The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-12-06

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flock, then change Your mind and select
an animal of some other breed for use
the following year. 1t is all Il mistake
to base an opinion for or against the
breed ysu select, the first or second year
You try them. 1t takes five years before
your efforts will begin to show the type
Of sheep YOU are likely to produce from
it. under the conditions you afford them.
Dc not hunt for new crosses. or new
: breeds: abandon all such folly. this is
Il work that belongs to men who hold,
at their finger ends, al the accumulated
experience OF ages. Of Which YOU know
comparatively nothing. These then are
the things YOU must not do.
What YOU must do if YOU wish 10
raise sheep. and make Il success of it. is
this: First. select the breed of sheep
thai suits your fancy best. 1t matters
not If YOU select a Southdown or Shrop-
shire. Il CotSWold. Il Leicester, Il Merino
or any other Of the many well-eStablishrd
breeds, only 80 YOU like the breed. and
can take enough interest in them to
comply with their necessary require
mentS, then You Will make Il complete
success with them.
Second. examine into their adaptabjJity
to your farm and Your system of farm
ing.
Third. see how their product will suit
your market.
Fourth. start with Il small flock
Then after YOU have selected YOU
breed and secured your ewes, buy. bor-
row, beg, or steal. Il thoroughbred ram
Of that breed. if YOU can afford it; if
not, then Get the highest grade ram Of
the breed You have selected and use
him with moderation. III making your
selection, whether You buy Il thorough
bred or Il grade. remember that the rain
IS half thc flock. and he guided as much.
Or mere, by the record Of his ancestors.
for good breeders and feeders than hy
your eye.
Never select for size. \ medium-sizcd.
well-built animal. is worth more, ten
, times over. than an eNtra-siZed or over
! grown ram. If YOU want large sheep.
You must select Il large breed 10 work
with. Dc not expect to get Il large
sheep from Il Small-siZed breed. You
may. with good success. expect from Il
large-sized breed Il small-SiZed sheep ii
you do not give the extra care and eN-
ira feed they require. 50 also. if you
want long wool. YOU must select Il long
wooded breed, and not expect Il long
fleece from Il s~hort-wooled sheep. and do
not try to raise Il first-class wool sheep.
and Il first-class mutton sheep, all III on.
animal: if YOU do. Your success viii IL
very Indifferent. If YOU want both. keeo
the two kinds OF sheep. but don't mix
them. ana give the large, long-wooled TN
imals the additional care. attention and
feed necessary iii this climate.
At Bellevue we selected the South
down, because we believed that these
sheep were better adapted to the climate
soil. and the surroundings we could III
ford them than any other. and after
five years experience with Il flock nuIli-
hering from 800 to 1GO head. graded I'll,
from the native sheep. We could not be
induced to even experiment with other
= breeds.
But allow me to repeat. that 1T mat
tiers not what breed YOU select to work
with. only 50 they suit your fancy,
farm and market. and you can and
will comply with their requirements.
Mitchell county. with its large area Of
deep. black. sugar tree soil, high aitl-
tude. long. coed and cOmp3ra-I
lively short. mild winters contributing
to Il universal and unfaiiing crop Of the
most nutritious grasses. should carry oo.-
Q head of sheep.
The western part Of North Carolina
has been pointed out by the most eminent
writers and experienced men for years.
as an idal sheep country. and | tax.
great pleasure in the self assurance that
we have. at Bellevue. fully demonstrated
the practicability of all the propositions
made by these men, from the letters oil
General Clingman IN 18Th (your then
member Of Congress- to the writings Of
Henry Stewart. one of the best authoIl-
ties on American sheep culture at TINS
day.
I Il. -u,,t .,,ac in this n)1ttnI hn-
cause | believe that no other industry Is
so we'll adapted to our SOL and climate.
and after it is once established none
will so well suit our people.
\ total revolution must, however. be
effected and Il start made, and the lines
followed as indicated II this paper. 10
establish this business on Il permanent
and profitable basis. Our people must
learn the art of breeding and raising
Of sheep. they must serve an apprentice
ship. they must abandon their easy gong
ways. they must apply syStematlcallN
and determinedly their time. labor, pa
fence and perseverance with Il persist
ncy almost unknown to them now. II
this is not done. then the sheep OF Yves
tern North Carolina. with i few eXce1'-
items, will remain unsightly unproh-
table scrubs not worth ii any time tn
prices paid for them now. This occula-
ton does not require any more deternllfl-
ed effort than our people nave aleadE dls-
piayed in other directions. therefore the
efforts necessary to make Il success OF talS
industry should not deter them from
embarking in it when 50 many adVah-
taecs are ut their command.
&. II. NIMSO\.
E,n,nr privctt. Of Florence county, =.
G.. has pioneered the way out of the
,U-cottou rlt. according to the Charles
tou News and Courier. He cultivated
eighteen acres in tobacco, and sold the
crou for $1,000. realizing, after 4 liberal
. Foo. cnSt of cultiVatiur and