The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-07-09
Live Stock and Dairy.
SHEEP IN THE SOUTH.
III


Science and Practice-A Little story-Wool
and Mutton or Fleece and FIesh?-sheep
for Wool-The Merino and It's Grades
Stall Feeding the surpIus-sheep Manure
Buzzing Fact-Blooded Stock Rams
Four Cardinal Points.
Correspondence of The Progressive Farmer.
1t is one thing to have sheep hus.
bandry scientifically pictured out to
the human intelligence with its
vicissitudes, it's losses and profits
clearly shown up to the common IN
derstanding while tits quite another
matter to take hold of a flock and
live with them daily, following them
through wet weather and dry, warm
and cold, balmy breeze and blizzard,
through fortune and misfortune,
high markets. and low ones, to the
final goal of crowned success in prac,
tice:
The theorist, or rather scientist,
points out the ways of the sheep busi-
ness while the practitioner too often
blunders along and some times sneers
at the scientist saying, "his book
theory plans won t work out. There
is one thing that both simple and
learned should we'll understand and
know: that the science of sheep hus
bandry, as we'll as the science of all
things else, has perfect law that
will thoroughly operate it's own per-
fections, regardless of all conditions.
Conditions will adjust themselves to
scientific law when it is fully under
stood. The practical shepherd should
know the law as it relates to all parts
of his business and adjust the condi-
tions of his business to suit in do
ing so success will surely follow.
Furthermore, there never was sue
cess attained in sheep breeding and
wool growing without theories and
plans being first in the head before
being practically carried out with
the hand.
To illustrate, let me relate little
story. When the writer first moved
his high bred flock from West Vir-
ginia to Missouri, one of Missouri s
eminent statesmen in looking over
the sheep said: 'Many of our farm
ers here in Missouri keep sheep and
they get fat in summer. To be sure
they get poor in winter, but in the
spring when their wool gets loose,
they chase them through the thOrns
and briers which pull the fleece off.
That's the way they shear them and
the children follow after and gather
wool from the bushes. They say it
is profitable business, ,and no doubt,
but with your scientific breeding and
improved methods of keeping, your
business will be a success so we vel
come you to the State.' Within six
years alter that time it was proved
with that flock that intelligently
bred sheep, fed on Missouri grown
grass and grain, could successfully
compete with any other sheep in the
United States or in France.
What has been done in Virginia
and Missouri, may as readily be ac-
comPIished in North Carolina and
other portions of the South.
The two great purposes in sheep
husbandry are wool and mutton or
their fleece and their flesh. I will
first write # the business mainly
for wool growing and afterwards for
meat production. I make this dis
tinction so as to be plain and minute
as possible, and not because some
breeds are exclusively intended for
one or the other of these purposes.
| There is no we'll known breed in the
United States but that may be profit
ably kept for either purpose, and yet
no breed but that the purpose Of its
lesser usefulness makes it more
profitable when added to it's greater
one.
AS a wool-producing animal, espe-
cially for large focks, the MerinO,
with it's grades easily stands at the
head of the list. If wool is to be the
prime object of the farmer or planter
it would be well to start with q good
stock or blood selected from one or
another of the American MerinO
types of sheep. If from any reason
the pure or very high grades cannot
be had, then good common ewes of
any breed or the woods breed may
be had and by using large we'll
formed, heavy -feeced Merino rams,
good flock is soon bred up. If the
ewes lack size and good form, which