Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1875-01-14
tErom the American Farnor.l
Why People do not 70 into shesp-Ra!sing.
Mes,rs. Editors Amsrican Farmer:

| Mesrs Editors AMERICAN Farmer:
The following article from it'll.
sAejp talk in the National Live StocA
Journal, will doubtless be Of interest tc
MANY of our readers. There are grea,
many who would engage in sheep hus-
bandry, but they are afraid they do no,
know how to manage them. The main
principle of Keeping sheep can be learn
ed easier than great many imagine
They might keep sheep, or there are
men now who have been in the bust
ness for five or tel, years, and they can
still learn few ''fancy touches" abou,
managing sheep. IF any one wishes to
commence with sheep let him take two
or three good agricultural papers, and
by the time the different seasons come
around he will knox principally wha,
is required. The different grades of
wool can be learned only by experience.
> .
Why people do not go into sheep
raising, as given by the Journal, is, that
that they think it requires high order
of intelligence to handle them, and be.
cause they fancy some special training
is necessary. The form of the carcass.
the peculiarly Of the wool and other
matters, are TO be considered, while in
cattle tue only thing looked at is the
form, and in many cases pedigree is
substituted fer that.
1t does not take avery large measure
OF brains, or the exercise of them if a
man had bushel, to sit in the window
of a corn crib and toss coru to cattle on
one side and pigs on the other, and sell
them when fat, Cor when the crib is
emptied.) for just what they will bring;
but the man who handles large flock
of sheep, and keeps them up to good
standard, or improves upon it, must
possess and exercise some Judgment or
Intellect Whatever genius may be re-
CURED to enable man to take rank as
breeder of sheep to be used in the im-
provement Of the tiocks of others, or of
a nation, l am satisfied that every far,
mer has sufficient Judgment, if he will
cultivate and exercise this quality, to
manage flock of sheep for common
farm purposes, with good success Of
course some special training if a man
has it, is desirable. but it is not absolute
ly necessary. Sheep cost but little, and
the loss of one is not serious matter,
like the loss of short-horn, or q horse.
If they drop away little trom the stan
dard, the purchase and use If rams SCI
lected from the fiocks of leading breed
ers will bring them back to the point.
and the fir. qlent introduction of rams
from the tiocks Of professional breeders,
who make the raising of stock to be
subsequently used for breeding rurpo>
ses speciality, should never be neglect
ed. No matter how littfe*the farmer
may know of sheep in the first instance,
or how unintelligible may be to him
the distinctions which professional
sheep-men are able to discover in the
form and fleece of;diftrent individuals
and fiocks, he can soon learn enough Of
these matters TO handle his sheep with
good results. Soon after he gets a
small flock, he will begin to perceive
differences in the shape and in the
character of the wool of different
animals of his flock. And it will not
be long before he has their character
istics fixed in his own mind, when he
will have standard by which to esti
mate the sheep he meets with elsewhere.
He will look at them as better or worse
in this point Or that, than his own
sheep at home, and wifi soon acquire,
u'adsr the instruction ofhis flock. all
the special training which he needs;
or, to speak more accurately, which his
mental qualities will enable him to
acquire. But while a man does not
need genius to handle sheep for com.
mon farm purposes, he must have
pa aence Sheep cannot lie maze
means cf speculation, like cattle may
be, but returns come in slowly. They
do not enrich their owner like striking
a lucky vein in gold mine, but as the
water wears away the marble, drop BY
drop.
There are large farms in West Vir.
ginia, partly lying idle, which could be
made to pay by keeping sheep. Mr..
9. H. Beall, of Brooke Co, one Of the
largest wool growers in the State, owns
5000 head OF sheep. Ia the summer
he viii rent pasture all around him for
miles, letting his own grow up for
winter pasture. His wool last year
brought him the snug little sum Of
$1,000. BY allowing his pasture to
rest during the summer, his sheep do
not require more than two thirds as
much feed during the winter. and his
sheep always look well. He is breed
ing the present fall about 1850 ewes.
| have seen los ewes in nne field, with
1903 lambs belonging to them. He
does this 10y paying attention to his
ewes / suppose his income b. his