The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-07-21
SHEEP HUSBANDRY IN THE
SOUTH.

SOUTH.
More than half the wool annually
used by the people of the United States
is imported from foreign &C untries in
the form of wool and woolen manufac-
lures, says Judge William Lawrence,
of Ohio, in Crabtree's Farmer. There
are in this country about $4,000, 900
sheep. There should be 10000, 900,
producing CSC, 600, 600 pounds of wool
on the unwashed basis. Sheep hus-
bandry can be successfully carried on
in every State in the whole Union. 1t
is the only absolutely national indus
try. But the South, especially, should
engage in this industry for abundant
reasons:
1. Every one of these States has
abundance of lands unused and with
the best of grasses for the pasturage of
sheep-the Bermuda grass and others
And sheep require but little winter
feeding, a great advantage over the
North.
2 By thus utilizing these lands, the
value of all lands will be enhanced.
3. By diversifying the uses of lands,
the acreage of the cotton crop can be
reduced, and more money be realized
for the cotton product than with a
larger acreage.
4. Every Southern State can supply
it's own meat food, the most heelChful
of all, good mutton. Pork is less nu
tritious, less healthful, more expensive
and in every way less desirable than
mutton. At all events, some mutton
should be supplied to promote health.
5. Mutton meat food has one adv8n
tage over beef, especially in the coun-
try, where in a warm climate a beef,
killed, cannot be consumed by one
family, or several, before being unfit
for use. But one mutton sheep can be
killed and consumed by one or two
families while it yet remains good and
untainted. Every family having the
care of forty or sixty acres should keep
few sheep to supply meat food.
6. A State that supplies it's own meat
food will inevitably be richer than one
that sends it's money away to buy food
elsewhere. This is especially so when,
as is the case in every State, there are
lands which h can be devoted to the rear
ing of sheep and which will be unused
if not go applied.
7 If every State will raise enough
sheep to supply needed meat food of
this kind, fresh meat, enough wool will
also be supplied for all the needs of all
our people, and our gold will not be
sent abroad as now to foreign countries
to buy wool, for the countries from
which we buy wool are chiefly those
which take from us nothing in return
but gold.
8. With sheep husbandry properly
developed, more manufacturing will
soon follow. Chattanooga should
have woolen factories enough to fur
nish all the woolen manufactures re-
quired by the people of Tennessee.
South Carolina is leading the way in
cotton manufacturing. Four f1fths of
the cotton grown in that State is manu-
factured therein. Let ali the cotton
growing States go and do likewise.
Every State in which State college
or university is located should estab
lish department therein for instruc
tion in the textile industries-the man
ufacture of wool, cotton, fax, hemp
and silk. The cost Of such department
would be comparatively small. and
some hundreds in each State could an
nually receive the necessary instruc-
ton.
The only obstacle now in the way of
manufacturing in the great interior of
the country is the want of persons hav
ing the requisite skill. The act Of Con-
gress of 1852 made grant of land to
aid each State in erecting an agricul
tural and mechanical college or univer.
sity. The chief purpose of the law was
to give much needed instruction for
the advancement Of agriculture and
mechanic arts.
To the people Of the South, indeed Of
the whole country, commend sheep
husbandry as worthy Of consideration
and favor.