The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-07-15
Live Stock.
SHEEP IN NORrH CAROLINA.
What Flock Of 900 Purchased in Illinois
LastsprinR, at . Cost Of $4,000, is
DOing-Incrsasing ImpOr-
tanOo Of the Industry.
Cor. of The Progressive Farmer.

COr" Oh 4n0 progressive dru6E'
Perhaps you and your readers have
wondered what came from all our
sheep writings in the columns of The
Progressive Farmer. I do not know
what others did, but here in Iredell
County something happened.
In March I was sent away to
Northern Illinois where I bought of
Geo. E. Peck & Sons who own one of
the best American Merino focks in the
nation, 200 select Merino ewes. With
them are two choicest yearling rams
he priced at $1OO each, leaving the
ewes at a cost of $12 each and ex-
penses-or $4,000 for all, and expen-
ses added. I had said that I would.
not stay in North Carolina unless at
least 1000 head we're bought, but
when they concluded to venture out
and put as much money in this 200
as 1000 more common ones would cost
I concluded to take hold with the own
ers in the flock and remain here.
I tried to leave no better rams in
that or any other flock that knew of
than the two I brought. One weighed
148 pounds and sheared 29A pounds,
the other weighed 1913 pounds and
clipped 2672 pounds-both being
13 months old. We think they will
reach over 200 pounds and clip over
35 pounds at maturity.
The ewes clipped from 10 to 18
pounds, averaging over 13 pounds.
After purchasing them I sold the
wool from 185 of the ewes at $1.75 per
fleece, the purchaser being at expense
of feeding the sheep and shearing
them. I brought some 18 of the heav-
lest shearers home and we are offered
18 cents per pound for the wool, which
will bring us for these heaviest ones
over $3.50 per fleece. I may say we
realized over 50 per head for wool
from the whoe flock and we have al
ready about 65 per cent of lambs living
and doing we'll.
On account of shipping the ewes at
the most precarious time to them
being heavy with lamb-and not hav-
ing the nice housing and pasture here
they had been used to in Illinois, our
loss of ewes and lambs was more than
it would otherwise have been-in all,
from all causes, nine ewes died-still
we have returns as above, and within
year expect to get even a heavier
clip of wool and save a much larger
per cent of lambs.
I have personally given this flock
the very closest observation and at
tention, and as yet I can not see any
indication of disease prevailing among
them or disaster threatening them.
Of course these are extra sheep,
each having been registered III the
American Merino or Vermont Merino
sheep registers and as thorough bred
valuable sheep they have been brought
here to see and to show how they will
turn out in the South. If these do
well it will be quite safe to assume
as I have all the time asserted-that
all the grades of Merino sheep will
do well and be very profitable, even
in the most southern part of the
South, just as they do in Texas and
old Mexico and even better on our
small improved farms.
I am not giving these items as an
advertisement for we have nothing to
sell, but so that your readers may
know such sheep have been brought
into the State and how they are do
ing; for, as the Charlotte Observer
says, the progress of this flock of
sheep will be very closely observed .
Hundreds have been to see them al
ready and others are inquiring and
will yet come. Seeing so much wool
taken from sheep not generally aver
aging over 100 pounds gross is an
eye opener to most people, and to
know that it is worth now in a low
market 50 per head, makes the mat
ter still more interesting.
Some are saying they must have
some sheep, and I expect to be sent
out West again for more car loads
before long, though likely they viii
mostly be cheaper ones and perhaps