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SHEEP HUSBANDRY.

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PREPARED FOR

THE FARMERS OF TENNESSEE,

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BY

oe B. KILLEBREW, ASM. Ph. Dy

Commissioner of Agriculture, Statistics and Mines for the State of Tennessee.

NASHVILLE, TENN.:
* TaveL, Eastman & Howe tt.
1880.

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To His ExceELueNcy, Gov. A. S. Marks:

The numerous enquiries which I have received, asking
for information pertaining to the capabilities of the State
for sheep husbandry, have induced me to prepare the
following pages. I am indebted to my former clerk,
Major H. N. Caldwell, for much valuable aid in the
preparation of the volume; also to Dr. W. M. Clark
and to B. M. Hord, both of whom haye contributed
largely to the work. All the best American authors,
Hays, Stewart and Randall, as well as the best European
writers on this subject, have been freely consulted, but
the most useful part of the work has been derived from
the observation, experience, and practice of our own
flock-masters, who have no superiors in this or any
other country. Their intelligent management has been
recognized and approved in the best sheep growing dis-
tricts of Europe, and their experience :furnishes a mine
of valuable information, which cannot be disregarded
with impunity by those entering the business in our
State. Trusting that the work may aid in the further-
ing of an industry which is both a pleasure and a
necessity to civilized man, I have the honor to be,

Very truly,

J. B. KILLEBREW.
February 20, 1880.

SHEE HUSBANDRY,

CHAPTER I.

HISTORY AND GENERAL VIEW OF THE SUBJECT.

The question as to the capability of Tennessee as a sheep
- growing section has long been settled, and, therefore, it is
unnecessary to bring forward any arguments on the subject.
Not only is this State well calculated to make sheep hus-
bandry profitable, but it has claims in an especial degree
that are not possessed by any other States of our Union.
This industry has of late years received an impetus not
hitherto known, from the introduction of a system of rail-
roads all over the United States. Before their general con-
struction lambs could be bought at any time for one dollar
apiece, in fact, the farmer considered himself amply re-
remunerated if he secured that price. Now, the great
markets of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and, in fact,
all the northern and eastern cities, from Louisville and
Cincinnati to St. Paul and Portland, in Maine, draw their
early lambs from the more genial climes of the South, and
so great is the competition that the farmer who has large
fat lambs to sell in May or the first of June can get from
three to four dollars apiece. Nor does the market cease
with the early ones, but extends through the entire summer
for all grades of lambs, and later for fat ewes and wethers.

[6 ]

This stimulus has acted so strongly upon sheep raising that
no farmer should, or does, think his farm stocked without
a flock of sheep ranging from a score or two to several
thousand, according to the capacity of the farm or range.
And not only has it shown itself in the increased numbers
raised, but it has acted in a wonderful manner in improving
the stock or character of the sheep.

But few animals can show a greater diversity of character
than sheep. ‘This difference is shown in color, size, shape,
length and texture of wool, etc, nor does any animal what-
ever occupy a larger territory, living everywhere that man
does on the habitable globe. They are found on the bleak
mountain sides of Greenland, and on the broad deserts of
Africa. Nor does this great diversity cease in these par-
ticulars, for no domestic or wild animal is capable of exist-
ing on more different sorts of food. Weeds, grasses, shrubs,
roots, cereals, leaves, barks, and even, in times of scarcity,
fish and meats, all furnish a subsistence to this wonderful
animal. They will, in the great pine forests of Norway
and Sweden, subsist upon the pungent resinous evergreens
through a hard winter, such as are unknown to this latitude.
The cultivated grasses of the temperate zones, clover, and
the ceerals are, as a matter of course, the best food for them,
but in the absence of these they will gnaw the barks and
crop the leaves of the forests. Among the Laplanders,.
when all other kinds of food fail, they will eat the dried
fish of those people, or the half rotten flesh of the walrus ;.
or, in cases of extreme destitution, they will eat the very
wool off each other’s backs.

The sizes of sheep are as various as the kinds of food.
they live upon. In the Orkney Islands they are so small
as to appear like toys. Like the diminutive ponies of the
Shetlands, neighbors of the Orkneys, they are brought to
the warmer climates as a curiosity. By the side of the
massive Cotswold or Southdown they appear very little like
the same species. Some have long, tapering, straight horns,.

a

like the gazelle, while others have the huge spiral horns of
the mountain, or big horns of the Osage Mountains.
Others, again, are without horns altogether, as are most of
mutton sheep.

The same difference exists in regard to the tails. They
have long, slender, vibrating tails, a broad, flat tail like
those of Asia, or no tail at all, only a rudiment of one being
discernable. In some countries the tail attains a weight of
from seven to twelve pounds, and is considered a great
delicacy.

And thus with the covering. It hardly seems possible
to connect the straight, hairy fleece of the Rocky Mountain
sheep and the long, combing wool of the Leicester or Cots-
wold, in the same animal. In Madagascar the sheep have
short, hairy wool, hardly to’ be considered wool at all. In
Lincolnshire it is long and coarse. In Saxony it is almost
like silk, fine, curly, and lustrous. In Angola it is furry
and soft as a rabbit’s fur. Nor does the diversity stop here.
In our own country we meet with the white and black
sheep. About the Cape of Good Hope they are gray, dun,
brown, buff, blue, and all intermediate shades of color.
This great difference of color results from long breeding
under many. different climates and modes of feeding.

The uses to which these animals are applied seem to par-
take of the great diversity of their characteristics. The meat
forms one of the standard dishes of the world. For
luscious juiciness, ease of digestion, and delicacy of flavor
it has no equal. Agreeable alike to the invalid and to the
laborer, it is eagerly sought by all classes. Nor is its flesh
the only thing about it that forms a diet of man. Some
nations use, to a large extent, the milk of sheep as well as of
cows and goats. Excellent cheese is manufactured from it,
and its use is thought by some physicians to be a specific
diet in obstinate cases of dyspepsia. Even the wool is con-
sidered a choice dish by some of the Highland clans of
Scotland. They scorch it to a crisp brownness, and eat it

[8]

with great relish. The use of ewe’s milk in preparing
cheese, butter, and curd is alluded to in the Book of Job.
The writers of profane history often speak of ewe’s milk.
The ewe’s milk cheese has a sharp, strong taste, that, like
Limberg cheese, commends itself to the taste of many
people. It is often mixed with cow’s milk in the manufac-
ture of some brands of cheese, to give it a tartness not
given by cow’s milk alone. The butter is a pale yellow,
less firm than cow’s butter, and becomes rancid much
quicker. The milk is thicker than cow’s milk, but in other
respects resembles it very much, both in taste and appear-
ance.

The nomadic tribes of Asia live almost exclusively on the
flesh of sheep, and when a patriarch assembles his family to
the one meal of the day, it is generally around a large tray
containing a single sheep, which serves them for meat and
bread. That country is the birthplace of the sheep, as it
was jor man, and nearly all domestic animals. It is the
first animal that is spoken of in sacred writ as being kept
by man, and Abel, the twin brother of Cain, found favor in
the sight of God by offering up the firstiings of his flock,
far above the fruits of the earth that were brought by his
brother. It is often spoken of throughout the Scriptures,
and was the favorite sacrifice to Deity, and has in all ages
been esteemed the emblem of purity and innocence. Our
Saviour is called the ““Lamb of God,” and the “Good
Shepherd,” giving a dignity to the position not vouchsafed
to any other vocation. |

Abraham, the father of the Jewish race, was a notable
shepherd, as were all the patriarchs of those days, and
Rachel, the beautiful daughter of Laban, and the mother of
Joseph, thought it no degradation to attend to her father’s
flocks. Jacob, through a knowledge of physiology above
his contemporaries, was able to carry off a large portion of
the flocks of his father-in-law, and became a very wealthy
shepherd. It was while tending the flocks of Jacob that

[9]

Joseph was stolen and sold to the Egyptians by his brethren.

Job was also a great and rich man of those early times,
_being the owner of 14,000 sheep, besides ‘other animals.
This was, too, only about eight hundred years after the
deluge, so that it is known that sheep were then, as now,
very prolific, unless he owned all the sheep of the age.
Moses, the great lawgiver, soldier, and prophet, did not dis-
claim to tend the flocks of Jethro in the desert of Midian,
and still later the sweet singer of Israel, David, the greatest
King of the Jews, kept his father’s sheep.

It was to shepherds that the glad tidings of our Saviour’s
birth were first made known. While in the fields or range,
at night, watching the sheep, the glorious company of
angels appeared to them, striking their harps, and announe-
ing to them the long looked for message of “Glad tidings
of great joy,” the Saviour is born unto the world. So
profound was the joy, they left their flocks, and led by a
star sent to them, were guided to the holy spot. Kings and
princes prided themselves in the numbers and vastness of
their flocks, and the shepherd kings of a later date attained
great power. Among them Genghis Khan, Tamerlane,
Kubler Khan, and others have attained an everlasting fame
as great conquerors of the world.

We do not have to confine ourselves to the records of
holy writ for examples of sheep husbandry. The profane
authors, Homer, Horace, Virgil, Herodotus, Plats, and, in
fact, all of the great writers of antiquity, speak in endearing
terms of sheep. Some of the most delightful pastoral
poems of Virgil picture the shepherd watching the sheep
and delighting his love with the music of the reeds. The
artists, too, have vied with one another in depicting upon
the canvass agricultural scenes in which the never failing
man sits with crook in hand and sheep around.

In the Middle Ages the improvement of sheep seems
first to have been thought possible. The Asiatics raised
them solely or nearly so for food, the warmth of the climate

[10]

making their wool a secondary consideration. When used
by the ancients it was as often worn on the skin as other-
wise, though there were exceptions to the rule. We all
have read of the Syrian soldiers with their sheepskin coats,
and the shoes of the more northern tribes were made of the
skin with the wool turned in. Penelope kept her lovers at
bay during the prolonged absence of her husband Ulysses
by unraveling at night the woolen embroidery she had
completed in the day, having promised her hand to one
when she should finish it, and the language could not ex-
press the admiration of the poet at the many beautiful
colors of her yarns. The reader is familiar with the loveli-
ness and grandeur of the royal Tyrian purple that was im-
parted to the tunics which could only be transferred to
woolen fabrics.

Spain and Portugal, however, are entitled to the credit of
having made the first successful effort to improve the breeds
of sheep with reference to the wool. ‘Those countries are
well and peculiarly adapted to the culture and raising of
sheep. For the most part they are broken and mountainous,
and abound with rich pasturage. The wealthy nobles of
those feudal countries, too, derived a large portion of their
income from the sales of sheep and wools. ‘They did not
condescend, however, to manufacture the wool into goods,
but delegated that branch to Flanders, which was for many
centuries connected, by royal marriages, to the same govern-
ment. The merchants of the latter country were an indus-
trious and enterprising people, and the lands not being suffi-
cient to support its teeming population, they built many
woolen mills, 2s well as other manufactories, and absorbed
the wools of not only Spain, Portugal, and France, but ab-
solutely bought up all the wool of England, made it into
cloth, and then, returning it to where it was grown, sold it
to the owners of the flocks at an enormous profit. These
merchants made so much discrimination in the varieties of
wool, the farmers began to try to improve the character of

[11]

the sheep. The celebrated Merino existed at that time in
Spain, though the breed has been greatly improved since.
The portion of Spain resting on the Mediterranean Sea
was inhabited by colonists, or rather the descendants of
colonists from Greece. It is supposed that the expedition
‘of the Argonauts, who were Greeks, to Colchis, in search of
the Golden Fleece, was really an expedition in search of a
breed of sheep whose wool was so excellent, and so highly
prized, that it was termed the Golden Fleece. They re-
turned with it, as is told by the poet, and thus Greece be-
came the owner of the best sheep then known. When
Spain was settled, it is natural to suppose they brought their
flocks with them. At all events, it is certain that the breeds
of sheep runniug on the slopes of the Pyrenhees are iden-
tical with those of the Poloponessus. On the southern
coast of Italy some of these sheep had in all probability
been dropped by the Greek emigrants, and they had attained
a great reputation in the times of Augustus. They were
called Tarentine sheep, from Tarentum, the capital of
Apulia, the province of Italy, where they were raised.
Columella, a very rich Roman, emigrated to Spain in the
year 30 A. D., and carried some of the Tarentine sheep with
him, thus giving a cross to those already there. Some of
the same breed were carried to Saxony, and by constant
inbreeding they procured a wool of exceeding fine texture,
but in other respects preserved the same distinguishing
characteristics of the Merino. This breed differ in many
respects from the common sheep. The wool is not long,
but is closely curled, and matted with an exudation from
the skin of the sheep called yolk, that closes it on the ex-
ternal surtace, preserving it from trash and dirt. They will
also retain the fleece for four or five years unshorn, while
the common sheep will, if not sheared, shed the wool an-
nually. The common sheep have little or no wool on the
legs, belly, or head, but the Merino will carry a full fleece
all over its surface. Let the Merino be carried to whatever

[12]

country it preserves all its distinguishing marks, provided
it receives a sufficient amount of provision and attention.
It also has a tenderness and juiciness far in advance of
many others.

When the southern parts of Spain fell into the hands of the
Moors, the change of masters was rather beneficial than
otherwise to the immense flocks of sheep in that rich
country, for the Moors were enterprising, and established
many factories for the production of fine woolen fabrics,
which they sold to surrounding nations. After their expul-
sion by Ferdinand and Isabella, the Spanish grandees
sedulously preserved and zealously fostered the herds and
factories, knowing the riches that followed the industry.
So greatly were they appreciated that no sheep were allowed
to be exported except by royal consent.

Henry VIII., however, obtained permission from Charles
V. to carry some into England, and he succeeded in getting
about three thousand into England, which, mixed with the
common breeds already there in scant numbers, gave rise to
the many excellent crosses now known as Leicester, Cots-
wold, Southdown, Rye-land, and some others. This sover-
eign gave great encouragement to sheep growing, throwing
around it all the protection he could by law, preventing the
exportation of wool, which had hitherto all found its way —
into Flanders for its manufactories. He so fostered it that
by him and succeeding kings the sheep interest has increased
from a few thousand long legged, ragged, coarse- wool sheep
to over 60,000,000 at the present time.

As an evidence of the profitable character of sheep hus-
bandry, it has been remarked that wherever a shepherd
takes possession of a country with his flocks there they re-
main. When the Romans, under Coriolanus, and other —
leaders, conquered Spain, these fine breeds of sheep were
all over the country, and Spain has ever since, until within
a few years, maintained its pre-eminence as a sheep growing
country, though, from political disturbances, and other ad-

[13]

ventitious circumstances, it has lost its position: but it yet
retains much of its ancient fame as a sheep growing country.
This fact should be borne in mind by the people of Tennes-
see in engaging in this important branch of husbandry.

_ While the mania for sheep growing and improvement of
wool was at its height, more care was bestowed upon the
animals than we can conceive possible in this age. The
sheep were closely watched, and the choicest specimens were
selected and housed. Sacks were sewn on their bodies.
Besides, the fleeces were washed in wine, and frequently
combed so as to secure the finest specimens of wool. This
course, persevered in for several generations, produced its
inevitable result. The fleece was greatly improved in tex-
ture, fineness, and softness, but it was done at the expense
of the constitution of the sheep, which was greatly impaired
thereby. They became less robust, smaller in size; but
they little recked upon the carcass, which they only con-
sidered as a vehicle to carry the fleece. It is only in recent
times that attention has been directed to an improvement of
the body as well as the fleece, its popularity as an article of
food having grown at a great rate for the last few centuries.
It is only in thinly settled countries now that sheep are
grown for the wool alone, its mutton being of as much or
more consideration than wool in the thickly settled portions
of the world. The choice of breeds becomes of more or
less consequence according to the proximity or distance from
the point of consumption, and, in fact, this has given rise to
the creation of new varieties to suit the demand. So the
necessities of sheep breeders have modified to a great extent
the system of agriculture, so that, while the improvement
in the character of the sheep has become well marked, the
method of agriculture has kept pace, showing itself in the
increased richness of the soil, and an increase of its produc-
tiveness. In this way profitable sheep husbandry is synony-
mous with profitable farming. But this improvement of the
soil relates only to the mutton raisers. If the sheep are

[14]

reared only for wool, they have a wide range, scattering
their odure over the hills, where it remains on the surface
until washed off by rains.

The big, heavy mutton sheep, however, are fed in enclo-
sures for the purpose of fattening, with rich food of grain,
oil-cake, meats, roots, and luxurious pastures, and to pro-
cure these kinds of food the farmer is compelled to resort
to the most approved system of tillage, using manures with
a free hand, and this plan naturally gives life to the soil.
Besides, the droppings of the sheep fed so freely are rich
in nitrogenous substances, and being plowed under the soil,
soon acquire a surprising degree of fertility. Thus, we say,
good sheep raising makes good farms, and the husbandman
makes his farm and himself rich.

The demand for mutton has already been noticed. It is
steadily on the increase. ‘Twenty per cent. more mutton has
been consumed as an article of food in the United States
since 1876, up to September, 1879, than for any years pre-
ceding. One city alone, New York, uses nearly a million
and a half of sheep annually. Add this consumption to
that of all the other populous cities of the United States,
and we can form some idea of the vast number of sheep
eaten as food every year. And now that the carriage of
live animals to Europe has become a success, we may expect
to see almost every steamship that goes over carry a large
cargo of early lambs. Within the past three decades pork
was the universal food of the country, lamb and beef
coming in at rare intervals as @ luxury. Now it is almost
reversed, and the ordinary diet of the community, especially
of all towns and cities, consists of beef and mutton. Owing
to this cause the rearing of sheep for mutton alone is be-
coming more and more a prominent feature in agriculture.

