The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-07-02
Live Stock and Dairy.
SHEEP IN THE SOUTH

Wool and Best Of Mutton-special Varied
Fitness Of North CarOlins-Bluegrass; Ber-
muda Grass-The Armour Meat Packing
Business Could Get Hustling Rival in the
South.
! Correspondence of The Progressive Farmer.
The main purpose of the writer is
to aid in awakening an interest in
sheep husbandry in the South, both
for wool and mutton. Her boundar-
les extend over ten degrees of lati-
tude and over twenty degrees of
longitude; hence her diversity of
temperature is considerable. But
her climatic adapta bility to the sheep
industry is not determined more by
her extent of latitude than by the
variety of altitude of her surface.
Chains of mountains rising four and
even to seven thousand feet above
sea level, traverse the greater part
of her domain. These with their
high foothills, plateaus, ranges of
hills and elevated planes, constitute
variety of soil with varied eli
matic condition that is but easily
found or equaled in any part of the
world. The vegetation of her differ
ent soils may not be excelled for
sheep husbandry anywhere.
It is true that the nOmadic fOoks
of Spain and of the mountainous
and plane regions of North America,
habitually traverse extensive ranges
from which to CLEAN their daily food.
But the history of successful sheep
husbandry for more than the last
hundred years abundantly proves
that sheep do not need to travel over
twenty, ten nor five miles daily,
from which to gather a living. It
proves that sheep with reasonable
outdoor exercise and pure water to
drink, will be quite healthy while
taking their food from few acres, or
that with either green or dry food
from the racks and trOQghs, they
will develop size of bone, with quan-
tity and quality of muscle, and fat
when necessary, to a far greater ex-
tent than when kept in the nOmadic
life.
This success is not only true of the
carcass of the animal, but also of it's
fleece. To manufacture the best
quality Of all kinds OF wOOlen cloth,
it is essential that the woo1's highest
lustre, with it's soundness and even
ness, or strength of fibre throughout
it's length be secured. It's beautiful
crimp and cOrrUgativ9 properties
should be carefully fostered and pre-
served. All this cansbe accomplished
with small flocks in the hands of
farmers, rather than in large herds
roaming over extensive ranges.
Sheep are more readily taught than
any other animals to seek shelter
under an open shed from beating
storms and bleaching rains. This,
too, is a requisite where small f1Ocks
are kept mainly for the production
of the best quality of mutton sue
cessfully.
So far as these foregoing advan-
tages are concerned, our own State
of North Carolina possesses them to
an eminent degree. Within her
borders is the highest mountain
range of the South with an abund-
ance of lower hills and rolling lands,
including the famous "Piedmont re-
gion," the slate stone hills, planes
and valleys, that embrace a natural
home for sheep as we'll as the rolling
pine lands that might be called the
Atlantic Coast range.
Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginias
need but to be mentioned, especially
the first, which has been famous for
it's sheep walks, carpeted with blue
grass, upon which some of the best
specimens of lOng-wooled mutton
sheep in America have been bred.
It has long been the writer's opinion
that Bermuda grass could be made
| to rival bluegrass in its usefulness
to sheep and wool growing. More
about grasses in future.
OF course no region of the United
States could excel the upland Sec
tions of South Carolina, Florida,
Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi
for the production Of well-grown fat
''spring;lambs" for the Northern city
markets. If the business was handled
properly with economy and energy,
by the farmers Of these States, they