The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-12-19
I'm m e n Sc Flocks Fron
Western Plains May Be
Transferred Here.
SECTION HAS BEEN
LONG TIME FAVOREI
Pasture Lands of Yves
Have Practically Lost
Their Nutritive Value.

West Florida will he recommends
favorably as the site for raising sheel
and there is a possibility of immen(
fiocks being transferred to this sectiof
according to assurances given Hal d
Scott, receiver of the T. A. & G. raih
road by representatives of the MAJ
tional Wool Growers Association. and
made public by Mr.. Scott yesterday,
Crowded gradually out of the great
pasture lands of the West by the op.
Grafton OF the homestead act, wool
growers are seeking vast tracts OF land
to be used as pasturage for theil
sheep, and turned their eyes to the
cut over lands of the south For
the purpose of investigation the possi-
bilities of this region, an executive
committee, representing 10000 wool
growers from every part of the United
States, came south, and in their tour
of the country inspected some sites
in West Florida.
After conducting a through invests.
CATION 1t announced that favorabIa
report would be rendered on West
Florida at the annual meeting OF tie
association to be held in Salt Like
City on January 18th.
Should this great industry become
established In West F1orids,r Its possi-
bilities for development are practi...
ally unlimited, and 1t is considered
particularly important with the grad.
ual cutting away OF the timber, and
the increasing necessity for an in.
dustry to take place of the 1umbef
trade. The raising of cattle has long
been urged by government experts
and the efforts of Mr. Scott in bring.
&I-.- - r..
doing this.
The larger individual sheep operas
tors will each require tracts compris.
ing 100000 to 10000 acres while mans
lesser tracts will be needed by this
smaller operators.
Questions of legislation, forage and
health. affecting sheep raising In the
South, have been considered Federal
and state experts are unquaIifiedly on,
record as of the opinion that sheep
can be successfully raised in this sec.
tion. and that difficulties confronting
p new undertaking of this kind, insti-
tuted on large scale, can be success
fully solved. the primary necessity now
being for the land owners and WOO;
growers to inaugurate the movement
on sound and practical lines.
The investigating committee repre-
sents in its personnel some of the
most extensive and successful wool
growers in the West, men who have
aad years OF experience in this work.
It is composed OF John r. EdgheilL
chairman: Thomas Austin, AIberN
Smith and r H. winder
John r. Edgheill, chairman Of the
WOOL growers committee. stated that
he National Wool Growers Associa-
ion, with headquarters In Salt Lake
sity, com prises IS per cent of the wool
production Of the country, and num-
,ers over 10000 members. situated
throughout the United States. Atten-
ion of the wool growers had been
to Southern cut-over lands
IS offering relief from difficulties they
ire now experiencing in the wesE,
,rought about primarily by the home
'teading of the public domain, said
Mr. Edgheil. Through operation OF
he homestead act, which divided the
Western land into 640-acre tracts, the
yrazing territory had been restricted To
'uch an extent that the sheep industry
must now look elsewhere IL IL Is To
continue in its past proportions and
levelop further in accordance with the
reeds OF the country. Mr.. Edghein
stated that large tracts of land are
'6Eentla1 TO sheep-rAising, and that
Individual members of his COMMITTEES
ire interested in acquiring. prefer
lbiy by purchase in part and long.
,eriod lease, single tracts comprising
100000 to 10000 acres or more He
explaining that this did not necessari-
y mean the tract must be composed
altogether OF cut-over lands, tnar ft
night be largely timbered lands, this
being dependent on the growth OF
grasses and weeds as affected by the
lensity OF the timber. Further. un-
Inhabited lands were preferable to
ands dotted here and there with set
.1ers.
1t Is recognized that the transfer tA
,heep from the West to Southern CUT
,yer lands would involve the same
difficulties and would have to be sub
iected to the same experiments fhar
any radical departure from an esfab-
ished situation entails