We have no native mutton sheep in this country; in fact,
the attention of the farming community has been directed
to it for so short a time, new varieties have not yet been
originated. The native sheep of the United States consist

| 15]

of a mixture of all sorts and kinds, and they are constantly,
for want of cultivated attention, deteriorating, being long
legged, thin in the flank, suited rather to the fleetness
necessary for protection than to the fatness suited for the
table.

It is true, we have a considerable emulation among
farmers of late years in the improvement of sheep, and the
small farms throughout the State have one or more of fine
sheep, such as the Cotswold, Merino, Southdown, or
Leicester, but these are kept for breeding purposes alone,
and rarely ever goto the table. For this reason we in Ten-
nessee cannot expect to realize the highest prices, such as
are paid to the breeders of Canada, where attention to the
improvement of sheep began at an earlier period. Still,
the Canada farmers cannot supply the great demand, and
ours, though inferior, are taken perforce. If our farmers
could once realize the high prices, from seven to ten dollars,
paid for the full blooded mutton sheep, then certainly there
would be given a very salutary inflnence to the business.

The demand does not extend alone to very heavy fat
sheep. There are varieties of tastes, and to satisfy these
different sheep are required. Some want the heavy leg, or
shoulders, of the Cotswold, weighing from eighteen to
twenty pounds, while others prefer the more delicate breeds,
that do not grow half the size of the former. This fact is
not generally known to farmers, consequently they cannot
avail themselves of the advantages offered. In order to
make it more profitable, farmers must study and understand
the character of sheep needed, and the best methods of pre-
paring them for the market, and then they may expect to
derive full remuneration.

In order to do this the farmer must acquire a knowledge
of the best breeds, the soil best adapted for their growth,
the nature of the food best calculated to promote a quick
growth, and the cheapest manner of producing that food.
It is far better to thoroughly understand these matters than

[16 ]

to know the early history and origin of sheep. Sheep
raising for mutton possesses one important advantage not
pertaining to the grower of other kinds of meat. Besides
affording the most healthful and delicious food, the cover-
ing of the sheep enters largely into the necessities of the
world. When the citizens of the world clad themselves in
the skins of animals, wool did not possess the value now
attached to it. There are now about 30,000,000 of sheep
in the United States, or, at least, there were at the last
census. These produced about 100,000,000 pounds of wool;
but so great is the demand for clothing that it required fully
$40,000,000 worth of wool more than the home production,
which had to be imported from other countries. Nor is this
all. There are annually brought from Europe $20,000,000
worth of woolen goods, which represents that amount of
labor that could be done here as well as abroad. So the
necessity of increasing our wool growth is apparent to every
one. If the growth of sheep was equal to our home con-
sumption, we would reserve the large amount of $60,000,000
to be distributed among our own workmen. The increased
number of sheep would consume a large surplus of our
crops that now waste for want of a market, thus increasing
the value of the crops that remain unconsumed. Still
further. We have too many men engaged in agriculture.
They are in too much competition with each other to make
their work profitable. To make up this large amount of
woolen goods would draw a great many persons from the
farms to the factories, and thus the agricultural products
would be increased in value, for the workmen would have
to be fed as well as the sheep. Thus it is seen that all the
laws of political economy demand an increase in the flocks
of the country.

The next question that arises, is, can we profitably increase
this business in Tennessee? This question is answered in
the most eloquent manner by the vast pastures that annually
throw up their rich carpet of herbage, and not being appro-

[17]

priated, it falls down and is lost to the world. Look at the
fertile valleys of East Tennessee, where rich crops could be
‘produced to feed enormous flocks that are or can be sum-
mered on the slopes of the surrounding mountains! See
the vast plateau that spreads over the top of the Cumber-
land mountains, rich in all the native grasses, extending
from Kentucky diagonally to Georgia and Alabama, fully
fifty miles wide; then, on the foothills, and on the great
rim of Middle Tennessee, that embraces yearly ten thousand
square miles of Middle Tennessee. Go still further west,
and large quantities of the West Tennessee plateau is in its
primeval condition. The sound of the ax or the greeting of
the house dog is almost unheard on the Cumberland plateau.
But herbage, rich and succulent, is there, springing up but
to wither away. All this and more. Nota single farm in
the whole State, perhaps, is stocked with sheep to its full
capacity. There are vast areas of rich pastures, and many
tons of grain are produced and sold with great labor to the
consumer, while it could find in the presence of flocks of
sheep consumers that would pay far more for it than could
be obtained at the “store.” Here, upon these rich farms,
the heavy mutton sheep, carrying its great hump of comb-
ing wool, could be most profitably raised. But it demands
the most careful attention, and cannot be left to chance.
It is far more profitable than cotton culture, and in-
volves much less actual labor, though unremitting attention.
What a vast field opens to the view in this State alone.
How much actual wealth could be added to the common-
wealth of Tennessee if every farmer would raise sheep no
one can comprehend.

Still, as great as the breadth is, it must not be thought
that all land is suited for sheep. Quite the reverse is true.
Fortunately, the larger portion of our State will admit of
sheep raising in the greatest perfection. Sheep naturally
belong to mountains, and a broken surface seems to agree

with them better than a level one. One thing they cannot
2

[18]

stand, and that is wet feet. They require a dry soil, and if
it is not by nature sufficiently rolling to pass off the surplus
water of the rainfalls, it must, to agree with them, be made
so artificially. It would not pay to drain any large body
of land for the sole purpose of raising sheep, and yet it will
not pay to keep sheep on swampy lands. Hence the neces-
sity of avoiding such. There is plenty of land naturally
suited, having. all the requirements necessary, and it is better
to confine the business to such places.

Another thing. Do not expect to raise large sheep, or
large fleeces, on poor pasturage, unless it is assisted by
liberal feeding. ‘The fleece on poor pastures will be coarse,
scanty, and be disposed to shed. Another thing. Ewes
will not bear twins on scant feed. If a flock is on a rich
pasture the ewes will in a short time begin to double, and
they will continue to do so as long as the food is generous.
But change them to a poor scant pasturage and they will at
once drop back to single lambs. Let it be understood, how-
ever, when the expression rich herbage is used, it is not
meant that the heaviest, most luxuriant pastures are the best.
On the contrary, sheep will do better on short, rich, close
croped grass than on long grass. It must be rich, but at the
same time it must be well cut or cropped.

The best lands for the business abound in our State.
The soil over primitive rocks, such as granitoid, feldspathic,
or micaceous, such as is found in upper Hast Tennessee, are
well suited for the production of sheep. The sandstone
soil of the Cumberland table-lands, being dry, and produc-
ing an abundant herbage, are admirably adapted for sheep
walks. In fact, all the soils of the State, except such as are
swampy, are well adapted tothe business. But let it be con-
sidered beforehand thoroughly. Let there be no spasmodic
effort to make a fortune in a few years. The profits come
slowly but surely, and when one has once made up his mind
to make it his life business, his fortune is already assured.
With proper care and attention a flock will double itself

[19]

every three years, and, unlike many other branches of agri-
‘culture, it will pay expenses all the time of its growth. Ne
_ chance must be trusted. If allowed, the dogs will destroy
many, or the lambs will die in severe weather, or from being
disowned by ewes, or many and various causes. All these
things can be obviated by strict attention, and the object of
these pages is to give such directions as will leave nothing
to chance or luck. A judicious man will contro] his own
luck.

That Tennessee is capable of producing as good sheep as
any State in the Union will not be questioned, and with
these preliminary remarks we will proceed with a short
statistical chapter, showing the growth of the business in
this and foreign countries.

[ 20]

CHAPTER II.

STATISTICAL INFORMATION.

Tennessee has labored under many disadvantages in re-
gard to sheep raising, and consequently the actual capacity
of the State has never been tested. In the first place, pre-
vious to the war between the States, the attention cf farmers
was directed mainly to horses and mules and to the crops
from the soil, instead of to the production of sheep. The
work was mainly done by negroes, a large number being
owned in the State, and the cultivation of cotton, tobacco,.
hemp and corn mainly engaged the attention of farmers.
But few saw proper even to raise enough wool to make the
necessary clothing for the population, hence there was an
actual falling off in sheep from 1850 to 1860.

What few did engage in the business became greatly dis-
couraged by the inroads of dogs. Almost every family
raised dogs; many of the well-to-do farmers owning packs
of hounds, and no negro considered his outfit complete with-
out one or more worthless curs. Being half fed in many
instances, they naturally sought to provide for themselves,
and the sheep being a remarkably timid animal, running
from the sight of a dog, they fell an easy prey. Thus it
was that the flocks of the few who did engage in sheep hus-
bandry suffered so severely that many abandoned the busi-
ness in sheer despair.

At the same time but little effort was made to utilize
the immense natural pastures with which the State
abounds. Men thought it too small a business to watch
constantly the sheep as they roved through the highlands,
and hence many sheep were totally lost by straying, were
stolen or were destroyed by wolves, foxes, eagles and vul-
tures. Although many of the same advantages presented

[21]

‘themselves then as now, sheep husbandry was not looked
upon as a paying business, and so, by neglect, it did not
thrive. Since the war, however, more attention has been
given the subject, and Tennessee bids fair to become the
great wool growing State of the Union. Situated in a tem-
perate climate, neither too hot nor too cold, she possesses all
the natural prerequisites for success, and no doubt will
achieve great success in this branch of agriculture.

A notable instance of great success in this branch of stock
raising is that of Mark R. Cockrill, Esq., of Davidson
‘county. About half a century ago he began on a small
scale the improvement of the native breeds. He imported
‘Saxony and Merino sheep, crossed them with the ewes of
the country, and sold both full blooded and graded animals.
He sent his agent traveling through the country exchanging
his sheep for the common breeds, as well as selling them
for money. ‘To accommodate his increasing flocks he
bought the hill lands adjoining his farm, and clearing them
up sowed down to blue grass. Being a shrewd business
man the enterprise tarove apace, and he soon had established
a character for having the best sheep and the best breeds in
the State. Nor was he content to excel in Tennessee, for
when he had exhausted the premiums of his own country he
sent fleeces to the great London World’s Fair, and took the
highest premiums there offered for wools. What Mr. Cock-
rill did then can be done now by any enterprising man who
will give the business his whole attention.

[ 22 ]

THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF THE SHEEP RAISING
COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD.

SS SS SS SSS SSS

CoUNTRIES.

EUROPE.

(Great WritaIn a. ccscousons chnssacsss
German Empire......... Senctoenads
Austria-Hungary .......... sss. ;

Russia

Beeeeeees eos ceeees seesecce®

|

© eee eee weeeee sovees
2 pe ecse sonese sesces
Beoces tesesccee coe
Secseece ees. sseeees
@ccee seee e ccesese
© 2eecce 20 seer neeee
eececace veevse vecces
eereccce sea roccecsce
© ce cece eeecen seocen

@ weecce nce eeesccee

Mwtzer] andy oe. ena Ee ee Sy eek

Denmark ........ ..

Wnited Statescon. ce eee

Canada...........

@ 020 coe coeces cecces

© cecees secces cesces

ee ceees eeeeee eeeeee

South America and Mexico.....

© pe occ cee BH0eeeese

ee eccese vee cossescee

Oecereee seonee concen

© tecccs secees ceases

No. or Pounps
SHEEP. oF Woou.
35,000,000} 218,000,000.
29,000,000} 125,000,000
21,000,000 60,000,000
50,000,000; 188,000,000
26,000,000} 124,000,000
22,000,000 69,000,000.
2,750,000 16,000,000
11,000,000 38,000,000.
15,000,000 37,000,000:
2,600,000 7,500,000.
590,000 2,500,000
1,900,000 8,000,000
900,000 4,500,000:
600,000 3,500,000
1,700,000 6,000,000
1,750,000 6,250,000.
221,750,000} 858,750,000.
36,000,000} 185,000,000
2,000,000 8,000,000.
58,000,000; 174,000,000
96,000,000) 350,000,000.
175,000,000 45,000,000
20,000,000 51,000,000-
12,000;000)....Seaeeereaes
32,000,000 96,000,000-
___ 60,000,000 255,000,000
584,750,000) 1,926,750,000.

The following description of the wool zone is taken from
the United States Agricultural Report:
“South America, particularly Buenos Ayres, possesses

great advantages for the cheap production of wool.

Labor-

[ 23 ]

is cheap and the population sparse. But the restless and
predatory character of the population, and the unsettled na-

‘ ture of the government, constitute no inconsiderable draw-

backs to this, as to every other branch of industry.

“Australia is another large sheep producing country, but
it also has its drawbacks. Professor McCulloch states that
the bad land in this country bears a much greater proportion
to the good than in almost any other. It is also subject to
long continuous droughts, often lasting six months. The
effects of the drought in 1841 is thus described by Mr. Hood :
‘Tt will scarcely be believed in England that the estimated
number of sheep which have died within the last twelve
months in the colony, from catarrh and drought, is 70,000 ;
that colonists are compelled, in order to secure the dam
from starvation, to cut the throat of her lamb; that no means
are adopted for securing a stock of lambs for next year, or
that a stockholder would give 8,000 sheep to any one that
would remove them from his runs, and finding no one who
would accept so dangerous a present, had recourse to con-
suming them by fire.’

“““The wild and poachy nature of a considerable portion
of the pasture,’ says Mr. Yonatt, ‘gives the foot rot a pecu-
liar character, and, if neglected, it becomes inveterate and
destroys the animal. The scab is a prevalent disease, and
the convict shepherd, who has a pique against his master,
can easily, by bringing his flock in contact with a diseased
one, subject them to this dangerous and troublesome malady.’

“““ Epidemics, supposed to be owing to the astringency of
the water, and some other causes, have, some years, cut off
half the sheep.’

“The above extracts are from English writers of reputa-
tion.

“Tn considerable portions of Hungary the climate is fine,
soil rich and labor cheap. Sheep raising on the large es-
tates is very profitable, but she lacks facilities for cheap
transportation. The Danube is her only natural outlet to

[ 24 ]

her commerce. To reach Trieste a long land carriage is in-
dispensable. Her exports too are embarrassed by imposts
and ruinous restrictions of the imperial government. She
cannot therefore export cheap heavy articles to advantage.

“Tn Southern Russia, on the Steppes and in Bessarabia,
sheep raising is carried on very extensively, some colonists
owning flocks of 20,000 head. It is the opinion of the
author that, taking into consideration the cost of land and
labor, wool can be produced cheaper in Southwestern Russia
than in Spain, France, Germany, Italy, or any other portion
of Kurope, excepting Hungary.

“Mexico is also a large wool producing country of a very
inferior grade, classing with that of Buenos Ayres. A great
deal finds its way to the United States through Texas.

““As has been remarked, the United States probably pos-
sesses half the cheap fertile lands included in the wool zone
_ throughout the world. Nearly her entire territory lies
within it. Lxperience has amply proved that sheep are
healthy in every portion of the United States. The terrible
drought and predisposition to certain diseases encountered
by the Australian flock-master, the comparative insecurity
of property in Buenos Ayres, the climatic vicissitudes of
Southeru Russia, (with the exception of the comparatively
smal] peninsula of Tanrida), are none of them known in our
most favored wool growing regions. Land is cheaper here
and more fertile, and much nearer the great wool markets
of the world than in Australia. Our lands are probably as
cheap as those of Hungary and Southern Russia, and for a
long series of years to come,-will be practicably as cheap as
those of Buenos Ayres, because the purchase of only a quar-
ter section (80 acres) of government lands will give the pos-
sessor the use of all contiguous ones until they are occupied.

‘“‘Under all the above circumstances, we ought to compete
successfully with South America, Hungary and Southern
Russia in external markets, to undersell Australia in these
markets, and with the discrimination of our tariff of duties

[ 25 |]

against them, to drive all foreign wools from our own mar-
kets.”

Lest some may think that the business in time may be
overdone, when it will be no longer profitable to grow wool,
I subjoin a careful caleulation copied from the Patent Office
reports, showing the amount of wool which will be required
to clothe the people of this country :

“The annual consumption of the entire population
of the United States is estimated at six pounds per
head; to place the estimates which follow certainly within
the bounds of truth, we will assume the average at four
pounds.

“ By the first six censuses the increase of population was
three per cent. per year, annually compounded would double
it in twenty-three years and one hundred and sixty-four
days. * * * Estimating the rate of increase from
1840 to 1890 at three per cent., which would double the
population as above stated, and after 1890 at two per cent.,
which would double it in about twenty-six years, the follow-
ing would be our population at the periods indicated, and
the amount of wool which, according to the previous esti-
mate, would be necessary for their consumption:

YEAR. POPULATION. POUNDS OF WOOL.
1863-4 34,136,906 136,555,624
1886-7 68,277,812 273,111,248
1925 136,555,624 546,222,496
1963 273,111,248 1,092,444,992

“Thus in one hundred and twelve years our population
is likely to outnumber the present one of Europe, and our
annual consumption of wool to exceed one billion and nine-
ty-two millions of pounds. Assuming that sheep average
two pounds of wool per head, it will require over 364,000,-
000 of sheep to supply the demand. The States south of
the Potomae and Ohio, east of the Mississippi, containing
450,000 square miles, would support all there at a trifle over
one and one-fourth sheep to the acre.”

[ 26 ]

AMOUNT AND VALUE OF WOOLENS AND WOOL IMPORTED
FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES.

