The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-02-04
No. 81

bn0m 30 Du11Q up again.
It may be we'll for those who have
no experience with sheep TO buy
cheap low-priced ewes and build up
a high grade fook; but in the ma
jority of cases where sheep papers
and books are available and exDeri.
enoed advice near by, it will pay best
to buy the high grade ewes and con.
tinue the building up work. The
higher the grade bought, even to
thoroughFeds, the better for the
purchaser unless he has to pay exor
bitant prices.
1t does not require much more feed
for sheep that will shear ten pounds
than for one that will shear FIVE
pounds, and still not much more for
one shearing fifteen pounds than for
one shearing ten pounds. The labor
attending the heavy shearers is not
much increased over attending the
lighter shearers. Common sense.
reason and practice will prove these
things clearly.
In these chapters I have so often
referred TO the condition of Southern
agriculture that it seems unnecessary
to do so again. It is enough here to
refer TO the fact that it is not paying
as it should pay. The agriculture
of the lower Southern States is not
paying like that of Kentucky, Indi-
ana, Illinois, Iowa and Missouri.
Neither are the lands of the former
increasing in fertility as the lands of
the latter are. twenty-five to fifty
years more of the old farming meth
DDS would have brought to the former
poverty and steriIty while the latter
shall still more bloom in richness
and fruit in proGuctiveness.
There would have come a humilia-
tion to the people Of the South and a
yawning gulf of difference between
the people of the two sections that
a hundred years would not sec OBJ
liberated.
But this extent of difference is not
TO come for the race of the two sec
tions is the same; they are equal in
ability and in purpose one.
Excelsior quickens the intelligence
of both and the two rising genera,
tions of the South are seeing the
situation and intuitiveIy rising to the
exigenOy and grasping the conditions
with determination to conquer and
succeed.
They will master the new progress.
i've agrioulture'that shall supplant the
old and no country like the South.
Land will respond to the new treat
ment more bountifully.
The agricultural colleges of the
South are progressive part of this
new work. Of these am pleased to
note that our own North Carolina
Agricultural and Mechanical College
is ably, practically and persistently
pointing out and leading the way up-
ward, although not yet receiving
one-fourth the support either from
the Legislature or the people that it
merits and must eventually have.
In this great work of progressive
agriculture the domestic animals
must constitute at least one-third of,
the agencies brought into service,
for they consume the products of the
earth and return the fertilizing ele.
msnts again to the soil.
For this purpose, all things con.
sidered, no animal excels the sheep.
Her fleece will comfortably pay her
way, with some additional profit
every year, while her increase in
numbers from the age of two years
and on will more than equal that of
any other stock
It is in her capacity as fertilizing
agency, after all, that the main supe.
riority of sheep over other animals
becomes apparent and useful Hav-
ing specifically explained this in a
previous chapter, will not reiterate
here, but will say that there are as
yet but few and small sections of the
United States where this usefulness
of the sheep is fully demonstrated
and utilized.
The Northwest and Southwest
make, very large profit out of the
wool and mutton of sheep, while the
use of it's fertilizing products is prao-
tioally lost. Even in the most inn.