The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-13
BRITISH AND YANKEE FARMERS
The Great English Ram Sales and How
They are Conducted.

They are Conducted.
New YORK, Feb. 1l.-Three pedigree
Southdown sheep were shipped from En-
gland to New York few days ago. The
general reader is scarcely likely to feel
frantic excitement over this bit of news. yet,
when we come to look into it, there is moro
of real and practical interest i'll the fact
than at first meets the eye. The arrival Of
these woolly strangers means business in the
farming world, and farming IS now about
the most moribund of activities. To the
people of the States this las very practi-
cal bearing, and the outlook for British
farmers is far more important TO the well
being of the British public to-day than all
the politics of all the parties, and American
farmers and the American people are af-
fected by their cousins troubles more directly
than many suppose. just consider the
knock down blow the British farmer has
had. What with bad harvests, low prices
and increased imports of wheat stnffs,
nearly ,000, 900 acres of wheat have gone
out of cultivation in the last ten years.
Between 1867 and 1897 permanent pastur-
age has increased about 8, 10000 acres,
which shows that the British farmer is look
ing to his stock to make up his loss on his
grain The total Of sheep and pigs has been
going down, and that of horses and cattle
going up year by year
England is the best customer America has
in her foods and manufactures In 1886
England bought and paid for Il put it in
round figures $1l ,50O, 600 worth of live cat
tie. $50 600 900 of bacon and hams, $l0, 600, e
600 worth of fresh and salt beef, $1,000
600 worth of cheese vile stuff too, erDer-
entid dOceD, $500, 600 worth of lard
! packed in pals and tin basins, that ruin
| the home trade in these wares; $780,
600 Of fruit and the same of fish and ST,
| 10000 worth of other articles of food,
besides sugar, oil, tobacco, tallow, grain,
| etc
My purpose is to present true picture,
not to theorize aboutit This much is OBJ
vious, and the statement treads on no polit-
ical corns, the good old jug-trot days of
prosperity for the British farmer are gone
| for ever. He must and can secure return
of prosperity, but it must come by new
channels. Perhaps the American farmer
will soon have to join John Bull in find
ing new avenues and new methods and
aims
Yet we scold the American farmer in a
fathe"ly sort of way. Why on earth is he
so shy of sheepl Yankee don't care for
mutton. Don't theya Well, just see how
they enthuse over a good leg or shoulder
when on their travels in the old country!
And our English, Scotch and Welch NUT
ton is dish to smack the lips over tool The
mutton we get in America is tasteless in
comparison, and, for the matter Of that, so
is beef. Well, good Farmer Sam, just you
do as our wise Britshers do; go in for real
good breed of mutton sheep. Start a flock I;
it won't cost much, and you may bet that
you will create bigger demand for deli
clous mutton than you will be able to supply
at first, and from first to lasryou will find
that mutton will pay better than wool.
The annual sales of pedigree cattle, horses
and sheen are among the pleasantest picnics
business men enjoy You go right into the
country, for the sales are on the home farm
grounds. From one to three hundred guests
sit down to substantial and sumptuous
luncheon with wines. A celebrity takes the
chair, toasts are drunk and speeches made,
and then you adjourn to the ring, pitched in
a lovely meadow, with the landscape
around Just putting on its warm autumn
tints The crowd is as merry as it is cosmo-
politan, many II jokeis cracked as the splen-
did beasts fall at the livey bids. Some of the
livelier rams require men to hold them, and
often they break away and leap right over
the ring Of buyers. Walters serve cigars
and champagne during the sale, and every
body votes the day has been one of the jolli-
est in their lives.
| have met many Chicago men at the
great pig sales in the old country, but Won
derfuly few at the sheep sales. There are
breeders Of sheep who put up fifty or sixty
rams at their yearly auction and get an
average of 500 10 $3.50, and | have seen
many a ram fetch $500. Frenchmen, Ger
mans, Italians, Dutchmen, Australians, Cape
Colonists and all sorts attend these sales and
buy largely of the splendid Leicesters,
Southdowns and Oxford Downs 10 keep up
the hocks in their distant lands. But
America has not yet thought much about it,
apparently. OSCAR LYNN.