Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-04-23
Results OF Depression.


A Western correspondent of the
Rural thus brings out the proper course
| for sheepbreeders to follow during
periods OF depression in their business
Depressed sheep and wool markets
should naturally result in better focks.
During the long periods of depression
which our wool growers suffered, they
should have raised the standard OF ex-
| cellence among their sheep. Did they
do it? To some extent, yes. There
| was general tendency to cut down the
size Of the t1ocks, and in doing that it is
naturul to suppose that the poorest were
got rid of. But the great decrease in
the number of sheep, which was
caused by low prices, was not 80 much
caused by cutting down the focks, as it
was by going out Of the business alto
gether. The sheep-breeder threw up
the sponge, sold his sheep and said he
would have nothing more to do with
wool growing. Many who did this,
however, have repented and gone into
the sheep they have bought are better
than those they had, in consequence of
the fact that those who continued in the
business weeded out their poorest ami
mails. But the men who sold out, and
have again purchased sheep, did not
learn the lesson that low prices taught,
viz: That nothing but the best would
come anywhere near paying. They
have that lesson, in many cases, vet to
learn; and 80 it may be doubted if in a
few years to come our focks will show
the improvement that they would show
if verybody had stuck and learned the
lessons that were taught. But, friends.
the sooner the lesson Is learned the
more money you will make.
New Trouble for Minnesota Farmers.
Prof. Otto Lugger, Minnesota state
entomoiogist, has found that there is a
most damaging disease at work in the
flax section of Minnesota. He estimates
that millions of dollars worth of flax
have already been destroyed in the
southwestern part of the state. There
are six counties in that locality where
the disease has set in. It may show It
self when the plant has just come
through the soil, when it is two inches
high. or when it is full grown. The
plant when attacked becomes black, the
leaves rot away, and the whole plant
disappears. 1t is disease which seems
to be something like the :'yellows' in
peaches, but ne has not made sufficient
investigation of 1t to be able to tell any,
thing positive. So far as learned this IS
the only place In the world where it has
appeared. Flax may be planted for
about three months in this latitude with
the assurance that crop will come be-
fore frost. Some farmers would plant q
crop early in the spring, and it would
come up nicely, be attacked by the dis
ease, and q new crop would be soWn !;
but this would in turn be attacked. He
is of the opinion that water is one great
r,1n .Nf hn n or,1 nit nc
one instance where water was carried
by little stream from a piece Of in
fected land to a piece OF prairie land.
The prairie was broken, the flax sown,
and the disease appeared. The rain
may have a marked influence in con-
veying it. He does not know whether
it is transferred by the seed or not.
The Sheep Industry.
Some foreign crank, sWelled up with
the awful Importance of the world out
side this country, and the superiority Of
Europe in particular. having made a
lew casual observations among the
sheeptolds of this country, has written
down as q failure. The fine wool Of
Europe he believed it was absolutely
necessary to import if fine clothes
would be made. On this subject Secre-
tary Rusk has been gathering some
data. In his recent report, among a
good many other valuable statements,
was found this one: This country pos
sesses a marvellous range of climatic
conditions, having "A degrees of latitude,
between 25 degree and 40 degree,
with attitudes mpassing levels
from the semi-tropical to those
of perpetual snow, and ocean
n o1I
coasts. Its soil ranges from those of
geological formations of the early geo.
logic ages to the alluvium of the present
day. A continent SO broad, so varied in
soil and climate, is properly designated
as the western world. and the United
States compasses all it's possibilities ex-
cept those Of strictly tropical and abso-
lutely polar areas. 1t can, therefore,
produce, with no limitations Of practical
importance, all the races and breeds of
sheep in the world. The families of
the Merino race, originating in Spain,
all thrive in this country and include a
large proportion of existing focks. All
the mutton breeds Of Great Britain. the
breeds producing medium and long
wool. flourish here, and are to be found
| scattered through the regions in which
sheep husbandry is fostered almost ex-
clusively for its wool production. The
coarse wool type is also represented by
the Spanish varieties, which went first
| to Mexico and thence to all our South
ern domain, and formed the foundation
| to most of the focks in all the territory
of the arid region beyond the Missouri.
There have also been importations of
Asiatic and African sheep in the South.
We actually possess the tlocks and pro-
duce the woods of three groups in the
customs wool classification; namely, the
| carding, the combing and the carpet
| woods. The supply of each class, it is
true, is not equally proportional to the
manufacturing demand, for very obvi-
Gus reasons, which have nothing to do
| with soil or climate, or impossibility OF
adaptation to the physical conditions
prevailing on the western continent.
Divided Milkings.
It ia very commonly known that the