The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-05-01
World Sheep Situation

The world sheep situation today is
 confused knot of conflicting factors that
 fail to furnish precise indications of the
 industry's status in all countries, but that
 seem to make it certain that the United
 States has about 10 per cent of all the
 sheep and that leave unaltered the de-
 pendence of the world upon sheep for
 clothing, food and other comforts. These
 statements were made by pr. John R.
 Mohler, chief of the bureau of animal
 industry, United States Department of
 Agriculture, in an address here today be-
 fere the More Sheep More Wool associa-
 ton of the United States.
 Raising sheep for wool alone or for wool principally must eventually give way
 as farm practice to the double-purpose animal" said Dr. Mohler. who called
 attention to the comparatively small pro-
 portion of mutton that is eaten in the
 United States, with the possibility that consumption of that meat may be large ly increased. not to the detriment of beef or pork, but to take the place of the
 meat products that have been imported from other countries.
 | KEEP PRODUCTION COST LOW Ut is highly important that the cost of producing all sheep products be kept low he declared, 50 that the price fac tor will attract consumers rather than, re- pei them. This is one of the underlying reasons for the bureaus constant effort to eliminate losses from disease, from parasites and from other causes Losses that in the past have seemed unavoid- able already have been reduced. and we are trying to hammer the per cent e loss still lower. We are confident that a more effective control of disease will mean more yards of woolen cloth sold over the counter and more pounds of mutton in the market basket.
 If the women of the United States learned how unrestrained dogs menace the sheep industry and are factor in the price of lamb chops and wooden cloth 1 ing, they would do something aboCS it, directly or indirectly.
 SAVE BY EATING MUTTON ''The average housewife would be sur prised to learn that in a year she buys | for every person in the household only about five pounds of mutton or lamb, as compared with about T pounds of pork and 67 of beef, If could in I duce all the people to use sheep meat one day a week in the average amount of other meats, that would mean more than 1 20 per cent of mutton and lamb annually per capita, or four times it's present con- sumption More than that, the head of the family who pays the bills would no doubt encourage purchasing mutton and q 1 few chops at time if he were made to realize the greater economy and the great | CT encouragement to production. In that , connection, shoulder of mutton or a | leg of lamb, being smaller than the av- craze beef joint, should appeal especially | to small families
 INCREASE SIZE OF FLOCKS 1 Sheep raising should be encouraged chiefly where the land and other condi- tions are suita ble for it, said Dr. Mohler, and the i'm should be not so much for an increase in the number of flocks as 1 ir creases in the number of sheep kept ]! by men who are real shepherds or have the qualifications and desire to become shepherds.
 By the use of best methods of breeding and management, and by planting tho | sheep industry where it will flourish | best" he said, i've should be able to make i it more vital part of our national life l than it is today. Sheep, which serve
 mankind, embody democracy. Possibly ! in these gentle creatures we may have a fulfllment of the promise that the
 meek shall inherit the earth In any case. let us give them every opportunity within our power to do so." .s