The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-05-19
SHEEP HUSBAMDRY.
Valuable Suggestions as to Most Impor.
tant Industry.

you detest puns, ana tnls equlVocal WoIu
may make bachelor tremble. But you
are certainly deeply interested in agri-
culture, as your paper has long shown,
and I remember year ago agriculture
took a large interest in you and your pa
per.
I spent the afternoon of April 18th
with our friend, Eldred s. Addison,
walking and riding over his magnificent
farm. It is three miles from Ninety Six,
in Edge6eld County, lying on Beaverdam
and Ninety-Six Creeks, in the heart Of
the famous Cambridge landslide most
fertile uplands In the State. The plan
tation contains 800 acres, is beautiful for
situation, abundantly watered, thorough
ly fenced with wire and plank and shows
everywhere the hand of master. / have
no time for detail, and besides, the owner
is modest man who stays at home and
successfully handles and drives his own
business. am intent to tell yoa and
your readers about his sheep. and Incl
dentally other things.
Mr.. Addison carried 130 sheep through
the winter. March Oath he sold to an
Augusta butcher wethers and IA lambs,
averaging so pounds, for 6 cents gross.
He has now n lambs, very many Of
which will weigh 80 pounds, and proba-
bly, none as low as so. They are all
ready for the table and I really believe
would compare favorably with an equal
number from any farm in the Union.
They would create a furore in Fulton
Market, and would tempt the most fas-
tidious palate in auy land. He will keep
some of the finest for his OWN use-table
and flock. Will sell many for fancy
prices to men who desire to improve their
aocks, and the balance 60 to the butcher.
But for this be could market every
lamb to-day for So per head for the ia
bic.
1 am facing the important question,
does sheep farming pay here in our
County3 Mr.. Addison thinks it does,
and presents the proof. Some years ago
he bought this place badly run down
from cotton culture and unwise tillsge
and grazing. He has at least doubled its
value, and although be has reputation
for fine horses, keeps large herd of cat
tie aud many hogs, and has sold pure red
oats throughout the State, be believes the
prime factor in this development is the
sheep.
Firet, his present acck s-e psuned
nightly, and with them alone, he annual.
ly makes very rich eight acres Of land,
moving his pens about every ten days.
The money value of this land cannot be
ESTIMATED. Every farmer knows what q
COW psn means, and sheep droppipgs are
richer than COWS. 1t means heavy crops
of barley, which can only be made to
perfection on penned land, oats, rye,
clover and turnips, and is good for life
time, if properly graded and titled.
Els sheep are large and heavy wooled,
as you can judge from the crosses named.
He began with grade Merinos and Cots
void ewes, breeding them to the best
Broad Tailed rams be could buy in the
country. They combiue size, wool and
mutton flavor to perfection. His flock OF
old sheep will probably shear six pounds
Ger head, They are large, very fat, and
having constantly cleaned bis pastures,
his wool will command the very highest
prices.
Sheep give annually three returns when
properly managed, wool, mutton, lands
enriched. They are close feeders, destroy
no1ious weeds and give us the only
chance to redeem the bald red hills of
our splendid County, gutted by century
of cotton culture, and scalded by blazing
suns on lands without covering We
need sheep on every farm. We covered
thousands once and now have pens, and
these left to the tender mescies of the
weather and dogs. Not the dsrkey, for
he does not love mutton-his affections
are centered on the pig.
It is very remarkable that the only
book on sheep husbaudry in the South,
and particularly in South Carolina, vas
written by Mr.. Randall, a famous sheep
farmer from New York. Visiting Gov.
Aston, be was so impressed with the su-
periority of our soil, climate and natural
range for sheep that he published book
which will be revelation to every read
or. can only say that he declares that
a line from Georgetown to Memphis is
the diameter OF the finest sheep range In
the world-America, Europe or Asia.
Read 1t. This industry is peculiarly
suited to white people. From the birth
Of the sheep to his death he needs such
constant care as only white man can
ard will give. The lambiDg, the watch.