The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1879-06-27
MERINOS ~. NIWVES.

hEhfNOo W. aNiffp TO- -
Much has been said and writer
npon the subject Of sheep in the lasl
FEW years, aud still there is room
for a great deal more To be said
upon this subject, one OF the most
important industries of this section
of Mississippi. There is no doubt
in our mind, nor we might add, in
the MUD of any one who has
investigated the subject, that sheep
culture on the coast is Il profitable
business, and II which is going
to assume, in II few years, proper.
tons beyond the anticipations OF
the casual observer.
At the present time there are
several wool.growers Oh the coast
VINO are making ii very remunera-
tive business ont of raising sheep,
and yettheir profits are not near
what can be realized ont of the
business. In order to make the
business what it should be our
w0ol.growers must increase their
pasturage by setting out Burmuda
and other grasses. and improve the
grade by crossing with Merinos or
other bloOded stock of sheep.
Wool from native sheep raised in
this section is classed as Lake, and
commands from six to eight cents
per pound more than ny country
wool, and the MerinO wool com
mands almost double the price of
Lake. This spring when Lake
wool wasquoted at sixteen to eight.
cen cents, we knew OF Merino sell
ing at thirty.five in small quaint
ties, and no doubt forty cents
would have been paid at that time
for choice lots in quantities.
This country ispeephiarly adapted
to sheep culture, and the sooner
our people begin the raising of
sheep and improving the breed the
better Oft will the "cow counties"
be financially. AS regards the
superiority of Merinos oven native
OF common sheep we present below
letter from Hon. A. r.. Lewis, one
OF the most successful sheep
r~aisers i'll Mississippi, written to
Col. w. Il. Stuart, of Ocean
This letter was not written
TO be published, and Col. Lewis
will only know of its publicity
when hereads 1t in the DEMOCRAT
STAR this week. The opinions OF
! man of Col. LIS experience are
weighty indeed, and well worthy
% be read
WEST PAsCAGoULA, June IL, 1879.
Iol. w. r. Stuart:
Dear Colonel 1t is really astonishing to
zee how blind the wool-gr0wers of South
mississippi are to their interest in persist
to raise COMMON scrubs when they can
Il SO trifiing "a cost, not only improve the
but the quantity of their wool by
nerely getting pure Merino bucks to cross
their native ewes. | have, in several
nstances when sIearing, picked up at ranl-
ON patches OF equal nuniber OF half and
uarter grades of Merinos and the common
and the difference in the weight OF
ent. i'll favor of the graded sheep.
he $25 apiece l paid you for the bucks ]
lore than paid for themselves the first
The increasing demand for Lake wool
hould stimulate our folks to greater eXer- 1
ions to increase the supply. Thu only 7
way to succeed in that, is to i'm !
the wool and weights of fleece. To S
lcrease the number of sheep, pillow up the J.
Id broom-sedge fields and brier patches
ow idle and so abundant in our impover- '
she'd South, and put in that standard of ,
IL grasses, the much abused Bermuda '
The woOLgrowers, like other avo- {
%ltions, should leave the old ruts and
larch up to the tune of improvement of
his progressive age.
IreInain truly your. friend,
A, L. LEWIS, {