The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1921-06-01

that he goes into the livestock bust
ness when prices are high then gets
discouraged and goes out when prices
slump.
In my opinion there was never a
better time :han now for farmer to
start with flock OF sheep in fact,
believe the future for the sheep i'll
dustry in this country is brighter to-
day than ever before in the history of
the nation | will admit that the WOOL
en- markets are less congested but
when we consider the good price for
lambs and the fact that last year in
competition with frozen mutton from
Australia, equal in amount to one
third what we normally produce, the
lamb markets held up better than
any other livestock market / can
readily see that the demand for lambs
in this country is greater than home
production
The hocks of the country, especial
ly in the Western States have been
greatly decimated during the past
year. This coupled with the fact that
frozen mutton from Australia is cut
off thru a protective tariff makes
greater demand for lambs from the
corn belt states. AS to the wooden
market, it may be some time before we
can expect return to normal condi-
tons, however, with the American
mills in normal times consuming twice
as much wool as we produce in this
country, there is no reason why the
wooden market should not get back
10 normal.
Sheep, not as speculative, but as a
producing factor in farm operation,
have splendid record where they
have been permitted to remain on
one farm over a long enough period
to make record. A flock of ewes
maintained year after year, can be
carried at low cost and will bring
in a profit on the money invested
greater than that from any other
phase of farming. Cost Account Re-
cords in the Corn Belt States show
this to be so.
| have recently completed sheep
survey of the State. This survey
brought to light some interesting as
we'll as amazing facts few of which
may be summarized as follows:
Farmers in Kentucky as a whole,
have never seriously considered sheep
raising as a part of their farm opera
tons, consequently most focks have
been neglected. Yet farmers through
out the state have assured me that
they have made more clear profit,
from sheep than any thing else on
the farm
A little more than four-ffths OF
the Hooks of the State are headed by
grade or scrub rams. This is not only
the case in Eastern and Western Ken
lucky but in the Blue Grass section
as well | recently saw a Southdown
Mountain Cross Ram at the head of
Blue Grass flock of so high grade
Hamps.,ires.
Out of little more than one mil
lion sheep in the State less than sew
en- thousand are registered pure breds.
At the very lowest estimate, the use
of grade and scrub rams at the head
of IS per cent of the flocks of the
State, means an annual loss to the
industry of two million dollars. The
speaker knows of bunch of 20 year
ling rams from scrub flock in a pro-
gressive agricultural section of Ken
lucky that will be sold for breeding
purposes this fall. These rams were
left over after the buyers had picked
the best lambs for the market last
year A prominent sheep man told me
in this section of the state that he be-
lieves the farmers will buy these scrub
rams to head their hocks rather than