The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1892-09-24
CECIL FARMERS CLUB.
The Regular Monthly Meeting
at MIR A. IL. MaIraW'S.


Nottingham on Wednesday. Sevcra
members of the Club being either Juror.
Or in attendance at the September tern
of Court now i'll session, the attendance
for that reason was not as large as usual
At eleven o'clock Joseph Coudon Esqr.
President of the Club directed the call
of the roll of members when the follow
ing responded to their names: Enoch
Mccullough, Jos. Coudon, il. r. Magraw,
John P. Wilson, Thomas c. Bond, E. L.
Duyckinck, VIM. E. Gillespie, and III.
r. Torbert. The only visitor present by
invitation was the Rev. DIR. S. A.
GayieY.
Reports of experiments being in order
Mr.. Duycklnck said that he was only
partially prepared to report the result of
his experiment in several paintings of
potatoes with coal ashes, wood ashes,
with wood ashes and bone mixed, and
clear bone. Mr.. Duyckinck said he
had hoped to have been able to report
some definite result from his expert
ments, but owing to the unfavorable
season for potato raising, he was not
able to report a specific result, which
would show the comparative values of
the manures used by him. Mr.. Wilson
stated that although the season was
generally unfavoraple for potatoes, he
knew a number nf excellent crops Of
them grown from early planting, which
had reapcd the benefit of timely rains
| MIR. Mccullough stated that his expert
ment with potatoes this fall demonstrat-
ed to him the advantage of planting
whole seed. That he had planted about
an acre and half. In three rows
planted with whole potatoes of ordinary
or medium size he had raised thirty
bushels, from the next three rows planted
with cut seed, he had only grown eleven
bushels. He used barn yard manure
and Farmers Favorite on the patch
treating che paintings alike. AS COM
parative result, he though it indicated
the advantage of whole seed planting.
There being no other report of expert
ments and the essay being in order, Mr..
| Magraw offered aud read tho following
| paper on
THE HISTORY OF SHEEP.
Mr. PRESIDENTIAL recent meeting
of the club at Col. Noyes', cur host read
an essay on Sheep, ii very interesting
subject, and thinking an amphtication or
extension of his remarks would interest
| you, l will once more occupy your time
and | trust briefly with what | have
been able to compile on the Subject.
Cuvier divides the numerous varieties
distinct species:
The Owls Ammou, the Argali, which
is remarkable for its soft reddish hair,
short tail and name under its neck. II is
found in the rocky districts of Barbary
and the more elevated parts of Egypt.
Second-Ovis Tragelaphus, the beard
ed sheep of Africa.
Third-Ovis Musmon, OF Southern
Europe, and
Fourth-Ovis Montana, tho moutlon OF
America, which nhabits the Rocky
Mountains of North America, but which
is now believed to be the same as the
Argali of the mountains of Central Asia,
the higher plains of Siberia and north
ward to kamschatka. This leaves only
three distinct species of wild sheep as
yet discovered.
The centre of their habitat is the
immense mountain ranges of Central
Asia, the Pamir and Than Shan OF
Turkestan. Here at an elevation of
5000 feet above sea level, is found a
magnificent sheep called Owls Poll, in
honor of the great Venetian traveller,
Marco Polo, who met with it in the 18th
century. They are essentially inhabitants
of the elevated or mountainous part OF
the world, aud never frequent by CD Dice
either level deserts, open plains, forests
or swamps
There are no fossils of sheep except in
the most recent formations, and it would
seem if they and the goats were created
at about the same time to lead man from
arbarism and war to peaceful pursuits,
and play a very important part i'll the
worlds early history. 1t was the blood
of a lamb that guided the destroying
angel past the doors of the waiting
Hebrews in Egypt. A ram took Isaac's
place, and a lamb in the Christian dis
pepsation Is the emblem of the ST. Nv
rap.le innocent Savluu.,
e.oss and sins of the world. s-.ss'ass
| &c one of the signs OF tL....
Aud ar','rg tho heather was held sacred
as typifying the attributes Of the gods,
Jupiter and Osiris being often pictured
with rams horns.
Sheep constituted the principal wealth
of the Jews, and the term pecus (cattle)
OF the Latins, whence was derived
observation-disclosures. was applied to
them. Sheep can into Northern and
Western Europe long after the goats,
and were unknown above the Rhine and
upper Danube until after or about the
fall of the Roman Empire. They were
fourd however in Southern Europe. We
| are now told that the..story of the Golden
| Fleece was nothing more than the first
importation of sheep into Greece. In
ancient days only their pelts and milk
! wsre considered valuable, the milk being
abundant, pleasant and nourshiug. The
| flesh was not held in esteem. Now we
we value them for their wool, flesh aud
fat, and well managed tiocks carry fertil-
| ity wherever they go, the droppIngs
being richer than any other manure
| except that of fowls.
The Argali, or Rocky Mountain sheep
called Big Horn from the immense size
| of its horns, is found in tlJcks of from
three to thirty, from the upper Missouri
| and Yellowstone River to the Rocky
Mountains, aud the high grounds on
| their Eastern side, as far south as the
| RIO Grandc, east to Mauvaises Terres of
| Nebraska, and west TO coast ranges of
| Oregon, Washing ton and California. 1t
is not found in the billy regions near
HudsoDs Bay.
There are no less than 40 we'll marked
varieties of the domestic sheep, and yet
so remarkably resembling one another as
to leave no doubt of 4 common origin.
| A remarkable influence of climate is
shown by the merino breed which de
velops tendency to grow an additional
pair of horns when transferred from
Spain to Peru.