet
been done there. Vermont has been bsue>
fitted to the extent Of millions Of dollars by
the practice and skill Of o few Of her hard>
working, industrious farmers. Stock 10 the
only thing they in the East . now com
pete with Us on, and the lime is not far dis
tant when they must be the loosers in that
game. They know it; they know that sheep
can be raised here on our prairie farms a.
much better advantage than they can posi-.
bly, be there where land is so high and fur.
Their, they know that stock purchased in the
East improves wonderfully in a few genera
tons on these western farms. Let each far.
mer seed down as much
land - hs can, and get . few sheep, the
best he can get at first, and BY a judicious
selection, he may improve his stock wonder
fully. There are now chaaces enough where,
if he does not as FIRST feel able to pay for :
choice buck, be can sscure the services Of
one equally . good - can be found in Yer.
mont, for We have them among US now.
Though they may have cost their owners .
fortune, they will pay. This is very good
way TO improve ones flock and still ct com>
psrssivsly little expense. This way is often
practicsd in Vermont, and BY SO doing one
can secure the services Of . very valuable
animal q . very triaing expense. Many
may say that sheep are Of nj account, will
fetch almost nothing this 10 in . measure
SO, and now is the very time for farmers 70
get . few they can be had at very reasona>
BILE figures and there il not much chance to
lose money in them now. They are 80 much
below their actual value, that in ell proba>
bility they will not always remain SO. There
is now, as many suppose, . surplus Of sheep
AL ~ IVuuey uiSo Ah0AGo buCul ~ INV ~
prsseus, and wool SO cheap. This is not the
case ; il is owing 70 the unsettled condition
Of affairs in this country. During the war
every wooden factory in not only the United
States but in foreign countries, were doing
their best to supply the market with wooden
| goods, SO much in demand during the WAT,
in hopes that the war might continue forever,
80 greedy were they to make money. The
war coming to . sudden termination unex>
! psctsdly, leaving ; surplus Of stock on hand,
these goods are now put in the market for
sale, overstocklng the market for the time
being, and - : consequence our wooden
mills have not been running - fully 8 in
| former times. This will soon change, the
mills will soon resume their former activity,
and al will be- we'll again. Farmers may
not 10 discouraged from keeping sheep be-
cause wool does not bring ono dollar per ID.
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