The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-05-02
BEEF AND MUTTON.

a dispatch from Chicago states that meat
has advanced SO per cent in that market.
Inquiry in the trade hardly confirms the
newspaper story; the advance is not 50 per
cent, as stated, and it has not spread
throughout the country. Still there is
enough truth in the dispatch to warrant the
assertion that meat is on the upward grade
in the great distributing market OF the
United States, and that other markets may
follow. The cause is simply that cOnSump-
ton has overtaken production in this as in
so many other commodities. The American
people are for the moment eating more meat
than usual; in the course of a few months
equilibrium viii be restored.
In this State there has been no advance in
the price of meat. 1t is selling for about the
price which ruled a year ago. But mutton
has gone up from about 81 cents TO So
cents in the past twelve months. This has
been caused by diminution OF The territory
devoted to sheep pasture For ten years
the number Of sheep in California has been
steadily declining. Wooi-growing has been
less remuneIatiYe; the price of fieeces
has fuctuated apparently without cause.
Dealers and W0ol-brokers Try to account for
the fluctuations on theories which will not
fact that is certain is that wool-rasing in
this State is not as profitable as it is in
Michigan. Ohio OF Texas. In consequence,
fockS of sheep are diminishing in numbers.
Hence legs Of mutton are becoming a deli
cacy.
Within a few mouths, a new departure
has been inaugurated by the Introduction
into this State of the English Southdown
breed Of sheep. These animals reach, at
or 3 years old, weight of 100 pounds to 125
pounds, whereas our sheep raised in MendO-
elmo, Tehama, Colusa, and in the San Joa-
quin Valley rarely exceed 80 pounds or 80
pounds in weight. As the careasses are sold
by the pound, and the Soutndown sheep
does not cost much more fer food and herd
ing than the California sheep. it is obviously
more profitable to raise animals that will
weigh 100 pounds than animals which only
weigh 90 pounds. But here a new factor
comes 10 play. which, like the sorrows Of
the w0Ol-grOwerS, goes to the bottom Of the
industry
In every woOl-raising county, except Cal
ifornia and parts Of Argentine, focks of
sheep are carefully provided with pasture.
which is easily accessible and ample Tor
their sustenance. In Australia the sheep
walks are rented from year to year, secure
" fenced and kept in good condition. Here
sheep have to forage for a living. They are
let loose On the Coast Range until they have
eaten every green thing thereon. then they
are driven across the valley to the SieTraS.
where they are turned out to browse On
such grass and plants as they can find on
the broken foothills. A sheep in California
has to work his passage to market. The
work is SO aTduous that it involves a serious
strain on the animals strength and quite
accounts for the tough legs of mutton we
find on our tables. Our small, hardy. wiry
sheep, which dress not over fifty-fve pounds,
can stand it, but the Southdowns. with
double the weight to carry, break down un-
der the load. Hence it is feared that the at
tempt to domesticate the English breed in
this State will not succeed.
AS general rule, whatever is worth do
ing is worm doing well. Pasture is the
natural use to which wild land is put in
thinly settled countries, but when agricult-
ure gets a footing and population arrives,
pasture land can only be made profitable by
observing the rules which experience die
tates. Flocks of sheep viii not thrive nor
their wool rank high in the market unless
they are carefully tended, pastured on good
land properly fenced in. and so supplied
with food that they will not have to per-
form gymDastic feats TO get a mouthful Of
grass. Until sheep-raising is conducted on
these principles it will prove an ungratefuI
pursuit, and those who follow it viii wish
they had devoted their time and their ener-
gies to some other calling