The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-01-03
Editorial Notings.

interest to our farmers. With a low
tariff on wool, it is plain that the best
profit must be on mutton sheep. Maine
farmers are increasing their hocks of
these mutton breeds right along; and
the tariff has little or no ill-effect upon
the business. The maritime provinces
of Canada are also engaging largely in
mutton sheep for the American market.
l.. +. Abbott of Maine has an interest
ing article on the subject in Farm and
FireSide, from which we make the fol-
lowing extract: "No finer and hand
somer fattening sheep are raised than
are found in Aroostook county, this
state, in Nova Scotia and Prince Ed
wards Island; in fact, these sheep are
all related, as many of our Maine sheep
men get their rams and breeding ewes
from the latter island. These are
largely Southdown, Cotswold and
Shropshire. The eve lambs from
Aroostook pastures, mated with the
weighty bucks from the provinces, give
lambs which mature fairly early and
weigh heavily. To give a practical il
lu.tration: A Kennebec farmer sent
ten early lambs to Boston, and re-
ceived check for SIG in return. He
has flock of sixty sheep, and says he
can make about that number pay him
better than one hundred would proper
tionately. He had fifteen more lambs,
sent later, which netted him $40 apiece.
A Pembroke farmer sold twenty lambs
which brought him more cash than
some whole focks of ordinary sheep
would sell for in the fall. A short time
ago a York county farmer sent six
lambs to market, and received $5250 for
them. The possibilities of sheep hus-
bandry as a national industry con-
tinued my friend, taking broader
range in his remarks, have not been
appreciated as they should be, or as
they will be in the future. The
United States grows only four-ninths of
the wool we manufacture. Millions of
pounds of shoddy, in the shape of old
rags and WORKOUT wooden garments,
are brought from over the water, which
is mixed with little of something to
hold it together, and sold to the extent
ofmillions.of dollars. Notwithstanding
the low price of wool for the past few
years, Canada sends wool and mutton
to the United States, pays duties on
them, and then has profit left Are
not we Yankees as smart as our Cana
dian neighbors? 1t is no credit to New
England farmers that Canadian sheep
J farms supply our largest market to the
extent of thousands of lambs each sea-
son. The most of New England. has all
the facilities for raising sheep that
Canada possesses, and our farmers
neglect one of the most profitable
sources of income, that would at the
same time enhance the value Of their
farms, by neglecting to foster this in
dustry of sheep-raising."
IN raising these heavy mutton sheep,
Maine has the advantage of being a
comparatively level state. Still, there
are good many farms in Vermont quite
fiat enough for them; and the pastur-
age of much of Vermont is superior to
that of Maine. 1t is decided advan-
tage for our small farms that there is a
class of sheep so large, heavy and pro-
life as these mutton breeds. A large
sheep consumes more food than small
one, but is no more trouble to take care
of; and on many farms, where it is not
convenient to engage in dairying,
money can be earned by breeding early
lambs of these mutton sheep, with less
trouble and more profit than in any
other way. We would be glad to hear
from any of our readers who have ex-
perience in this business.
THE continued low price of wheat is
exciting good deal of attention. Rl-
raj Life, on this subject, remarks that
in the face of the continued low prices
on wheat one year after another, it be-
gins to look very much like case of
overproduction. 1t is said that Eng
land, and other countries that consume
more of this cereal than they produce,
no longer show any solicitude as to the
future. They know about where their
supplies are to come from, and know
them to be sufficiently abundant to
keep the price within bounds.
IN judging the quality of fruits, and
especially of little-known fruits, the
error of underestimation is very fire.
quent. Judgment is commonly made
upon exhibition fruit, which is selected
always for its exterior appearance, and