Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1869-04-10
Butter VS.. Wool,

a Vermont farmer writes as follows
in the Hearth and Home on the above
topic j was looking over one Of NV
old account books, and found that in s4s
I bought the best butter at fourteen cents
pound, while wool was worth from,
sixty-seven to eight cents, and that |.
pound of wool wOu.d purchase five
pounds of butter. 1t WAS with good
reason that our farmers sold of their cat.
tie aud bought sheep, for there was n
quick sale for wool, while the want of
railroads prevented the dairymen from
sending his produce TO market. To.
day pound Of butter will command a
higher price than the same quantity of
wool. The large increase in the popula.
tion of our cities and manufacturing
towns, with the easy facilities of trans,
pOrtation, creates a demand for butter
aud cheese, at good prices, which we
have reason to believe will continue for
many years. In order to obtain the
highest prices tor butter it must be made
50 near the consumer that it may BE- sent
TO him in u few hours while fresh aud
sweet. On the contrary, the grower of
wool, an article which will Keep good
any length Of time in any climate, must
come in competition with the producers
in the wilds of Australia, the plains of
Africa, the mountains OF South America.
aud the fertile hills of California, where
land costs nothing, and where sheep can
range the whole year OH their pastures
mature boun,ifnlly providing for all
their wants. An illustration of the easy
production of wool in California was
given to me 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 by u few
native shepherds aud dogs, and brought
into an enclosure once year to be shear
ed. They purchased a large tract OF
land ut a low price, have no fences to
make, no hay Ia cut, no barns to build,
and no long winters in which to feed
their sheep. 1t does not cost them five
cents pound to grow wool.
Ii is generally conceded that ten sheep
will consume rs much food as one COW.
The best sale OF wool reported here this
season averaged seven pounds to the
fleece, aud sold at l4tc u pound-equal
to $20,05 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 to the amount
of eighty dollars for each COW, besides
raising four pigs, worth twenty dollars
each. The growth Of the pigs, aud the
milk which he should have for at lcas:
three months longer, will amply pay the
expense OF milking and making the but
ter showing an advantage in favor of
each COW of over fifty dollars. Last tall
he paid 81 800 for young cattle, led them
through the winter, and in midsummer
sold them for $4,000, and as he glecfully
said, 81 have all that manure ON my
farm" lie has one hundred and fifty
acres in meadow, bat never sells hay,
thinking il more profitable to convert il
into beef first.
Mahy 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 it takes the
producer of sheep. year to buy beef
steak and butter enough to give a family
/ dinner.