Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1868-10-30
What TO do with the Sheep.


WHILE good fat sheep still command
fair prices, poor, inferio ones can hardly
be given away. During the past month
such sheep have sold in Albany, and even
in New York, at from $125 to $3.50 per
head, and at Pittsburgh and other Inferior
markets whole lots have been disposed of
at fifty cents apiece. At the same markets
fat pigs sold for eleven cents per pound,
live weight In other words, four pounds
of pork is worth more than a whole car
cass of mutton, and the pelts thrown in.
Not only in our large cities, but also in the
country, meat is scarce, and commands
high prices Good fat mutton, even, is by
no means cheap. 1t is only the thin, half
starved sheep that are so low 1t is not
necessary to discuss the causes which have
produced this state of things. They ought
to teach us lesson which we are slow TO
learn, that it is never " ell to rush into one
kind of stock to the exclusion of all others,
and then TO half starve and otherwise
neglect it when it proves less profitable
than we anticipated. Those farmers who
have taken good care of their flocks can
still dispose of them to vastly better ad-
vantage than those who have neglected
them. There is no profit in keeping any
kind of stock unless it is we'll kept. There
are those who think the mutton breeds of
sheep more profitable than the Merino, and
just now the incipient symptoms of a long
wool mania are manifesting themselves
1t is simply reaction from the American
merino sheep fever. 1t is clear to us that
farmers who have sold their Merino sheep
for fifty cents head would have done no
better if they had had the English breeds.
In fact, it may well he questioned whether
they would have done as well, for the
Cotswolds, Leicesters, SOuthdowns, or
their grades will not endure neglect or
starvation as well as our little, active,
hardy Merinos. The trouble is not with
the breed, but in the men.
The question recurs, what shall we do
with the sheepp Stock of some kind we
must keep. Butter, cheese and beef are
very high, while wool is low, and many
farmers are selling their sheep at low fig
ures, and buying COWS at high prices.
Those who propose going into dairying,
with little experience, should count the
cost They have feeding racks, troughs,
sheds or barns adapted for wintering sheep;
but how is it with cows or cattle? They
will probably need additional buildings, OF
will have to alter those they have, and
will take pretty large flock of sheep
present prices to erect even small Co
al reaction in the demand for Americ
cheese abroad, while the home consun
tion will undoubtedly increase. Still it is
hardly safe to base our calculations on the
present high prices of cheese and butter.
The great drought in England--the worst
that has been known since 1926 has in
creased the demand for American cheese,
while the introduction of cheese factories
into sections which have hitherto produced
| only butter, combined with scanty pastur-
| age, will account for the comparative search
ty and high price of butter. 1t is not proba-
BILE that a pound of poor butter viii long
continue to bring more than pound of
| fine wool.
On most farms manure is a necessity,
! and there is no economical way of obtain
| ing it in the interior without keeping
stock. Owing to the price of wheat, bar
ley, oats and corn, many farmers are de-
termined to SOW all their available land to
grain. The diminished yield soon shows
| them their error Disastrous as have been
the effects of the sheep fever, the grain
growing mania will be even more injuri-
Gus. 1t will curtail the profits of the
farm, and leave the land in an impover-
ished condition, from which it will take
many years to recover. We have, there
| fore, no alternative but to keep sheep OF
cattle. And our conviction is, that for the
next ten years sheep will pay as well as
| any other stock. If we had cattle we
would keep them, and if we had sheep,
we certainly would not sell them at pres.
ent prices
1t is not easy to tell what is best to do
with such poor sheep as will not sell for
more than fifty cents apiece. To try to fat
them this winter would be throwing money
away. If they are sound, healthy sheep,
the better way probably would be to win.
ter them on coarse fodder, with grain
enough to keep them from growing thin
ner than they are now. The wool will
pay the expense of winterlDg, and leave
us the manure for profit. Next summer
| give them good pasture, ana turn them
off for mutton as soon as they are in good
condition.
Sheep that are now fat bring a compare
lively fair price. They may either be dis
posed of now, or fed literally till mid-win.
ter. BY that time the thousands and tens
of thousands of poor sheep that are glut.
ting the markets will be disposed of, and
there is reasonable prospect that good NUT.
ton will command good prices.
In regard to the flock of ewes, it de-
pends entirely on circumstances whether
it is best to cross them with Southdown
or Leicester, or some other mutton breed,
or to contine the flock simply to the pro,
duction of fine wool For the last few
years long wool crosses have been quite
! profitable. The wool has been in demand
for combing purposes, and the mutton
has commanded ready sale But OF
course it is useless to expect any breed OF
cross to produce good fleece and heavy
carcass without liberal feeding Those
who are prepared to give extra food and
attention to their flocks would do better
to keep mutton sheep. If large flocks are
kept, and it is necessary to put them on
short commons, a well-bred, dry.neeced
Merino would be the most profitable.-
american AgrieulturiSt.