Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1915-08-03
titled SOIL FOR SHEEP
HOW WILLIAM RIDDELL RAISES
PRIZE WOOL PRODUCERS.
Willamette Valley Climate Especially
Adapted to Breeding Shropshires
and COtswOlds.

The problem of whether or not cul-
| tivated land can be used to produce
feed for other kinds of stock than
horses and dairy cattle is no problem
in England, from which comes the
Shropshire and related middle wooled
sheep, the Cotswolds, Lincolns, and
the long woods, to say nothing about
various other breeds.
The Willamette valley climate is
much like that of England, especially
in it's great suitability for livestock.
Sheep are one of the leading products
of Oregon and although a fair pro-
portion are raised on cleared hill
land, many others are kept entirely
on valley farms. William Riddell of
Monmouth, with his sons, stands out
as one of the foremost sheep breeders
of the Pacific coast, though he per-
haps may be better known for Angora
goats than for his sheep. He was one
of the first to breed Cotswolds in the
valley, purchased part of the first car
of Lincolns seen in Oregon, was the
first to try red clover in his district,
the first there to use rape in sheep
raising. His sheep are raised entirely
on cultivated soil in connection with
they may be put on cleared land that
is used mostly by goats and cattle.
The sheep kept are Cotswolds and
Lincolns, so much alike that only an
expert can tell them apart. They are
excellent for this climate and the
standard breeds for valley land,
though some Shropshires are raised
in the valley also. Their wool is Ions
feature that is important in rainy
sections. The sheep are among the
largest breeds, quite prolific, as many
have twins, and the fleece is heavy.
With all these characteristics they
can well be one of the main products
of high priced land and will make
good interest in this district on $3.50
an acre land. They could probably
do this with permanent pasture,
though the best way seems to be to
raise them in connection with general
farming. Through the winter they
are pastured on red clover and grass,
or perhaps on oats and Vetch sown
early in autumn.
About the second week in June they
are taken from the clover and unless
it is eaten down very fine a mower is
run over it and some hay secured and
the field then left to grow seed. They
then can be turned on clover of spring
planting, which has been put in with
rape On good land and a good sea-
son, the rape will be ready for pas
ture in six weeks after planting and
while they are living off that, the
clover is getting a good start. Rape
is a fine thing to raise for sheep.
Grasses will be dry some time in the
year, but rape and clover will be
green when the grass is dry. Alfalfa
has never been a success with Mr..
Riddell Although fine stands have
been secured, they have always play
ed out the second year, or produced
far below clover.
In the fall there is oat stubble and
clover pasture for the sheep and they
may be fed some hay or may not be,
depending upon how the pasture is, or
what other feed is available. Glover
fields cropped for hay provide a good
aftermath from the second cutting.
Altogether the production of sheep
and mutton is such that there is profit
in sheep on high priced land.
Ewes of these breeds average from
Is to II pounds of fleece year, year.
lngs with Is months growth more
than that year ago the wool brought
II to 10 cents a pound. Since the
war it has risen 10 cents, but at or
binary prices a fleece is worth ap-
proximately SO. AS lambs are quoted
at about cents weighing around so
pounds, the income looks pretty good
on a high land valuation. The ques-
ton with present prices of meat and
feed may well be, whether it would
not pay well to raise mutton not only
on this kind of feed, but on that kind |
which the climate and soil of any To-
cation offers.