Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-11-09
sound Advice.

rino growers stick TO their sheep, or eG-
change them for or cross them with other
breeds, or abandon sheep husbandry al
together?n DIR. Randall gives, IN the
Rural New YORKER, the following sensible
reply:
individuals and the public require an ex-
tension of mutton and long wool produc-
ton, and the rapid extension has taken
place since the enactment Of the tariff of
1867 has proceeded on the solid basis of
demand aad supply. And there Is mar
gin yet to be filed in the supply. L doest
not yet meet the demand. The tariff of
1867 came to build up the coarse wool
and thereby the mutton interest; 1t only
came to save the fine wool interest from
destruction. 1t found the domestic sup
ply of combing woods wholly inadequate to
meet the domestic demand-but handful,
50 to speak, of combing wool sheep in the
country-and no excess Of foreign compe
tition to squeeze down prices. On the
other hand, it found the country over
stocked with woolens sufficient to keep
down prices for two or three years, the
supply of fine woods of the quality chiefly
consumed exceeding the existing demand,
and foreign composition (fostered to
enormous dimensions by our war demand
so excessive that the foreign grower, shut
out by our tariff, was compelled to gIut
the markets OF Europe with wool at pri-
ces unremunerative to himself, but which
enabled the European manufacturer to
compete with the American manufacturer
to an extent which still injuriously affected
the price Of our domestic fine woods.
This state of things was necessarily a
transient one, if the wool and wooden tar
if continued to stand-for the foreign
grower would not and could not continue
to produce woods without profit. He kept
up the struggle, however, in the hope that
our tariff would, as usual, be soon repealed
or modified. The skin wool evasion, I'M
til twas stopped, gave him a strong
CLEAN of hope, and prolonged the strug-
gle. But the signs now are that it is be-
ginning to draw to close.
By the above general and many minor
Incidental causes, the mutual relations OF
prices between coarse and fine woods have
been upset. Coarse woods have obtained
an unprecedented ascendancy In prices.
And the multitude, as usual, are ready to
believe that what has been Cup" in the
market for two or three years will always
be up-and what is "down" will stay
down. Consequently there is mania for
English sheep, and the fancy is widely en-
tertained by that floating mass of specu-
lating farmers who always chase the last
new thing and ride the last new hobby,
that the Merino is to be wholly superce-
ded by the mutton sheep in that country
that the "former" is played out What
would be the value of mutton in our mar
kets, if all the sheep in our country were
mutton sheep? What would be the
price Of combing woods, if our whole prod
uct was combing woods! The last ques-
ton becomes more significant when we
consider that the consumption of combing
wool reaches only about one-fifth the con-
sumption of clothing wool.
If the wool and wooden tariff stands.
both industries will ultimately flourish, and
they will assimilate, nearer together in
profit as the proportion of supply to the
demand in each assimilates. There is
room for both. Essentially there is no
competition between them. Nay, we be-
lieve they aid each other.
We will now answer our first question
"Shall Merino growers stick to their
sheep p We would not stick to them
under circumstances clearly the most ia
vorable to mutton sheep, nor would we
stick TO mutton sheep under circun san
COS clearly the most favorable to VI r
no sheep. Under no conditions woul W.
sacrifice really choice sheep Of either
breed. Especially would we not do it in
the case of the Merino, Choice mutton
sheep can at any time be imported from
England. The hardy, heavy-wooled
American Merino-which it has taken
fifty years of careful Improvement to form
and establish-which is so peculiarly
adapted to our climate and wants, if al
lowed to become extinct, could not be re
supplied from any other country, and its
loss would be an rreparable one. If wool
continues to be adequately protected, the
time is rot distant when all our choice Me
ri flock will be needed to breed rams
for the great wool growing hocks of the
West and South, and for innumer9blt
smaller focks in all portions of our coun
tfy.
FATTENING CATTLE ON GRA>s.--Ir
Great Britain and Ireland the weaIthies
AN most independent farmers are those
wto occupy large farms Of good grass
laud, and these who sell annually large
numbers Of cattle. This class OF farmers
are called graz ers; they keep very h'tl,
of the land in tlage, do not winter
urge numbers ofcaltlr, ami buy two on
three year old heiters and steers in tn,
spring, keep them on choice pasture du
ring the summer and autumn, and sell be
fore the animals begin to lose flesh late It
he fall. The vast herds Of Texan cattl,
are sometimes managed in a similar way
being purchased when in a low condition
and driven on the rank and sucCuleu
prairie grass until they have becom,
nearly fat. Farmers who have good gras.
land should devote at least portion of j.
to fatteniDg stock good two or three yea
old helfers and steers, kept en- a rich pas
lure for six months, would probably pa,
better Il an inferior ,iIlage The meme,
would all come together, and the cost oi
transportation compared with that Of Ger
esls, would be trihing. ] very farmel
should fatten all his young stock that ar,
not required for the dairy Or yoke. Sci
ling stock of any kind before they ar,
properly made up for the market is yer,
bad management, and great deal ofmon
ey is lost by farmers every year in thi
way.
MANURE THE GARDEN.-Ground rha'
Is used for vegetables next spring should
manfred in the fall. Haul out from.