Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-04-23
UNION AND AMERICAN.
FARM AND GARDEN.
SHEEP HUsBAEnRY IN TEzNEssI

SHEEP HUSBAEnBT IN TENNESSEE
Every one interested in the pros
perity of our State Is invited to ponder
the facts stated below, which we copy
from a letter written by a farmer in
Franklin, Tenn, to the COUntry Gentle
man.;
Such a thing as feeding the sheep
during the winter I have not thought
Of. 1 give my Owl experience and OBJ
seTvatiOns, and let others Judge the
matter as they please. Ihaye wintered
20 head Of Co.swold sheep. l DO not
believe they have consumed 1000
pounds of fodder and hay, and not 4
bUshel Of grain. They are fat enough
for mutton now, and rave been through
the winter. They have lived upon blue
grass and rye, and there have been but
few days this winter when they could
not make their own living. They have
lived out IN the open air, until they
commenced dropping their lambs; then
! gave them the opportunity Of taking
shelter, but did not compel them 20 do
50. Up TO this time they have saved
me 80 lambs. some Of which viii now
weigh from 30 to 20 pounds. ! have
one eve which dropped three eve lambs,
and she is raising all three Of them.
a majority Of the ewes have saved,
and are raising two lambs each.
This flock averaged about 5 pounds
Of wool each last April. The present
prospect is they viii do better this
spring. 1 clipped and sold from one
yearling ram, last spring, i pounds Of
wool. sold It unwashed for 30 cents per
pound, amounting to $50, and sold
the ram for $40. 1 sold ali Of my last
springs lambs for s. each, and am
now selling. or rather engaging, the
ram lambs for S. each, and refusing to
sell q lingle female. The flock IS IN
perfect health. and has made its own
living; so that If I am any Judge,
s~beep-raising IN this State, If attention
was given To it, would pay. On an adj
iying fam, one of ny ~neighb0rs has
four ewes raising twelve lambs three
each, and the fifth had three-twO
white and one blsck-but unfortu-
nately she lost the col0red one. l give
the prices, not as an advertisement,
but simply to show 1t what low rates 1
disposed Of full blood stock IN this
locality, compared with the prices men
toned in This paper-frCm SIS to $50.
It seems strange TO me that we DO not
have more farmers from the North to
settle IN this State, especially when
our lands are so low, so productive, and
within - hours run of New York city,
over the best roads. j.. b. d.
Il the lambs above described are full
bloods, it would be a great mistake to
let one Of them 90 to the butcher. A
pure blood ram, If not too old, that
viii clip seventeen pounds Of wool, even
II uEwashed, is worth much more than
ten dollars for producing half blOods on
our best native ewes. Really prolific,
healthy sheep Of this breed should be
multiplied as rapidly as possible. One
hundred males can give existence to
from five to ten thousand half blooded
Cotswolis in one year, and to as many
tbree-quarter bloods the second year.
The power Of sheep, when properly
cared for, to increase their numbers, is
very great. and with over twenty mil
lion acres Of land in the State not cul-
tiva d at all, we ought to keep at least
twenty million sheep, If the business is
found profitable. Mr.. George Grant,
the founder Of Victoria Colony,
in Western Kansas, on a purchase
Of 2SS.C0O acres Of land, has bought
1000 Mexican ewes with which he has
placed Cotswold, S0uthdown, Oxford
Down and Merino rams Of imported
and pure blood. These sheep have
winterrd well, and are dropping lambs
by tho thousand. He keeps them
while ont on theFprairie in Hocks Of
about L.UOo head, and be viii coatinue
to purchase till his sheep number
100000. He thinks the Cotsvold and
Oxford Down make The best crosses.
The editor Of the Rural Neg Yorker
says: Samples of wool Of these Cots
void grades were shown us, for which
he has been offered here in New York
forty ceass a pound, unwasbed.' These
facts sIesk volumes in favor Of sheep
husbaudry IN the South and West.
The temperature at Victoria the
past wiz sr has been as low as A de-
greas below freezing, which demands
warm stables and houses for ewes with
Young lambs. We have no cold wealth
er ike that in Tennessee, and none of
the terrible winds of the plains that
sweep down from The Rocky Noun
tains. IN our superior grazing State,
there drops from the clouds, IN the
course of a year, nearly three times as
much water 10 make grass grow as
falls IN Kansas. It is time for our
l~andholl,rs and practical farmers to
learn 70 utilize this Gift Of Providence
IN s. ui.a a ciimat.. The fault is all
ouI .gu if we neglect SO great oppcr-
turi jos for making money by honest
industry.