Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1898-11-30
SHEEP RAISING BOONls .
AGAIN,

In w eStern New YORK are DcamlnS
with smiles on account of return
ing prosperity in one of the most
remunerative and fascinating
branches of their calling.
The counties of Genesee, Or
leans, Monroe, Livingston, Ontario
and Wayne, consisting largely of
the lands of the far famed Genesee
Valley and the smaller valleys of
the tributaries of the Genesee
River, contain not only the choicest
farming lands of the Empire State,
but comprise one of the richest and
most productive agricultural dis
tricts of the whole country. The
farms of this district are generally
quite large, ranging from 100 to
several hundred acres each, and
are in most cases either occupied
by the owners themselves or under
the personal supervision. 1t has
always been the aim of these pro-
prietors to not only realize liberal
income from their broad acres; but
to so rotate their crops as to ex-
haust the soil as little as possible,
and to keep sufficient live stock tC
consume all the coarse products on
the premises.
Prior to the opening up of the
great West how to do this was a
problem easily solved. Wheat
and cattle both brought highly re-
munerative prices, and there was
always a ready market for them.
In rotation they raised extensive
fields of wheat, clover, corn and
oats. The wheat and oats were
marketed and the corn and clover
fed to cattle, the farmers in each
case realizing a handsome profit.
Then the "cattle kings" of the
West and Southwest came forward
with their great herds, and prices
fell so low that the farmers of this
section could not compete even in
the Eastern markets.
Cattle no longer being profitable
in the middle seventies they turn
ed their attention to sheep, and
had soon built up an industry of
itself, that of fattening sheep
scientifically and thus producing
mutton of superior quality for
the Eastern markets and the Eng
lis export trade. 1t was soon
learned that to obtain success in
this line two things were absolute
ly essential-the sheep must have
warm quarters and must be fed
with regularity. Under their
great grain barns they built warm,
cOmmOdious easements. To these
from springs they pipe pure wat
er, which they distributed in
trOughs where the animals might
quench their thirst at will. Hav-
ing thus prepared places, they
looked about for the class of sheep
best suited for the purpose, and
found them in the States of Michi-
gan and Ohio. Under a wise Tar
iff law which protected the wool
industry, the farmers of these
States had found it profitable to
keep large focks. After shearing
time each year men made busi-
ness of selecting from these flocks
two and three year old wethers,
the class of sheep best suited for
the purpose, and shipping them to
Buffalo during the early fall
where they were eagerly
sought after by the western New
York farmers.
Buffalo became the greatest
sheep and lamb market in the
country, and each winter would
find thousands of these animals in
fiOcks varying from one to several
carloads each scattered over the
large farms of this section. The
duration of the feeding period
usually beginning in October or
November--varied from two to five
The animals were fed
twice a day-in the morning shell
ed corn and coarse fodder like corn
stalks and coarse hay; about the
of the afternoon corn again
and fine clover hay. By this sys-
TEN of feeding the animals reach
ed splendid condition in re.
short time. AS soon as
they had become what is called
prime they were shipped to New
York to be sold either for home
or the Enlish export
trade, and always brought the top
prices of the market. The profits
were large, as the farmers at mar
keting would receive an advance
of from So to 81 a head above the
price paid in the fall, from 30 to
80 per cent. of which was clean
profit. Those engaged in the in
dustry became prosperous, and
many made fortunes.
Then came the depressing times
of Clevelandism, and the Wilson
bill with its free wool schedule and
other evil effects. The wool grow
ers of Michigan and Ohio, in com
mon with those of other States,
could no longer afford to keep
their fiOcks and threw them indis-
criminately on the market. Prices
went all to pieces. The western
New York farmers could no longer
obtain their yearly supply for
feeding purposes, and even had
they been able to, prices had
reached the point there would have
been no profit. The industry was
ruined. The prices of all their
nrOductS had fallen to such q low