The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1878-08-02
TConcluded from last week.
SHEEP RAISING IN TEXAS.
Extracts from an Article by Geo. ". K,n-
dali, ESQ.

q
NEw BRAUNFELs, TEX. Ang. !, ls'S .
In the Texas almanac for 1855, |
see that ThOs. Decrew,. Esq, after
an interesting account of his own
great success IN. sheep raising Dn
MatagOrda Bay, sees fit to disagree
with me in my estimate of the ne
ccssity of breeding from no other
than pure Merino bucks. Now, Mr.
Decrow may be right, aud | allo-
gether in the wrong; yet his ar1u'
meut does not convince ME. that IL
grade buck, which is. perhaps just
as apt to breed back as ahead, Is ~
useful in flock of Mexican. ewes ~
square.built, compact, stout, viz
orOus, thoroughbred Mcrino, ~
animal perfect in all those parts
where the Mexican is is naturally
defective. r.u.:
/ this year sheared my grade
sheep, three and four removes from
Mexican ewes, which yielded s, 81,
and some of them 9pOunds of WOO,
and wool so fine that it would r..
quire sharp sampler to distinguish
it from pure Meriuo, while the ant
mails were perfect in form, lustl:
and of most vigorous constitutions
| could not have got along so fast
with grade bucks, and | think Mi.
Decrow was wrong when he says
that he had made up his mind "a
"sell or exchange his thirteen pure
Merino bucks,even ut half price, and
furnish his newly purchased Mexi-
can ewes 600 in number) with rams
of his own raising, from his own
flock in preference" The flock mas
ter who breeds altogether, from pure
Merino bucks, knows always where
he is, and when he will come out at
the expiration of certain time
but if he uses no other than grade
rams, lie is ever living in uncer-
tainty, and will never reach amy
particular end. g..
Ny great object is to breed up
until every sheep | maya0wp may
be safely marked a thorough, full
blood Merino, and In the course of q
few years, should ], liyes ! shall
achieve this result. 49,,
But not in d century could l at
tain an end ! deem 50 desirable
were ] TO breed continually from
grade rams, l do not wash my
Sheep at all, and for what I deem
good reasons. About the middle
of April, or at the time when one.
half MY ewes liate young lambs
at their sides, and the balance are
about to drop, would be the only
time | could wash in tliis region.
At this period / would hot race or
worry my ewes atall OH my account;
they should be annoyed rs little as
possible, and any advantage to the
fleece from washing cannot make
up for the injury to the animal. 1
might wash my bucks and wethers
without INJURY, and my yearling
lamb flock, made up of ewes and
wethers, and l might possibly try
the experiment, but my old ewes,
never. i'@-
Could my lambs come the latter
part of February, as Mr.. Decrow
deems best, l might then wash all
but in this high mcnntain region
yeaning time cannot punCtually
COME before tile latter part of
March or April, the very period
when we must commence washing
Dr sheating. We are apt to have
bad weather in February in this
section, aud even up'to the 18th or
2Cth OF March, Now, as my lambs
como ut the outset ut the rate of
,ver. one HUNDRED day, single
jold, rainy or s'eety norther would
larry of one.ltslf Of those dropped
Turing its cohtinnance, and hence
say that in this parallel of latitude,
md north pr it, our yeaning time
cannot confluence before the latter
part OF March, without running
great risk Of loss.