The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-03
HOW to Make sheep Pay.


-a,,s the american AgriculturiSt. 1t is
+r-,,a that there has been a very small in
o-sasa in the price of wool this year, but
+b. ner cents of gain will not put lasting
baothone into the sheep industry. The
action of the treasury department in con-
s+-ring the law more in favor of the wool
Grower. in putting the higher rate of duty
IN the wool worked aud partly manufac-
+rr9d. than was paid hitherto, will also aid.
The wool grower. of course, should and will
Welcome any and all gains which will en-
banca the demand for American woods and
add ANYTHING to the price. In my judg-
n,ant we must build up the sheep interest
cast of the Mississippi on the meat basis
Our~Aocks must be bred, fed and handled
NOW for the mutton which can be gotten
mt Of them. East of the Mississippi river,
vybere sheep are bred for wool, there never
will be and there never can be much income
obtained by the increase of the flock. The
vigor of the flock is exhausted in the wool
in the production of greater fieeces. The
basis of American sheep husbandry, with
the wool idea, must be the Merino breed
the thick and heavy feeces of this breed
are produced at the expense of early ma
turiUy, or a goodly frame-a meaty car
cass The blood must be stimulated to pro-
duce yolk. aud a thick stable to dffuse it
among. We sold our fine wool, of most
excellent quality and weighty feeces, for II
cents per pound, unwashed. The feeces
averaged pounds. This made total Of
81 IS on an average, per sheep, of income
About half of them had lambs.
East Of the Mississippi river the average
cost for keeping sheep one year is not less
than 81 DO and in all the Atlantic states it
is S. The wool of my flock will pay half
the keeping of my sheep, with cents over.
If every eve had scored a lamb they would
not be worth, Merinos, more than 50 each,
any time duringthe summer or autumn. If
kept into the winter they would cost all
they would gain. In fact, lambs, yearl-
ings, or 2-year-olds will not pay for their
keeping. with only the wool for an income,
aud this is all there is; unless the future in
crease of the eve, the lambs she may yean,
are taken in the account. When this is
done, then the annual income must be
charged, with the back charges for raising
Is not this a close business! Although my
Merinos were of the best and thoroughbred
could not afford to keep them. There
were no sales at extra or fancy prices. and
Rad to keep them on a mutton and wool
basis. We are now eating the mutton OF
sheep which cost $35 each. l am still a
sheep man, but not on the wool basis. Wool
must be made an incidental consideration.
1t must come in secondary. My ideal is
mutton. 1 do not build entirely on mere
theory Ny castle is not entirely in the
air
We have sheep Of the mutton breeds. A
number of ewes, whose pedigrees were
mixed, but with dark faces and good-sized
bodies, produced lambs which went to the
butchers when 3 months old and brought "a
each. These ewes sheared pounds of wool
each, which brought % cents per pound,
making 81 10 each or IS 10 income. This
is not big showing, but it is the result Of
a common sheep business. My new sheep
must do better. The lambs must be made
for the shambies, to bring S. before they
are 4 months old, and the sheep mast shear
more, at least pound more. This will give
me Sc 80 a year income, at the same price
for the wool Sheep enterprise must not
stop here. We must breed for twins, and
feed good enough to make them bring a
first-class price. The Dorset Horned blood
will help to increase the births, as it is
natural for these sheep to bear twins and
triplets They are also mutton breed. l
am looking for a multiplying result by in
fusing this blood in our grade mutton
sheep The Hampshires are a typical mutt
ton breed, with black and medium WOOL
My enthusiasm for sheep must not die. It
shall not. Their flesh is the best meat-food
God gives us, and we must have it, and
have it as a nation. | want to see the
brains Of the American people, or at least
the sheep-breeders, not to become dulled
with disappointment and little increase,
but to be quickened and sharpened to meet
emergencies and to stand fast to the sheep
Industry of this great country. We must
not become imbecile on the sheep question,
but sft the business with larger meshes
and with greater scope in breeding and
feeding, meet the issues of the present,
which demand sheep for meat, and sheep
with better prospect of double income.
There is no doubt that with all of the diff
ferent breeds of mutton sheep, the propen-
sity to produce twins and rapid growth
may be increased by keeping them in
\smaller focks, and feeding more wheat
Nran and oil meal. We want to stimulate
We bodily organs and not enervate them by
Afing them out with fat. There is very
Ate father and mother in fat. Any of our
Atton breeds will do to start with and to
hild up the flock with suitable food and
re, and in addition use for sires the best
ptton blood to be obtained. All of the
ck-faced breeds are adapted to make
dmutton.
y ideal Of a flock for profit would be
Fly, thick feeced, black faced ewes of
breed l could get, or even high graded.
Then cross them with Dorset Horned
should expect with this mingling of
Ito get lambs Of fine quality, quick to
ire and lots of twins. An income of
pas OF wool and $40 worth of lambs
II put new face on the sheep bust
and 1t IS worth trying for. l have