Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1878-06-14
Sheep

III is Boou sign 10 50
| ing up in our county in III
| Considering the value 01
| whole community, and espS
ing class, il is wonderful that 81
is paid TO him, and that he Shout
as second or third in the scale &
animals. lie supplies in the chea
| most wholesome form two of the three H.
sary wants OF man, namely food and clothifi7
No other animal contributes 50 much. He
should then rank first instead OF second or
third in domestic economy. 1t is ii good omen
to see enquiry and discussion upon the sub
| ject, and have read with interest the articles
from "RockIand" and Meadow Hail." and
unite with Mr. HalloweIl in asking the name
OF this new competitor for the prize CT the
| fleece. was surprised to hear that u farmer
near Brookevilie has reached Only 4 10 Al lbs
in the weight OF his fleece.
With your permission | will add my mite
10 the discussion and give my experience in
an attempt to improve both the carcas and the
fleece, and 10 lhis may he added "a manure
second only to Peruvian Guano, If not in dura-
bility, far superior.
About forty years ago | purchased from the
late Noah WorhiDg, Of Baltimore county who
had obtained them from the Girard Estate in
Philadelphia, full bred Soulhdown eve and
buck. Ny flock then consisted OF so or so
half-blood Merlno aud Mountain ewes. The
weight of fleece | do not remember, but il
was low down in scale, probably only from
three to four per head, curras il-shaped, light
and unthrfiy The infusion of Soulhdown
blood was quite striking and manifest in The
next spring lambs-lHrger, more compact,
thrifty and hardy. BY reserving the best
eve lambs, and culing and selling off the old
ewes with the buck lambs | soon found
my flock very decidedly improved. To
this improved flock ] added a Cotswold
buck, still continuing the culing sytem with
sale of buck lambs us before. The result was
that had in ~ few years the largest, hand
soonest aud most thrifty flock of sheep ever
owned. The annual clip OF wool from flock
OF from sixty to eighty averaging pounds of
wool, and sometimes little in excess of that
weight; my lambs and mutton always COM
manded ready sale at good prices in the
Washington market. From this huck | Sc
lecied twenty choice eve lambs, which kept
from the buck until the Fall before their Sec
ond year. From this lot got at their first
clip eleven pounds Of wool per head, and il
was from these ewes, think, that Mr.. WASH
ington Chichester got his first improved buck
lamb.
BY this system of crossing, cullng and re-
newing the buck my flock continued for many
years 10 satisfactory and thrifty condition.
The war coming on, the price of both mutton
by tempted TO further ventures in the sheep
line. bought 500 at one purchase and then
almost every lot that came along for sale, and
almost as repeatedly turning them over to
city butchers and SPECTATORS the largest pnr-
chasers from me being H.. B. Cashell and
Richard Kirk, Esqrs., of this county. Offering
lots grew smaller in number aud much
poorer in quality, but still bought as there
seemed TO be no end 10 the demand for both
wool and mutton. AT length small lot came
along which might almost literally be class
ed as halt, lame and blind. The seller, from
Pennsy lvania had ready excuse for their
iameness and poor condition. The lot being
small, it being all he could get and as he had
brought them expressly for me, | took them.
From that day | date the downward coEdi-
ton of my flock. The lot were deeply dis
eased with the foot-rot, disease wholly un-
known to my flock before and with which
they were soon innocuated- lame, lmping
and frequently upon their knees while feeding.
All lost flesh, some wool and many died. !
called 10 my aid Mr.. Jos. Kelly, of Laytons-
vile, who had had experience with the dis
ease. He with knife, blue stone and corrosive
sublmate operated courageously aud severely,
but all to no purpose. | had the modification
OF seeing my beautiful flock Of Cotswold,
number of which had still preserved, run
down with the foot-rot faster than had i'm
proved them by careful crossing and culling.
determined 10 get clear of them entirely and
give my pastures to the dairy so the contagion
LETT by almost every footprint should be en-
tirely obliterated. Three years after deter
mined to purchase from the Baltimore cattle
scales fifty common ewes, nineteen of which
were killed by worthless dogs, and since from
Mr.. Granville Farquhar, of Olney, a very fine
Sou midtown ram. My lambs this spring show
the same improvement as with my first exper
iment in crossing from an improved buck
The clip of wool of this spring has averaged
AZ pounds, and pronounced by the inspector
in Baltimore OF good quality and condition.
| shall not be satisfied until again reach the
yield of my twenty choice ewes, eleven pounds
each. A. b. DAVIS.