The Robesonian., 1918-01-03
THE SHEEP SITUATION
Sheep Can be Produced Profitably
on Almost Every Farm.

Extension Farm News.
The wool from twenty sheep Is US
ed to make the clothing and other
equipment Of one soldier.
Six farms out of every seven IN the
United States have no sheep.
Sheep can be produced profitably On
almost every farm.
What about your farm? II you
keep twenty sheep. you are outfittlng
a soldier who is risking his life Tor
your freedom. If you have flock or
200 sheep, you can clothe ten men who
are fighting in France. And if you
have no sheep, you are failing to 90
all that is in your power to help win
the war.
They make both meat and wool !
and both are badly needed. By prop !
er management they can be produced
on the average farm without entalilng
a reduction Of other live stock and
without interfering with any other ag-
ricultural plans.
More than the entire wool produc-
ton of the United States will be used
for our armies. Where will we get
the wool to make clothes for the civ
ilians? Every ship is needed to trans
port men and supplies from America
to Europe. Unless the necessity is ex-
treme. we can't spare ships for long
VOYAGES to Australia, South Africa
and South America to get WOOL Fur
thermore, those countries have not In
creased their production. The prob
lem must be solved by the production
of more sheep on farms throughout
the United States. We must produce
our wool at home instead OF hauling
it from the other side of the world:
We can do that if the six farms out Of
seven that have not kept sheep will
begin to build up flocks in proportion
to the size Of the farm, at the ratio
of one sheep to each three acres. We
can do it if you will put some sheep
on your farm.
You will be helping produce cloth.
ing and meat for our soldiers and
yourself. You will be helping win the
ey from your farm.
Sheep, in proportion to the value O.
their products, are produced more eco
:, live stock; the feed and labor require
ments are less They fit in with prac
: tically every kind of farming; &c
I much of their subsistence from forage
from grazing weeds and grass tha
u would not support other stock. The
/; eat almost no feed that has a valu
as human food, and need less graf
! than other animals. They add mater
< tally to the farm revenue, but add lit
;; tie. relatively, to the farm expense
Z Since 1914, wool and mutton price
have doubled, and some grades c
+ wool have trebled. Those who are
i close touch with the sheep industr
e believe that attractive prices will cor
/ tinue. During the war, overprodu(
o tion seems impossible.
q The United States now has 1000
Z 600 fewer sheep than in 1914. OF
production of wool has steadily d,
: clined since 1910, when it was 321
IS 362,75O pounds, to 290, 0,192,O00 poune
" in 1914, 288, 100000 pounds in 191
le and 285, ,573 900 pounds in 1917 b
81 while our production decreased, OF
10 manufacturing consumption increa
4 ed from $50, 1861 ,525 pounds in 49,
!, to 737 7,679 1924 pounds in 1916. In 10.
10 the amount manufactured will be e
y en- larger. and it seems certain that
n will continue to increase during Il
n. war.
a. The difference between the amour
s. we produced and manufactured repr
ce sents our wool importations from OF
g er countries. We have gotten in
the habit of using a great deal mo
ak wool than we produced-we'd il
n send over to Australia or South AT
x Z ca, or perhaps somewhere in AS
10 and get what we needed. But the 81
TO shortage now intereferes with tt
" unecOnomic arrangement, which in
I0r,C I,o 1,,41 IL
u for America. Present war necessit
he will teach us the lesson we would hs
had to learn at some time-to est:
IN lish sheep production permanently
ost a part of general American agric
ak ture.
w. The need is immediate as a Y
1er measure. But, war or no war,
ave would have been necessary for us
ose produce more sheep. A man can
ing draw money out of bank indefinit
res unless he makes deposits. We W
constantly consuming more wool
xes mutton, but raising fewer sheep.
lelr principal sheep countries we're not
I Q creasing their production before
nue. war and seemed to have reached tt
ons maximum. There was a discrepa
are between consumption and product
Tor that was rapidly becoming critical.
MES war brought the problem to a CT
lust What about your farm?
end Is it one of the six out of sc
farms in the United States that
cess no sheep?
will Get some sheep!
art Remember that twenty sheen
last clothe boy who is risking his
l, cover there.
and
fore Negroes Pledge Loyalty to Gov
year ment.
Resolutions nIod Uino tho 1ovo1+