The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1898-10-06

VI LILO iioohS ny using thoroughbred males,
We should avoid in-breeding. Dipping is a
necessity, and the Cooper Dip is almost ex-
clusively used in this section. Keep more
and better sheep and give them Intelligent
care and you will find and that they are in
deed the animal with the golden hoof
The Secretary read two long articles on
Sheep Husbandry intended for publication
in periodical with which he is connected
They were GA Few Thoughts on Rams" bv
E. E. Edgerly of Princeton, Me. "The Num-
ber of Sheep in Flock by Asa Quint of
Burlington. The thoughts contained in
them were covered by the remarks and
papers which had preceded them.
1. G. Reynolds, in answer to questions
said he has pasture for 200 sheep, but keeps
them in small tiocks. When raising lambs
% sheep is enough for flock. Large t1ocks
have larger percentage, of sickness He
has been a sheep-raiseG from boyhood, has
made study of the business, and has tried
bred males.
A. Carruthers of Winnepeg, Manitoba. a
Canadian wool dealer, gave some valuable
points on the sheep industry. He thinks the
trouble with wool received from the farmers
is caused more from carelessness than iuten
tional neglect. The farmer needs to be edu-
Gated as to the best methods of dealing with
his wool, both on and off the sheep. Good,
clean wool finds a ready sale at prices some-
what above the market quotations. H. thinks
there should be more sheep in Maine We
have our wool and mutton market right at
our door, while the western farmer is ham,
pered by high freights. He described the
sheep husbandry in Scotland, where condi-
tions are vastly different from those in
Maine. He quoted one Manitoba farmer as
saying: II would keep sheep if they hadn't
an ounce of wool, and the skins were so
tender | could tear them. l can make sheen
raising profitable from mutton alone" Mr..
Carruthers agreed with the local farmers,
that small flocks are more profitable. The
Winnepeg farmers who raise early lambs
have f1ocks from 25 to SO sheep. Scab was
stamped out in Winnepeg by dipping
Prof. Gowell of the University of Maine
SAID, IN answer to questions, that we have
parasites. Dipping is a remedy for all out
side insect enemies of the sheep. The inter
nal parasite which gives the most trouble
here is the lung worm a very small worm
from l to inches long. 1t affects Young and
weak lambs and siekly sheep. The remedy
is to burn sulphur, and change pastures fre-
quently. He drew a parallel between the
dairy industry and sheep industry. Thirty
years ago cows We're kept at pasture and
We're most profitable during the summer.
Now, by intensified methods, they yield the
year round. The same changes are taking
place in sheep husbandry. More attention
IS being paid to winter feeding, and the idea
that anything is good enough for sheep has
gone by. He gave the experience of the En-
pertinent Station. as keeping 25 breeding
ewes on IL acres for years, with profit to
the flock and also on the ledger. Sheep must
have water and salt at all times
Moses Parsons of New burg showed how
prices of sheep and wool in Maine compare
with those Of Montana, being very much
higher here, His experience is that sheep
pay better than any other stock kept in
Maine.
Prof Woods OF the University of Maine
spoke OF the scientific side of the question.
The scientific man and the practical man
must work together. The man of science
studies the question in the laboratory and
prints his conclusions The farmer should
read and profit by h 8 Investigations, app v
ing at The same time his own good. common
sense, taking into 5he account the differ
ences IN local conditions The scientific
man studies the life history of a parasite
and suggests remedy. The farmer APPLIES
the knowledge thus gained, Sheep pay
larger percentage Of profit than any other
stock kept at Orono.
Some discussion was held on the dog
question, but no remedy for the evil was
suggested
The Secretary read paper by o. P. AL
len of Palmer Mass. on 'Some Problems of
the Wool Growing Industry" after which
the meeting adjourned. Another meeting
will probably be held at Newport in the
near future.