Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1880-09-24

and sheep breeders meetings. They
are always interesting, although not al
ways well attended, and / have often
wondered when riding among III hills,
dotted as they are on every side with
the locks OF our celebrated fine sheep,
or when leading a flock I'VE do not
drive, our sheep follow ont to pasture
or into shelter, or looking them
over as they crowd around one
for salt, and feeling the pride which
every owner of a fine flock feels in
his sheep-I often wonder why we
do not have more OF these meetings for
talk, discussion and display OF stock.
Why do we not? Ii seems that we are
such a rushing, driving, 90 ahead people
We cannot get time to stop and see just
where We are. Now, where are we?
That is u question which is pertinent to
every sheep breeder, particularly every
fine sheep breeder here to-day. Is an
American sheep the same in Vermont,
Wisconsin, Michigan or Illinois, as in
Ohio aud PENNSYLVANIA? | came here
Just from one OF these meetings-that OF
the West Virginia Wool Growers and
Sheep Breeders, held at Wellsburs, W.
Va, before whom | had the pleasure of
saying a few words, some OF which you
will allow me to repeat here:
Stretching away OFF to the North,
through Pennsylvania, into New York,
and toward Vermont, as if asking for a
helping hand, is the Allegheny branch
Of the Ohio river, while the other, the
Monongahe!a, ONE up from West Vir-
giuia, and those two branches uniting,
with one encircling arm around West
Virginia and a portion of Western Penn
sylvania, the other pointing north, form
the Ohio, from the waters OF which
comes the celebrated Ohio, P~ennsylva-
MIA and West Virginia wool which, in
the markets OF the world, commands
the highest prices, and for the manuiac-
tureo of certain goods il indispensable, and
must remain so; at least until some
other region comes up with a fibre TO
take its place. AS the beautiful river"
flows southwark the Great kanawha
and other streams come iii from the
West Virginia and Ohio sides, along the
waters OF which our people are learning
to produce a wool with which the
"Shires" and "DOwns" OF England
cannot compete. The quality it has, and
quantity is all that is needed to estab-
llsh itself as firmly in the market as the
finer fibre of the northern Panhandle
country. Onward flows the now broad
river to the cotton fields Of the South,
and as it mingles with the southern
waters and extends, as it were, a trater-
nal hand, she can exclaim, "others may
feed. We may clothe." Cotton and wool
are King and Queen OF the appareled
world.
Ispeak not of our wool of the upper
Ohio Valley in u Boosting way, coming
as l do from that section. l make IA
simple statement OF facts, when speak
ing OF the merits and intrinsic value OF
"Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virgin
ia" wool. Every wool market review II
which quotations are made sustain
this. l hold in my hand several wool
circulars from Philadelphia which are
issued every week, land from what | read
Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Vir-
ginia wool leads the col
umn, as il does in every
wool market report throughout the
country; then follows New Jersey,
Michigan, Wisconsin and other West
ern States and Territories. These woods
reach the highest prices and the heav-
lest sales, and some selections from
these fancy and medium clips bring the
highest prices OF any WOODS in the world.
Michigan folks often write us, "Why
is your wool quoted higher in the mar
ket than Michigan woOl?" Come over
and we will tell you. We have to-mor-
row fixed for discussing that very suO.
ject. We hope Michigan people are
here in force, and Wisconsin asks the
same question. Anybody here from
the Badger State-Sheep beeder, wool
grower and manufacturer? all these
claim to Give at home" in Wisconsin,
and the Northwestern Territories come
looming up with millions OF pounds OF
wool hunting a market in your city.
Who is here to represent them?
1t is to be hoped that every wool
growing State in our Union will be rep
resented tomorrow, as they may be for
ought | know here among Us on this
grand opening occasion. 1t is not, pro-
badly opportune that. they should have
aught TO say to-day. This brings SIM
ply an assembling OF greeting and wei
come, and yet a day which we hope will
usher in an era in sheep husbandry.
Let us as wool growers and sheep breed
| ers do our part in furthering this desired
result.
Ii might be pertinent to say here, in
addressing American wool growers, as
well as our citizen guests who are with
us today, that our sheep and wool in
terests are not what they should be.
Have we a distinctive breed OF Sheep
We have the wool already spoken OF as
quoted the highest in the wool markets.
The "Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Vir-
ginia," which comes from no special
| breed of sheep. American and Spanish
Meriuo, Saxony, Selisia, French, &C.,
sheea all help to produce this wool.
II is r we are working toward an
| American Merino, and while many of us
think it already the best sheep in the
world, vet It is not perfection, Tor rea-
sons that are known to none other better
than to the Merino sheep breeders Them
selves. Our Kentucky people have some
magnificent sheep, but we fear that the
genial soil of that favored State deserves
more credit than do the people. So may
il be said OF manv other sections vi our
! country. The soil and climate seem to
improve almost any kind OF sheep in
troduCed.
Speaking Of our shortcomings NAV
not be Just the kind of talk suitable Tor
this occasion, and the remarks
would not be made did l
not feel that the motive will be thor.
oughly appreciated. Our people need
TO be reminded of their grand oppCrtun'
tiles, which can best be done, maybe,
bv abiding to their shortcomings, anu
thus awaken them to a sense OF Their
own capabilities, and with the assistance
now offered by the general government,
we certainly have reason to believe that
a better era has arrived.
Comparisons may be odious, but we
cannot help abiding to some further
facts in this matter. Statistics give Eng
land 50, O00,O 700 sheep About the same
are set down to the United States by
some statisticians, who, by the way, say
a great deal, for reliable" men tell us
that figures will not lie. Nearly every
county or "shire" in England has ITS
distinct breed OF sheep, we are told, ana
while England is u small pent-up isle,
this whole broad continent is ours, and
have we a distinct American breed OF
N WILL