The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-12

The following are the views of II. P.
Miller of the Ohio Farmer, on the subject
or sheep needs
l am not unconscious of the dangers
encounter when l attempt to compare the
breeds and mention their unsatisfactory lea
lures as wei their goodness. II seems
characteristic of men at this stage OF develop
msnt to be controlled by prejudlceS or by
inccmplete information in making their Judg-
n IS. We are not at all surprised to near
a man proclaim that he has the best breed
OF sheep in existence, especially ne mas
a large amount of money invested IN them
Just at this time, when many men are
desirous of launching into the sheep indus
try, il has seemed to me that it might be
helpful 10 some to give a frank charac eriza-
tion of the breeds, so far as l have had
experience with them. l have no pet
breed to laud. l see plainly that different
conditions under which, and different pur-
poses for which fCcks must be kept, that II
is well there is more than one breed Char
acter of the farm and methods OF feeding
should be considered in selecting a bresd.
The man who has been accustomed to keep
ing Merinos will not make success with
the large English breeds until he learns and
prsctices some measure of the English meth
DDS OF caring for sheep.
In this country the Merino is the animal
with which al others are compared, on ac-
count OF their numbers and the familiarity
OF our people with them. The type of this
breed, however, is changiI rapidly. l know
OF only half a dozen of the heavily folded
y pc mat was common WHel L was pOy.
The owner keeps them more as "a curiosity,
l think, than for their profit. l point them
out TO our little boy as l do a herd of deer
that another neighbor keeps.
If It can be called a prejudice l confess to
a conviction that the sheep whose pelt will
weigh much as the carcass is no longer a
was when an excess of density of fleece and
oil seemed valuable for the rapid transforms
ton rams of that character worked upon the
common flock of the country. However, it
has always seemed TO me that such radical
transformations were not in harmony with
natures methods of variation. l am certain
that there is no longer good reasons for
growing type of sheep that is not profitable
of itself through the two products of the
flock, wool and mutton. The vast majority
of the stock of this country has good ances
try. Some of it has been so aimiessly cross
bred that 1t resembles no breed. We do not
need types whose sole purpose is TO improve
other types.
do not believe there is longer place on
Americas fields or ranges for an animal
whose only product is wool. This by no
means rules out the entire Merno bred in
deed very few of the breed, such has been
the change wrought in Merino focks during
the past decade. Not the least service
wrought by the English breeds in this coun-
try has been the influence upon the Meriro
breeders toward the production Of an animal
OF better mutton form. That some breed
ers have gone to the extreme and almost
obliterated the Merino characteristics, l am
aware.
hold that the production of wool and of
mutton by the same animal are not incom-
patible. Not both in the greatest degree;
one or the other must be the primal object,
but the most profitable animal l hold to be
one in which neither the wool nor the mutton
has been neglected for the extreme develop
ment of the other. This for the vast number
of flock owners. Where the special prod
uct, dollhouse lamb is the speciality, ewes
should be selected for the purpose of pro-
ducing large fat lamb at the youngest pos
Slblp and at the right of the
The matter Of fifty cents or a dollar difference
in the fleece is unmportant as compared with
three or four dollars difference in prices of
lambs that are just right and in season, from
those that only good and ready for mar
ket when there are plenty more.
With this general statement regarding the
use of sheep, | will next week speak more
specifically OF the character and uses of the
various breeds.