The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-17

4diIlUO STOWH III the OnlBeQ 27,000,000 or more are grown
 in a territory where the clima cal production of the spring l
 of this highly appreciated art Alabaina Possibilities
 Does it mean anything to you to know that Alabama, can grow three and one-haf millions of sheep annually by utilizing the wasted and pasture lands that now compose large per cent of the area of the state, that could be turned into one of the greatest re- sources? Does it mean anything to the sneep grower, to know he can receive his wool production in .Alabaina two thirds by simply breeding the Merino Breed of sheep, crossed up with his ma i've grown sheep? I mean by Merino Breed, any of the fine wool sheen which are of the Merino family. A eve that produces an average of four pounds of wool, even if the wool was as good quail ity, and brought as much money, which is not the case, would at present price of forty to fifty cents per pound, bring the grower about two dollars per head per year. This on a value of the dollars per head per eve, is twenty per cent of the cost price. A very fair percent the banker would say. All right then, to in- crease the amount of production to eight pounds, which can be done by breeding to a pure bred fine wool ram, would make the per cent forty, and to increase it still another four pounds, which can be done in Alabama by breed ing the first crosses of pure bred fine wool sheep, to another pure bred fine wool ram, thus making a percentage, sixty per cent of the cost price of the sheep. Would a business man take this feature of business into consideration, in making his choice in arrangement for a selection of goods? Would it appeal to the sheep grower to buy for a ten dollar bill, sheep that would produce sixty per cent of it's cost price the first year of his ownership, in wool alone, in preference to the four pound sheep, that would only produce twenty per cent of cost price, and not raise any better lamb? This is a feature for the sheep grower to consider, when he is making a decision of breeds, over a period of years. Would this mean any thing to the sheep maa7 Suppose two year-old fine wool sheep, cost ten dol lars. The wool would bring sixty per cent of cost price every year for eight years. Would she be worth more money than the four pound sheep from a dol- lars and cents standpointG would sug- gest that the business man would not have to have it drummed into him, as to what selection to make, in the choice of this ratio of investment. Especially when the risk is not so hazardeOus, with the sixty per cent article.
 Europe's Record
 Did you notice that Europe has only one hundred and thirty millions of the worlds supply of sheep, which IS ht- tie more. than one-fifth of the sheep grown in the world, but that Europe produces more than eight hundred mil lions pounds of wool, almost one-th1rd of the wool supply of the world! What makes this condition, is the fact Eu- rope has long since realized the impor- tance of fine wool, and has bred from a wool standpoint. We may say that we do not consider the importance of wool so great, as we do the importance ot the lamb and mutton production. we should, when we know that the fine wool sheep is a hardy sheep and the only kind can be handled in some sec tions of the world in large punches to advantage, and that they are much less subject to the ravages of disease than some of the so-called mutton sheep. The most essential part of the favorable choice of fine wool sheep for growing IS that the fine wool or some of the tine wool breeds will produce and grow a better lamb for mutton purposes when crossed with the mutton type Of ram than the mutton type will produce, Tn the straight breeds of the mutton sheep. This because she is better hustler and stays fat on a poorer pasture than the mutton types.
 A Rambouillet, which is my choice of the fine wool sheep, will outlive and produce any mutton type of sheep fn existence. She will cross with any of the mutton types of sheep, and grow better lamb in the same pasture, than the straight breed of the mutton sheep. mean by mutton sheep the Black Face of Downs breeds of sheep, and at the same time bring the grower twice or hb auAuCA HOOA AANANSs +ASN- why not the Rambouillet for Q breeding eve? While stressing wool on its merits, and for that matter, it iS the most im- portant feature of the sheep game, in most parts of the world we must still bear in mind that we of the south and especially Alabama, Georgia and Missis' sippi have a condition all our own, when comparing the most important feature. And let me say that an eight pound increase of wool per head, at fifty cent per pound, the present price for this grade of wool, is four dollars and on one thousand if four thousand dollars. This increase over a period of eight years, the life time of the eve, would mean thlrty-two thousand dol- lars, enough to buy and pay for, twice over the land on which 1t takes for her maintainence during her life, at the present price of land in Alabama. Does, this sound like sound logic? l say to &ka ,N .~NnI vrrAnvhAo Vs-