WOOLENS. Woot.
YEARS. 7" Fo
Value. Pounds. Value. atte
1861 $28,261,039 36,000,000 $ 4,961,326 By
1862 14,884,394 43,571,026 6,994,604 16.
1863 20,411,025 73,897,807 12,553,931 16.9
1864 32,139,336 90,396,104 15,923,991 17.6
1865 20,347,563 43,858,154 7,728,383 17.6
1866 57,115,901 67,917,031 9,381,083 13.8
1867 45,813,212 36,318,299 5,915,178 16,
1868 32,371,329 24,124,803 3,792,659 15.7
1869 34,560,324 39,275,926 5,600,958 14.2
1870 34,435,623 49,250,199 6,743,350 13.6
1871 43,751,973 68,058,028 9,780,443 14.3
1872 52,176,260 122,256,499 26,214,195 21.5
1873 50,875,805 85,496,049 20,433,938 23.9
1874 46,732,032 42,939,541 8,250,306 19.2
1875 44,440,940 54,903,654 11,069,901 20.1
FROM WHENCE IMPORTED.
YEARS GREAT Sim AUSTRALIA ASSET HUNGARY
"| RRITAIN. AFRICA. ‘| REPUBLIC 3
Pounds. Pounds. Pounds. Pounds. Pounds.
1862 | 16,006,963 3,920,257 783,670 5,786,868 14,061
1868 | 17,619,123 | 6,711,975 118,234 | 17,461,208 476,815
1864 | 13,099,501 | 13,717,900 | 864,548 | 23,951,506 3,490,800
1865 1,980,176 8,312,768 408,592 | 16,103,889 1,164,260
1866 8,541,195 7,424,217 874,119 | 36,916,794 2,224,629
1867 6,758,820 2,033,020 467,025 | 12,666,274 1,434,594
1868 2,581,678 96ST ee auees 5,835,864 466,712
1869 8,598,299 Q,644°5040) cesta laine 8,249,659 932,369
1870 | 8,140,697 | 5,089,153 168,902 | 16,721,420 | 1,547,106
1871 | 15,593,166 6,699,057 | 19,957 | 23,333,237 4,594,238
1872 | 40,250,449 | 14,820,876 | 12,748,548 | 24,731,834 | 7,110,871
1873 | 19,040,920 | 12,830,858 7,661,262 | 17,449,563 | 6,110,911
1874 7,966,382 4,622,273 | 3,905,671 8,502,027 4,604,275

‘“‘The increase of the average price in recent years, as seen
in the former table, is explained by the large proportion, as
shown above, obtained from Great Britain and her colonies,

[ 27 ]

producing wool of better quality and higher peice than that
of South America.

“The average supply since 1870 may properly be placed
at 224,000,000 pounds, of which two-thirds is home grown,
but the nominal third of the foreign is mostly unwashed
Merino and low grade carpet wool, constituting not more
than one-fourth of the value of our wool supply.

“Tt is a suggestive and gratifying fact, that while the
value of our manufactures is about four times as great as in
1850, the average of imports of woolens of the last five years
($23,797,698), exceeds but little that of the entire period of
fifty-five years ($21,191,674), beginning with the very in-
fancy of this benificent industry. It is particularly note-
worthy that our imports since 1870 are less by several mil-
lions annually than for the period between 1850 and 1860,
notwithstanding the immense increase in the consumption
of woolen goods.”

Having reviewed the rise and progress of sheep hus-
bandry in other countries, and other portions of our own,
we now come to our own highly favored State, Tennessee.
The formidable array of figures against us may well make
us stand aghast as in despair of our being able to contend in
any appreciable degree against such fearfal odds, but we
shall endeavor to show that, though numbers will always be
against us, there is no reason why we may not rise to a pro-
portionate value of the grand total. Our favored geograph-
ical position and climate, and the changed character of the
requirements of the trade, justify us in this assumption. In
all the sheep producing countries of the world there are only
four in which it is practicable to meet these requirements,—
England, France, Germany and the Uuited States. All
others are debarred by climate or distance, or other causes,
from entering into competition with them. This narrows
the field wonderfully, and enables Tennessee to bear her
proportion to other parts of the country in the enterprise.
By these requirements of course we mean the raising of the

[ 28 ]

improved breeds of medium and long-wooled sheep for both
wool and mutton. Happily, we are enabled to state that
our farmers are already waking up to the importance of this,
to them, new enterprise, and from the few successful experi-
ments they have made, are encouraged to continue and to
extend their operations. At the beginning of the year, we
issued circulars to all the principal sheep raisers in the State,
soliciting their view and experience upon the subject. Their
answers have been most gratifying and satisfactory. They
are not as full and complete as we could wish, but one and
all agree upon the practicability and advantages of the
change, and propose to increase the number of their flocks
of improved breeds as fast as their means and opportunities
will admit of. The results of these experiments are the
more gratifying because there are no States south of Ten-
nessee in which the long wooled mutton sheep can be raised
advantageously. If there were, they would have no market
for their surpus lambs and mutton. ‘Tennessee has a good
market for early spring lambs in St. Louis, Louisville and
Cincinnati, and as soon as the Northern States begin to ship
mutton to England as they are now doing beef, she will
have a good market for all she can spare.

fn 1875 the Commissioner of Agriculture of the State of
Georgia issued a similar circular addressed to the farmers
and sheep raisers of Georgia. From the answers received
he arrives at the following conclusions, viz.: ‘That the
cross of the Merino upon the native is the most profitable;
that the other pure breeds (long wooled sheep) have proved
to be unhealthy. Sheep are not housed in winter, but al-.
lowed to run at large during the whole year. The annual
cost of keeping sheep is about fifty-three cents. Lambs
sold to the butcher at $1.87, mutton sheep $2.75. Dogs
very destructive. Census estimate of the number of sheep
in 1870, 419,465; present estimate 319,323, a decrease from
1870 to 1875 of 100, 142.’

The census returns of 1870 give the total iran of

[ 29 ]

sheep in Tennessee, 826,783. The present estimated number
is over 1,000,000. A new impetus has been given to the
business within the past five or six years by the introduction
of the improved breeds. The replies to our circulars show
a growing interest among our farmers in regard to them.
Their favorite breeds are the Southdowns and Cotswold; the
first cross of either upon the native ‘scrub’ shows a marked
improvement. The third cross, particularly with the South-
down, is scarcely distinguishable from the pure breed. The
Southdown is regarded as rather the hardier sheep. Those
situated convenient to railroads realize $4 to $4.50 for their
spring lambs, and obtain from 40 to 70 cents for their wool
when sent to the eastern markets. Common sheep average
three pounds of wool, improved breeds six to eight pounds.
They report no diseases among their improved breeds.
They regard the climate favorable for them. No improved
system of feeding has yet been generally adopted. The
number of sheep kept by individual farmers range from
fifty to five hundred head. Those who sell their sheep and
mutton at home do not realize remunerative prices. Native
sheep bring from $1.50 to $2 per head. Wool 20 to 25
cents, unwashed. Cost of raising wool ranges from 5 to
10 cents per pound, cost of keeping sheep 50 to 75 cents per |
annum. All complain bitterly of the repeal of the dog law,
many proposing to engage in the business have abandoned
the idea in consequence. Estimated loss by dogs from 3
to 10 per cent. See Appendix for more precise details as to
sheep husbandry in each county.

[ 30]

NUMBER OF SHEEP IN TENNESSEE.

Cuunty.

Amderson’...03: 4:
Bediordsyeeege
Benton
Bledsoe ...... 02.000
IBlOuntieseeee teas:
Bradllevene wee: 7:
Campbellyaiictss..n8
@annoneeresss.. acces.
Carroll
Wanton eno. heals
Cheatham............
Claiborne.........

ee cee we eeee ase

Gamiberladdi tk te
Davidson
Decatur

eee eecees cee

Hentressi. eeeccesae

rane eee
Gillbosonsstecoeseee
Giles. 23cs ae

Grainger). tien
Greene scactNeesease
Grundy eee

Eamillitone eee
FLancocke say eee

Miaiwikins..... ..s.. --
Haywood.............
Henderson............

Humphreys..........
Jiacksoneeedes ees
Jefferson..............

Lauderdale ....... ..

| No. rin | No. 1n
1860. 1870.
6,919} 6,064
21,375] 25,204
6,617) 7,790
4,179! 5,555
11,097; 10,828
7,582} 9,146
5,294) 6,671
8,506} 12,198
10,276} 10,822
4,110) 5,430
4,367! 4,825
10,882) 9,502
6,529, 9,730
7,125] 810711)
2,651; 4,466
15,940) 12,221
5,844, 5,649
8,093! 11,473
9,282| 6,925
6,735} 8,831
11,269] 3,828
4,749, 5,021
9,480; 8,820
16,822} 14,113
15,684} 18,658
6,991] 9,797
18,826} 21,130
2,021} 1,880
5,127| 6,741
5,254| 7,365
7,604| 7,139
7,867; 8,044
16,881} 16,567
11,627} 5,206
9,203] 10,168
13,824] 10,878
8,967} 6,927
9,493) 8,937
10,479| 15,323
13,647} 11,598
3,910) 6,004
10,329] 13,441
LAGE ate 816

2,757| 3,118

No. 1x} No. 1n

COR 1860. | 1870.
Lawrence ......... +. 5,744| 5,520
TUG WHS: cous casting swiss 2,587| 1,676
Wincolnienes sees: 19,534) 27,075
Macon} .ci..\-.ces2cs-'||) 1G; 502) sur ones
MeMinni.....2cts-< 8,999} 3,558
McINGITY 1. «neocon 8,870} 5,605
Madison...............| 11,055} 16,218
MATION G0. sacccrenees 3,437} 21,330
Marshalls scare: 14,521] 9,829
Mianainyics. 2224. ehseanene 21,181) 9,865
Meigs vercccemespe ccc 8,674| 4,392
Monroe ss: cesssdee <5 10,371} 8,346
Montgomery ........ 10,422} 8,015
MOLE alien wecreaeeete- 6 4938} 4,312
Obion 1): ee 6,776| 10,505
Overtoneenerespeatns 11,833] 17,2938
IPeLG Vise acesseeiceces 6,878} 5,328
POW eee aes 3,480} 4,642
JPARRWM ENT Tso sngde beacne 7,414} 10,460
bean. So aieaaree te ce 3,557} 5,306
FRO ANG... aeesele oie P eee 12,290) 10,552
Robertson ............ 11,737, 11,146
Rutherford........... 23,133) 17,188
Scolits t acceus cases s-i 4,772) 6,589
Se@Viers cues ccnser ges: ae 7,657} 2,972
Sequachie............ 1,774) 9,578
Shelbyterecchese shy. 7,198} 5,720
Sunlithieeeeeesasese ec. 13,555) 17,591
Stewartiesmvaccesec est 7,178} 8,939
SUMAN desta --- 14,735) 15,634
SUMAUMET eeseereneee-|-.- 18,363} 20,421
Mp tone sasae ees. at.. 5,417) 4,675
Wynton sree eeee ss 5,382} 6,326
Wan arenes: - 2,405} 3,247
NValrenl Ayefarachos..« 10,702) 12,495
Washington .........| 12,342] 18,208
Wayne iieriort.. 22... |.) Renee ie nee
Weakley ciec...c-.... 10,742) 13,034
Witter dens ois... 5,834} 8,144
Williamson.......... 19,142} 15,226
Willson etrecrse ccs. 5s 21,045) 24,023
Gta sececenen'-: ses. 773,317} 826,783

| 31 ]

CHAPTER III.

THE ADAPTABILITY OF THE SOIL OF TENNESSEE TO SHEEP
HUSBANDRY.

Probably no section of the American Union presents so
many advantages for the successful raising of sheep as that
wide stretch of country embraced between the Alleghany
mountains on the east and the Mississippi river on the west,
and extending from the thirty-fourth to the forty-second
parallels of latitude. This includes the very heart of the
Mississippi Valley, and its diversification of surface, great
variety of soils, and genial climate ensure the success-
ful growth of all the more nutritious grasses. Within this
area the cold is not so severe during winter as to make the
care of sheep a source of great concern; nor are the heats
of summer so extreme as to produce, after a few generations,
a degeneracy of the character of the fleece. It is well
known to naturalists that within the limits of hot climates
the wool often disappears from the whole body of the sheep
and is replaced by a hairy coating. According to some
scientists this is a case of unequal development, the hair
growing more rapidly than the wool, and crowding it out;
or it may be that nature, disdaining to work for no effect,
supplies the cooler coating of hair for the warmer one of
wool. In the heated valleys of the Codilleras, according to
the authority of Roulin, if the lambs are sheared as soon as
the wool has grown to a certain thickness, all goes on after-
wards as usual, but if not sheared a short shining hair like
that of the goat is produced ever afterward.

Tennessee may be called the center of this vast sheep
producing area, and it certainly presents in its variety of
soils, surface configuration, and climatic elements, all the
combined advantages of the States surrounding it. This is

[ 32

made apparent by a cursory examination of the different
natural divisions. The climate embraced within its limits
is peculiar in the fact that it is very greatly modified
by reason of the existence of mountain heights, rolling
plains, level surfaces, by water courses, trend of mountain
ranges, and great forests. The mountains which bound it
on the east rise in massive proportions from 3,000 to 6,500
feet above the surface of tide water, and the average annual
temperature does not exceed fifty-four degrees. These
mountains are usually steep, but not rugged, and where the
metamorphic soils prevail they are beautifully rounded, and
their sides are clothed with gigantic trees, suggestive of the
fertility of the soils. On the tops or crests of these moun-
tains treeless spots often occur, but the surface in such places
is matted with everlasting grasses of great variety, succu-
lence, and nutrition. I have seen timothy (Phlewm pratense),
herd’s- grass (Agrostis vulgaris), blue grass (Poa pratensis),
goose grass (Poa annua), meadow fescue or evergreen
(Festuca pratensis), white clover (Trifolium repens), and many
others growing side by side, and forming a turf unsurpassed
in the richest basin soils of Tennessee or Kentucky. These
grasses form a regular succession, and supply grazing
throughout the summer months. And by reason of
the frequent rains during the. growing seasons, they
furnish far more grazing than they would in the valley
lands, where summer showers are more unfrequent. I es-
timate that two acres on the mountain top will supply as
much grazing as three in the valleys. It must be remem-
bered that the warm south winds, freighted with moisture
from the Gulf of Mexico, which blow almost constantly
during the summer months, are arrested in their northern
course up the valley of East Tennessee by their mountain
barriers, and the water is squeezed from them by the rapid
diminution in their temperature when they strike the cool
surface of the mountain tops. Scarcely a day passes in
summer without a shower. Many of the spurs of these

| 33]

mountains are of sandstone origin. Such spurs are very
barren. No nutritious grasses grow on them, only greenish
running briers, lichens, mosses and ferns. It might be
supposed that these frequent rains would give a humidity
to this region too great for the health of sheep. This is
only true within limits. Where the soil is retentive of
moisture, such as the boggy places, sheep will not thrive,
but by far the greater portion of the soil drains rapidly, and
after each shower the sun comes out with a singular bright-
ness, and dissipates the moisture, besides, evapovation at
these great heights goes on with more rapidity than in the
valleys below. The eastern, southern, and western slopes
of these mountains are well adapted to sheep husbandry,
but the northern slopes are so thickly covered with mosses
and ferns, forming a mass often one to two feet deep, that
all grasses are rooted out, and the moisture is constantly
held by the thick mats.

These cleared slopes in south-western Virginia are the
very best grazing grounds in that State, and in these coun-
ties in Tennessee, notably Johnson and Carter, where the
rich mountain sides have been denuded of timber, sheep
husbandry is accounted very profitable. The wool, too, is
of singular excellence, and brings in the market several
cents more per pound than the valley-grown wool.

After a patient investigation of the subject I cannot sub-
scribe to the doctrine laid down by Mr. Heury Stewart, in
his work entitled “The Shepherd’s Manual”—a work of
singular excellence and merit, and to which I am much in-
debted—that sheep do not thrive well on metamorphic soils.
This may be true of the latitude of New England and old
England, but in the latitude of Tennessee, North Carolina,
and Virginia, sheep upon those soils are fruitful and
healthy, long livers, and abundant bearers of wool. Other
causes must be assigned for their unhealthiness than the
metamorphic origin of the soils, for it is not universally

true, and as far as Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee
3

[34]

are concerned, not true at all. In my opinion, no better
spot could be selected for a sheep farm than the slopes of
the Alleghany mountains. ‘They are well drained, they are
fertile, they abound in native grasses, they are convenient
to market, they supply a safe refuge from the heats of sam-
mer and from the chilling blasts of winter, and from the
vexatious annoyance of flies. But I would not advise the
growing of heavy sheep except on the level plateaus. The
hardy Merino, the nimble and fleet footed Cheviot, would
find on the sunny slopes of these mountains a home far
more congenial than upon the Pyrenees of Spain or the |
Grampian hills of Scotland. The natives found on these
mountain heights are as fleet as the deer and as healthy.
The wool is very white, soft as fur, firm, lustrous, true,
and the sheep show a beautiful adaptation to the locality
which they occupy. These natives, crossed with Merino
or Cheviot, would give the very best sheep for the moun-
tains. The words of Darwin on this subject are full of
wisdom for the enlightened flock-master. He says:

“The most commorf and profitable use of crossing has
been to improve common breeds of animals, or rather to
transform them into the improved breeds. This has be-
come so common in all parts of the country, that it is not
necessary to dwell upon it; it is never amiss, however, to
remind farmers that improved animals always need improved
eare and feed. Five or six crosses, with careful selection,
will transform almost any scrub animals into thoroughbreds,
or into animals that cannot be distinguished from thorough-
breds, and which, for all practical purposes, are equal to
them. It would, then, require but a few years of united
endeavor to canse the scrub animals to disappear from every
part of our country, and animals as good as our best
thoroughbreds to take their place, were it not for the in-
creased requirements of such animals, and the apparent im-
possibility of so suddenly modifying our agriculture as to
provide the necessary conditions for their existence.”

