St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1895-12-21
WOOL AND Murros.

A 1nteeeetlog Matter Tor Coasl0egAteoo
By 0oathern fAf0ofs.
! have read again and again, with
undated interest. the letter OF r N.
Bell in your September Is issue Ne
one can write with more authority On
tho sheep. The high commission he
SO ably filled . few years ago. Of in
vestigating the sheep business In the
south. under the auspices Of the de-
partment OF the United States. gave
him an Incompatible opportunity to
know the sheep situation in the south,
and it's immense possibilities; whilo
his thorough acquaintance with the
northern side of sheep raising gives
him opportunities to draw COMPARE
sons. and institute forecasts beyond
any expert Of our day.
am thoroughly satisfied with Mr..
Bells representation that some day.
ere long. we shall have . new sheep
with best mutton and wool qualities.
II Mr.. Bell could be induced to move
south and go into the sheep business
we should soon have such . type.
There could hardly be devised bet.
ter scheme Of legitimate money-mak-
ing and = moro beneficent innovation
than for . syndicate to buy = large
tract OF land south. where there is per-
petual heritage, clear. perennial
streams, and . dry foot" for the
sheep and put Mr.. Bell in charge Of
it l designate no area. although l
know several most eligible ones. Only
let one 20 far enough south for fields
ever green. and not too far, so that
railroad rates should not be too much
to impair the profits of early lambs
and mutton.
Already the gulf coast, between New
Orleans and Mobile. Ala. has won for
its wool . most enviable reputation
the famous 'Lakc" woods, practically
q natural production. Again. Col.
Mark Cockerill took the premium for
wool at the first Worlds fair, In Lon.
don. from sheep raised in Madison
county. Miss. At q much later day
Mr.. Scott If am RICH. in my recol-
lections) exhibited wool in Boston
finer than any that had ever been i'm
ported there. which had been clipped
from his sheep in Kentucky. from .
breed originated BY himself. Nothing
more need be said on the score OF
wool, SO far as the capability OF the
country to produce it is concerned.
And have no trouble to explain the
peculiar merits Of the Lake" wool, in
the fact Of q cross Of the Spanish Me-
rinos introduced away back under
Spanish administration with the ma
tive sheep That produced . type
blending extreme finencss and soft
ness Of wool and remarkable health
fnlness. Never feeding on grain, but
succulcnt, nutritious .hcrbage the year
round, there seems to be = wool of en-
tire evenness Of quality. SO diffcren-
tiated from q change Of feed from
grass to grain. and vice versa.
A word rs to quality of southern
mutton, and l will let one instance
suffice. since all practical sheepnen
will deem it conclusive: About 1873,
Col. Tom Dabncy. OF lIinds county.
Miss, told me that Gen. John C.
Breckenridge, who had been his guest,
told him that his mutton was quite the
equal Of any he had eaten in Ken.
tncky. Col. Dabney's mutton waa
either from thoroughbred or grade
Southdowns Il forget which now. after
such . lapse of timel bred and raised
on his plantation in Mississippi. Sc
much for the quality Of southern wool
and mutton. u billiard. in Farm
and Fireside.