The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-06-13
SEoCE
TIE SHEEP AND THE SOUTH.

I do wish sOmel Intelligent
would explain through The Progressive
Farmer why the South does not go
into sheep ~husbandry more extensively
In examining The Statistical Abstract
No. 81, 1898" issued by the .. 8. Treas
ury Department, 1 am astonished by
some statistics. On page 1856 1.-The
Wool Clip" for the States is given.
North Carolina ia credited with 273 $50
sheep that sheared an average OF five
pounds per feece-shrinkage 43 per
cent. Total sheep in the United States
! 35. GIL GA with an average fleece OF
81 pounds and 81 per cent. SHRINK
age. Oregon and Washington with
about two and a half million sheep
each, Z and 81 pounds per fleece have
II and 70 per cent. shrink age. The
Hand Book Of North Carolina" cred
it's the State with 48 666 square miles
| Of land-less than SIX sheep TO the
square mile!
On psge 312 Of The Statistical Alb
tract, the imports, consumption and
domestic wool production are given
production for 1898. 266 72O, s 1pounds
for the Uaite} States. The imports at
1872 795 2O2 pounds. Deducting exports,
consumption was 1896 $50 915 pounds.
Ia 1897 it exceeded 900. 600, 900 pounds
and has averaged over 400, 600, 600
pounds per annum for the past ten
years. Tae imports of foreign wool
exceed $50, 900, 900 pounds per year for
ten years past.
Here is a great opportunity for the
South to step in and secure the money
paid to foreign fJck masters. The
1925, 900, 900 paid for foreign woods IL
the past ten years would, is distributed
in the South, help all classes to add.
tional circulation"
To a stranger to your conditions Of
soil, climate, pasture and people, It
looks as though the billy and mountain
region Of the Carolinas, G3orgIl, Ten
nessee, Alabama and Kentucky could
be made the ideal home Of sheep and
produce ell the wool now imported.
You can pasture on Bermuds grass,
winter rye and oats nearly the year
roucd. 1 have read that fall-sown
turnips can be winter fed es in the
sheep districts If England. No doubs
fall sown rape will give good winter
pasture. In Michigan sheep cehoused
and fed six months Of the year, and
still make money for their owners.
I viii ekesca the method ot Rn g.
acre farmer Ikuow He usually kegs
between 80 and 40 ewes. 10 viii have
about that NUMBER Of lambs Of mis- own
in the fall. In his sheep barn are four
pens for feeding fat LAMBS, each fer IA
lambs. He will buy enough, II not too
dear, to fill out the pens. TEts> will
go into the barn early II November
and remain until shipped 10 March
The lambs will be graded, cops ID
pen n and 80 down to the culls in pen
four. The tops" will get four to six
quarts Of corn and oats twice q day
per psn CT IA. what they eat up cleao
the others less. This is gradually il
creased until at the finish they are fed
all they will eat up readily and cleanIy,
, about ten Quarts per pen for the two
pens of ''tops." They are fed a ration
!, of taY, clover or mixed, morning and
lnignC VIII = "a ion OF hay and straw
a. room. WHAT they leave il fed t
, non. working horses. TheY are fed
four 20 four and q half months end
! finch st AZ average Of 6 b lus LOG pounds
each. Buyers saour the country and
IcontracT for them sometimes in early
, winter at a fixed price. Some farmers
sell on the market, watching the 40
tations very critically. Prices range
! from Al SC 6 cent a pound. FluctUa
? tions are often sudden and extreme.
Oar 80 acre farmer will get about
Z $500 cash on an average in the spripe
for his lamb crop. Of course it ISM
. all profit, bus the money is handy al
that time Of year. The lambs and
, grain bought Will have cost $50 t. SIS,
The lanes, hay and graiueot his owl
, raising make the balance. The manure
2 Is carefully saved and applied. The
ewes are brought TO the barn in Nc
vember, fed straw and a sprinkle Of
2 hay in the barn twice daily, housed
nights and stormy day, running out
{ in fair weather to the straw stack and
Z picking over c2rn stalks and mBngel
refuse from oGner stock. Ia the morn
r ing they get about II quarts OF mixed
/ corn, oats, bran and Gull beans. TIT
last are bought at the beaneries a
about 80 cents per 100 lbs. If he raiset
beans or a buy bean straw in tht