The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1914-08-13

A recent trip taken by the writer
through the section of the State de.
voted to the production of spring
lambs, shows an alarming decrease
in the sheep population. 1t is strange
but seems very true, that when any.
thing is the highest on the market, the
farmer has nothing to sell. If there
ever, was a time that seemed favor
able for going into the sheep business,
it certainly is now. There is a nation.
wide shortage of sheep. They have
been one of the greatest sources Of
profit to the Middle Tennessee farmer.
Everything indicates greater profit in
the near future. In the face of all this,
the farmer is selling so per cent of
his stock ewes this year, when there
was already shortage Of rs per cent
from last year.
In the past such a practice was in
a degree excusable because it was
possible TO obtain satisfactory ewes
cheaper than the market value of eve
lambs. Such practice, year after year,
however, necessarily exhausted the
supply, since no effort has been made
to keep it up. The yearly advancing
price offered by the stockdrover to the
farmers of the hill sections of Tennes-
see and of Alabama and Mississippi,
has tempted him to sell closer every
year, until he has very little left to
sell or even to breed from.
The bulk of the ewes going out now
cannot be replaced for the price they
are bringing They are just in their
prime, and have become adapted to
local conditions. This, of course,
does not mean that the Tennessee
farmer is going to quit growing sheep,
but it is extremely unfortunate that
he is selling SO close, simply because
the price is higher than ever before,
when the chances are it will be higher
next year Now is the time to be in
the sheep business, not the time to.
sell out, and this coming season will
be the very worst one to buy into it,
on account of the high prices. The
market demand for spring lamb is get
ting stronger each year.
The other day farmer was telling
the writer how he had formerly owned
a flock of sheep and with what regu.
larity his family had mutton to eat
and how thoI oughly they enjoyed it.
But when he began to recount, he
found that it had been forty years
since he had tasted mutton. There are
plenty of farmers in the State who
don't know the taste of lamb.
BY the system now praeticed in Mid
die Tennessee, the sheep live almost
entirely on crops that formerly fur
nished no pasture. The winter grain
fields and the rapidly increasing acre
age of winter cover crops may be
made to pay their entire cost of Seed
and seeding, by the sheep pasture
they furnish, and still serve their pr.
mary purpose. The cost of lamb pro
duction is thereby greatly reduced.
Every farm in the State should have
a small flock of sheep, except of course
small tracts devoted to trucking, etc.
and cultivated very intensively. Ten
nessee could easily support 100000
more sheep than at present without
displacing any other kind live stock
Such an increase will have to come
through combined community effort
The dog continues to be real menace
to the industry; not so much because
of the actual loss he causes, but more
becadse of the worry. The actual loss
from dogs is shown to be only one-half
per cent on all acreage for period of
ten years, but great many farmers
will not raise sheep, simply because of
fear Of the dog. The individual who
alone undertakes to raise sheep in his
community, is taking heavy risk.
When everybody in the community,
goes into the sheep business
there is enough sentiment against the
dog to control him, and he gives very
little trouble.-R. M. Murphy, Univer
sity of Tennessee.