The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-12-07
Sheep in North Carolina.
Correspondence Home and Farm.

Correspondence Home and Farm.]
l have just been reading in your
valuable paper DR.. Wilson's letter on
sheep husbandry, which has interested
me and I hope many Others. AS l
have been engaged for over forty years
in farming and stock raising, and es-
pecially sheep and hogs, l will give a
little of my experience on the subject,
if you should think it worth notice
please insert for the benefit of your
would be stock raisers. 1 was born in
the year 1922, and raised in England
among focks and herds, my kinfolks
being large stock owners, caused me
to have a fondness for farming and
stock raising. l have taken great in
terest in this profession, and especially
sheep, for about forty years. In the
year 1874 l came to North Carolina.
Shortly after came here l imported
from Canada two car loads of thorough
bred sheep, of different breeds, but
chiefly Cotswools and leicester, only a
few Southdowns. l selected the num-
Der | wanted and distributed the bal
ance among neighbors, and after few
years trial l became convinced that
these fine bred Cotswool and leicester
sheep would not suit the Southern eli
mate. Our heavy rains would cause
the wool to par. along the back, leav-
ing the backbone naked and causing
them to take cold and running at the
nose, thus causing them to become
consumptive. My plantation being
too small for both COWS and sheep, [
sold the latter and advised judicious
cross with Southdown males which
some have done and made decided
improvement both in wool and mutton.
The Southdown being one of the best
mutton sheep, with fine, close wool,
which will prevent the rains from wet
ting the skin, requires less pasture, is
much harder than long wool sheep
and is always ready for the butcher.
They are very prolific and make a
handsome sheep, specimen of which
can be seen at Mr.. Stephen Borroughs'
or Mr.. John McMillan's, near Will
liamsboro they have two handsome
hocks OF said cross.
wish to say to DR.. Galen Wilson,
Mr.. Covington's line of procedure is
right, but he must be careful in start
ing with the right kind of stock. TO
insure success he must remember the
pure breed, long wool sheep in the
North will not thrive in our Southern
States. l would advise him to start a
flock of native long wool, common
ewes and a pure Southdown or
Shropshire Down buck-I should pre-
fer the former. l am writing from my
own experience. He can purchase
common ewes at s. per head, which
will bring him two sales a year first,
the fleece will bring about 81, and,
second, the lambs s., so the first year
will pay for his ewes and he will be
s. in pocket clear.
Some object to keeping sheep
because they want to keep COWS, and
sheep and COWS do not thrive in
pastures together, as the sheep take all
the sweetest pasture from the COWS.
But if any person wishes to carry on
dairy he can do so by pasturing the
COWS ahead of sheep. When the COWS
have cropped the pasture nearly bare
change them, then turn in the sheep,
which will do we'll on what the COWS
leave. They will eat of noxious
weeds, briars, sassafras and all kinds
Of bushes, and manure the land. 1t
has been truly said the sheers' hoofs
are tipped with gold; they are the
most preferred stock farmer can keep
if he is near a railroad to ship his
lambs North, as he can ship them
early before they are ready North. l
could say much more but fear have
already said too much. l enclose one
of my old bills to show you what my
reputation has been as a farmer and
stock raiser. GEO. SMERDON.
Williamsboro, N. G.
! Thousands of lives are saved annually
/ by the use of Ayers Cherry PectOral. In