Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1872-01-04
Farmers Club. Warner, N. H.
THE PROFITS OF WOOL AND BExr RarsrSG.

THE PROFITS OF WOOL AND BExr RAISING
Mr.. W. ID. Davis was in favor sfkeepin2
| sheep, and knew BY experience that they
paid him better than cattle; he judged that
ten Merino sheep were equal To one bee
4 crealu.e in cost of Keeping from year e
wear. supposiug both to be kept until tire,
wears old, and also that the beef sells fol
$50 at that time. Meanwhile the sheer
have yiveI. u one hundred and t~eht.
pounds of wool worth so and ff'',h ia'iios
w..r,h $50 and the sheep ts- u, a,e
/ iu~t in their prime aud -onld orlng $50
1 ,,,,. MAJ n,, si91 IS svor oil The sheep TO
! Sc, i, r,,-,r. ~ - beef; while the risk.
| - ,,..I - i much less In the foI me T
/ ,h.,, a., - latter.
NJ " Sargent was In favor OF cattle
sang. ard con>i cred the Dcyons the
! b y suited to the rocky hiil> OF New Eng
land, alIho gh much smaller. they mature
At an carrier age and acqui e, according to
their keeping. uorc flesh la given lime
than do the larger breeds. and assumed
that a steer weighing 1850 pounds will
cou ume one hu dred pounds of hay aud
seven quarts of short, per week for twenty
weeks. and :he remaining. thirtytwo weeks
lac shall be turned out to grass.
One hundred pounds OF hay per week
for thirty weeks makes 5000 pounds.
which at SIS per ton amounts To S22 80.
aud seven quarts Of shorts per week Tor
thirty weeks makes 80 quarts. viii Oh al
/ l-2 cents amounts to 50 Is. allowing g.
for pasturins, we have the rum OF $50. 65
a. the cost OF keeping for one year. then
suppose the gain to 1e $50 pounds. which
al IL cents makes total gam At SIS 80: de
dnct the cost of keeping, and there remains
81 s. As the actual z ain.
-
tanned that a sheep will consume three
pounds OF hay day TO every 100 pounds
of flesh IN n a sheep weighing &c pounds
will eat two pounds L week, which would
make eight sheep equal TO Que steer. Now
>upposng eight sheep will average 1--WE
pounds OF wool head. the wool % bring
- c, nts per pound. which will amour, to
Sl9. 60. and they will raise four lambs
worth IS each. amounting 10 sl2, this
added to Sl96 GO makes a total Of s3i 60.
while the cost OF keeping amounts 10 $780,
65. leaving a net gain OF IS cents. which
deducted from s6 IS leaves balance OF
sc 30 in favor of The steer.
Mr.. Sargent went on to say tina; this es-
innate was based on actual experiments
and thought the farmers As a general thing
did no; pay sufficient attention 10 raisin,
their be-; stock and otherwise improving
H. puk AnI u ltN INnGc NAI4l sell
the best animal TO the butcher and keep the
inferior - raise stock from. which course
if persisted in. would ultimately ruin the
best farms in town.
lie further remarked ,ha; tho number Of
sheep in Warner In ls67 was ..po3, while
thu nu nbcr in l,-0 was 1851. showing a
decrease In three wears OF - - per cent.
and he assumed th. conclusive evidence
that public opinion is against the raising o.
sheep a. a means Of profit.
Mr.. G.. + Qulmby regarded sheep raising
aud wool ~ iwIug the most profitable OF
any line of farming In this section; had
keut from 200 10 300 Merno sheep yearly
for twenty wears. through high prices, and
low prices. always raising more than
enough lambs 10 keep the flock good. aud
improving the auck by selling and Killing
,ulls and using good sock bucks. SO that
the average not OF their icec-s was brought
from two pounds eleven ounces. Up 10 dive
ami onr-hAli pounds. Hal also KEEP 4 ON
light 10 fifteen hrAs Of cattle, and hy care
ftl experimenting. throu IN "a series OF years
and noting down the rc>u {, ~ they occur
irrm ytar 70 wear. through all the iuciu-
lions 81 prices and different conmodltlc.
f trade, regards thr> facts a. conclusive
yvil-nc" tina; sheep raising H. prof liable II
pursued ith Industry aud knowledge lie
.cad AN extract f ON his d-y book to prove
thi> assertion. and selected the five wears
a. whole, from 1855 to ls6O. The average
lumber az cattle eight: average number
tons Of hay ted ont ny measure forty. or
which III cattle consumed thirteen and the
Ii cp twenty tons. For the 1--we
Ecai> the sheep eat 1856 aud the cattle >ixiy
hvr to fhe sales from the flock Of
>h,rp for those five year, were sac.
i,avin. the fo,k with the same number a.
a. the commencement. Now. dividing So
a. BY 1856 ton, OF hay leaves Us trae
ostr Sis "A ton for hay fed out on the farm
he sales from the eight cattle In those
years, in you Z stock, butter and cheese.
we're $500. and for butter. cheese AMI milk
used In the family. $500. Cheese sold for
seven cent and butter for fifeen cents per
pound J fnr OK work, Sl2j. Total S125.
which divided by sixty four tons Of hav
gives u. tribe over ell 4 ton for hay I'd
out 10 catle, making s. 4 ton 10 favor o
-heep raising.
Another thing to be considered by
farmer OF limited means is the capital in
vested and quick returns on the invest
ment. Ia ls5.-S il would have taken over
twice the capital 10 stock 4 farm with
sheep 10 consume the same amount OF hay
rhi, item of interest and taxes on the
statement Just given would amount 10 $40
| year. and $500 in the dive years, making
almost 90 a ton in favor OF sheep, instead
| Of 81. As before started.
The sales from flock OF sheep are cash !:
! The wool can be stored and kept over if the
market IL low, but not SO with butter and
| cheese; they must be sold, and generally
| for barter pay.
| He did not agree with Mr.. Sargent that
| because there were not half 50 many sheep
| in Warner as there were three years ago
that it did not pay TO raise sheep; for those
same men who have sold out are lively and
wide awake at the present time 10 buy q
nock Of sheep, and are paying pretty dear
| for 1.-The whistle" as sheep sell like ..hol
cakes" G. +. Q.