[35 |

The native sheep of every country are a correct expression
of what the food and climate of that country will produce.
Their constitutions are moulded to suit their environments.
Crossed upon improved breeds the hardiness of constitution
is united to the desirable qualities of thoroughbreds. In
any attempt, therefore, at sheep raising in these mountains
this idea should not be lost sight of, and the very best foun-
dation for a flock is the native ewes, crossed on some of
the improved breeds.

The valley of East Tennessee consists of a great wide

trough, bounded by parallel mountain sides, that on the east
being the great Unaka mountains, those on the west making
up the eastern escarpment of the mountainous coal field of
Tennessee. This included trough or valley trends obliquely
northeast and southwest, which is the general direction of
the great Appalachian chain, and of the Atlantic coast.
Measured on the northern boundary of the State, and
obliquely to its course, this trough is one hundred miles
wide, and in the southern fifty miles, and is one hundred.
and eighty miles long. One of the remarkable peculiarities
of this valley is that its surface is longitudinally fluted by
parallel minor valleys and ridges. In this it differs from
all other parts of the State. This feature gives a certain
direction to its rivers, and more especially to its smaller
streams. This trough or great valley is, in the main, the
agricultural region of Kast Tennessee. The principal stream
is the Tennessee, the tributaries of which, on the east, are
the Watauga, the French Broad, the Little Tennessee and
the Hiwassee; on the west the Clinch and the Sequatchie.
This valley has a climate more equable and pleasant than
that of any other part of North America east of the Rocky
mountains. It lies between parallels 35° and 36°4/ north,
and its mean altitude is one thousand feet above the sea
level. The prevailing winds are from the southwest and
west, and they bring a constant and bountiful supply of rain
from the Gulf of Mexico.

[36 |

Knoxville is the geographical center of East Tennessee,

and it occupies a mean elevation too, so that it may be taken
as the climatic center also.
_ The summer mean at Knoxville, 73°6’, is about that of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as well as that of several points
in central Virginia, of Cincinnati, Louisville, Kentucky,
southern Indiana, and central Illinois. It is that of the
central part of Spain, and the northern part of Italy. The
summer of the East Tennessee Valley is, therefore, consider-
ing its valley-like character and its low latitude, a compara-
tively cool one. This is mostly due to the considerable
elevation of the region above the sea.

According to very careful observations made at the Ten-
nessee University, under the direction of the United States
signal service, at Knoxville,

The mean temperature for the year i9..........ssscseeesoeeeeaeeees 57°
The mean heat) for the summer ise csees. ce-ceelecencoaennnveoesencen
The mean coldifor the: winter 1siee-snsreicecsssscnerec-o.-cewacseen 40°
Average MAXIMUM teMPpPeEratULE............ seeecee eceerecees seaeeeees 91°
PQ CVV GTO UD NI INURE aR RASS 94 cooeiddode ehepos008 eeopadaasiadsdae ses coo 2°

The result is a mild and equable climate, that combines
delightfully the temperate and tropical, without the extremes
of either.

The mountains on either side protect the valley from the
blighting and chilling northern and northwestern winds
that so scourge the plains of the northwest, while they act
‘as a natural conduit for the milder and gentler winds that
come from the Gulf of Mexico. But even these are tem-
pered into pleasant breezes by the spurs or cross sections of
mountains which break out from the main ranges. Thus it
comes, that while it is a very rare occurrence to see the
anemometer standing still, destructive storms are never ex-
perienced. A happy result of these influences is a degree
of exemption from all malarial and atmospheric diseases,
unsurprssed in any country. The undulating surface of the
land, the great numbers and rapid flow of the rivers, the

[37]

entire absence of all low and marshy lands, and the con-
stant flow of gentle breezes, keep the atmosphere pure and
exhilarating to a delightful degree.

The rich, undulating surface of this great valley, its ad-
mirable drainage, its suitableness for a mixed husbandry,
and its great healthfulness, have made it a very populous
region, while the grandeur and picturesqueness of the land-
scape have entitled it to be called the Switzerland of
America. Within recent years it has’: won an enviable
character for the excellence of its stock, and especially for
sheep. Two of the most splendid fleeces exhibited at the
recent Paris Exhibition were sent from East Tennessee, one
grown by Col. Tom Crutchfield, near Chattanooga, and the
other by Mr. H. H. Matlock, of McMinn county. For
length and lustre, and uniformity of fibre, these fleeces bore
off a prize medal, and this, two, without having any one
to exhibit them, or any particular attention directed to
them.

Nearly every farmer in this valley has a few sheep, some
of them splendid flocks, and no complaint has ever reached
me of unhealthiness where the flock was built upon the
_ native ewes. (See Mr. Crutchfield’s letter in Appendix.)

The Cumberland Table-land is two thousand feet above
tide-water, with a dry sandstone soil, and an exceedingly
cool and pleasant climate in summer, the mean temperature
being about 71°. The air is dry and bracing. During the |
summer months the surface of the earth is covered with
tussocks of fine, nutritious mountain grasses, and furnish
ample sustenance for sheep eight months in the year. In
addition to the wild grasses, herd’s-grass, clover, and orchard
grass, with slight attention to manuring, will grow well.
Wild peas also furnish a nutritious herbage. The soil can
easily be made to yield sufficient supplies for winter feeding
by sowing it in stock peas, a food not only healthful for
sheep, but highly relished by cattle.

To be successful in sheep raising on this Table-land, the

[ 38 ]

breeder must be careful to build shelters for protecting his
flocks from the middle of November until the middle of
March. The climate is very rigorous in winter, and the
keen northern and northwestern blasts will speedily impair
the health of the improved and tender breeds. The native
sheep are very healthy, and rarely suffer from any disease,
though they are not profitable, the wool being coarse and
short, and the carcass light and lean. This arises, however,
more from neglect than from any local cause. It should
never be forgotten that thrifty flocks may be raised where-
ever industrious men and good breeders live, and that the
best flocks will degenerate where inattention and neglect are
practiced. |

The advantages offered by this mountain region for the
economical rearing of sheep are:

1. The cheapness of the lands. Lands may be bought
at almost a nominal price on the Cumberland mountains.
Though high and healthy, the soil in comparison with that
of the valleys is poor and unproductive. The price for
wild, highway-pasture land varies from fifty cents to three
dollars per acre, depending mainly upon nearness to rail-
roads and markets. Care should be taken, though, to in-
vestigate the titles thoroughly, for one of the most unwise
acts of our past legislation was the opening of a land office,
and allowing every one to make his own surveys, and re-
ceive a grant for lands based upon such surveys. Often-
times it happened that the same land had been entered in
whole or in part by others. The possession of a land grant
does not carry with it in this State a title, but the title rests
with the oldest grant, assuming it to have been regularly
entered at first. Let strangers beware of purchasing moun-
tain lands without a rigid investigation of title. Jam led
to make these remarks because complaints have reached this
office that persons have been swindled in purchasing land
grants. There is no difficulty about securing good titles to
valley lands, but there is danger that a person may buy

[ 39 ]

land upon the mountain with a grant from the State, bear-
ing the great seal of authority, and have no title.

2. The second advantage these mountain lands offer for
sheep raising is in the wide range of pasturage. The open
woods permit the luxuriant growth of nutritious herbs and
grasses throughout the summer, and will subsist millions of
sheep for eight months in the year without any other care
than salting.

3. A third advantage may be found in the dryness of the
sandstone soil, which insures exemption from many of the
diseases fatal to sheep. No foot ail, no braxy, no impaired
organs of digestion, no blind staggers, and, indeed, no other
disease than old age, or starvation through want of care, has.
ever attacked them. No do flies annoy or vex flocks as
they do in the lower plains.

There are also some disadvantages attending raising
sheep upon this mountain. The pasturage is So extensive
that they often stray off and are lost. There is, also, the
calycanthus, that on some of the slopes grows vigorously,
bearing seed, readily eaten by sheep in winter, and which is.
a deadly poison. To guard against this, sheep should be
driven up and fed before the rigor of winter and the scarcity
of grass compel them to devour such food. Another draw-
back will be found in the distance from market. While the
wool may be easily conveyed to shipping points at a small
cost, mutton sheep would suffer much in flesh by being
driven long distances. Of all this region, embracing more
than 3,000,000 acres, less than 500,000 acres are within easy
reach of railroads or navigable streams.

Several experiments on a large scale have been made on
this Table-land in sheep growing, but most of them have
failed because sufficient attention was not given to providing
provender for winter. And yet there is no good reason why
this should be so. It is true that corn will not, asa general
thing, except, probably, in Scott and Morgan counties, re-
pay the cost of cultivation, but there are other crops that

[ 40 |

will make a satisfactory yield. It has already been men-
tioned that one of the best that can be grown by the sheep
husbandman is the pea. Fodder enough could he readily
made from the haulm of the pea to keep large flocks through
the winter. Turnips also grow well upon the mountain,
and in some sections oats and rye yield well. Besides these,
corn-fodder could be raised in any desirable quantities, and
sorghum. The fatal impression with most of those who
have attempted to raise sheep on the mountain has been
that sheep could subsist through the winter without feeding.
Practising such a belief three-fourths of those who have
tried sheep raising on the mountain have ignominiously
failed, and it is retributive justice that they did. There
ought to be no success without watchful care. The raising
of sheep successfully in large flocks cannot be an avocation ;
it must be a vocation, demanding the time, care and patient
attention required in other pursuits.

My own impression is that the Merino sheep, if properly
eared for, would prove a profitable investment on these
mountain Jands. One precaution would be necessary, and
that is to keep the bucks from the ewes until about the
middle of November, so that the lambs would come after
the rigorous winter weather is over.

On the rim-lands surrounding the Basin the soils generally
are more fruitful of the domesticated grasses, and in certain
localities, particularly in Dickson, Humphreys, Lewis,
Hickman, and Lawrence, the wild grasses grow quite as
well as upon the Cumberland Table-land. The surface is
generally very level (except where cut by stream beds),
where the wild grasses flourish most abundantly, and the
woods are open. Many parts of tne Highlands are very
fertile, as is Warren, Franklin, Stewart, Montgomery,
- Robertson, Clay, and considerable areas in Putnam, Over-
ton, Coffee, Houston, and Lawrence. Humphreys, Dickson,
and Hickman have also many fertile areas. Sheep are very
healthy on these uplands, and require less care in winter

[41]

than they do in a mountainous region. The outcrops of
limestone along the streams, forming high bluffs, furnish
excellent retreats from the wintry blasts, and in such situa-
tions tufts of grass often keep green throughout the winter,
and enable sheep to procure a ready subsistence. This
highland district also furnishes some of the best wheat Jands
in the State. By sowing early, and allowing the wheat to
get a good growth in the fall, it is found equal to sustaining
a great many sheep during the winter. Rye and barley are
often sown also for winter pasturage.

A practice that ought to be more generally adopted, is to
sow herd’s- grass, and let it grow during summer, leaving it
uncut. The dried grass will protect from frost and freezes
the new grass which springs up in the warm days of autumn,
and this will supply good winter grazing for sheep. Unlike
timothy or orchard grass, herd’s-grass will bear without
damage the close'cropping of sheep. This grass is probably
for all purposes, grazing and mowing, the best that can be
sown upon the thin lands of this division. It is very hardy,
bears grazing well, makes good, though light hay, and will
survive the worst treatment. Its greatest enemy is the
broom-grass (Andropogin scoparius and A. fureatus).
Orctiard grass grows well also on these highlands, and for
summer grazing Is greatly superior to herd’s-grass. Blue
grass, except in some favored localities, does not make a
good or lasting sod on the highlands.

In many parts of Warren county the Japan clover (Les-
pideza striata) has taken possession of all uncultivated
places, and has proved a most formidable enemy to the
broom-grass, the villainous pest of all meadows. This
clover is highly relished by sheep, and though short, it fur-
nishes a good pasture from May until frost.

All along the Tennessee river, in its western passage
through the State, are wild lands now heavily clothed with
valuable timber, that could be made splendid sheep walks.
These lands are well drained, generally rolling and elevated,

[42]

and well adapted to the growth of many varieties of grassés.
They are almost as cheap as the mountain lands, and far
better in the qualities of the soil.

But by far the best locality in the State for raising all
classes and varieties of sheep is the great silurian, limestone
basin of Middle Tennessee. Here the meadows are
luxuriant, the pastures are green, the soil is fertile, the
water abundant. Here are landscapes diversified by hill
and dale, wood and stream, meadow and field, forming a
thousand delightful combinations, and making an extended
panorama of exquisite rural elegance and beauty. Here all
the grasses flourish, even the loftiest hills are set in blue
grass, and countless flocks fleck the landscape on every side.
The highest evidence that can be adduced as to the value of
this basin for sheep raising lies in the fact that sheep are
grown upon nearly every farm, and up to a certain number
are universally held to be profitable. Every breed has
found admirers, and every breed does well. Sheep require
no feeding in this division during winter, when upon good
grass, barley, wheat, or rye flelds, except when there is a
fall of snow. Then some oats, fodder, or corn are fed.
They are very healthy, and, indeed, when attended to, prove
a most profitable investment up to a certain number, say
one sheep for every five acres of open land, or two sheep on
every acre of permanent pasture, presuming that the
farmer will have other stock in proportion to the size of
his farm.

The cost of keeping sheep per annum per head is about
one dollar and twenty-five cents. The wool of one sheep
of high grade will pay for the keeping of two. Lambs are
clear profit, and the estimated cost of wool, dividing the
cost proportionately between it and lambs, is below ten
cents per pound. The average yield of wool for improved
breeds in this basin is between seven and eight pounds—
natives from two to four pounds. Nearly all natives have
disappeared from this locality, and high grades have taken

[ 43 ]

their place. Mutton sheep, near Nashville, good grades,
bring in the market five cents per pound, gross; lambs,
grade, three and a half to four and a half dollars.

A large trade in Jambs has been built up within a few
years past. Hundreds of car loads are shipped every spring
from this basin to points North, and good prices realized.
Good sheep farms can be bought in the basin for ten to
forty dollars per acre—the price varying as to situation and
soil.

We come now to consider the Plateau Slope of West
Tennessee for the breeding of sheep. Here the lands, ex-
cept a strip near the Tennessee river, are low, the surface
generally broken by gentle undulations, except in the river
basins. ‘The counties bordering the Tennessee river are oc-
casionally rugged, especially the western parts of Hardin,
Decatur and Benton. The soil of West Tennessee being
largely intermixed with sand, grasses do not grow so ubi-
versally as in the last division spoken of. Nevertheless,
some grasses find here a most congenial soil. In no part
of the State does herd’s-grass grow so luxuriantly, nor has
the soil any superior for the production of orchard grass.
In that tier of counties running next to the Kentucky line,
and parallel with it, also in Dyer, Lauderdale, and Tipton
counties, where the Bluff Loam formation prevails, clover
attains its highest development. Nowhere, however, in
West Tennessee, does blue grass make a first-rate sod. It
will grow, but not better than upon the rim-lands. Asa
division, however, West Tennessee has a larger proportion
of rich soils than either Middle or East Tennessee.

Sheep husbandry has never claimed the attention of the
farmers in this division to the extent its importance merits.
In many counties there is not wool enough grown to furnish
stockings to the inhabitants. For producing heavy mutton
sheep there is no part of the State better adapted. The
numerous railroads give easy access to markets, and good
prices could be realized for early lambs and fat mutton

[44]

sheep. It isa fact well known, that, owing to the milder
climate of West Tennessee, the lambs of January are as
healthful and hardy as the February lambs in the Central
Basin. This is a great advantage, giving the benefit of
bare markets to the West Tennessee breeder. If more at-
tention were given to sheep raising in that division and
less to cotton growing, great improvement would soon be
visible, not only in the general management and productive-
ness of the farms, but in the financial status of the farmers
themselves. There is nothing for which there is so con-
stant a demand as fat lambs and good mutton. Wool,
which can be produced at about the same cost as cotton, is
always of ready sale. A diversified agriculture is greatly
needed in West Tennessee, and there is no branch of farm-
ing more interesting and more remunerative than the breed-
ing of sheep. With the lands in West Tennesese carrying
a fair number of sheep, there would be in the aggregate an
immense addition to the income of the farmers, and thrift,
plenty and contentment would take the place of doubt, fear,
and disappointment. Decatur, Hardin, Benton, McNairy,
and Hardeman, by reason of their rolling surfaces, seem es-
pecially suited for sheep raising, while many other counties
richer in soils, and, therefore, better suited for general crop-
ping, are really inferior for this branch of the farmer’s call-
ing.

