Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1900-01-26
WOOL THEIR TOPIC.
VERMONT MERINO SHEEP BREEDERS
ANNUAL MEETING.

Protest Against Argentina heciprocity-I
The Officers.
The oath annual meeting of the Yer I
mont Merino Sheep Breeders association
was held in the parlors of the Addison
house in Mddlebury on Wednesday.
There was larger attendance of men,
bers than has been the case in most of
the recent years, and on all sides hope |
full and even enthusiastic feeling in re-
gard to the early future of the sheep and
wool industry was manifest. Harmonious
action was the order of the day, and
when the meeting adjourned 1t was felt
on all sides that a good days work had
been accomplished
President Ira L. Hambin of Cornwall
called the meeting to order at IL 10
o'clock and read well prepared and
significant address, which, he said, he
had written at the suggestion of the Sec
retary. The address was received with
great favor by the members and the sug-
gestion in regard to the pending recipro-
city treaty with the Argentine Republic
was so heartily seconded that 1t resulted
later in the most important action of the
meeting-the adoption of the resolution
which will be found below. AT the con-
clusion of his address President Hamblin
was heartily applauded. The address
was as follows
MERINO SHEEP.
We know of no better words with
which to preface our subject than those
of r. NJ. Wood of Saline, Mich, in an
article of recent date published In Wool
Markets and Sheep. They are these:
although we were born beside an
American merino and have stayed by
him ever since, it Is with some dffidence
that we appear before men of so much
greater age and experience in the sheep
business to present to you few thoughts
upon merino sheep The merino needs
no eulogy from so weak pen as ours,
for his history is that of the sheep in
dustry of all time, while the appreciation
for him at the present is shown by the
number and prominence of the men who
support him"
We wish to say only few words re-
garding the present conditions Of the
business and m AXE what differences may
be possible or profitable. If this course
should not agree with your idea as to
what the subject demands, we hope you
will bear with US for the short time we
beg your attention.
We meet today under very encOurag-
ing circumstances, and although we miss
such men as Albert Chapman, H. G. Bur-
we'll, f. E. Stickney, Byron Smith and
others, we still claim to have the best
shepherds the world can produce, and
we would not be afraid to take the sheep
men of Addison and Rutland counties
and challenge the world to produce a
merino to beat us.
We say the circumstances are en-
couraging, with one exception. That is
the proposed treaty with Argentina, and
we hope this association will take active
measures to protest against it.
Every wool journal In the country is
giving facts, figures and statistics to
show the shortage in merino wool and II
is estimated that the London wool sale;
of 1900 will be 100, 900 bales short of the
sales in 1899.
The prevailing fashion for fine clothing
goods and the constant upward trend o.
wool prices since last spring are sure tt
awaken in sheep men of all classes de
sire to produce more wool. Where
then, shall they turn for help but to the
Vermont Merino?
1t is getting to be the custom for those
who speak to sheep breeders and wool
growers ~ plIST lHtlT duNlcP rs 10 VIA
sort of a sheep we should produce.
Perhaps some of you remember tina
one year ago at our annual meeting
prominent New York breeder advised, il
substance, that we should produce
larger and palmer sheep.
Col Burch of the American Sheer
Breeder, who was present at the annua
meeting of the New York State Ameri
can Merino Sheep Breeders association
held in Rochester, Dec. 6, 1899, advised
catering to the range trade; but we can
not advise our Vermont breeders to dc
this.
Senator Wm p. Frye of Maine said il
speech delivered in Boston recently
"We are going 10 have the fiercest knC
of competition in industry
This will apply to the range trade
Michigan and others of the grain-grOw
ing states can produce large plain ram
regardless of wool, cheaper than we can
They are also nearer the market. If i
has come to this we throw down ou
arms and capitulate at once.
But if anyone wishes to increase tn
wool product of his flock, whether h
lives on the range or in foreign lands
the history of the sheep industry for tn
past forty years will prove conclusivel
that he is on the sure road to success.
The late Col. E. S. Stowell OF Cornwa
once said to brother sheep-breeder dul
ing a time of depression, when mos
sheep men were talking plain sheer
"Dont be in a hurry to follow tn
crowd" The advice was sound. Th
ranchmen will never pay long none
for such sheep and the Vermonters VIII
have made money breeding in that Lin
are as scarce as the sea serpent in LAX
Champlain.
While it may be desirable to increas
the size of our sheep, wrinkles and wo'
are combinations that cannot be di
pensed with and we must hold the pc
centage of wool in proportion to carcas
if we would maintain our high prestie
In merino sheep. Then the words {
Col. Geo. w. Hooker of Brattleboro, b
fore the Vermont Dairymen's associ
tion, will be proved true as far as OF