The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-12-02
WOOL GROWING.
AuhsnEe Of stOck Demand ed.

From ~ WdaNtaDt9n tF1) RspOrttF. ~. 4
I For almost, ifnot quite half centu-
~ tho growth Of wool has been mat
ter N hleh the farmers OF our county
have been moro or less deeply int erelE.
cd. From the day that fine sheep were
first introduced among us, the bust.
ness steadily increased until Washing.
ton county became,the FIRST wool grow
ing county IN the Union. Men who ut
FIRST wore slow TO be convinced % 10
the profits Of aheep rAlBlng-men who
even wentBo lar as 10 predict that the
business would prove o failure, were
compelled t0aBuTTendeT their pTe.OonS
ceiyed nollonH In the face OF The palpa-
bic evidences, OF rapidly Increasing
wealth and prosperity on the part OF
their nelghbofs Whohad embarked In
the new pursuit., aIld were ut length
seen ograduBlly working themselves
into the stock until the production OF
ang wool became the chief occupation
among Our farming Community. Our
soil, climate, &C., being especially
adapted 70 the business, II was prose-
eutedn ' With the Hhi0st abaiidant
auecsssiEo Men who embarked In
Il win little or nocapItal but their own
industry In O few years, rose 10 opu-
lenee, and were seen adding farm 10
farm IN order 10 provide the necessary
range for their constantly increasing
aocks. The usual order Of things was
reverted, As the country grew older
the farms instead Of being Cut q p into
smaller tracts, were Increasing In alHs
by the addition OF adjacent estales until
It was no uncommon thing 10 see ID
many az four, I've and even six hun
dred acres all under, the ltIaAnag 6nietit
OF a single proprietor. Grain raising,
beyond whatiWasi necessary for homo
consumption, was TO D great extent
abandoned, and the Oh leE energies Of the
people were directed 10 the production
Of the greatstaple that he'd been found
80 highly remuneratIvs.3 oflaEe. how
ever, o variety Of causes have conspired
to work q great change In the business.
Men hoshaV0 been most careful and
palnu-l taking, find that they are no long
q rewAtted for their lRbofa a. they were
In days gone by. The CHIEF cause Of
this change for the worse u 10 DO found
In the vastly increased value OF our
lands, and the pfoportIonate enhance.
r1ent n the price Of those products
necessary for the subsistence Of the
numerous 1ocks spead over our hIlls
and valleys. Thirty 10 forty years ago
when therRveFage value OF land hardly
exceeded twenty five dollars per acre.
when hay was worth only about elk
dollars per ton, corn forty cents per
bushel, and oats from twelve and q
half 10 eighteen aud thTee4fourth cents,
the raising 6rwool which sold at from
tifty. 10 sixty-fve cents per pound was
by far the most remuneratlve business
In which Washington county farmer
could engage. Since that time how
ever, land has fully trebled in value,
the price OF hay and grain has increas--
ed In about the.Aame:proportion, while
fine wool to-day brings hardly so much
as II did then, Under this slate OF things
Il Is abuudautlY ut4piiest that II sheep
husbandry Ia TO be prosecuted success
fully BY our farmers IN the.Intnre,
some radicaf change In the BUSINESS
will have 10 bs made. -rhe, xpsrience
they have had for the past few = cars
has made II painfully evident To many
oftheul that the Rfowth or the orllna-
~ Sax ony- aud Merinp woods "a no
longer u remuneratiye employment.
Under the present state Or the market
there Is nothing better settled than that
fine woods, such az we have bean RAILS
ing cannot DO probably grown on high
priced lands; and as land with us Il
more likely to increase than dimtnish
In value as railroad communication Il
opened mp with the rest OF the world,
1t is all In vain 10 hope for any improve.
ment In the wool business as Il has
been prosecuted heretofore. Ills man
lfest that sheep raising must be either
wholly abandoned, or different kind
OF stock employed. We incline 10 the
opinion that the latter alternative Will
be the one resorted to. 0uTa Ia naturally
a grazing country, admirably adapted
to the raising OF sheep, for the reason
that the soil yields an abundance OF
the freshest and sweetest pasturage,
and retains the various grasses with re-.
markable tenRcity. AS was truly said
by Joseph r. Chandler, after paying q
visit TO this part OF the State, the bills
of Washington county seem to have
been made for Sheep and nothing bat
the stern logic OF facts and figures will
drive our farmers to abandon a calling
which has yielded such rich returns Ia
the past. Just now the growth OF comb.
Ing wool, which as yet Is In Its infancy
In this country, and for which there Is
a rapidly, increasing demand, promises
larger and more substantial rewards
than any other kind OF sheep husbRn.
dry, and hence We are not surprised 10
see quite a number Of our people turn
Ing their attention 10 the Leicester
stock as the one that can be raised most
prodtably. These sheep are OF large
growth and vigorous constitution, re-
prolific = breeding In pairs
oftener than singly-yieldlng the very
best OF combing wool, and In addition
to all this aHordlng The finest quality
OF mutton. In short they are the kind
OF aheep that are successfully raised on
the high priced lands In England, Ire.
land and Canada, and we know o! no
reason why they should not prove
COMP etee success with us ~ .,
From the, best lights that can be gath.
cred upon ,lha subject, It would seem
that the Introduction OF these sheep
among us would be vast improve.
ment upon our present stock. That
some change must be made we are
well convinced. for the reasons above
stated. as we'll Rs for many others that
might be urged. Unless all the reason
Ing Of most experienced wool men bs
1t fault, the Leicester is the stock best
suited for the wants Of our people, and
II they only move promptly In the.
matter, we see no reason why Wash
lngton and the surrounding counties In
our own State and West Virginia may
NOT become the chiei combipg wool
region oil this country. 81