Having passed rapidly over the State, and noted the pe-
culiarities of each division, it will readily appear that its
diversified surface offers unsurpassed advantages for grow-
ing all the different varieties of sheep that are profitable in
this latitude. In order to secure the greatest profits the
breeder should first consider the variety best adapted to his
locality, and the proximity of a market for his mutton. In
the broken, hilly region of Kast Tennessee, an active, hardy
sheep, a good feeder, with a medium coat of wool, will be
found most profitable. To build up a breed of this kind,
presuming we start from the native mountain scrub, the

[ 45 |

most desirable cross to make first is the Merino. This will
give hardiness and longevity. Add two or more crosses of
Cotswold or Leicester, and we get size and fleece. Many
farmers are apt to use the Cotswold or Leicester blood too
freely after noting the good results of the first cross, there-
by increasing the weight of the fleece at the expense of the
other desirable qualities of his flock. As we approach the
lowlands in the valley of East Tennessee, where the grasses
grow more luxuriantly, the fleece should be increased by
using more extensively long-wooled bucks. A cross with
some of the heavier breeds of the Down can also be made
with good results—such as the Shropshire, Hampshire, and
Oxfordshire downs. In breeding these, however, it is im-
portant to look out for a close market for lambs, as it is for
their weight as mutton that these heavy breeds are consid-
ered most valuable. When mutton becomes the principal
object of the flock-master, we would give the Southdown
preference over all others. An excellent and very profit-
able mutton-and- wool sheep can be grown in the level sec-
tion above referred to, by crossing the Southdown upon
Cotswold grades, bred as those first spoken of, viz.: with a
Merino foundation, and crossed up with some of the long-
wooled families. In fact, there are but few of the different
varieties but would be improved to some extent by an infu-
sion of Merino blood, especially when it is the intention of
the breeder to make sheep husbandry a specialty, and raise
large flocks. In the middle portion of the State all varie-
ties can be grown with great success, and here the breeder
has only to consider the principal object for which he
wishes to build up his flock. If for wool, the nearer he
approaches the thoroughbred Cotswold the heavier will be
the fleece, but if mutton is his object the Southdown blood
should predominate. On leaving the Central Basin of the
State, going west, the long-wool sheep should be gradually
discarded, to give place for a variety better suited to the
climate and the grazing facilities of the country. Here we

[ 46]

would again place the valuable Merino blood as a founda-
tion, and cross it up with Southdown. This will makea
most profitable breed for the farmer, giving him a hardy,
quick-maturing mutton sheep, with a sufficient fleece to pay
him handsomely on his investment.

To sum up the whole, in order to get the best breeds for
the different sections of the State, we will only select three
of the principal varieties having in a greater measure than
any others, the most desirable qualities sought after by the
breeder, viz.: hardiness, fleece, and mutton. For the first
we would select the Merino, for the second the Cotswold,
the best known and most generally used of all the long-
wooled breeds in the State, and for mutton the Southdown.
For the eastern division of the State the Cotswold and
‘Merino cross, for the middle division the Cotswold and
Southdown, and for West Tennessee the Merino and South-
down.

Farmers, as a rule, should not go into sheep husbandry
to the neglect of other things. Let sheep be one of the
products of the farm, not the only product. A few sheep
well cared for will prove profitable to every farmer, while a
large flock would become, in nine cases out of ten, a source
of annoyance and expense. The object of this paper is to
show the profitableness of sheep raising on a small scale. I
do not advise the keeping of large flocks by the generality
of farmers. If every farmer should carry a small flock,
breeding up the natives to high grades, the profits would be
very much increased.

There is still another question which the Tennessee farmer
should look to—the question whether to make the growing
of wool the principal or subordinate object. This will be
goverened entirely by his location. If he occupies the high-
priced, fertile soils, that abound in many parts of the State,
then by all means the production of meat should be his
principal aim, and wool only occupy a secondary considera-
tion. Sheep that will mature early, fatten quickly, trans-

[47]

forming the rich, blue grass and grain into luscious mutton
in the shortest possible time, are those which will yield the
greatest profit. Long-lived animals in such localities are
by no means so important as when wool is the primary ob-
ject. ‘The conditions are reversed upon the thin soils, and
in the sparsely populated portions of the State. There wool
should be the principal end, and mutton the incidental, for
it would be quite possible to keep a flock of a thousand or
more on a widely extended natural pasture, at less cost of
time, trouble, and money, than a flock of one hundred on a
small, but very fertile and highly improved farm. To mar-
ket mutton from long distances entails’ loss, both in quality
and quantity ; but no product of the farm, in proportion to
value, involves so little expense in transportation as wool.
The flockmasters’ motto should be mutton for the rich valley
lands; wool for the mountain districts and thin table-lands.

[ 48]

CHAPTER IV.

EWES AND LAMBS.

In the establishment of a sheep farm the main considera-
tion with the farmer should be, not to obtain the greatest
number of sheep most rapidly, but to so manage the flock as
to make them the most valuable for the purpose he has in
view, be his object wool or mutton or both, or for breeding
early lambs for market, and in doing this the husbandman
must pursue that plan most likely to increase the size of the
carcass, and to improve the quality and quantity of wool. In
making the necessary calculations, the manner of selling must
must be taken into consideration. A farmer remote from any
market for early lambs will have to devote thought to the wool,
as that is more easily carried to market, but if he is conve-
niently located, his chief source of profit will be to produce
early and many lambs. This idea determines the breed of
sheep to be kept, and, in starting the flock, this should be
borne prominently in mind. But in either case much and
continued care must be bestowed upon the ewes and lambs, as
without proper attention to them the flock will, by various
vicissitudes, become rapidly lessened.

A ewe bred to a buck will go five months, or more accu-
rately one hundred and fifty-two days. With this knowl-
edge the farmer can so time the coming of the lambs that
they will drop at any time desirable. In Tennessee the lambs
bevin usually to come about the Ist of January. But this is
a bad time for them to fall, unless breeders are making a
specialty of breeding lambs for early spring market, in
which event they must have suitable arrangements made for
giving them extra care and attention. At that time we gen-
erally have very inclement weather, and it necessarily in-
volves the loss of many lambs. The custom of allowing the

[ 49 ]

ewes and bucks to run together all the year is universal in
this State, and as long as that custom is persisted in, there
is no way to prevent it. But if the farmer wishes to become
a successful sheep raiser he ought to pay attention to all the
minute details of the business. A very necessary one is to
separate the rams from the ewes at shearing time and keep
them apart until it is desired the ewes should be bred. A
flock of forty or fifty ewes requires only one buck when he
is properly used. A want of attention to this item involves
a loss of lambs by barren ewes. Merino ewes will begin to
breed at two years of age, but all other breeds will go the
first fall, though young ewes will not breed as certainly as
those two or more years old.

A young buck is not a sure breeder. An aged ram is
much to be preferred. A ram in his second year may be
used to serve only a few ewes if he is very vigorous, for the
size and strength of a lamb depends on the size, strength
and age of the sire, as well as upon the condition of its dam.
A ram at three or four years old is at his prime; from this
age all rams begin to get nncertain as breeders. Especially
is this the case when they have been allowed to run with
the flock.

Fine blooded ewes should be kept away from the ram
until the second year, as earlier breeding materially inter-
feres with the improvement and growth of their progeny, as
well as stunts the ewes.

If there is only a small flock of ewes kept on a place for
the purpose of raising fine breeds, it will be found very con-
venient, yes indispensable, to mark them in such a way as to
distinguish them afterwards. The following is a good way
to mark them:

= Si kK
pe Qe-MIST7Se ||

The first figures relates to the number of tbe sheep, the

secoud relates to the year dropped. This band is inserted
4 »

[50]

in two holes cut in the ear, pushed by each end and then
bent inwards so that it will hold. The ear will soon heal
around it like the holes in a lady’s ear, and it will remain
for life. The mark should be put in up and down on the
ewe and across the ear in a buck, so that there will be no
trouble in distinguishing the sex. It will be a most conven-
ient thing also to bave a memorandum book, such as
suggested by Mr. Stewart in his work, to tally with
the ear marks kept in the following manner. Let it be
ruled into columns, and entries made accordingly, as per ex-
ample:

No.of
BREED. AGE. | ewe.

No.of| WuHern
ram.| DROPPED.

WHEN WIL. RE-
SERVED. LAMB. | LAMB’D] MARKS.

Cotswold. |2 years.| 26 | 2 Feb.1,1877. Sept. 1,1879. Feb. 4 Feb. 2.| Twins.

No one can properly appreciate the convenience of such a
book as this until it is tried. By reference to it anything
can be known that is wished about the ewes and rams, and
an exhibition of this book will convince the purchaser of
the accuracy of any statement made in reference to each
sheep of the flock. Under the head of “‘ Remarks,” any
fact in regard to the ewe or ram can be noted, whether she
is a good nurse or breeder, or whether the lambs are strong
or weak. This book will also enable the farmer to elimi-
nate from his flock all such as are not good breeders, or if
he wishes he can set aside all ewes that bear single
lambs. It will also enable him to fatten such ewes as are
becoming too old for the butchers, thus keeping up his
flock to the highest standard of excellence.

The best time for lambs to drop in Tennessee is from the
20th of January to the Ist of March. About the 15th or
20th of January we almost invariably have a good warm
spell of weather, which usually lasts, with but a few days
of cold, until spring opens. If, however, the farmer is near

[51]

a market sufficiently large to make the breeding of early

lambs profitable, he, of course, will be prepared to care for

them at any time they may come, even in mid-winter, and

the earlier he gets them the larger his profits will be, if they
are well fed and cared for, when brought to the butcher.
Many farmers in the middle portion of the State are making

‘a specialty of this business, and are breeding their lambs

for December. The breeder always realizes a fancy price
for the first “spring lambs,” often as high as five dollars
‘for fifty pound lambs.

It should be borne in mind that but few farmers are

either suitably located or prepared to give the attention

necessary to this particular branch of husbandry, and to

those who are not, it would be injudicious to attempt it; but

with the farmer whose lambs begin to come in the latter
part of January and February, if he will watch closely on

cold or rainy days he can almost invariably save all lambs

that come at this period. In order to bring them early the
rams must be turned to the ewes about the 20th of August.
It is much better that the ewes should be served only once
by the ram, as oftener will frequently result in abortion.
As mentioned above, it is both injudicious and expensive
to allow a ram to run with the ewes, especially at this
season. A good plan, and one that will preserve the vigor
of the ram, and enable him to serve the greatest number
of ewes, is to have him in a lot to himself, and in the
evening, late, turn in to him six or eight or ten ewes, first
having painted his belly with red paint. In the morning
every ewe he has served will be marked with red. The
entire batch should be turned out from him during the day,
thus allowing him to recuperate for another lot that will be
turned in to him in the evening. In this way he will rarely
ever serve the same ewe twice, and the breeder, by noting
in his book, as mentioned above, the date of service, will
know exactly what time to expect the lamb, and can give
those particular ewes extra attention at that time. After

[ 52]

the entire flock has been bred in this way, the ram should
be allowed to run with the ewes for a few days, so that if
any ewes should come in again he will serve them. Be
careful to put on the entries the time of the serving of each
ewe. |

Peace and quietness should reign in the pastures at this
time, as much worry, with handling unnecessarily, would
prevent conception. The ewes should not be kept very fat
while enciente, as they will not produce as large and good
lambs when too fat. They should also be studiously pro-
tected from long continued chilling blasts. Asa general
rule our pastures have a good deal of undergrowth, and
this will prove sufficient, especially if they are among shrub.
cedars, which is very common in Middle Tennessee. A very
good plan to bring ewes into season, should they be siow to
come so, is to give them a dose or two of Epsom salts, and
shorten their feed for a few days. While it is wrong to
make the ewes too fat, it is equally culpable to keep them
too poor, as they cannot, in bad condition, produce a good,-
strong, healthy lamb. Their feed should be increased by
degrees just before lambing” time comes, as the draft of
nursing will require richer food. At least a pint daily of
grain should be given each ewe until the pasture becomes
sufficient to keep them in thriving order. Turnips, and, in
fact, roots of all sorts, should be avoided about lambing time,
as they are said to produce abortion. Pea vines, especially
the haulm of the peanut, are good food for ewes. It is al-
most a necessity for ewes to have laxative food before and
after lambing; nothing is better, in addition to their grain,
than a bite of green food, such as rye, winter oats, or wheat,
two or three times a week before lambing, it has a tendency,
to keep them thrifty, and in good condition, and it adds
greatly to their flow of milk afterwards. We have known
four-fifths of a crop of lambs to die from ewes that had be-
come feverish and unhealthy from being grain-fed exclu-
sively before lambing. If the record is kept the farmer

[ 53]

will know about the time of the expected lamb, and just
before the time arrives the ewe should be separated from the
others, and kept under shelter, especially at night, or in
inclement weather. Many lambs have been lost by a want
of attention to this easy precaution. The barn should be
close, and if light can be excluded all the better. A clear
dead wall all around the room will prevent the lamb from
becoming hung or caught under troughs or racks. By this
means the lambs will scarcely ever be disowned, as is often
the case when they are mixed with the flock. A teaspoon-
ful of oil will greatly hasten the emptying of the lamb’s
bowels, which are full of a sticky, glutinous mass, and it
often accumulates in the wool around the vent, stopping it
up. It is well enough to smear a little castor oil around
the anus to prevent it. Sometimes the lamb is affected with
scours. A little peppermint water and prepared chalk will
correct it, though it may be necessary to administer it
several times. Clip away any locks of wool from around
the teats that may have been left from the tagging when
sheared.

Sometimes, with all the eeu that can be used,
the ewe will disown her lamb. There is no other re-
course then but to use the “lamber.” This is nothing more
than a hurdle to confine her so she cannot turn around and
butt the lamb. It will have several rails around it, and
' should she kick, a stick passed under her belly, slightly
raising her up, will so fasten her that she cannot move.
She is to be put in this lamber every time the lamb wants
to suck, and will soon become accustomed to it.

A lamb left by the death of its dam, or a twin. lamb that
is too weak to suck, may easily be raised by hand. By
taking the skin from a dead lamb, and rubbing it over one
of the twins, the bereaved mother will often adopt it. Ewe’s
milk is best, but it being difficult to procure, resort is
generally had to cow’s milk, which, with the addition of a
small lump of sugar, closely resembles ewe’s milk in taste

[ 54]

and effect. A tin can, provided with a spout, or a coal oil
can that has not been used, with a rubber nipple on the end,
will be all that is necessary, and the lamb will soon know
its feeder, running to him, butting around his legs,
begging for its food. At first not more than a gill of milk
should be given, and it should be warmed up to about
natural heat, or one hundred degrees. After a few days,
when the lambs begin to grow and play around, it can be
given ad libitum.

While a ewe is suckling her lamb her food should be of
the most generous character. Good clover or blue grass
pastures should be supplemented with bran, oats, corn, or
meal, and, in fact, if good lambs are expected, and early
ones, the dam must be extremely well fed, as the food of the
lamb must be derived from the mother, and if she has not
the food she cannot bea free milker. Roots mixed with
bran, oats, oil-cake meal, or grain will aid materially in the
flow of milk. Pea straw is a favorite food for ewes, and it
has more nourishment in it than any other kind of hay, as.
will be seen by a reference to the analysis. As soon as the
lamb is large enough to notice other food besides its dam’s.
milk, it should be tempted to eat a little wheat bran
sprinkled in a trough, such as is mentioned in a previous.
chapter ; or, some bright sweet clover hay will be apt to get
anibble. After it once begins to feed this way you can
make it weigh heavier and grow more rapidly than it would
on its dam’s milk alone. A lamb that is pushed heavily by
an abundance of food for the first three months will show
itself by producing large vigorous sheep, while, on the con-
trary, if it is stinted of food for that time it becomes.
dwarfed, and will never make a good healthy sheep. All
animals whose maturity is hastened will be stronger,
thriftier, and longer lived than one that has been half
starved in its growth. Besides, they make far better
‘breeders. Should the pasture be bordered by a corn field.
it is a good plan, and one that is followed by many good,

[ 55 J

farmers, to make a hole under the fence large enough to
admit the lamb, and yet withhold the sheep, into the corn
field, provided the corn is tall enough to prevent the lambs
from nibbling off the bud. They will eat the young tender
shoots or suckers, and the bottom blades of fodder, that
burn up and are lost anyway, and will not injure the corn.
In this way they will be materially assisted in their growth
and maturity. Should there not be a field or pasture to aid
the lambs, a pen should be provided adjoining the “run”
of the ewes, with an arrangement to admit the lambs, in
which troughs are provided, kept filled with bran, meal, and
anything calculated to aid in pushing the lamb.

It sometimes happens that a ewe loses her lamb, and in
that case, to prevent “ garget,” or inflammation of the udder,
the ewe should be milked a few times, never taking all the
milk, and increasing the intervals of milking. In a few
days the udder will become soft, and then the danger ceases.
A few doses (twenty grains to the dose) of saltpetre will
materially aid, by exciting the action of the kidneys. Cold
water washing is good, too, for the udder when soreness pre-
vails.

