Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-01-03
Sheep Jnterest.
ANSWER TO "SOME QUESTIONS"
BY AN OFFICER OF THE VERMONT MERI
NO SHEEP BREEDERS ASSOCIATION.


the article entitled "Some Questions"
published in the REGISTER of late
issues.
While it would seem hardly necessary
to answer such articles as those Mr..
Dimmock has furnished for your paper,
it may be well to correct some mis-
representations, misstatements and ex-
plain the animus of those articles, and
defend the sheep Register from his
attacks upon it.
A man who has been expelled from
an association for the use of the labels
by which it provides for the indenti-
iicaton of the sheep it records con-
trary to its rules can hardly be expect
ed to bear much good will to that
association or allude to those labels in
a very kindly manner; but it is rather
surprising that such a man should
attack the association and compel it to
expose the reason of his hostility to it
and his contempt for the labels.
The drift of the articles is an effort to
|
sheep in Australia, South America or
anywhere else. The articles are
species of Misrepresentation and as re-
markable for what they Withhold as for
some very misleading, not to say I'M
warranted, assertions.
In the very outset the question is
asked, why those II carloads of lambs
bring but little more the price of NUT
ton lambs. TO show that this asser-
ton is misleading it is only necessary
to say that the principal part of the
shipments of Mr.. McCaughey to Aus
tralia were included in those shipments,
and that the prices he paid were far
above those paid for the large French
crossbred rams that have been shipped
from Addison county for five years
past.
Again, Mr.. Dimmock asks the ques-
ton, why does not Australia open her
ports to our sheep if they want them?
1t can hardly be possible that the
writer of that question does not know
that the quarantine against our sheep
also operates against the French sheep
and was found necessary to keep Cal
ifornia scab from scourging that coun-
try. Perhaps it would be we'll for
Eastern breeders to see to it that she
does not send the same disease this way
also.
Again, there is sneer in the price
given that Mr.. Markham obtained for an
American ram GOO guneas). Let us
reduce this to solid American gold, and
we find it amounts to $1,000. If we can
sell American rams in Australia for that
price, the breeders of Vermont Merinos
hardly need be discouraged or cross with
French to get S. to $l5. 1t seems also as
matter of fact that the two shipments to
that country last spring from Vermont
have been sold, and that the two enter
prising young men who took the sheep
, there are already purchasing more 10
take to the same market. On this point
| am permitted to make the following eX-
tracts from letter received by breeder
in Addison county from one in Australia
''lou will be glad to learn that one
half and three-fourth bred Americans are
selling well here. Mr.. Macfarlane has
realized from 100 to 300 guineas fol-
some of his"
What is required are the true "Ver,
monts." "Don't venture on French blood
the Spanish is infinitely preferred"
In regard to sheep sold in South Amer.
lea, the prices on which Mr.. Dimmock
quotes-I am Informed by reliable gen
lteman lately from South America and or
whose statement place implicit reliance
that those sheep were not Rambouilettt
nor bred in France, but were bred from
some German crosses, by celebrated
breeder in South America. Mr. Dimmocl
neglects to inform the readers of hi:
article that the hundreds obtained were
the national dollars of the country, worth
at that time only about 40 cents in gold
which am informed was the case. Mr.
Dimmock also neglects to state that som,
Vermont rams sold for $500 and 5000 il
the same kind of money, nor does h,
state how much he sold the Vernon
ram purchased of Byron Smith for.
gentleman just from South America say,
that % rams, represented to be the bes
Rambouilette flock of France, imported
into that country last summer, were beg
ging for customers when he left; all tina
was asked for them was 5000, nationals
worth only $50 or $50 in gold. A yer,
few had been sold for that price-no
enough to pay for the cost of importation
and keeping. The same gentleman ais,
met an old sheep-breeder from Texas, VIII,
said those rams looked just like some i'm
ported from France into Texas som
years ago and sold there at good profit
the importer went back for another 10
nd oil ho Ia 4