The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1904-05-07

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'',~z. One Merino Flock. =5s#=
have q flock Of Merinos that now
numbers 1.400. This flock was start
ed in 1866, when I bought 100 head Of
Merinos of high quality. Since that
time we have added to the flock BY
purchase at different times. but al.
ways from other docks that were high
In quality. In this way we have got
new blood to keep up the stamina of
the flock. During the time this flock
has been in existence there has been
great change in the type of what
we call the popular sheep. Yet We
have found our Merinos holding their
own in the public esteem. I remem-
Der that in 1882 we went to the state
fair at Peoria and showed our Merinos
against some. of the best of the NUT.
ton breeds. We got our share of the
premiums and sold about 5000 worth
of bucks. The first buck sold
brought 500. and men wondered at
the price, for the bucks of the NUT.
ton breeds showing against us brought
only about SIS. The wonder was still
greater wher I sold another buck for
$125.
A year ago last summer we shipped
81 head 70 Australia. One of them
sold in that country for $1,000. We
have JUS shipped 250,000 pounds Of
Merino wool east. This may seem an
enormous quantity to ship from one
flock, but il. represents ten years clip.
We hope that wool will bring US 20
cents per pound.
Since the starting of our flock there
has come over the wool-producing in.
dustry great change. When we be-
gan to raise MeriIos nine-tenths of
all the wool produced in the United
States was grown on Merino sheep.
So great has been the change from
Merinos to the mutton breeds that it
is now SAFE to say that the conditions
are reversed and that nine-tenths of
the wool is now produced by sheen
other than Merinos.
Our foreign trade IL, sheep helps us
out greatly. We are shipping sheen
both to Australia and South Africa.
We have sent 200 to Africa and about
the same number to Australia. I be-
lleve that the time is again approach
ing when we will get good prices for
Merinos and for Merino wool.
i was told by a PHILADELPHIA man
connected with the wooden industries
that there is milling combine, the
agents of which declare that there is
not enough fine wool to permit them
to run year. One thing that affects
the production of fine wool detri-
mentally is that it can be mixed with
shoddy and with cotton, and all are
palmed off as fine wool. They can't
mix coarse wool with either shoddy
or cotton without the imposture be.
Ing apparent. But when fine wool is
mixed, as I have said, it takes an ex-
pert to tell it.
A great deal also depends on fash
ion. For some time the coarse woods
have been in fashion. Already fashion
is changing again to fine wool, and
when that movement has progressed
little further the men that raise
Merinos will be on top. For instance,
SILK goods have gone up ten per cent
since the outbreak of the Japanese
Russian war. o
AS to the quantity OF wool Merinos
will produce, the figures remain large.
We have ewes that are shearing as
high as rs pounds per head, and bucks
that are shearing as high as 40
pounds. Taking our flock as a whole.
they are shearing about II pounds per
head, and this is very good average
for flock of its size.
AS to wool prices, we hope our con-
signment of a quarter of q million
pounds will net us 10 cents per pound
at the farm. This was unwashed
wool. For washed wool we have
sometimes received as high as so
cents per pound.
We have sold one carload of sheen
this year to western men to go onto
the ranches. The bucks are being
used on the flocks in Montana, Utah.
Texas and other western states. They
are found to be very valuable to cross
with the common range sheep. One
object is to improve the quality of
the wool. Our western range sheep
produce good\quality of mutton, and
it needs only slight Improvement,
Then, too, Merinos are good herders.
They will herd easily in large flocks,
which is nots the case with the NUT.
ton breeds. This is an i'm ortant fac.
tor on the western ranges, where
many thousands Of sheep have to be
kept together under the control of 9
single herder.
spoke Of the range sheep beine
very good for mutton production
You take the middle-wool sheep and
there is lot of fat put on the side
which you can't eat. But range sheer
crossed with Merinos make a sheer
with high quality of mutton.
There is also another factor that
is entering into the problem of rais
| iuo Morin0 Shoon ovtS1 that :. A.