It is a mistaken notion on the part of many farmers that
the best plan to improve the flock in all cases is to bring
every year or two a new ram into the fold. In-and-in breed-
ing has been established beyond controversy to be a neces-
sary system of perpetuating a breed or species, provided,
always, that a full-blooded buck of any kind is first started
with. The celebrated stocks of Spain have attained their
great superiority by this plan, and the sheep farmers of
England have established, by the same system, the long
wooled sheep of the Cotswold and Leicester breeds, as well
as the mutton sheep of Southdown and Shropshire. It is
of equal importance, however, that incestious breeding
should be avoided ; nothing has a greater tendency to weaken
the constitution of a flock than too close in-breeding. It is
an error that farmsrs are apt to fall into, especially if they

[ 56 ]

have an extra good ram, and they find it difficult and ex-
pensive to duplicate him. A skillful breeder will always,
in selecting a breeding ram, be governed in his choice by
the defects of the ewes he intends breeding bim on; for in-
stance, if his ewes are leggy and light bodied he will choose
a short legged, heavy bodied ram to use upon them. A
continual change of rams will get up a mixture of various
degrees of excellence, but there is no reliance on the perpe-
tuity of the stock, the lambs often taking after some inferior
progenitor that is near of kin. But by carefully noting all
the different points of excellence originating in a flock, and
preserving only these that possess in an eminent degree the
proper points to be gained, the breeder will soon have the
satisfaction of seeing a uniformity of stock not to be gained
by any other method. Therefore, do not go out for the
eross, but pick within all the time. To do this the best
lambs, both ewes and rams, must be preserved for breeding
purposes. And the selection must be made and adhered to,
with reference to the purpose in view. Should it be the in-
tention of the breeder to improve the wool, then select en-
tirely with reference to the wool, keeping in view, of course,
that strength, size, rapidity of growth, tendency to fatten
(whether the flock is kept for wool or mutton), must be
always a pre-requisite. Then the length, quality, and fine-
ness of wool must be the chief aim, in the parents as well
as in the lambs.

Should, however, the breeder wish to raise early lambs
for market, then those ewes that produce single lambs of
large size and quick growth should be selected. In carry-
ing out this idea it should also be kept in mind that the
ewes which will give large quantities of milk, and eat
heavily, will best fulfill this object.

If the production of wool is the object, ewes that produce
twins, and are gentle, good nurses, are the most suitable.
In either case the record book is indispensable, as it will
be utterly impossible to make a proper choice of ewes with-

[a7]

out it, as the memory will not do to trust. -Good ewes for
breeding purposes are only second in importance to a good
ram; the latter gives quality to the entire flock, and the
former only to her own offspring. ‘Good sucklers make
good lambs” is only true in part, but with animals as pro-
lific as sheep there is no reason why a farmer should not
have all of his breeding ewes good individually as well as
good sucklers. A ewe should have a large body, broad hips,
a good feeder, and of gentle disposition. Never preserve,
as stock sheep, poor or weakly lambs, or ewes that do not
suckle well, or those that have weak constitutions, or ewes
that are restless, wandering bleating over the pasture.
Such animals should annually be eliminated from the flock,
fattened, and sent to the shambles. While the ewe influences
only the lamb she produces, the ram influences more or less
the whole flock; it is, therefore, doubly important to exer-
cise the utmost care and judgment in making suitable selec-
tions of bucks; indeed, it is a matter of prime importance.
The character of the sheep, the number and quality of the
lambs, depend to a great extent upon this choice. In
making this selection the shape of the animal and the
character of his wool should be taken into consideration
more than his size or weight. It is not always that the
large heavy fat rams are the best. They do well enough for
the fairs, and exhibitions of stock, but not for the harem.
We may here state that good thrifty-growing condition is
much more preferable for both ewes and rams than to have
them fat. Owing to the heat and flies, as weli as short pastur-
age, sheep generally fall off in July and August, and when
mated in Septeraber are generally in good breeding condi-
tion. A ram, with all the work he can do, will re-
quire and should have rich stimulative food, in ad-
dition to his pasturage; but the ewes should only
have good pasturage until a few weeks before lamb-
ing, when bran and oats should be given them. Should
mutton sheep be the desideratum, select one with rather

[ 58 ]

short small boned legs, round barrel, small head, full arms
and thighs, close wool on the back, with fat on the ribs,
where it is never found on a poor sheep, and, in fact, a
general good appearance, rather than for any one special
point of excellence. A well knit, smooth framed ram will
possess more vitality than a large, long, loose one, and the
effect will be very marked in the number and superiority
of the lambs. In like manner the ewes should be selected
that are very broad across the hips, as in that case the pelvis
being roomy, the lambs will be more easily brought forth,
without so often losing both lamb and dam. A disregard
of this simple precaution often entails great loss on the
farmer by difficult parturition and still-born lambs.

It is asserted by many writers that lambs bred from
young bucks or young ewes are more often male than
female. How true this is, if true at all, is not known to
the writer, but it is a wise provision of nature to restrict
the propagation of the species where the animal does not
possess the vigor to make a perfect progeny, thus limiting,
for the want of females, the supply of the breed. Large
bones should always be avoided in sheep, as, indeed, they
should in all animals, as the nutriment that would otherwise
go to the formation of bone would tend to increase the size
of the carcass, thus adding, with the same feed, to the quan-
tity of flesh and wool. ‘The selection of rams, however,
cannot be taught by books, but mast be left almost
entirely to the tact and discretion of the breeder. As be-
fore stated, they should not be used upon more than twenty
or twenty-five ewes until they are at least two years old, if
possible to prevent it. High condition in the ram is not
desirable, a mere fair condition promising better in getting
lambs than one too fat.

No man must expect to accomplish in one year what it
requires many years for others to accomplish in the perfee-
tion of a flock of sheep. It took the most careful attention
of the most intelligent breeders to bring the four to six-

[ 59 ]

pound-fleece wooled sheep up to the twelve and fourteen
pound fleeces, that are so greatly admired at the present
day. There must be, therefore, an unwearied patience and
indomitable energy and watchfulness to bring about any
desired form or quality. Let the breeder first determine
the nature and character of the flocks to be produced. He
will then have to watch the desired form and fleece as seen
in his flock, and then by separating, and breeding only those
possessed of those qualities to rams selected, as mentioned,
whose best points are where the ewes are most defective.
The breeder will, in the course of a few years, have the
satisfaction of seeing a flock of an established character, and
able, by long breeding, to perpetuate and transmit those
peculiarities to their progeny. Above all other qualities,
be sure of the constitution and health of the sheep, as no
amonnt of carcass or fleece will compensate for a sickly or
tender frame. These difficulties may dampen the ardor of
those men who expect in two or three years to enjoy the
glory of establishing a breed, but this continued attention
has been given to the Southdown and Cotswold in the
United States for at least a half century, and was, for a.
greatly longer time, bestowed on the celebrated Spanish
Merino in Europe. It is positively the only method of
success.
MIXED BREEDS.

It often happens that for a certain reason the farmer
wishes to cross his flock with other breeds. This is, under
some circumstances, very advantageous, especially when he
wishes, from a large wool sheep, to produce early lambs or
mutton sheep. Almost every breeder of sheep has his own
fancies in regard to the change sought. The first considera-
tion is, which will be the most profitable, wool or mutton.
This generally can be determined by the proximity of the
markets. This once decided, the rest must be left. to the
experience and tact of the breeder. Should the farmer
wish, without too much expense, to create a fine grade of

[ 60 ]

sheep from the common stock, he has only to procure a lot
of ewes combining as many of the pre-requisites as possible,
according to the rules laid down in previous chapters.
Should it be desirable to raise lambs for market, it then be-
comes necessary to select. from the fine blooded varieties
such a buck as will bring about the desired end. It is
usual to select a Southdown or Merino, and persons having
tried it claim for each some peculiar reasons for preferring
one or the other, which is a conclusive argument that either
or both are good for the purpose.
By watching and talking with breeders one can get the
result of their experience on the subject. The Southdown
lamb will attain its growth quicker, and is larger than the
Merino cross, and the black-face lambs are always a favorite
with butchers, and in culling a lot of lambs they are in-
variable first taken. Yet the Merino has many advantages.
Though smaller it is remarkable for vigorous health and for
tenderness and juiciness of its meat, and when once tried
will find many to advocate its claims. When once the
breeder starts he must continue in the same direction, that
is, he must continue with rams of the same breed, changing
them for others as often as every other year, at least, and
always selecting the best animal that can be procured. He
can often do this without expense by making the change
with a neighbor pursuing the same plan, thus equally bene-
fiting both. Each year he can and should dispose of all.
the ram lambs, and keep the ewes. Upon this point the
breeder must keep a watchful eye. ‘There is as great differ-
ence in the value of ewes as there is of rams. None but
the very pick of the lambkins should ever be allowed to
breed, and then, if they prove poor, or are indifferent
milkers, they should be fattened with the pen of old ewes
that accumulates every season, and sent to the butcher. If
he has ewe lambs enough to satisfy his wishes for breeders,
he can, after the first year, sell off all the original native
ewes, and thus his flock will consist of half-blood grade

[61]

Southdowns, or whatever cross he adopts. Each year of
crossing will bring him nearer to the full stock, and when
the flock has been crossed five times, they are in all respects
full blooded, with this advantage, that the frequent crosses
with fresh rams will have infused more life and vitality than
was possessed by either before the process began. Nor should
it end with the fifth, but continued ad infinitum, to prevent
a retrograde of the flock, as there will continue to be a
tendency to a relapse now and then for many years. It
should be the duty and care of the farmer to watch closely
any tendency to relapse, and the lambs exhibiting it should
be promptly removed and consecrated to the shambles.

Should it be the desire of the farmer, on the contrary, to
convert a flock of native ewes into long wooled sheep, the
Cotswold and Leicester, independent of others, present
as many advantages as he may require. The same rule as
for producing a carcass must be observed, only the eye, in-
stead of being directed to the frame alone, must keep in
view the character, length, and texture of the wool. Of
course he must also bear in mind that the better carcass the
wool is on the better will be the fleece, so he must combine
all these qualities in the ram. A very sightly broad-backed
flock of ewes will soon satisfy his vision. ‘The last named
of the above species, the Shropshires, are little known in
this country, being of comparatively recent origin even in
England. But in the short time they have been before the
country, they have attained a vast amount of popularity,
chiefly on account of the prolific quality of the ewes. For
the sake of those unacquainted with the breed we are in-
duced to clip the following description of them from the
“Tondon Field,” a high authority on all subjects connected
with stock raising:

SHROPSHIRE SHEEP.

“The Shropshire sheep, though of comparatively recent
origin, are at the present widely spread and much valued.

[ 62 |

We know of no breed so prolific. The increase in all cases
is to a certain extent, and often materially, influenced by
the nature of the land—nourishing, or yielding, or inferior
food. On an average, if the ewes are well cared for before
and during the time the ram is with them, at least fifty per
cent. of doublets may be looked for; and when Shropshire
rams are put with long-wool ewes, the increase is much
greater. Ona small farm we purchase, every autumn, forty
Banffshire ewes—a description of border Leicester, with a
slight Cheviot cross—and serve them with a Shropshire
ram. In 1872 thirty-six ewes produced seventy-eight lambs,
all sold fat. This season the forty ewes produced eighty-
two lambs, but owing to unfavorable causes we lost ten
lambs, or such portion of the same as have not been
already treated with mint sauce. This prolific tendency is
a point of great importance, for it is not with the Shrop-
shires as it is with some of the larger breeds, that a fine
single lamb is more esteemed than a double. The ewes are
good mothers, and can do justice to their offspring ; more-
over, it is always profitable to assist nature by nutritious
diet. Next, the Shropshire is a hardy sheep, suitable for a
large range of soils, and capable of close folding, without
sensible loss of size. The yield both of mutton and wool
is far greater than from the Southdown, or other short wool.
Hampshires may arrive at greater weight, but they require
more time. The proportion of bone and offal is greater
and the wool much less.”

We have no personal acquaintance with these breeds of
sheep, but those having a knowledge of them commend
them very highly. The character here given would com-
mend them rather as mutton sheep than as sheep for early
lambs. It is no uncommon thing to see a ewe with three
lambs, and the late Hays Blackman, Esq., of Davidson
county, had a ewe that raised four good lambs without any
feeding except that obtained from her udder.

| 63 ]

IN-AND-IN BREEDING.

This subject has given rise to more discussion than prob-
ably any other question connected with sheep raising.
Many object to it from religious or moral considerations.
Others contend that this method tends to weaken the con-
stitution and debilitate the sheep, and the general appear-
ance of the Leicesters originated by Mr. Bakewell, of Eng-
land, by in-and-in breeding tends to confirm this objection.
The small head, prominent, glassy eye, small bones, we say
attenuated, their delicate skin, and general tendency to
scrofulous diseases, would seem to be the result of tvo close .
and too long continued in-breeding. Still, close breeding is
absolutely requisite to originate a species. This evil effect
could be avoided to a great extent by adopting the rule to
breed from the same ram only for the second generation,
and by selecting another for the grandchildren with as
nearly as possible the same form and general character. It
is said to have less deleterious effects to breed a ram to his
own get than to breed brother and sister together. The
breeder could adopt a safer course, and one to attain the
same ultimate result, by putting together animals of the
same family, but less closely alied, as father or brother. I
am strongly of the opinion that the same degeneration
would take place in animals of a lower order, as is known
to be the case with the higher animal, man. ‘The result of
in-and-in breeding in man is known to result in the highest
type of personal beauty, but it is at the expense of the con-
stitution and mental faculties. Besides, inter-marriages of
families, long continued, often result in physical deformities,
and this fact being so universally admitted in man, must
bear some relative proportion in brutes. To breed properly
have one well defined object, and keep that object always
before the mind. To do this well it is absolutely
necessary to know every ram and ewe in the flock, and their

[ 64]

general characters. To do this look to the record book
already recommended, without which nothing can be re-
membered. Keep it also in mind that the ram must have
absolutely pure blood, as his character affects the whole
flock, and the slightest taint in him affects the whole flock.
It is of the greatest importance that the ram should be
thoroughbred, it matters not whether the brecder’s object
be wool or mutton. So strong is the tendency of the sheep
to “breed back,” or return to the ative serub, that even
though a ram be three-fourths or four-fifths thoroughbred,
at least two-thirds of his progeny will resemble scrubs more
than thoroughbreds. It will, in the end, cost less to buy a
good ram from a trustworthy breeder than attempt to raise
tlie rams at home, as the admixture of new blood invigorates
the breed. Bear it in mind, also, that there is a constant
tendency io a retrocession to the original native breed, and
it is therefore necessary to guard against this and cull out
the offending animal. Without good feeding it is useless to
attempt a fine display of sheep, as a few generations of half
starved sheep will quickly end where it began. Want
of food makes bad sheep, as without it the full development
of the animal cannot take p'ace, and the want is soon per-
petuated in a diminutive size and inferior fleece. It is, in
other words, easier to go down hill than to rise an ascent.
Though the sheep, to all intents and practical purposes, are
considered full blooded after five crosses, which brings them
to thirty- one-thirty-twos, yet they are not, and according to
the rule of arithmetical progression, never can be, and the
lambs of some of those crosses will show the ancestry.
Therefore, in breeding for thoroughbreds, the start must
be pure. It may be proper here to state that a lamb,
according to a legal decision, ceases to be a lamb when
the first two permanent teeth appear, which is at one year

old.

[| 65 |

WEANING LAMBS.

The time usually allotted for the ]amb to snckle is four
months. The first thing is to separate the lambs and ewes,
as far as possible, from each other, so that they will not hear
each other’s bleating. The lambs should be put on better
pasture than they have been accustomed to, but it must not
be too luxuriant. They should previously have been trained
to eat plenty of salt, which is a good preventive of a great
many diseases. A contrary course must be pursued with
the ewes in reference to their pasture for a week or more
after weaning. It can scarcely be too poor, otherwise it is
frequently followed by great distension of their udders, and
inflammation or garget. If this should be likely to occur
they should be milked for a day or two, and fed with hay,
or other dry food. After a week or more they should be
placed on such pasture as will hasten their return in the
shortest time to good condition.

Several eminent sheep raisers separate the ewes and lambs
for the day, only turning them together at night, thus allow-
ing the ewes to relieve their distended udders. By pursuing
this course for a week or ten days the lambs will become
accustomed to doing without the dam, and they are finally
weaned without any ill effects to the ewe. Should, however,
the udder of a ewe become inflamed, and danger of garget
or abscess supervene, the ewe should have immediately a
full dose of Epsom salts, say a heaping tablespoonful, with a
teaspoonful of pulverized ginger, the two mixed in water.
For the next two days give them, morning und evening,
twenty grains of saltpetre. This will so increase the action
of the kidneys, and cause a consequent determination of
blood to those organs, that the udder is thereby relieved.
Hay should be fed to them, also, instead of pasturage, thus
giving them a quicker drying up.

3)

[ 66 ]

PROFITS OF EARLY LAMBS.

In close connection with stall feeding of sheep comes the
furnishing of early lambs of the best quality for the
butcher. It is one of the most interesting and profitable
branches of sheep husbandry in localities accessible to
market. When carried on asa special business the produc-
tion of butchers’ lambs usually involves the annual selec-
tion of ewes for that purpose, which requires no little judg-
ment in securing good nurses, possessed of vigorous consti-
tutions, wide-hipped, broad, short-legged, early-maturing
animals, the best that can be culled from the common flocks
of the country. If the ram commences running with them
in September, they will begin to drop their lambs early in
February, and continue into March. They should have
good pasture. If short cropping attends the coming of
winter, the careful farmer will eke out the scanty herbage
with corn, oats, or their equivalent, that they may enter
upon dry feeding and the cold season in good condition.
Then they are fed with hay and a little grain or oats. The
winter feed, however, it is needless to add, can be varied
greatly, and a reasonable variety is found conducive to
health. As they approach the lambing season the heaviest
should be separated from the flock, and fed as before, being
careful to give some roots, but not so many as to increase
very much the secretion of milk. Breeding sheep should
not be too fat, they certainly should not be poor, but the
“ golden mean” is much nearer the former than the latter
extreme. This may account for the different practice and
counsels of sheep breeders, some affirming that the ewes
should be kept on good hay till near the lambing time, and
then allowed more stimulating food; others preferring to
give hay, with a little grain, all the time, deprecating any
increase. Near a railroad is the best location for breeding
early lambs for market. Lambs cannot be driven, without

[ 67 ]

‘serious loss, a greater distance than ten miles. The shorter
the distance the greater the profits. Very early lambs at
sixty pounds weight are sold by our breeders at from three
to five dollars each. From one station in Sumner county
lambs to the value of forty thousand dollars were sold in
1878. And this business is constantly increasing, because
Tennessee is the last State going South where prime mutton
sheep can be raised, and their lambs come, therefore, into
an earlier and a bare market.

