The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-09-26
THE STATES RICHEST GRASS COUNTIES

Creek in Ashe county There were
three huge windrows Of hay stretch
ing the full length Of the mountains.
[ asked the owner what he would
take for that mountain side per acre
ail1, told me he wouldn't take less
IT, MS liars. Fifty dollars per
acre 10. | standing up on its
edge, how is that for nigh?
Naturally the farmers OF a grass
| county take to the raising of cattle
and sheep. But one will ask, how
can they raise sheep for the dogs?
In all the IoWland counties farmers
are prevented from raising sheep be-
cause the dogs kill them. 1 don't
profess to know just why the dogs
| of that section do not kill sheep, but
it is seldom the case. There are old
yellow hounds and other commo on
dogs up there but one seldom ever
hears of sheep being killed by dogs
An old citizen of Ashe county once
advanced a reason which seems
plausible. He said that the main
| reason was that dogs were raised in
that country to understand that
sheep was a domestic animal like
| pig or a calf. From their puppyhood
they are acquainted with sheep,
While in the lower counties sheep
is a new thing to a dog and he re-
CARDS it as q wild animal and when
it runs the dog will chase it. But
the shepherd dog largely predomin
ates in these mountain counties and
his presence and training may have
an Influence over the more common
of the dog tribe.
Ashe county has in the past ten
| years gradually increased in the
raising Of sheep, and has not paid as
much attention to the raising OF cat
! tl,k That county alone has over
| $4,000 head Of sheep in it ready for
| the market each year. Watauga has
| possibly half as many, while Alle-
ghany has about $4,000. Those sheep
raisers who live nearest the railroad
| lines and on good roads leading to
markets have been making their best
raising of lambs. They can always
| find a market for lambs at fancy
price.
| Ashe county usually markets each
year about $4,000 head Of cattle,
Watauga about 1000 and Allegheny
about 5000. These are mostly 2
year olds and bring forty to fifty dol
lars a head. They are generally Of
the short horn Durham or Hereford
varieties. Scrub stock IS stunned by
every cattle dealer, and no stock is
wanted at all that has Jersey blood
in it, Or the blood Of any Of the
smaller varieties. While a down
country farmer boasts of his Jerseys
a farmer in these three counties
would be "cussed out" by his neigh
bors If he would turn Jersey bull
loose to serve the neighboring cows
free of charge. Such is their preju
dice against small, insignificant stock.
1t takes the large, plump, hindquar-
ters Of a shOrt-horn or Hereford to
bring the price.
The large steers, weighing 1000
pounds. are not raised in these coun-
ties One must go farther down the
river into Wythe and Pulaski coun-
ties, Virginia, to find them. The
grazing in the counties of Ashe, AL
leghany and Watauga is largely on
mountain sides and big steer with
his parted hoof and 1000 pounds of
flesh would step on a piece Of turf
and never stop going until he would
reach the valley below. It is too
dangerous a business.
The cattle-raisers Of these coun-
ties generally sell their cattle when
they get to be two years old to the
cattleraisers in the bluegrass coun-
ties further down the New River
where the land is not so steep and
where they can be developed into the
big steers.
The happiest and best contented
people on earth live in these three
mountain counts. They believe
thoroughly that they live in the finest
country the sun shines on. And they
are not far from right. The aver
age farmer is happier and has a bet
ter home than his brother down the
country. He doesn't have to work
over three months in the year ana
if he worked half as hard as the to-
bacco and cotton farmer during
these three months he would soon be
Independent. From August 1st to
May 1st his chief job is to salt his
cattle and throw them a few nub-
bings of corn. He may have a small