The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-07-31
Sheep Snfcrcsf.
Coming 70 Their Senses.


For the past year nothing has been
heard from Texas sheepmen except
that business mad gone to the dogs and
the sooner sheep were gotten rid of the
better. But here is mana. MCGreg.
or, ir., of San Angelo-who tells diff
terent story, and from our point of
view his opinions seem to be right.
Mr.. McGregor says, in letter to the
IeDuS Lire Stock Journal:
There seems to be general DISPOSE
ton on the part of flock.masters all
over the country to get out of the wool
growing business at almost any price.
Sheep are offering for sale everywhere
at one.f fourth of the price they would
have readily commanded but a very
short time ago, and even at these
figures buyers are not very numerous.
Why such exceedingly low prices for
sheep should obtain in this State,
or why wool growers should be SO dcs-
perately anxious to sell out, requires
some more plausible explanation than
the mere reduction in the price of
wool. That the reduced price of wool
should be matter of sufficient moment
to the Western wool-grower to induce
him to change his business seems reas-
enable enough, but this very fact that
owing to the great reduction in the
price of the staple, the Northern sheep
raiser on his high-priced land deems it
advisable to market his lambs, fatten
and dispose of his flock and then turn
his attention TO some other, and at
present more profitable department OF
husbandry, ought to encourage the
Texas sheep-raiser who has sense
enough to look little beyond his nose
to persevere in his business. This in
sane desire to get rid Of sheep at any
price is certain to produce one result.
and that is, to reduce immensely the
amount of wool grown in the country,
and as natural consequence, as soon
as the general depression of business is
over and the demand for manufactured
goods begins to increase, there will be
shortage in the supply of the raw
material, prices will advance and the
"golden hoof" of which we heard so
much few wears back will regain its
popular favor; then the tlockmaster
who had grit enough to hold on to his
sheep through the season of adversely,
or who had sense enough to know that
the time to buy was when everybody
was anxious to sell, will reap rich re-
ward. Probably the real reason why
so many sheep are for sale, at such low
figures, is not so much that the bust
ness does not pay, at least a good
living, and what business has done
much more of late? but that the own
ers of sheep are very generally suffer-
ing from what is commonly designated
Financial embarrassment" This does
not at first sight appears to be very
encouraging point in connection with
the business, but before passing judg
ment on the long-sutlering wool bear
ers, let us see if there may not be
some eXtraneous reason for the i'm
pecunious condition of the average
''pastore." A little observation is all
that is needed to convince anyone that
the man with a small flock, say 1900 to
2000 head, who has his land or part of
it fenced, who has been in the habit of
providing winter feed for his flock,
and who is not in dcJt, is making
comfortable living, and Is not advertis-
ing his sheep for sale. On the other hand
the man (and ii is very sad fact that
he is numerous) who borrowed money
to buy siXdOllar sheep, who bought
large bodies Of land on time, and who
of course has had to do credit bust
ness all the way through, finds that
old II per cent is too much for him,
and sees that he must liquidate in the
best way he can. 1t is an cover true
tale"that too many Texas fockmasters,
10 of fa
years ago and imagining that these
profits were to continue always, led
astray, too, by the facility with which
money could he borrowed, and too
ambitious to be content with doing a
profitable business on a small scale,
allowed themselves to be led into the
snare above indicated, and now they
find that although the value of their
property, and their income, has depre-
ciated fifty per cent, their interest ac-
count looms up in more appalling pro-
portious than ever The condition of
their business is such that, with the
heavy payments of interest to meet
they are running at loss, and the
longer it continues the more they lose
They must sell-there is no help for it.
This state of affairs is no indication,
however, that wool-growing is not a
good business in Texas to-day. Let a
man who will buy range, fence it and
put part of his land into cultivation,
buy his sheep at the present prices,
keep out of debt and try no short cuts
to fortune, go into the wool. growing
business in this section and he cannot
find a IN ore pleasant and more profita-
BILE business anywhere.
No Cause for DiscOuragement.