Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-01-07
farm aud Honsehola.
From the Hearth and Home.
Butter VS.. Wool,
BY A VERMONT FARMER.


I Yesterday, was looking over one of
my old account books, and found that in
1S4S / bought the best butter at 14c. a
pound, while wool was worth from &c.
to Soc, and that pound of wool would
purchase five pounds of butter, 1t was
with good reason that our farmers sold
off their cattle and bought sheep, for
! there was quick sale for wool, while
he want of railroads prevented the
dairyman from sending his products to u
market. To-day pound of butter will
command higher price than the same
quantity of wool. The large increase in
the population of our cities and manII-
featuring towns, with the easy facilities
for transportation, creates u demand
for butter and cheese, at good prices,
which we have reason to believe will
continne for many years. In order to
obtain the highest price for butter. it
must be made so Hear the consumer that
it may be sent to him in few hours
while fresh and sweet. On the contrary,
the grower ofwool an article which will
keep good any length OF time in any
climate, must come i'll competition with
the producer in the wilds OF Australia,
the plains of Africa, the mountains of
South-America, and the fertile hills of
SdlAtOlhleh, WhClC I}filu COStS uOtnlnX,
and where sheep can range the whole
year on their pastures-nature buunti-
fully providing for all their wants. An
illustration OF the easy production of
wool i'll California was given 10 NE this
past summer by friend, who, with his
two boys, emigrated from here fifteen
years ago. taking with them goodly
flock OF sheep. -They have now twenty
thousand which feed in pastures the
whole year, are watched 6y few native
shepherds and dogs, and brought into an
enclosure only once year to he slleared.
They purchased a large tract of land at
II low price, have no fences TO make. no
hay 10 cut, no barns to bui..l, and no
long winters in which to feed their
sheep. Ii does not cost them five cents
pound 10 groM WOOL
1t is generally conceded that ten sheep
Will consume as much food as one cow.
The best sale of wool reported here this
season averaged seven pounds to the
fleece, and sold at fourty-one and one
haif cent a pound-equal to S29,05 for
the product of ten sheep. In contrast
with this, Mr.. A. told me that from the
milk of six cows in seven months he had
sold butter the amount of $50 for each
COW, besides raising four pigs worth
twenty dollars each. The growth of the
pigs and the milk which he should have
for at least three months longer, will
amply pay the expense of milking and
making the butter; showing an advant-
age in favor of each cow of over $50
Last fall he paid $500 for young cattle,
FED them through the winner, and in
midsummer sold them for four thousand
dollars, and as he gleefully said: 81 have
all that manure on my farm" He has
one hundred and fifty acres in meadow,
but never sells hay, thinking it more
profitable to convert it into beef first.
Many of our farmers have made money
by breeding high-blOoded sheep and sell
ing at fancy prices, while few will be-
come rich in growing wool when it takes
the. produce of a sheep year to buy
beeisteak and butter enough to give
family dinner.