The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1874-05-16
SHEEP GROWING IN TEXAS-AN'
SWERS TO QUESTIONS.

placed III our nailuS u leIteI iIo" HAi'
G. w. Mayer, friend of his in Mer-
Ger county, Pennsylvania, making in
quiry in regard to sheep growing in
Texas. We have also lately met sew
eral gentlemen in Dallas seeking in
formation on the same subject. We
design, very briefly, to meet such in
quiries in simple statement of DEM
onstrated facts.
The adaptation of southwest Texas
to sheep farming has been fully settled
for many years. A great deal was
written on the subject for ten or fif-
teen years before the war by men of
experience in the business. Among
them most prominently stood the late
George w. Kendall, of the New Or
leans Picayune, the Hon. Henry ;.
Randall, of western New York, Cap
tain Thomas Deetron, of Matagorda
bay, several intelligent German gen'
tlemen and numerous others, all of
whom, excepting Mr.. Randall, wrote
from actual experience in the country,
while he was one of the largest breed
ers in the north, and was thoroughly
posted in the capacities of Texas.
Without an exception, they consid-
cred northwest and southwest Texas
as one of the finest sheep countries in
the world The business rapidly grew
into large proportions before the war,
but during that period twas materially
checked as one of its attending calam-
tiles. Since that time it has greatly
revived and the present exports OF
wool are large.
Strike line from Cook county, on
Red river, southwesterly through
Parker, Bosque, Bell, Williamson,
Caldwell, and Gonzales to Goliad, near
the coast, and seven-tenths of all the
country west of that line may be classed
as admirably adapted to this business.
OF course some sections, are better than
others, and some counties east OF the
line are fully as desirable. The striking
advantages are that the whole country
is remarkably thy for both man
and beast and erfifely free of malarious
influence. Being high, undulating,
hilly or mountainous, in the one part
or the other, the whole region is free OF
swamps and drains itself admirably.
TO q large extent the short, curly mes
quit grass, succulent and nutritious,
furnishes grazing throughout the year.
In other places green winter mesquit
is found, while in all sections excellent
pasturage is found from the first OF
March or April (as we go north or
south) to the close of November, and
during the winter months it is abund-
ant in all the pasture regions for sheep,
when allowed to run at large. This is
permissible excepting during the prev
alence of cold north winds and sleets,
when the sheep should be protected
and fed under shelter. The whole OF
such time will not average more than
five or six weeks in the year.
Sheep growers meet these two de-
mands by saving prairie hay in the
summer as winter forage, and by build
ing single wall Of plank, posts oil
stone on the north, with a covered
shed open to the south. They are
usually covered with hay. Large
breeders have shepherds always with
the flocks, accompanied by traine:
dogs. In bad weather they are grazeo
near home, but in a large part of thu
year they are driven more or less ovel
the country, stopping lat night where
ever chance may dictate. This pro
NOTES health and affords a change o
pasturage. Mexicans are model shep
herds, and are very generally employed
at extremely low wages.
There is no difficulty in buying
graded sheep anywhere from Bosqu
county south at low figures, but ther
are also large numbers Of all the usua
varieties of thorough breds. Larg
numbers of such were brought from
England, France, Vermont, New forl
and elsewhere prior to the war, an,
their progeny are now numerous an
p widely scattered. The inferior shee
r of northern Mexico, on account G
their low price, fifty cents to a dolla
head, were introduced in great mum
bers from fifteen to twenty years age
but have been so long crossed wit
pure bloods as to leave slight traces
their former inferiority. Large flock
l of them, thus graded, are in the south
west corner of the state.
, The only disease that ever becam
3 serious among the fiocks, was the sea