The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1878-08-02
Sheep Raising near the Gulf Coast.

mountains, and with high ATTITUDES.
The true home OF the sheep has
usually been, in the minds of most
people, located in such countries as
Vermont, Scotland and Switzer.
land, while fiat countries in low
latitudes have uot been considered
suitable localities tor sheep.
People of cold countries will
have to unlearn il great deal of er-
ror which has crept into their minds
in relation to Southern soil, climate
and people. And their views of
the South as a sheep.raiSing cOun-
try will have to be revised, if they
desire to obtain the truth.
Last week we took trip to Ocean
Springs, eighty -four miles east of
New Orleans, on the Gulf coast,
and called on Col. W. II. Stuart to
obtain some fresh items on the pro-
grcsS of sheep raising on this coast. t.
We select Col. Stuart because he
is an enthusiast iu the sheep bust
ness. He studies the matter more
than any man we know of on the
coast except Col. A. Il. Lewis, of
PascagOula, where we hope to visit
next month, and from whom we eX-
pect to obtain more facts in regard
to sheep raising in this country.
Col. Stuart has lately displayed
great energy in bringing to this
place pure blooded Merino bucks
aud ewes, as pure us can be found
in America. He will pay special
attention to the breeding of pure
blooded merino sheep for sale, as
well as for the wool and other con
siderations.
No sheep stands this climate bet.
ter than pure Merinos. They are
as healthy AS they are in Vermont
or Scotland, and their wool is as
fine as that OF the best Merino
sheep anywhere. The best pine
land sheep along this coast usually
produce 81 pounds of wool, which
has usually sold, since the war, at
from % to 2S cents IA pound. These
sheep have no shelter, winter or
or summer; and no food, except
what nature furnishes in the woods.
They are not salted, and receive no
attention whatever, except to know
their whereabouts, mark the lambs,
shear the wool and sell the mutton.
The MerinO half breed, with pre-
cisely the same attention, will pro.
duce from five to seven pounds of
wool, which sells at much higher
prices than the common woOl--full
blood MerinO vt SO to 40 cents a
pound. We are informed that one
sheep raiser on this coast last year
sold twenty-five thousand pounds
of wool. There is no more healthy
county for sheep and other animals,
or for man, in the United States,
than the portion of the State of
Mississippi that fronts on the Gulf
of Mexico.
The wool of the pine woods sheep
brings a higher price than that of
the common breeds in other pOr'
tions of the South, and the half
breed wool brings much higher
price than common wOOl-neally as
much as the wool of full floods
Col. Lewis, of Pascagotia, has
purchased of Col. Stuart two full
bloOded Merino bucks, and writes
to Col. Stuart thus: "NOw let me
congratulate You on your persever-
ance and your more. than apparent
success in changing the old OK
wagon system of raising sheep on
this Gulf coast. You have practi-
cally demonstrated, by your sys-
TEN, that you have made more
money on your fifty Merino sheep
than your neighbor on 400 scrubs,
and that with less care and expense
with feed" While we were at Col.
Stuart's he shipped to Col. j.
WolkaIt, of Bay st. Louis, full
blooded Merino buck. Col. W. did
not desire any but full blood at
any price.
Mr.. G.. w. Kendall, one of the
founders of the Picoyunc, writing |
from his great sheep fache, i'll Tex
as, said "My object is to breed up |
until every sheep may own may |
be safely markcd a thorough, full
blood Meriho and in the couse OF
II few years, should | live, / shall
achieve this result"
Henry s. Randall, L. L. d., in his
valuable work on sheep, says:
" None Uut the full blood Merino
ram should be used under any cir
cumstantes.- A different course
would at best lead to Il retardatiOn
of the desired improvement of
more than many times the cost of
the necessary full blood rainsj and
the degree of improvement would
become wholly matter of uncer-
tainty."
VALUE OF WOOD ASHES AS A FER |
i... TuIsER.
Much has been published for |
many years in the agricultural
ionrnals of the country in relation (
to the value of wood ashes. No
farmer or g;irdeuer, of any intelli
gence, now permits his ashes to be
wasted. They have not only an
immediate; but a prospective value.
Their good effects on almost all
kinds of land, including clay and
sand, can be seen in some instances
for half century.
Prof. s. w. Johnson, of Connec-
ticut, in a late analysis, says that
the averlne cnmnnSitiOn of wood