Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1868-11-13
COtsuOtd Sheep.

There is manifest among the farmers
of Northern Vermont disposition to
entirely abandon the business of grow.
ing fine wool to enter upon that ofgrow-
ing longwool, Cotswold being just now
the favorite variety. For this there are
several reasons, prominent among which
Is the general prevalence Of the hoof-oIl
or foot-rot among the fine wool sheep.
Another reason is that combing wool of
a good quality is worth more in the
market than the ordinary grades of fine
wool and many farmer in this section
has within the past season paid eXtrav-
agant prices for coarse wool sheep, sup
posing that he was getting such as pro-
duce combing wool, when, in very fact,
the wool produced by them is but the
lowest grade of coarse wool, and not at
all adapted to the production of wOrsted
goods, and indeed but lily adapted to
the production of any valuable goods.
1t is astonishing to see men of good
general business habits get SO excited as
to pay the price of good animals for the
1nO6S uCtCIiS WOltulCSo OASS, CV IL ls OC-
coming an every day occurrence. There
are, in every community, interested in
divlduals who seek every occasion to
ridicule everything that is claimed to be
'pure-bred, and the prejudices of the
masses, thus kept alive, enable these
same individuals to palm off their worth
less trash at but little less than the pri-
ces Of the better animals.
We heard it remarked but lately, and
by rather intelligent farmer too, that
there is very great difference in Cots
void sheep, and we could not resist the
impulse to respond-"Yes, just as much
difference as between a dollar struck al
the mint in Philadelphia and one struck
ut that other mint, supposed to be locat-
ed somewhere in the vicinity of Dun
ham Flats. The one is genuine, the
other bogus. Of course, there is a diff
ference in animals, even in the same
flock, but the difference that the gentle
man alluded to is the difference between
pure bred and low grade animals"
NJ. H. Cochrane, Esq, of Compton,
P. O., has flock Of pure Cotswolds, as
also of several other Of the long and
middle wool breeds, each of which is
kept pure and distinct, and we would
earnestly advice such of our friends as
propose to embark in the business OF
growing long wool, to examine his flocks
before buying of persons who have het-
erogenous or uncertified fiocks.
Burdett Loomis, of Windsor Locks,
Ct, and Hon. Harley NJ. Hall, of East
Burke, VT, are also breeders of pure
Cotswolds, whose certificates of purity
may be relied upon.
We received, not long since, letter
from Mr.. Robert G. Hill, of Gilmore, CIV
ing an account of his experience with
Cotswolds. He has but a small flock on
large farm, peculiarly adapted to them.
and has accomplished results that can
hardly be hoped for by farmers general.
ly. His April lambs average 100 Tbs. in
the fall, and he has had them weigh $50
lbs. ale sold lot of wethers-does not
say how many or how old-at lac. per
pound, live weight. which averaged 235
fbs.-one weighing 275 Tbs. These had
been fed six weeks on grain. At the
same time, he sold some old ones that
had raised lambs, at SC. per tb.-average
weight, l75 lbs. He recommends rails