Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1880-04-15

From the Kansas City Journal.
The fourth annual sheep.shearing Of
Nj. Samuel Jewett, which took place at
his farm near Independence, Mo-, on We'd
nesday, and the first annual shearing of
Mr.. C. Pugsley, on Thursday, were per.
haps the most interesting events, to stock
men as well as the public generally, that
have transpired in the county during the
year Or in fact, for several years, for in
point Of interest the shearings of this year
were much better than all Of prior dates.
The two gentlemen, Mr.. Jewett and Mr..
Pugsley, live in the same neighborhood,
their residences within one mile Of each
other, and their farms divided from each
other by the county road three and one
half miles northeast OF Independence, are
to use a vulgar expression, at the "top
OF the heap" on fine wool growing and
Merino sheep raising in the county, or in
fact, in the state of Missouri, and are rec
ognized as such by every one.
The honors heretofore have been pretty
equally divided between the two gentle
men, neither gaining much advantage
over the other in point Of quantity or quail
| ity Of wool grown or superiority Of the
breed of sheep. As above stated, this was
Mr.. Pugley's first public shearing, he
heretofore having contented himself with
attending those Of his neighbor, Mr.. Jew
EFT; but this year, having embarked in
| the sheep business on a larger sCale than
heretofore, he determined upon the shear.
| ipo, of Thurs1oy opd - 10 poadloss to odd
that the grand success Of his first Shearing
has more than repaid the trouble and ex-
pense incurred. As Mr.. Jewett's shearing
was held first, the figures, etc, of it will
be given first in this report.
The guests began to assemble early, and
by ten o'clock the shearing was COM
menced. Mr.. U. p. Bennett was made
chairman, and the following committee
appointed to receive and weigh the heeces
as they were taken from the sheep: j. p.
Arnold, of Texas, B. C. Shoecraft, st. Joe,
Mo, p. Chew, St. Louis. Mo-, r. W. Cen
try, Scdalia, Mo, o. W. Eaton, Russell,
Kansas. Fifteen sheep were shorn, OF
which two were bucks aged two and five
years, eleven breeding ewes and
two eve lambs. The heaviest fleece was
that of the FIVE year old buck, 'Matchless'
and weighed 81 lbs. Z oz. The lightest
fleece was from breeding eve No. Ill, and
weighed IL lbs, Is or. The total weight
of heeces of fifteen sheep was 275 pounds,
making general average lSl4 pounds oi
wool per head. The longest measurement
OF staple was AZ inches; the shortest
inches, general average 32s inches
These figures to an inexperienced person
would not seem large, but every
one posted in fine sheep and wool growing
will readily see that it is seldom such
records are made.
The attendance at Mr.. Pugsley's shear
ing next day, April lst, was not quite sc
large as that of Mr.. Jewctt's, but the In
tcfcst manifested was il anything greater
on account of its being the first.
A weight committee was appointed
about 0 o'clock and the shearing COM
menced. During the day eighteen ewes,
twelve breeding, and six lambs were shorn,
the fleecas ranging In weight from eleven
and quarter to eighteen and a hall
pounds; also four rams were sheared as
follows:
W'gt of W'gt OF
ANIMAL. Age. carcass fleece.
Young King % mos. POI lbs. 92I4 lbs
Stump the World year. 1888 lbs. 2516 lbs
Nissouri's Best 10 mos. 81 lbs. l5IS lbs
Young Banker lyesr. 90 lbs. 1871 lbs
The total amount of wool taken from
the twenty-five sheep shorn, including
four rams listed above, was 1852 pounds,
making the general average seventeen
pounds, lacking an ounce, Of wool per
head. The longest measurement of staple
was FIVE inches from eve lamb No. IL,
and the shortest two and three.fourths
inches, from eve lamb No. 5.
| From the above figures it will be seen
that the average weight of lleeCes of Mr.
Pugsley sheep was not quite as large as
the average of Mr.. Jewett's, but when il
is taken into consideration that Mr., Pugs
ley's sheep have been out in all kinds oI
weather without any shelter whatever
his average is fully equal to that Of Mr.
Jewett's. Old wool growers informed the
writer Of this that sheep exposed to tht
weather would lose, on an average, three
or four pounds of wool per head more pei
year than sheep sheltered, In quality o.
wool and pureness Of breed of sheep there
is no difference between Pugsley ant
JeWett, as the herds of both are precisely
the same, being the pure, imported Span
| ish Merino. The four rams sheared by
NJ. Pugsley, listed above, are, with the
exception of "Young Banker" his owr
breeding. young Banker" was bred by
! f. A. Harrington, Addison, Vermont. Hi
sire, "0ld Banker" had the reputation o.
being the heaviest in that state. The
weight of young King" as given above
is something extraordinary for a Merinc
sheep, and it is doubtful if one ever at
tanned that weight before. Mr.. Pugsle,
has about fifty ewes to shear yet, which
will average fully as much wool as thos,
shorn Thursday. His entire crop Of WOO
this year will be about 1000 pounds. Hi
| herd Of Mernos now numbers in tn,
neighborhood of 400 ewes, which, with or
dinary good luck, will be doubled during
| the next year.
| Making Religion Ridiculous,