Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-09-10

IFtkN. anu Nv uhlNNViHHit ~ ffH''
winters the majority OF these range
iiocks do wonderfully we'll. Their
greatest trouble has been the scab, IL
pest now Ia process of subjugation, -
earnest effort, assisted by the scab law,
will do IT.. The owners of these large
bands OF sheep can give handsome tlg-
ur.s ~ the profits of their operations,
and white nearly all of them admit
that lnst winter gave them pinch, III
parties investigating the sheep-raising
business la Texas desire to learn some
thing definite concerning the ups aud
downs of sheep-rairing, there, In the
west, il the place Ia to find the men
who, from small beginnings, have re-
allied returns that place them in COM
paratively wealthy circumstances.
OF the difi rent breeds the Spanish
Merino Is the general favorite ia TeNas,
especially in the great range OF the
west ON account of their Woodworking
qualities being superior To NIL others,
and for their superior herding quail
ties, The wonderful power of the pure
bred Merinu ns breeder To improve
the wool production nf inferior sheep,
and increase the quantity OF the staple
will cause them To continue To hold
their high p0sili n, although an at.
mixture ~ other blood may be coLe<id-
cred desirable for the sake OF mutton
unalilie. IN tile range sheep of the fu-
tllc. Their great rival to-day Is the
French MerirrD, u branch OF the same
family. larger bodied, longer legged
and equally good herders. These
French Merinos are being largely in
troduced from California, having their
advocates who consider that they will
take the front rank in time. Some
sheepraisers are using Cotswold rams
and others Southdowns. in anticipa-
ton of time when transportation 10
market will be cheaper, and by others
who consider mutton should be an
equal object with wool. As all Yves
tern sh,ep must be grass-fattened and
herded In large numbers, the desire Is
to obtain q heavy shearer, with n car
cass weighing l25 pounds. The aver
age weight OF Texas muttons now is
not over ninety pounds, so there is
room for improvement. The farmers
sheep not being entirely dependent on
the range, and being nearer the great
markets, and with u local demand con-
tinually increasing, are still Merinos
but are being crossed with the mutton
breeds with good success, though Me-
rino fines the wool, and after crosses OF
Colswold or Leicester, do not make it
too coarse In the opinion of many
| well-intormed sheep raisers of the
farming sections, an early matur-
| ed mutton sheep is the most
profitable to be raised. The Mex
lean sheep pure and simple, the
slightly improved sheep of New Mex
leo, the Missouri low grades, Colorado
sheep, something of the same class rs
the Misspurian Louisiana sheep, very
little better than the Mexican Cali
fornin Mernos, both Spanish aud
F'ench; well graded lerinos from
Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois
/ and Vermont, with here and there u
| thoroughbred flock of every breed, can
! be fonud ia North and Western Texas
+; "a molly mixture, turning ont every
| variety OF wool from the finest
to the coars grades. When once nc
climated, either grade does we'll auu
IT Is difficult to shy which j. best adapt.
ed TO the climate. The prices of sheer
vary very much, according to the grad,
ana the necessities of the parties sell
ing. The Mexican, rs the lowest
grade, sells for 81 per head, with re
duction for lambs, If not Improved, OF
at equal price If improved /; and every
| pound OF wool can he said To add 3,
! cents per head TO flock, SO that sheer
shearipg three pounds sell for $50
shearing four pounds, for So, and SO OF
up To the heavy shearers, which sci
for - to SO; while some fancy sheep
well enough graded to turn out breed
ing stock, are held and sold from So u
Sl5. There being no regular market
or closely defined standard of grade OF
quality, there is Il wide difference Il,
prices paid. Considering the outcome
In flock of sheep, under proper care
aud the transactions OF the past few
months, sheep have been purchased n
| highly remunerative figures.
The number ofsheep In North anG
| Western Texas Is bard to arrive NJ
The assessment rolls of the different
counties only gave the numbers on TIA,
first of January, aud siuce that tim,
numerous iiucks have been driven anc
| shipped In, the later losses of last win
ter have To be deducted, and the lambs
added. North of the Missouri paciii,
from Marshall to III paSo, there cat
not be less than 3.0O0, 900 sheep, whicl
viii average in value S3 per head, an,
shear n good average OF four pounds o
| wool. In the extreme western coun
ties the average is about 800, whicl
gradually lessons TO about 50 head; fo
each individual owner In the eastern
timber counties.
] The greatest and only drawback o
any Importance 10 the sheep-faisins
interest Is the want of better and cheap
er transportation facilities for muttons
To ST. Louis it costs 81 per head L
send aud sell muttons, and To Chicago
about Sl.95, including commissions. /
this was all the trouble IL would not
heSo bad, but the sbrinkage in transi
IA an equal expense, because the NUT
tons taken directly OF n bright, greer
prairie do not take kindly to u diet o
hay which Is sometimes OF inferior
quality. If the railroad companies
would permit double decks II would bl
a great advantage to shippers, but rs
the railroad companies see ~ CORES
ponding disadvantage to their own in
terests, IL Is hardly to be expected
that n favorable change will be mad,
until opposition eau SEES competition
This will come some day, and possibly
| with IL the establishment OF slaughter
houses and refrigerator transportation
| which, II saving nothing else, musi
save shrinkage and preserve the sheep
/ raiser from the fluctuations ano
changes of the markets.
The majority ofsheep raisers consid
er themselves injured hy the reduction
OF the tariff on wool, which had III,
effect OF lowering the price of staple at
least - per cent. They feel that tn,