The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-04-01
THE PRESS
MONDAY MORNING, APRIL 1, 1879.
Farm Stock.

Farm Stock.
We learn from the monthly report of the
statistical division of the department of agri-
culture for February that the only States in
which there has been decrease of horses.
are Maine, per cent. New Hampshire, d /:
Rhode Island, 8; Connecticut /; and Califor-
MIA l. In other States there has been a small
increase, and Nebraska takes the lead, having
increased her numbers 20 per cent. and Kan
sas comes next,-16 per cent. In returns of
milch cows no States show decrease excent
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont. Rhode
Island and Connecticut The apparent in
crease throughout the country is about two
per cent, the greatest increase being in the
new States where the largest accessions have
been made to the agricultural population,
and here Nebraska takes the lead, showing
20 per cent and Kansas comes next-18 per
cent. r.l .. .-r
Greater prominence is being given 10 the
dairy interests in the South where the mount
ain districts are admirably adopted to the pur-
suit OF such industries. The mildness and
Nf>ey VI ehO and
abundant grasses and cool springs are favora-
BILE to the making of butter and cheese, and
these advantages are beginning to be duly ap-
preciated since no foot prints of the slave are
to be found in the soil.
The decrease of cows, oxen, horses and
( other stock in Maine may be properly attrib-
uted to the failure of the hay crop, which has
been serious drawback upon our farmers.
There has also been g decrease in some other
States. The aggregate increase is little more
than one per cent. and this is made up by
most of the Western States, and here again
Kansas and Nebraska take the lead. 1t has
been very fortunate for the stock raisers of
Maine that corn has been so cheap. But for
that decrease in stock would have been great
er than it is.
The advance in the price of wool will un-
dOubtedly stimulate the enlargement of the
focks from the lambs dropped this spring
Our farmers will not be likely to kill so many
lambs for the market as they did last season.
And in this they will act wisely. Sheep are
profitable in many ways, and our farmers
have not kept enough, or as many as they
might. Even at less price than wool now
bears there is profit in raising sheep. We
can well remember when the first flock of
merino sheep was driven into one of the
towns of this county, and the farmers stared
at the greasy, dirty creatures in astonish.
ment. Their outward appearance by no
means compared favorably with the native
sheep, but the wool was much finer, as well
as dirtier. The mutton of the Merino! In
that the native sheep was far ahead The
mutton OF a ful-blooded Merino is little bet
ter than - we came near writing the
name of the "specllcd animap' But let that
pass. Fifty years ago there were many fine
hocks OF native sheep in this county, and
they were noble looking animals, = tall,
straight, small legs, beautiful heads and sym
metrical bodies with large fleeces of WOOL
Our farmers seldom have any sheep now so
handsome as they were. The mutton was
delicious, quite equal to the Southdowns or
any other breed.
The prices Of farm stock are still lower than
they were year ago, for all kinds except
sheep, which have risen in value The re-
port says: ''While neat-stock will average
lower rates, the decline is neither uniform nor
universal" The demand for milch cows in
the South has stiffened prices in several To-
calities.
Hogs have decreased in numbers since last
year in the Eastern States and in Maryland,
Louisiana and California. The Southern
States appear to be giving more attention to
raising pork, and marked increase of num-
bers is l. lnifest in the West; those
States makilg the greatest advance are
Nebraska, 35 per cent; Kansas, % /;
Iowa IS; Missouri Is; Illinois I; Indiana and
Kentucky 6 per cent. note again that
Kansas and Nebraska are at the head There
has been heavy decline in the value of neat
stock, the prices being lower than for seven
years past, except in Texas where there has
been a largedrain upon the stock-reserves
made blythe drovers forseveral years past. I'm
mense numbers of cattle have been driven
from that far off State, hel,ce no wonder the
price has not fallen off as it has in other
States. The ratio of decline has been small
in the South for the very good reason that
the rates have been low and the breed inferi-
or. But this sunny region begins to feel the
want of an improved breed, and no doubt the
time is coming when more attention will be
paid to stock-raising now that the planters
have lost the privilege of raising slaves. No
more of these ''chattels" will be driven from
Virginia to the Gulf State, but in their stead
''fOur footed beasts" which will be a much
more profitable and honorable business.
These planters begin to see there are other
fields Of profitable industry than rice swamps,
and sugar canes or cotton plantations, and in
the light of varied agricultural employments
they will yet see more clearly than they do
nov the manifold evils slavery has brought
upon them. AGRICoLA.