Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1868-11-13
For the Gazette.
What Shall we do with Our Sheep.


Many farmers seem undecided in
| their purposes in regard to continuing
the breeding of sheep. There can be no
doubt but that few sheep can be prof
itably managed upon some of the Della
ware County lands; but iU is doubtful
whether we can afford, upon farms
worth so much money, to make wool
growing a leading business-whetner
we can compete with Ohio for lands in
other parts of the country.
The prospect now is that for many
years to come, cOmbing woods VIII
bring more money than felting, or me-
rinO woods, and in view of the fact that
any farmer can raise a few sheep of the
mutton breeds at a profit for the flesh
alone, it would seem obvious that it
lany change is to be made, it should be
| IN S-directiOn. Long wool ewes are
scarce an6~aear, and the change Will
nave TO De mace Oy-hreeding the long
wool bucks to our cOmmo-s- ewes, It is
we'll known that this may be dOne- with
! the most satisfactory results with g00o5
strong merino ewes, or their grades.
| Two years ago, Mr.. Delano,of Knox CO.,
! purchased pure breed Leicester buck,
/ n this county, to breed to some of his
/ Spanish ewes. L saw the produce last
| summer; they were in form and out
/ ward appearance very much like Lei
| cesters-large, straight in the back with
| excellent feeding qualities. The wool
ter, snd much thicker-the yearlings
making a fleece that would bring more
money than the merinos. Another
crop towards the Leicester, would give
a very fair combing wool-this = blood
being very good for delaines.
Heretofore we have been dependent
for the woods grown upon the mutton
/ sheep upon impOrtatiOnS made from
Canada. The tariff now puts up the
price, so that, with the small amount
grown in this country, we are able TO
/ sell it for much higher prices than full
blood Spanish wool.
There is another consideration in ia
vOr of every farmer breeding mutton
sheep, especially South Downs, or their
| crosses, that is, the we'll known fact,
that in no other way can he produce
! meat so cheaply, or of so good and
heaIthful quality.
1t was a strange and most unaccOunt-
| able thing to see many of our farmers
last Autumn eating pork worth Is to 20
i cents per pound, and selling sheep as
low as a dollar a head. They had not
| been educated to eating mutton-if they
once had taste of good South down, It
| would require very little education to
/ make them mutton-eaters.
For fresh meat in summer there is
nothing that the farmer can so convent
emily manage as mutten.
For these reasons it would seem OBJ
| vious that upon farms adapted to mix
ed husbandry, the best and most con-
venient practice, as well as the most
profitable, would be to breed a few
mutton sheep, and this may be done by
procuring bucks of these breeds and
| breeding them TO our common ewes
and these bucks may now be had of as
good a quality, and at much more rea-
sonable prices at home than abroad.
II farmer has good lot of we'll
bred merino ewes, and his farm is adap-
ted TO grass, my advice to him would
be not throw them away, but get buck
of undOubted purity of blood, with good
fleece, and especially good constitution,
and see what Improvement he can make
in his lambs next year.
As good Spanish bucks can be pro-
cured of several parties in this county
as in Vermont or elsewhere, and at less
than one-haIf the price. So that in
either case, whe, her we breed the mutt
ton sheep or the merinoes, we must be
sure to preserve q good, pure bred
male; as from such only, whether we
! breed sheep or cattle, can we make any
accurate calculation as to what we are
going to get-and whether the times be
good or bad, we can never afford to
breed from poor or inferior blood.
! BUCKEYE.