The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1879-07-18
The Best Paying Sheep.
Southern Live Stock Journal.

Southern Live Stock Journal.
Said a man to me the other day,
"what did you get fer your wool p
We told him. why" said he,
"you have not got the right kind
of sheep to make money out of.
Your neighbor outsold you badly /;
he got &c. per ID. more for his wool
than you did for yours.n We were
stunned. His sheep cost 81 80 per
head, while we paid $40. His
sheep though averaged 81 tb to the
fleece and ours II fbs., at ten and
one-half months growth of fleece.
Yet, we + told, he gets more for
his wool than we do for ours, and
must have the best paying sheep.
The highest priced wool does not
settle the question at all, as to the
best paying sheep to keep, by any
means. 1t is an important item
to consider in going into wool
growing aud sheep-raisiug. Yet
the wants OF the manufacturer do
not alone answer tho question.
This is palmer to loDg-woOl grow
ers now than a few years ago, when
manufacturers wanted it long and
Rno matter how coarse.
1t is often noticed that our
Merino sheep differ greatly in
deeces. In the same flock will be
some with long, elegant fibre, fine,
even elastic, crimpy just what
brings the highest price of all
woods. Merino wool 4 inches long
grades as delaine, and commands F..
the top price. 1t is always found
to be from sheep with light t1eeces.
These sheep are not covered all
over with wool as others are. They
are usually plain, large, strong
with long noses, not much
wool on the head, legs or belly.
usually are good breeders
md excellent mothers, with abund.
lnce of milk. Just why this last
act is true, [ can't answer, but
suppose it to follow the rules of
lairymen in selecting deep-milking
COWS. These ewes class as delaine
derinOs. They differ very much
rom the wrinkled, compact, pony
,uilt, DEMONSTRATING, oily-feeced, .
Iensely-eovered from nose to toes, 1
highest standard American Merino
,heep. Nor is the difference in ap- {
'earances and in quality of fleece ]
Iear all the comparison between
hem. They show age much SOON |
at four years old a breeding c
we ought to shear her best fleece, '
f well kept, and not crowded too a
lard with rich, stimulating feed. c
1t 81 years old II delaine Merino 5
heep will have failed very notice. c
bly, on all parts of the body, while
he head, belly and legs will shear !.
cry little wool, aud that not fleece. I
Iool it will be kind of crimpy, .
stuff. A heavier shearing =
l%erino, kept same way in same Z
ock, will shear, at each annual :
hearing, from 5 to 8 lbs. more wool =
a the same condition-just as it = :
ONES from the shearing-t table, and, l
a breeding eve, will show little, q
any, falling off till eight years d
Id, and then it will be in dryness
nd shortening of the fibre more !.
han in density and equal covering y
t the carcass. There will be two
r three cents difference in the
rice of these two grades of wool.
here will be five to eight pounds
.ifference in the heft of their
eeces until six or eight years old. i.
hen the delaine Merino sheep will A
ardly shear a fleece that will pay
IT keeping. The DEMONSTRATING 3
Ierlno will continue to breed and
near satisfactorily till ten or
yelve years old, and often four or {
years longer. In rare but we'll
lthenticated instances, they have
until twenty years old. In
two comparisons | have taken y
10 two well defined types of Me-
no sheep. Often there are whole
Of Merinos that run fairly