Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1888-10-11
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.
The old-Time Way Of Raising Sheep.


In the agricultural States, where
land is $50 to 800 per acre, and wool
at the low prices ruling to-day, the old |
plan Of raising sheep Is n thing not to
be considered by any thinking man.
Such 1t was In Illinois forty years ago,
when prices OF grain and land were
very cheap. An open prairie afforded
excellent pasturage six months of the
year. The price OF sheep was dol
lar. Wool was for many years so
trifling as to be almost nominal. The
few sheep we sold were cash ar
ticle, as was also the wool. 1t
came in as godsend to pay taxes
with in the. spring. No business pur-
pose or methods were considered. We
kept sheep as our neighbors kept
flock of geese, 'just because some body
else did"
Between the dogs and the hogs, and
lambs coming at any and all times,
freezing in winter in an open yard or
around a straw-stack, and the few
diseases we had then, we managed to
keep our numbers up and have few
whethers to sell each year, and occa-
sionally a mutton for family use.
The mishaps with the lambs and dogs
and hogs were of small moment. In
summer they had no attention unless it
was to salt them. Sometimes when
the dogs were raiding the hocks, they
were hunted up by the children and
penned at night with the cows as pro-
lection. In the fall the sheep were
taken up and kept at the farms, not al
ways of their owners. They were fed
a half ear of corn apiece once day,
In some sort of hollow log trough,
and they ran their chances in the
corn-stalk fields and at straw stacks
with the cattle and colts. They had,
may be, ration Of corn-fodder, and, at
rare times, hay or sheaf oats.
At shearing time each farmer got his
cwn sheep, or balanced with his neigh
Dor in number of fieeces, as all sheep
taken up were wintered. The expense
was trihe, and easily arranged be-
tween each other. Two or three dol
lars was big price for a ram; four or
five dollars was proof of insanity-akin
to building sheep-shed, even. There
was one fact about such business: If
we got one dollar out of sheep or wool
1t had not cost us ninety-nine cents.
We considered each dollar we got as
almost clear one. This was pioneer
sheep-raising.
When we came to using improved
rams and keeping pure-bred fiocks,
shearing six, eight and ten pounds of
wool in the dirt, we felt that we were
getting about as far along as we had
any right to hope. We had barns and
conveniences that we felt put us at the
top and in front. We felt that we had
reached the highest point as sheep
raisers, and had perfect right to
grow rich. There were none doing
better for their sheep than we were.
If man was making money out of his
sheep, we doubted his veracity or con-
cluded he was taking more pains than
was necessary, and more than we
could. II he paid $25 for ram or
$40 for eve, we said he was foolish,
and would never get his money
back. We ridiculed all improvements
and all progress in breeds and methods
of management, and decided to stay
where we were and wait for boom to
come; it always came, and we got
ahead some.
The few who have managed to make
little money out of sheep every year
have been laughed at for taking SC
much pains. Instead of trying to find
out how they did it, some of us have
staid by sheep because others did; be-
cause they used to pay, we think they
must again. Our fathers kept these
same sort Of sheep, perhaps, and they
were as good as any body's. We care
for them as well as most of our neigh
bors, and so we are respectable
enough. We can not afford thu
outlay for new rams; it will no
pay. We can not see how feeding
fifty-cent corn, thirty-cent oats anf
fifteen-dollar hay, and buying whea
bran or oil-cake to feed, can pay; but
, the queer man over the way who does
this claims he has as much money ou
,, OF his sheep as his wheat or cattle.
|, We do not see how feeding sheep fol-
mutton can pay. 1t never seemed t.
us sheep would fatten in the winter
Mutton lambs sold petty well. bu'
they seemed TO be lots OF trouble. 81,
and eight pounds of washed wool t.
, the fleece was pretty big yarn. w
. had as good sheep, and only got three
, or four pounds, and we did not see hov
it was; in fact, we did not believe it a
all. A fat wether, two or three year
old, that would weigh 1875 to 20
pounds after shearing, and bring Sc o
, IS, was little too big yarn to be be
lieved. Any way, it cost too much t,
! raise it; there could be no money in il
a And so we grow more and more dis
gusted with sheep, and grow poore
and poorer. We growl and complain
and find fault with dog laws, and woo
buyers, and wooden manufacturers, an
4 politicians, and Congress, and swea
: we will quit trying to raise sheep, eve
= If mutton is selling for Sc per 10
pounds, and some men getting 81 pc
fleece for their wool, and mutton lamb
1915 per 100 pounds, and If our farm
grow poor unless we keep sheep to ca
: up cheap feeds that would otherwise g
~ to waste, and clean up fence corner