The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1873-04-26

i3d,uVVvVV pounds sheep N iobS-fO
"a, 100000, and Of wool $4,000, 0C0
pounds (the manufacturing census have
his l6s,oO0,Ooo pounds; sheep in 1871
32,OO0,oOO, and Of wool 12s, 100000
pounds; sheep in 1872 31.sOO,OO0, and
Of wool quantity not received,
The New England States, New York,
New Jersey and Pennsylvania, show a
decrease IN the number Of cattle and oxen,
(uot including cows and if Illinois and
Ohio be added, there is an increase Of but
100000 over 1860. In sheep, the States
first named, are short one million. 1t is
true that the sixteen Southern States show
diminution Of about 100000 cattle, and
not quite one million Of sheep; these
figures, however, would not materially
affect the result. This deficiency exists
notwithstanding the large increase of land
and population, and lapse Of ten years.
This exhibit does not place our agricuL
ture in very fiourishing condition. How
is this to be explained.
We all know that labor viii do nearly
as much for the corn crop as manure, and,
that with manure and without labor, we
canpet have good corn crop. In the
West, though the Census tables show a
large return for corn in the aggregate, We
must not forget that very large part Of
the crop is left to waste, 50 that the wealth
Of the country IS that much short
II seems incredible that the farmers Of
the country should so neglect sheep hus-
bandry In 1871, over the vast domain of
100, 100000 acres Of improved lands, and
with our population Of 3s.OOO,OOO, we
produced but 100000 pounds of wool,
and imported 6S,OOO,0OO millions of
pounds In 1872 We imported l22, OO0,-
900 pounds to pay for which we sent out
Of the country s26,OOO,OOO; and this i'm
ported wool paid duty of twenty-five per
cent. Those little islands Of Great Britain
and Ireland, containing 77,0OO,0O0 acres,
and 32,OOO,OO0 Of people produced in
1870, 100000, 900 pounds Of wool, being
over 10O,00O,OO0 pounds more than cur
total production. With our hundreds of
millions of pastoral lands, We must go to
England for our wool, even with tariff Of
twenty-five per cent to protect US. ''Pauper
labor" surely cannot give England this
advantage in sheep husbandry. Her farm
mers pay higher per acre for the annual
rent Of their farms than our Western farm
ers pay per acre for their fertile farms in
fee. How is it they can afford to grow
wool on their high priced lands twenty five
per cent. cheaper than our farmers can,
with all their advantages Of abundance Of
cheap lands. Sheep husbandry doubtless
requires knowledge, skill and attention, not
generally possessed by paupers, but which
our general school education, costing an
enormous sum, should give to our farmers
besides our immigrant population come
from sheep countries. Sheep supply us moi
only with wool and meat, but on our new
lands and stump lands are very profitable
they destroy weeds and underground, and
by dropping their manure evenly over the
sod, they are peculiarly valuable for re
novating old grass lands.
In looking over the history of sheeI
husbandry in this country, we find one o
the greatest obstacles to its success anS
extension, is the dread Of dogs The valu,
of 1856, 900 in sheep were killed by dog.
in 1871, in Iowa, and in thirty-two coun
ties of Missouri 0,662 sheep have beer
killed by dogs. From the South, as wei
as the North and West, we hear of tn,
lamentations Of farmers for the damag,
done to sheep, and yet farmers continue
to submit to this tyranny. Mr.. Berg o
New York, publicly draws attention to tn,
infectious condition of the sheep in tina
market, caused by their suferings in thei
transit from the far West. But he seem
to be ignorant of what may be called tn,
remote cause Of this dreadful condition O
the meat market in New York, and of tn,
remedy. 1t is this, that in the thickl,
settled farming districts near our larg,
towns, the dread of the dogs has driver
sheep away from farms, and until rene
dy is applied, we must submit to eat ''in
fictitious matter. Remove the dread O
dogs, and the hills viii be restocked Will
focks of sheep, and our markets supple,
with healthy mutton and increase of wool