Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-06-18
Practical Hints to sheep Breeders, No. 2
BY 5. n. ROCKWELL.


VIII Sheep Breeding Pay
Can Vermonter do better than to breed
sheep suited to the trade ? Let us see. He
is already the owner of flock Of 100 good
ewes Of good style, age, and yield Of wool.
Their estimated value is $50 per head.
His buck was obtained for S100, but is in
reality worth thrice that sum. If he is dill
gent and attentive to business he will raise
at least 100 lambs from his 100 ewes. A
gentleman in San Joaquin county, California,
owns flock of 1000 ewes, l,300 Of which had
2,400 lambs this season, thus increasing his
flock 120 per cent. Nearly every eve produc-
ed twins, and twenty Of them triplets. We
will suppose that at the age of one year, the
100 head of young sheep are sold at Sl5
per head; nay, less-as low as half this price,
$3.50 each. If he deducts $3.50 as the
cost of wintering, there remains 5000, giving
him the interest of
One Hundred Dollars
to each breeding eve her fleece paying for
her keeping.
But will not age by and by sweep away
the flock and the capital be sunk 7 Never;
no, never. After you have reared and sold
substitute the last crop for the original one
let the young step into the shoes Of their
mothers, aud the business is perpetuated,
and the capital is as valuable and productive
as ever. Surely sheep breeding in Vermont
pays largely, and will for a quarter Of
century to come, and we think for twice that
period.
But will not wool growing in the United
States within a few years be overdone and
the price of wool and sheep greatly decline? ?
We reply, there is no possible
Danger TO he Anticipated
in this direction. The best authorities
estimate the entire worlds wool product for
1873, at 1,743,0O0,O00 pounds. OF this
enormous quantity, Europe produced sS7,-
O00, 1000; Asia 500 600, 900 pounds; Austria
lia 1SS 900 900 pounds United States l30,-
600 900 pounds; and South Africa 3S,000,-
900 pounds. The United States imported
in 1872 9S,306,58l pounds of wool show
ing plainly that they grow only little over
half Of their annual consumption. The guam
tity required in the United States equals a
yearly average of Ave pounds to every man
woman and child therein. OF the entire
stock in 1873, 160,000,000 pounds were
used in domestic wooens, 2l,000,000 in
shOddy, 100000 in hosiery, 100000
in worsted, and
Twenty-Five Millions in Carpets.
When we consider that the population of
the United States doubles from natural
increase (not counting foreign immigration)
every twenty-five years, thus enlarging the
wool demand, it is more than probable that
a score Of years will elapse before we shall
grow wool sufficient to meet the national
demand, to say nothing of our foreign in
crease.
The yearly immigration to this country
is large every fifth person among us is
foreigner, or his descendant The rush TO
our shores from the old world is constant
and increasing. These all with our own
increasing millions must be not only fed, but
clothed. As it is the fashion for all children
to be born naked and needy, 80 ever year
increases our demand for wool to the amount
Of
Three Millions Five Hundred Thousand
pounds over the previous years, requiri Dg
an increase Of |, ,000, 900 sheep at least, to
meet the requirement. For the last FIVE
years the increase Of sheep in the United
States has been very small. 1t is proper
tionally less to the population than in 1870.
The number slaughtered and eaten in our
American cities is astonishingly large, and
becoming more and more so yearly IL is
safe inference to state that wool growing
will not be Overdone in q lifetime to come if
ever.
1t is suicidal policy for the United
States to pay out yearly $5O,OOO,OOO for
wool imported from abroad. 1t ought not
10 be necessary. We ought to grow not
only all we need for home use, but millions
Of dollars worth for Great Britain. England
in 1870 imported to supply her manufactur.
ing and other interests 1855, 1927 ,724 pounds
Of wool. Iu 1871 her importations increas-
ed TO l79 10000 pounds. In 1872 her
net imports were LAT 7,629,l85 pounds
This is evidence that there is foreign mar
ket for any surplus Of wool we might choose
to grow. Let wool growers recognize and
remember this important fact, and direct
their efforts accordingly, and enlarge their
business. Yea; increase your hocks
One Hundred Fold.
| AoN S"A ANAhA JuoN OOhOop1lOh VI thO hh-
pOrtance Of the sheep interest to a country,
from the recent statistics which come from
Australia. 1t appears that the income
from tho sheep industry excels that frOm
the mines, and amounts to over 8 100, 900 900
per year. The Importance Of the interest
in this country, II not 80 great, is we'll ad-
vanced toward it, last years clip being
worth from S60,0O0,000 to $4,000. 900.
But there is no good reason why the returns
from this branch of national industry should
not equal, yea, surpass those Of any country
in the world We have all the requisites
for success, and ii the interest could be re-
leased from the embarrassing effects of leg
islation, and il the education Of the agrioul-
tural mind upon the sheep question was
made little more thorough, the United
States would rank in the value of its sheep
] industry,