[ 68 |

CHAPTER V.

SHEEP FARMS—SITUATION FOR—GENERAL MANAGEMENT
OF SHEEP—FOOD, MANURE, ETC.

Many things are to be considered to become a successful
sheep husbandman. In the first place, he must determine
to succeed, and with this principle thoroughly settled in his.
mind, half the battle is already won. He must possess tact
and perseverance to overcome all obstacles, and not be
drawn off to follow some other business because it promises
a quicker return for his labor.

Then, being settled on this question, the next is to select
a suitable farm for the business. Flat or wet lands are not
suited for sheep walks, for, of all domestic animals, sheep.
are most injured by having their feet constantly wet, which
induces foot-rot, a disease terrible in its ravages upon the
flocks which it attacks. In any part of the State where the
lands are rolling and the water-courses descend with rapid-
ity, ensuring quick drainage, there is no difficulty about
selecting a suitable situation. The swelling mountains of
East Tennessee, whose tops are often bathed in clouds, and
whose sides and crests are clothed in summer with a rich
verdure, offer a fine field for this branch of hushandry.
The writer has often seen magnificent flocks fleck the slopes.
of these mountains in summer, while the nestling coves at
the foot give shelter and food during the prevalence of
wintry blasts. So, also, the valley or trough of East Ten-
nessee, on account of its natural drainage, has always proved
exceedingly healthy for sheep. The Cumberland Table-
land, with its dry sandstone soils, is famed for the health-
fulness of its flocks. And coming further westward, we
find a section of country whose wavy undulations of sur-

[ 69 |

face and swiftly-running streams make it the shepherd’s
‘home. In the Central Basin of the State, and on the Rim
surrounding it, more sheep are grown per acre of open
~ Jands than in any other portion of the State. A very large
proportion of West Tennessee also has proved to be healthy
' for sheep, especially away from the marshy bottoms of the
-ereeks and rivers.

Taking the State throughout, it may well be doubted
whether an equal area can be found anywhere on the conti-
nent that presents so many charms for the flockmaster, and
this, not only because of the ever-changing surface, but be-
-cause of the abundance, variety and nutritiousness of the
native forage plants.

Limestone and sandstone soils have in every country
proved advantageous for sheep-raising. These, for obvious
reasons, should be dry and porous. Soils of this character,
too, wili produce the finer and more nutritious grasses. All
the famous breeds of the world are bred on such soils. The
Leicester and Shropshires come from the red sandstone hills
-of those shires in England; the Lincolns are raised upon
alluvial soils based upon limestone, while the Cotswold for
centuries had’ its home on the Cotswold limestone hills; the
Southdown and Oxforddown are native to the chalky downs
of the south of England ; while the only finely bred sheep
of America, the American Merino, thrives best on the lime-
stone hills of Vermont among the marble quarries.

Our alluvial soils will make splendid sheep farms, pro-
vided they are properly drained. In fact, the “bottoms”
‘are not of necessity marshy or boggy, many of them having
such a large proportion of sand that they keep dry. A
good plan to determine this question, is to dig a hole in the
ground about a foot deep, and if water stands in it an hour
after a hard rain has ceased, it is a good indication that the
land needs draining, and any land that requires draining is
not good for a sheep farm.

One other matter should be looked to if it is intended to

[70]

confine the sheep to pastures, and that is good fences.
Sheep are naturally inclined to jump, and an invitation, by
bad fences, will surely be accepted. Straying sheep will
soon be lost sheep, as, when once out, there is no limit to-
their travels, and many a flock has been totally lost for
want of attention to this particular. Therefore, have good
fences around the pastures intended for sheep, so they will
never acquire the habit of jumping. With good fences,
many good bargains may be had with the less provident
farmers, who, annoyed by their continual straying, will
often be induced to part with their sheep at a great loss.

A fold should be provided that is dog-proof. The coun-

try is often in an uproar from the depredations of one or-
two miserable curs in a single night. The farmer goes to
bed proud of being possessed of a fine nucleus of a flock..
He has carefully selected choice breeds, and spent many
anxious hours protecting and caring for them through the
winter months, and it is his delight to exhibit them to his.
neighbors. But some morning the unwelcome word comes
to him, “the dogs have been among the sheep.” Every
one who has experienced it knows of the volumes of rage
that swell his bosom. But it is all for naught. The mis-
chief is done and the robber gone. Not a trace is left, ex-
eept the dead carcasses of many sheep lying around, and
athe frightened, stunned look of the more fortunate ones that
have escaped—escaped the dogs it may be, but they have
suffered so much by fear they do not recover for months.
They run at the approach of any one, they are restless, and
the constant snort of some watcher startles them from their
food, and, as a consequence, they lose flesh and become a
shadow of what they were before. Sheep are very peculiar
in this respect, and nothing disturbs their equanimity more.
than the inroads of dogs. All this can be prevented by the
simple precaution of a fold. It is easily made, and will
last indefinitely.

Select a suitable spot near the dwelling as may be. Let.

[71]

it slope so that it will not become muddy or sloppy. Let
it be in size to suit the number of sheep intended to pro-
tect. An acre of ground will suffice amply for from one to
five hundred sheep. Let it be enclosed by anv means that
will exclude a dog. One used for years by the writer was
made of pickets, cut eight feet long and put two feet in the
ground, well packing and stripping it on the inside. It is
not necessary to sharpen the ends, as, if closely put together,
it will never be passed by dogs. Have an entrance by a door,
so that when shut the fold is closed. If pickets are not
convenient, a plank: fence will answer equally well, only it
will require more constant care to keep it in repair. About
1,700 pickets are required to make a fold, worth, when of
cedar, $3 per hundred. It will cost seven cents a yard to
dig the trench and put them up. The strips, four inches
wide and one inch thick, will cost $1.50 per hundred feet,
and the nails will cost about two dollars more. So a good
substantial fold made of cedar, which will last, with slight
repairs, at least twenty-five years, will cost say $75, which
is a very small sum to pay for security and peaceful nights.
If one wishes to economise, he can ejther enclose his barn
with such a fence, or some other of his outbuildings that.
require an enclosure, and thus save a double expense. Thus,
while his neighbors are continually annoyed by dogs and
sustaining heavy losses with destroyed or harrassed sheep,
he can turn the key on his flock and quietly go to bed, sat-
isfied his flock will be safely in the fold the next morning.
The fold should be also sheltered on the inner side, to
allow the sheep to feed during the long nights and be pro-
tected from the rain, as well as have good dry hay to go to.
The shelter should be not more than four feet high, and the
length of two boards will be sufficient. Next the fence
racks can be constructed in the following manner: A round
pole from the woods or a heavy scantling is laid against the
bottom of the pickets, and secured there by stubs driven in
the ground. Then bore one and a half inch holes in an

[72]

oblique direction, so that slats or rounds driven in the holes
will have a slant of about forty-five degrees from the fence.
Then fit on the other ends of the rounds a companion scant-
ling, about four feet from the ground pole. This scantling
will then serve as a support for the roof, letting one board
extend from the scantling to the fence and another out-
wards, with the outer ends resting on a plate two inches
square, which is itself supported by stakes, at intervals of
six or seven feet, firmly driven into the ground. At inter-
vals of eight or ten feet have some two or three boards
nailed together, but movable, so they can be raised to put
the hay in the rack. Then nail two planks, seven or eight
inches wide, together by the edges so as to form a V-shaped
trough, supporting or bracing it by nailing strips across at
intervals of twelve inches, which will serve not only as a
brace, but also prevent the sheep from throwing their food
out. Nail this trough firmly to the ground pole of the
rack, and there is a barn far better than the most expensive
covering ever built by the amateur farmer. It protects
them from rain and snow, and keeps their food dry and
prevents it from becoming worthless from tramping aud
defiling. Should the flock become so large that all cannot
eat at the same time, supplementary racks and shelters could
be erected by building a fence or plank wall four fect high,
and sheltering and racking both sides as their necessities
may require.

Nor does the advantage of a fold stop with the security
of the sheep. It is said the foot of a sheep is golden.
During the day he distributes his rich manure over the
pastures in an admirable manner, carrying it where most
needed on the slopes and thin soils of the higher lands.
By proper attention to raking and saving and sheltering,
here can be gathered and garnered a rich store of plant
food. And it is truly astonishing what a large amount
of valuable manure can be collected in a short time.
The litter, such as straw or Jeaves, that has been, or

[ae |

should be, spread under all the sheds, will become saturated
with the urine, and this, thrown on the general heap, gene-
‘yates an immense amount of ammonia, which, lodging in
the mass of decaying vegetable matter, makes a manure
unexcelled by any.

Sheep that have been kept up and fed during the winter,
when turned on grass in the spring are very apt to scour,
the feces catching in the wool around the vent and on the
thighs, forming tags. These tags sometimes become enor-
mous, and serve, not only to impede the motions of the an-
imal, but also to make a secure lodgment for insects, espe-
cially for maggots. These tags are a great annoyance to
the lambs also. Sometimes drainage from the filth, held by
them, trickles down on the teats, mingling with the milk.
Sometimes they prevent the lamb from sucking altogether.
Whether wet or dry, the wool can never be washed from it,
and sooner or later it must be cut from ihe sheep. Tagging
before turning out to grass prevents all this expense, waste
and risk.- So tagging should be practiced at once, cutting
away all the wool around the vent and on each side of the
thigh, so the dung will fall clear to the ground without
touching eny wool. It should also be cut from around the
udder of the ewe, and from the scrotum of the buck. In
doing this of course care should be taken to be gentle with
the sheep and not injure the skin. Should a scar be made
on the skin, cover it with a mixture of tar and grease, us
this is a season of flies, and a nest of maggots would soon
be made on any wound.

No one thing contributes to the health of sheep more
than salting. It prevents injury from the great change
from dry to green food, and will prevent the mass of herb-
age from fermenting in the stomach. The salt is better
when mixed with epsom salts, copperas and sulphur;
and the best plan of using it is to place a supply in
covered boxes, protecting it from rain yet admitting it to
the constant access of sheep, replenishing the boxes as often

[74]

as required. This combination will prevent injury from
eating too much, as, if salt is too largely licked at first it is
apt to produce scours.

Another precaution that is absolutely necessary should
take effect at this time, and that is MARKING. The old
barbarous custom of mutilating the ears of sheep has given
place to other plans. Cutting the ear destroys the beauty
of the sheep besides injuring their facility to hear, the ear
being shaped precisely right to convey sounds to the drum.
Some use tags of tin, sold by all agricultural stores, that
have, marked upon them, the age and number of the sheep.
This tag is placed in the lobe of the ear as a ear-bob. Both
ends may pierce the ear, and then by bending and twisting
it is permanently fastened. Others use paint. A conven-
ient method is to mix lampblack or any other color with
linseed oil, and, with a brush, make any shaped marks
proper or desired, either the initials of the owner or a cross.
Bucks should be marked on the rump, wethers on the right
shoulder, and ewes on the left. Another plan is to use Ve-
netian red, a very cheap paint, and one pound will mark a
thousand sheep. Take between the thumb and first two
fingers a pinch of the dry powder, then, drawing the en-
closing fingers through the wool, letting the powder slip,
any desirable mark may be made. The powder will unite
with the grease of the wool, making a bright red mark,
which no amount of rain will efface, yet without any injury
to the wool, as it can be easily taken out by the manufac-
turer, which is not so easily done with lampblack and lin-
seed oil. However, this operation should always take place
immediately after shearing, except as to lambs; on the lat-
ter after docking. This process—docking—should take
place when the lamb is a week or ten days old, or older if
it is very weak. Some cut off the tail with a knife, while
others use a chisel. The latter is much the best plan. Let
an attendant hold it upright, rather leaning back, with its
rump resting on a block; then, with the finger and thumb,

[75 ]

let the skin of the tail be drawn up towards the root, and
placing a chisel on the tail about an inch from the rump,
strike it a smart blow with a mallet and sever it at one
blow. Have at hand a pot of tar, turpentine and lard, and
smear the stump with it and turn it off. There will be
little or no bleeding, especially if the operation is performed
about night, so the lamb will be quiet soon after the dock-
ing. Castration should be performed about the same time.
The longer this is delayed the more liable the lamb is to
die. I have known every lamb to die from this operation
being delayed until shearing time. This is a delicate ope-
ration and must be carefully performed. A cool day should
be selected, and gentle hands to assist. Take the lamb with
a fore and hind leg in each hand, and hold in an upright
position with the back against the body; draw the hind
legs up and apart, and press the lamb’s body sufficiently
hard to cause its belly to protrude between the thighs, ex-
posing the scrotum to full view; then, with a sharp knife,
cut about two-thirds of the scrotum off, and take each tes-
ticle in turn between the thumb and forefinger, and, after
sliding down the loose enveloping membrane to the sper-
matic cord, pull out, not jerk, the testicle with a moderately
quick but not violently jerking motion. The connecting
tissues easily break, with but little bleeding. lf any of the
nerve should remain exposed, pull out and cut it off, as it
must not be left. After cutting, place a quantity of the tar
and grease in the scrotum and all over it, to keep off flies,
and it will quickly heal. This operation should also be —
performed just at nightfall, to ensure quiet until it begins
to inflame. Formerly castration was practiced far more
than at present, and we think it better for the farmer’to sell
the buck lambs instead of converting them into wethers, as
with the most careful operation many lambs will die.

Many persons suppose a pasture will suit sheep let it be
composed of whatever herbage it may. It is true sheep
will devour more sorts of herbage than any other species of

[ 76]

animals, yet it is equally true that there are more scraggy,
rough sheep in the country than fine, fat oues. This is due
to the difference in pasturage. Sheep, themselves, know all
about this, and going into a sheep lot, it will be seen that
the turf is eaten closely in spots—some places do not seem
to Lave been touched, while others are cropped perfectly
bare; nor will the spots that are left ever be grazed by
them unless driven by absolute hunger. The whole animal
is composed of the precise elements of the soil, and in order
to advance the growth and health most rapidly, it must be
seen that the products of the soil contain those elements
essential to it. Clean, dry wool contains about 17 per cent
of nitrogen and 5 per cent of sulphur in 100 parts; there-
fore, when the pasturage abounds in these principles and is
abundant, the wool has a clear, glossy appearance and a
considerable amouat of a greasy, adhesive substance called
yolk. This yolk serves to keep the wool in a lively, healthy
condition; in fact, its presence in quantity is an indication
that the sheep are in a healthy, thriving condition, as its
absence is attended with a harsh, dry feeling to the touch,
and the fleece is of an inferior quality. Potash enters
largely into the composition of yolk, therefore food to
nourish them properly must contain a proper quantity of
potash and sulphur, besides nitrogenous compounds. From
the following composition of the blood and flesh of a sheep
it will be seen what a large amount of mineral substances
are required in its food, viz.:

BLOOD. FLESH.
Phosphate of sodas... cess. scala. sc aseatee ies 16.77 45.10
Chloride of sodium (or salt) ...... 0.2... c.eese0e 59.34). 45, 94
Chloride of potassium... -secesenlsece ee eetees 6.125 ;
Sulphaiteot soda)... css.cs «rebecsen eases eeteeeeses ~ 3.85 trace.
Phosphate’of magnesiar. :....t.secese so neeeee ine 4.19
Oxide and phosphate of iron ............ 0.6665 32s | 6.84
Sulphate: of Mme vir. oc ene ie sen oa eens 1.45

100.00 97.88

The bones are composed priucipally of pipspants and
carbonate of lime.

ec

The following is an analysis of the excrements of the

sheep:
ASH OF DUNG. ASH OF URINE.
SHIT CE Ane eco Bebaee boo scceee hacees 50.11 Sulphate potash................. 2.98
TEATS aacese eeceiodan’| coodmeanleanebe 8.32 Sulphate soda...... 1... ..---0- 7.72
SLE (Sie aaah Hes Bachar nasaAAtne 3.28 Chloride of sodium............ 32.01
Chloride of sodium .............. 14 Chloride of potassium ........ 12.00
Phosphate iron.........04 sseseeee 3.98 Carbonate of lime.............. 82
PAIS (yeas ene Radbes (meee 18.15 Carbonate of soda............. 42.25.
Mme nesidic..cs.c2 socnsctenssenhe 3... 0.40 Wane Slee ase cteitse ewe selec cia .46
Phosphoric acid......... ....-.-++ 7 52 Phosphate of iron, lime and
Sulphuric acid..............-..06 2.69 MME] STOEME) rapacday éecueacodo see. -70
—— SHIVER) Sheocoer ear) Cohonecce ross 1.06
99.64
100.00

These analyses show conclusively that the manure pos-
sesses an intrinsic value far greater than is generally sup-
posed. It is naturally rich, and sheep chew so finely that,
unlike other animals, they never sow the seed of weeds, the
finest being thoroughly masticated. Of course the value of
the manure is to some extent modified by the character of
their food, as it is much richer when fed, for fattening pur-
poses, on oil cake or corn. The following table will show
its value as compared with other manures:

Water. Phosphoric Acid. Potash. Nitrogen. Ammonia.
Bieidine 2 S40 hes 9,810 Ibe! ag (5.0 Ibs-tyi.4si-0 Wis )) ; 8.9 Ibs.
HIOrse sie... 743 “ Wo & 28.0 “ 5:4“ 6.5 “
Wowie: 864 “ eae WOES Buy AN es
Chicken........ 850 “ 15.2 “ 5.5 “ Palla) ss Geli
Sheep........... 670 “ Daeed e Went (a 8.5 “
Human........750 “ Byes oe IEDs 15.0 “ 18.2 “

The fertilizing effects of sheep manure is better under-
stood by the English farmer, who keeps sheep as much for
the manure as for profit in other respects. This will be
practiced in time by our farmers, but little attention to or
appreciation of its use is now seen. An English farmer
will sow a field of turnips, and by means of hurdles confine
sheep to a particular lot until the turnips are all devoured,
by which time the ground will be black with their drop-

[ 78 ]

pings, which, plowed under at once, gives a surprising fer-
tility to the soil.

