The St. Johns herald., 1896-05-09
Sheep Husbandry.

IS SSpASmOOlc anu more cnange3DIe than that from any kind kept ou the farm, as sheep are doub;y productive animals, having for all tune furnished the best covering in form ofits wool for the hu- man race and the best food in the form of meat, as mutton has been declared to stand at the head of the food prduet of meat.
 These two qualities mskeit very easy to decrease our focks. T cir increase is rapid, as sheep attain their full growth at one year of age. In this re-. spect they differ from the steer, that needs from three to four years. Hence any article of trade or commerce that is fickle in it's value requires more as. ute watchfulness to successfully pro- duce and place in the channels of trade.
 The price of wool, which is an inte- gfal part of the sheep. has taken wide range in price in the last half century, from 10 cents to Sl per pound. In New England wool can be proftably pro- duced in the grease at 4) cents per pound !, in the West, on the plains, at p cents. These prices make the fibre cost the manufacturer about the same, as the wool on the plains shFinks more in cleansing.
 The price of mutton and lamb Is very uncertain. When a condition of fittings suggests to farmers and stock owners the idea to reduce the flock the surplus meat is throwon on the market, and the price goes down to that of cod6sn. When the fiocks have been reduced and the turning point gained in the price of wool, the great law of supply and de- mand assisted in the past by protective tariff, offers better prices the sheep owners of the world attempt to increas their focks. This causes a shortage oJ the supply of these much-valued meats, and the price goes up to the price of chickens and turkeys.
 With this old and oft-repeated pic ture before us we come to look at the condition of sheep husbandry today In 1892 there were not far from 50, ,O00, ,0O0 sheep in the United States, 100, 900 900 in South America, 00,000, GOO in Aus tralia and the Polynesian Islands. 15Q' 000, GOO in the other countries of the Old World. making the entire output of the world half.billion of sheep.
 The low price of wool prevailing in the last decade has checked the in- crease and depleted the focks of the world up to date variousIy estimated at Is per cent. but taking the great havoc recently made In Australia and the Polynesian Islands by the unprece- dented climate changes, which have caused the death of 100000 sheep in Australia alone. and the 100000 of shrinkage ln the United States. We estimate the worlds entire flock of sheep to number not over 400, 900. .0O9, or cut down of 20 per cent. This great cut down in numbers is being shown by the worlds wool chp, which in S92 was, in round numbers 2,0OO, DOC, 900 pounds, in 1895 7O0,0O0,0I0 pounds, and the present years clip must fall short of l, 500, 900, 900 pounds.
 The future fsheep husbandry, which should be the greatest study ofour flock masters, has but one side, which points in many ways to higher prices, and the higher prIce of wool carries the other sheep products with it. The question is: Are there less inhabitants on the globe to use wool? The answer is; asit is conceded there has been sn immense increase in the human race in the last decade, as there have been very few de- vastating wars to diminish curnurnber. Yet at the present time, wars and ru- mors of wars are the order of the day, The powers of the Old World are pre- pairing naval fleets and other various paraphernalia of war, including arms blankets, large orders of which are be- ing manufactured at the present time.
 Now, in going back over the history of sheep husbandry for fifty years we see similar causes, as the above facts have produced large increase in the value of sheep and it's products. And, if history is about to repeat itself. as 1t surely will, the fock-m casters. of New England should be in it. We predict that the present wool clip of the world will be appreciated in prlce from 10 to 20 per cent. over the last five years. If so, sheep (that domestic animal that has been of all animals the greatest friend to the human race) will surely I,n n fnnhinn nnain