The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-07-04
AGRICULTURAL.
Sheep and Wool.
SENATOR PRocToR's SPEECH.

The first recorded attempt to break
down the interests of sheep huebandry
was when Cain slew his brother Abel,
who "was keeper of sheep"
daughter The motives and purposes
which actuated Cain were plainly the
same as those which actuate his follow
ers to-day. 1t was jealousy of pre-
ferred and protected industry. Cain
was a "tiller of the ground, and
brought of the fruit of the ground an
offering unto the Lord" This offering
NAV have been of rice, or cotton, or
sugar-the record does not state. But
Abel " brought of the firstlings of his
flock, and OF the fat thereof, and the
Lord had respect unto Abel and to his
offering, but unto Cain and his offering
he had not respect" The punishment
melted out to Cain fairly foreshadows
that which shall be melted out by the
people to the promoters of this meas
ure. A mark shall be set upon them,
and when the time of retribution comes
they will say with Cain, "My punish
ment is greater than l can bear"
The Holy Writ gives abundant evil
dence that sheep husbandry was con-
sidered from the earliest times ia
vored industry, and recognized as one
of the first importance. Abraham ten
dered eve lambs as witnesses OF an
oath in one of the earliest real estate
transactions on record.
And Abraham set seven eve lambs by
themselves.
And Abimelech said unto Abraham, what
mean these seven eve lambs which thou
hast set by themselves?
nd no oaiI for thpap lambs
shalt thou take of my hand, that they may
be a witness unto me, that l have digged
this well,
Wherefore he called that place Beer
sheba; because there they sware. both OF
them
The first successful effort at i'm
provement of the breed of sheep was
made by Jacob, and grew out of bar
gain with his father-in-law, Laban, and
is described in the thirtieth chapter of
Genesis. The original color of the
fleece is generally believed, with excep-
tionally streak of white, to have been
dingy black. Laban stipulated with
Jacob that he might have the speckled
and ring.streaked of the fock-that is,
the few which were in part white-in
payment for his services as shepherd.
Laban thought he had made sharp
bargain, but his thrifty son-in-law,
Jacob, by his shrewd application of
what are now MISUNDERSTOOD princi-
Piles of breeding, largely increased the
number of the flock having more or less
white wool. His example was doubt
less followed by others in selecting for
breeding those which had the largest
proportion of white, for David likens
wool to snow, and Solomon likens the
whteness of the teeth Of his mistress to
a flock of sheep just come up from the
washing. The shepherd and his calling
and his fcck are often alluded to in the
Holy Writ, and furnish some of its
grandest imagery and most beautiful
illustrations. Many of those specially
favored of the Lord were shepherds,
and everywhere that calling is referred
to as one of highest character, plainly
recognizing its Importance in the wei
fare and prosperity of the people. Jacob
e'rolled the stone from the wells mouth
and watered the flock of Laban " as the
first evidence of his love for Rachel.
Saul, when in trouble with the Philis-
tines, said unto Jesse, Send me David,
thy son, which is with the sheep"
David said unto SAUL Thy servant kept
his fathers sheep, and there came lion,
and bear, and took lamb out of the flock
And went out after him, and smote him,
and delivered it out Of his mouth; and when
he arose against me, caught him by his
beard, and smote him and slew him.
Thy servant slew both the lion and the
bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine
shall be as one Of them, seeing he hath de-
fled the armies of the living God.
The same fate, Mr.. President, will
surely be melted out to the political
Phillstines of the present day in No
vember, 1894 and 1896 Laughter
The rewards awaiting those who are
faithful are also foretold:
So will seek out my sheep, and will de-
diver them out of all places where they have
been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
And / will bring them from the people,
and gather them from the countries, and
will bring them to their own land, and
feed them upon the mountains of Israel, by
the rivers, and in all the inhabited places Of
the country.
upon the high mountains of Israel shall
their fold be- there shall they lie in good
fold and in fat pasture shall they feed
upon the mountains of Israel
/ will seek that which was lost and bring
again that which was driven away, and will
bind up that which was broken, and will
strengthen that which was sick, but will
destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed
them with judgment.
AS further evidence of the divine
preference it is written that, He shall
set the sheep on his right hand, but the
goats on the left" Laughter The
proper application of this sentence to
the present situation is 30 obvious that
it need not be stated. Laughter.
To establish the connection between
the sheep industry of our country and
the fiocks of Bible times, l quote from
the encyclopedia. OF the Spanish me-
rino it says: In modern times it has
been brought to the greatest perfection
in Spain, though its originals probably
formed the focks of the patriarchs
thousands of years ago and have been
the stock of all ine-wooled sheep"
1t is easy to establish our inheritance
of the best of the historic focks of
Spain, which had been for centuries
jealousy fostered and protected by the
government and grandees of that
country, and their expectation forbidden
by law under penalty of the most severe