Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-04-25
From the Southern Cultiyat0r.
SHEEP RAISING.
Hints for Beginners.

A correspondent, writing from
Spring Hill, in Tennessee, says:
My experience in sheep-husbandry
is recent, extending only over five or
six years The suggestions I propose
to offer, therefore, are intended chiefly
for beginners.
WHAT BREED TO SELECT.
The intelligent farmer will compre-
bend that this depends upon locality,
soil, &C., quite as much as the question
whether to plant cotton, wheat or po-
tatoes. The three classes of sheep are
acknowledged by all fair-minded
breeders to have three distinctive ex-
cellences and defects-a failure to con-
slider which may entail much loss at
the outset. It may be well to reca-
pitulate some Of these:
l. The Merinos are small, hardy,
active sheep, yielding good weights of
fine wool, and thriving better in large
focks Than the English breeds. They
are not so prolific as the latter and are
apt to be careless mothers. They
arrive slowly at maturity, but make
good mutton when grown.
2. The South-down is below either
wool. AS mutton sheep, he is I'M
equalled as is much more hardy than
the Cotswold and more prolific than the
Merino. Flock of several hundred do
well together. They mature early and
the LAMBS are much sought after by
butchers.
5. The Cotswold may be taken as
the representative of the Long Wool
L
quite, identical-the Lincolns as yet
little known. They are large, quiet
sheep with heavy feeces of long, loose
wool, which do not protect the body
from rain and cold quite so well as the
shorter and closer fieeces of the two
preceding breeds. In this latitude,
they seem only moderately prolific and
the lambs are rather tender. From
their size, they require rich pastures.
The same cause, however, makes them
excel the other breeds in yield perl head.
If the beginner is on a Railroad or
within reach of a city, he will find
early lambs very profitable. Other
wise, he will turn his attention chiefly
to wool.
In either case, it would be iniudi-
cious to buy a pure-blood flock to be-
gin with. Let him select good, large
native Ewes, well covered with wool.
Above all, they must be you,ag. An
old sheep is dear at any price. Then
for every forty Ewes, let him buy a
thoroughbred ram of the breed he
prefers. If he gets several, it is better
they should be of at least two different
strains of blood, SO as to cross each
with the others progeny.
In buying rams, do not take inferior
animals because they are to be crossed
with scrubs-and ncrfr use a grade
ram or cross-bred one. A grade ram
may be very handsome, but his lambs
are as likely to breed back to the ma
tive as to the thorough bred type. In
using cross-bred ram, you sacrifice
that ''prepotency" of blood which en-
ables the thoroughbred to stamp
almost all its characteristics on the
first cross from Mongrel.
In buying rams, choose warnings or
two-year olds. Ram lambs should not
be used for breeding There is but
one safe mode of buying-namely, APP
ply to a reliable breeder, tell him what
you want and leave the selection to
him. Not all noted breeders are re-
liable, by-the-bye. As for ''ram-ped- !
ilers'' avoid them and their thorough |
bred" sheep.
Begin with small flock, well select !
ed, and take good care of them Fifty |
choice native Ewes well fed, will give |
more wool and raise lambs of more
value, than double the number of |
average animals badly cared for.