The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-07-09
SHEEP.


Npounds of wool and this year will go largely
10, excess of that, i, isevident that the sheep
interests of the state are immense. Say that
the wool nets the growers twenty cents per
pound, we see tht from this source alone
more than two million and a half, say in
round numbers So 600 900. was brought into
tho state. Every year the wool product is
increasing, not only in quantity, but in quail
ity, because the Il jcks arc increasing in nuns
bers and the grade ofsheep being improved
by crossing the coarser kinds and their
progeny with full blood Merinoes. Before
the war there were but very few
Merino sheep In the state. A year
or two before the war began, here and there
In western Texas you would find a sheep
herder who was introducing Merino bucks
and putting them wi h his aocks of Mexican
sheep, and here and there you would 1ud
few Cotswolds aud Sou,hdowns. The war
coming on the sheep interest was to some
extent neglected--st least sheep breeders
were unable to impoI! the 1Aer bucks and
ewes for tho improvement Of their A,cks.
AS soon as the war was over, however. this
interest began to revive, and as rapidly as
they were able 10 buy them, the sheepmen
would supply themselves with full-blooded
Merino bucks and ewes, and they have gone
on thus until now u very large msj rily OF
the sheep In the state are Of high grade,
having been bred up from
Mexican ewes with Meriuo bucks.
Every breeder has his flock of thorough.
bred Merinoes, growing larger every year,
and there arc some breeders 10 tho state who
give their attention exclusively to raising
full-blood mcrinoes, depending moro for
profit on tho sale Of young bucks and ewes
than on the wool. As the state becomes
zach year more and more populated, and
the vast pasture lands now sustaining mil,
lions OF sheep are encroached upon Tor sgri-
cultural purposes, we will SEQ the locks les
sened In nze, thoroughbred Morinoes taking
the place of the graded sheep While this
will decrease The number of pounds of wool
produced In the state, II will not re-
duce the income from that source,
for the difference in price ia favor of
pure Merlno wool over the graded wool
will make up for the falling of In tho ag
gregase OF pounds. /. his been but little
over three quarters o. a century since the |
Merino, sheep vas first known in America
Col. David Humphreys of C,nnect icul i'm,
ported one hundred pure Merinoes from
Spain In 1902 and 1910 and 1911. Consul
William Jarvis, of WesthersileId, Vermont
and Others introduced many. more. In fac,
during the year from 1910 &c 1911 some 20
0oU head wcsexs.sorfea from Spain, aud
they comprised selections from all the bcs,
and most celebrated of tho old Uabsnas or
aocks Of the migratory aocks Of that coun-
try at tho breaking GU! OF tho French and
Spanish wars. AT this time these
were the finest and choicest wool pro,
ducing sheep in tho world, having
been preserved with the greatest
care and mono had been allowed TO
leave spain except now then as royal favor
The vicissitudes Of war and tho cona.cstion
Of essatea, however brought many Cabsnas
into market and hence II was that the breed
was obtained In this country. ltsoems that
tho representatives Of tho different Cabauas
varied In their characteristics, some ::excelli, G
In size and constitution, somo In the siza OF
their nsece and some In tho quality of their
wool. by judicious crossing Of those varie.
ties, the. American breeders have been ens>
bled to produce Merino combining all
these qualities, md tho result is that there
has been an increase In the quality of the
wool and In tho weight Of the lsece from
three 10 hvo times that OF the original
imporsstions. II Is tho descendants of these
imporsasions, procured from tho eastern and
northern portions Of tho union principally,
that our sheep breeders use, for the improve
mens OF their stocks. So important has tho
pure blood Meriuo become In tho wool,pto.
duoing economy Of tho country, that, ~ In
tho case Of tho thoroughbred horse, registers
Gro now kept Of tho aocks. In Vernon,
there are three hundred and lfy registered
locke; Ia Ohio and Michigan, each ono hun-
drsdi about sixsy In New York; afy or moro
10 Wisconsin. aud smaller numbers In
Maine New Hampshire, Massachuse,,s
Connecticut, Illinois, Missouri, Pennsylvania
Wet virsnis, Kansas, Colorado and .Te,ss
While these shtep in ths moro hilly portion,
and colder climate Of New England have DO
come great favori.es and have reached N,
gtsstss improvements, 20. hero III Tcxu,
where they I'D climate so similar Ia ,h,,,
nNivc Spain, they thrive ard cue
csed admirably, and tho limo Il NO
sAr distant whom tho rcglslercd fl,cks Of Gu
state Will equal In hunter shoso Of any o,he
sSsss In Mo Uulpn. Already Texss wool |,
sought LOT 10 The market, and Ia another d,
eads II will b. d NE sop Of NE Market On,
euss Me great vool growing slate Of u,
sssiss country. By hat ums w hope I,