With the exception, perhaps, of goats, sheep will eat a
greater variety of herbage than any other animal. Not
only the grasses, but many weeds noxious to the farm,
tender twigs and mosses are eagerly devoured by them.
Lambsquarter, iron-weed, wild mustard, tongue-grass, and
many other weeds contribute materially to their health. Of
grasses that supply the necessary nutriment for sheep, as
tested by the lights of experience, are those of low, creep-
ing habits, with fine, short stalks, such as Blue-grass (Poa
pratensis), Timothy (Phleum pratense), Sheep’s-fescue (fes-
tuca ovina), Spear-grass (Poa annua), False Redtop (Poa
serotina), Redtop or Herd’s-grass (Agrostis vulgaris), Or-
chard-grass (Dactylis glomerata), Meadow Foxtail (Alopecu-
rus pratensis), White Clover (Trifolium repens), Red Clover
(Trifolium pratense), Narrow-leaved Plantain (Plantago
lanceolata), and many others. Few of our meadows that
are artificially made are without one or more of these ©
grasses, while in the woods the Nimble-will (Muhlenbergia
diffusa), Crab or Crop-grass (Panicum sanguinale), and
numerous others afford succulent, healthy food. Besides
these, there are aromatic herbs or weeds, that possess, it is-
true, but little nutritive value, but from their stimulating
properties they induce a good appetite, and, besides, a fre-
quent change of diet is of the greatest utility in keeping up
the health of the animal. Some experienced sheep-raisers
sow mustard on open places in the pastures, which is a most
toothsome morsel for sheep, and if allowed once to go to
seed will perpetuate itself on the ground. Parsley, worm-
wood and yarrow or sneezewort are also greedily eaten by
sheep, and are very advantageous to them. Parsley acts
upon the liver and kidneys very freely, and should be given
them when affected with the “rot.” It is a biennial plant,
- and will, when once sown, perpetuate itself by sowing its
own seed. We have no means of knowing the nutrient

[79]

value of the barren grasses, but we do know that sheep
thrive on them finely, and come down into the farms in the
beginning of winter thoroughly fat. The “ Beggar’s-lice”
(Cynoglossum Morrisonii) that grows in unparalleled luxu-
riance all over the barrens and mountain lands of our State
will keep sheep in fine order after the ripening of its seeds,
but from the peculiar nature of those seeds they will ruin
the fleece, no machinery being sufficient to take them out
clean when once matted in the wool. The sheep themselves
will eat many of them off each other’s backs, but cannot
get them out clean.

The value of the natural pastures can never be overesti-
mated, and it only requires a sufficient number of attend-
ants to sustain, until far in the cold weather, any number of
sheep. A man with a couple of well trained dogs will
easily attend one thousand sheep. The time will come, and
at no distant day, when the whole range of our mountains
will be flecked over with innumerable herds of sheep and
cattle, thus turning all this great waste into substantial
wealth. The only drawback to sheep-raising on the Cum-
berland Mountains, so far as the writer knows, is the pres-
ence of the calycanthus, the seeds of which, when eaten by
sheep, are fatal. Fortunately these shrubs are confined to
a few localities.

A great and fatal error into which many sheep masters
fall, is overstocking. Not only are the sheep deprived of
a sufficiency of food, but their stomachs become filled with
sand and gravel by close nipping. This induces a thriftless
condition, which ultimately ends in disease and death. They
will also soon wear out their teeth, so that at four years old
they no longer have teeth able to masticate their food.

Understocking is almost equally objectionable, as the
grass will become hard and woody and lose its nutrient
character. A just medium is hard to establish, but expe-
rience is the best teacher, and a farmer will soon be able to
put on it just what stock as will keep it young and tender

[ 80 ]

and yet have an ample supply to fatten on. It is better to
supplement with corn, oats, pea vines, turnips, or hay, than
otherwise, if needed.

Sometimes it is better to divide the flock, keeping the
ewes and lambs on the best and tenderest grass, and the
wethers aud bucks on the worst. Of course these remarks
only apply to sheep confined within the limits of a farm.
On a range it is only necessary to move the flock to a fresh
spot when one becomes exhausted.

A flock must be closely watched to see that the pasture
does not become exhausted. When the nourishment be-
comes insufficient the secretion that goes to form wool be-
comes arrested to a great degree, and there occurs a “break”
iu the fullness and strength of the fibre. This is not appa-
rent to the owner, but the manufacturer discovers it at once,
and the price is lessened. When it comes to be combed or
carded the fibres will snap at this point of weakness, thus
rendering the wool almost worthless. Overfeeding for a
while, and then underfeeding, is more liable to produce
these breaks than if the sheep had been kept on short al-
lowance all the time, for then there will be an evenness in
the fleece not otherwise to be secured.

A water supply is of the utmost consequence to the well-
being of sheep, and this water, if possible, should be a liy-
ing stream. Hard water, it is said, or water abounding in
potash, soda and lime, is far better than soft or rain water,
as it assists in supplying the salts that so largely go to the
formation of the sheep. But this has not always proved
true in this State. The soft water of the highlands has
watered many healthy flocks. Should a flock become deli-
cate, the constant access to boxes containing the following
mixture will prove beneficial: Equal parts of salt, Epsom
salts, bone dust, phosphate of lime, saltpetre, and a smaller
quantity of copperas.

Attention should be given to the slope of the pasture, to-
wards or from the sun. Nothing injures sheep more than

[ 81 |

to be exposed to long and continuous blasts of cold wind.
They produce much discomfort, that will, if continued long,
result in sickness, drooping and death. Place two flocks on
the different sides of a hill, and one can quickly see the
vast difference that soon makes its appearance in the sheep.
The wool of the northern slope will become harsh, whiter,
less even, and the sheep will look dejected and drooping.
The lambs are affected by it in a still more sensible manner.
They lose their friskiness and seem not to wish to play.

It rarely ever occurs in our State, and that is one cause
of its superiority as a sheep-raising country, that the feed
on a good pasture becomes exhausted from heat or drought.
But it does sometimes occur. When it does, the feed must
be supplemented by green soiling. A prudent farmer will
always have a crop of this kind to be used in case of emer-
gency, as, if not used, it can easily be converted into hay
for winter use. Peas, beans, millet, sorghum sowed broad-
cast, corn sowed in the same manner, clover, mustard, will,
together with the dry food already saved, such as oats, hay
and various others, answer all the purposes. With a
seythe-blade and a sled, the sheep can, in a few minute’s
work, have their racks filled for the day’s use.

The writer cannot pass without cofmmending in the heart-
iest manner the use of-sown sorghum as a green food. An
acre, to be cut as used, and thrown in a rack under cover,
will give an astonishing amount of green food. Its large
quantity of saccharine juices is very delicious to all manner
of stock. A farmer who once tries it, will ever afterwards
provide himself with it. A bushel of seed to the acre,
sown down on well-prepared, rich land, and harrowed in,
early after frosts have ceased, will do in a couple of months,
or even earlier, to begin on, and it can be cut over three
or four times before it is destroyed by frost.

Rye for sheep should be sown in the corn-fields with the
last plowing. Then, by the time frost destroys vegeta-
tion, there will be a wealth of green food for the stock.

6

[82]

Never sow less than two and a half, or even three bushels
per acre. The only objection to a pasture of this kind
is the danger of having the wool injured by burrs, so com-
mon on most of our farms and especially found in the corn-
fields. The fault with the most of our rye pastures is the
want of seed. Rye does not tiller like wheat, and, there-
fore, if an abundant pasture is wanted, put the seed on the
ground and it will come. Sheep can run on a rye pasture
until the first of April, or even later, when it can be broken
up for a spring crop, and the droppings of the sheep will
far more than counterbalance the exhausting effects of the
rye.

Mustard is another valuable auxiliary to the farmer, not
only asa stimulant during the summer, but as a food for
winter. Sowed ona piece of cleared ground during Sep-
tember, or in the corn after it is laid by, it will afford fine
pasturage during winter, and even when covered by snow
the sheep will scrape the ground with their hoofs to get at
it. It can be plowed down in the spring and not allowed
to go to seed, and thus it will be easily got rid of after
it has subserved its useful purpose.

Turnips, however, is and has always, in England, been
the staple food for sheep. In Tennessee, for the most part,
they are easily raised, and will stand out during our mild
winters with but little loss. In England the plan of allow-
ing sheep to feed off them in the field is fast falling into
disuse, but it is on account of the excessive rains they have,
which make the ground very muddy, and the sheep are
necessarily chilled by exposure while eating them. But in
our dry climate and porous soils the case is different, and
we can and do allow our sheep to run out all winter. Tur-
nips, as everyone knows, require rich land, and with proper
cultivation a thousand or even fifteen hundred bushels are
an ordinary crop. The writer of this once cut off the corn
from two acres of new land. He broke it up well, and
threw up ridges about two and a half feet apart, which was

[ 83 ]

too wide, eighteen inches being amply sufficient. He sowed’
at the rates of two pounds of seed per acre, and when the
turnip leaves were about as large as a half dollar he thinned
out to six inches in the furrow. The season was propitious,
and the turnips crowded each other in the rows. The crop
was not measured, unfortunately, but it was astonishing—
fully one thousand bushels to the acre. To sow them prop-
erly, plow and harrow the land until it is in a fine state of
tilth, then harrow and roll until it is perfectly level. After
this, with a seed drill, sow at the rates of two pounds of
seed to the acre, about fifteen or eighteen inches apart.
Sow over them, just as they come out of the ground, one
and a half bushels of plaster of paris, or about ten bushels
of slacked lime. This will stimulate the plant and protect
it from the insects that prove so destructive to young tur-
nips. When they have formed three or four leaves, not
later, thin with the hoe and hand to six or eight inches,
leaving a single turnip to the place. Plow once thoroughly
with a small bull-tongue plow, and the work for the crop is
finished. Five hundred bushels is a small crop, and if the
land is good it will oftener yield one thousand bushels.

The next question is, what kind of turnip is best suited
for sheep? This is a question that will have to be decided
by each one, based upon his own or the experience of his
neighbors. Many prefer the yellow Aberdeen, as it is a
large growing turnip, and yields heavily. If this is selected
it must be sown nearly a month earlier than the other sorts.
About the Ist of July is the proper time. If the rutabaga
is taken it will have to be sown as early as the 15th June.
Both are good varieties. The large Globe sowed about the
15th of August is a fine variety, or if sowing is deferred
later, the farmer must of necessity use the quicker growing
kinds, such as the flat Dutch, or Strap-Leaf. When the
turnips are ready for harvesting, unless it is desired to feed
them on the ground, they should be banked. That is, let
them be pulled or plowed up, have the leaves cut off, place

[ 84 ]

them in piles to suit, and then cover about with two feet of
leaves, stalks or straw, and a few inches of earth thrown
over them. About as many turnips should be put in each
hill as are required for a day’s feeding, so that when a hill
is broken it will be fed up before it is destroyed by freezing.

How will they be fed? There are only two plans, and
sometimes both plans will have to be adopted unless the
flock is large enough to render unnecessary the second.
The first plan is to turn on the sheep and let them eat them
in the ground, as they grew. When this plan is pursued,
the owner gets the benefit of the foliage as well as the root.
Sheep sometimes show a disinclination to eat them at first,
hut a little salt sprinkled on the tops to start them will
give a taste that will soon cause them to eat gredily. If
they are allowed access to the whole field at once, they will
destroy and waste more than they will eat, nibbling here and
there the green tops, and leaving the roots to rot. There-
fore they should be confined to a particular spot until the
turnips are consumed. They should never be allowed on
more turnips than they will consume in two days and nights.
One thousand head will consume one acre of good turnips.
every twenty-four hours, and the estimate can be made from
this basis. A portable fence should be used to fence off a
few acres at a time, and the sheep kept on this plat until
the turnips are consumed.

Some farmers, and it is a most excellent idea, use hurdles
to confine the sheep to pastures, as well as to turnip fields.
Hurdles are made in the following manner: Take a four-
square scantling, any length desired, and bore holes
through it at right angles, one on each side alternately,
about ten inches apart. Then put through these holes stakes
six feet long. The holes should be two inches in diameter,
and the stakes should be of good tough white oak. When
completed, it will have the stakes projecting in four direc-
tions three feet long. Laid upon the ground it presents a
chevaus-de-frise that no sheep will jump. A double row of

[ 85 ]

these laid across a clover lot enclosing ten or fifteen feet in
width will confine the sheep to that spot, and prevent tramp-
ing and picking over the whole field. Not only this, but
when they have passed over the field, which is done by sim-
ply rolling the double racks which they resemble, over and
‘over, as the clover is eaten clean, the clover in the rear has
renewed itself, and is ready for another going over. This
plan applies not only to clover, but to any other kind of
pasturage, such as sorghum, rye, Egyptian grass, or any of
those cultivated grasses that will grow from the stub after
being eaten down.

By jndicions management of ee hurdle a field infested
with noxious weeds can be cleaned completely of them, and
at the same time brought to a surpassing state of fertility.

But it is not always the case the farmer wishes to feed
the turnips on the ground. They are then, as before stated,
gathered before any hard freezing weather comes on, say
about the 10th or 15th November, in this climate, and
banked. They are now taken out and fed to the sheep as
required. It is a great waste to feed them whole. Va-
rious plans are pursued to lessen the difficulty: Some boil
them, and mix meal with them. But this involves so much
time and trouble few will keep it up long. A more conve-
nient plan is to cut or pulp them. “A cheap machine that
any one can construct for himself is to fasten four or
six rough knives to a circular plank with a crank like
that attached to a grind-stone. The knives must be
screwed on the side next the hopper, and turned out to suit
the size of the slice wished to be cut. A hopper holding a
bushel is set on the frame, with the side next the knives open
to allow the turnips to fall against them. Turn the crank,
and they are quickly sliced, and fall into a trough below.
These slices placed in troughs, with a little meal and very
little salt, will make a splendid food for sheep. They will
be sufficient without meal. Another machine is, instead of
knives on the wheel, to have projections of iron shaped like

[ 86 ]

a morticing chisel, the chisel part coming through the wheel
in large numbers, say a hundred or more. These points.
striking the turnips will rapidly tear them into pulp. It is
on the order of an apple-mill. The wheel could be of cast
iron, cast with the ragged poiuts to answer the same pur-
pose. Meal, oats or bran mixed with the pulp would make
a most admirable food for fattening sheep. Oil cake is.
another food not much used heretofore in this country, but.
is rapidly coming into favor. So highly is this food es-
teemed in England for fattening purposes, that the cotton
seed oil factories of Nashville ship all their oil cake to that
far-off market, while our home farmers overlook its excel-
lence. It abounds in nitrogenous principles, and makes the
manure of animals fed from it of the most excellent char-
acter. The time, however, is not far distant when this diet
will find a market at our own doors.

On every farm in the State of Tennessee may be seen the
effects of careless culture, and this is especially the case on
those farms that wholly or in part were devoted to cotton
and tobacco in the ante bellum days. This effect is seen
in galled spots on the slopes of the hills, or in huge gullies,
that make the slopes like sinuous ribs. It should be the
duty and pride of every farmer to eradicate these evidences
of thriftlessness from his place. This is no easy task under »
ordinary circumstances, but it can be done with comparatively
little work by the aid of a large flock of sheep. It is diffi-
cult without their aid, from the fact that the earth has been
denuded of any soil to give a start to vegetation, and it
can be done only by vegetation. There must be enough of
soil on the clay to enable the farmer to bind it there by
grass or clover, when the soil will soon accumulate by de-
cay, and the eyesore will disappear. This, I say, can read-
ily be done by the aid of sheep in the following manner :

Provide a number of portable troughs, made by nailing
the edges of two wide planks together, forming a V shaped
trough. Then nail strips either across the top of the trough,

[ 87 ]

or what is better, let the strips be raised in the center, mak-
ing a point in the center which is raised, say a foot above
the level of the trough, making a section of this appear-
ance ©. Under one end of the trough place a pair of
rough wheels made of a circle of plank, and under the other
end put a pair of legs marked thus Q. Then attach to the
end opposite to the wheels a pair of handles made of plank
also, and nailed to the sides, and the portable trough is fin-
ished. The raised strips will enable it to hold a consid-
erable amount of hay, while the trough may contain any
kind of food desirable to be fed them. This trough, or as
many as may be required, should be placed on one of those
galled spots, or among the gullies, where the sheep are fed,
until the clay becomes black with their droppings, besides.
having large quantities trod into the earth by their feet.
Then move it away, which is easily done by one man, to a
fresh spot, and plowing up the place lately used, seed down
with clover, grain or grass. Unless the farm is badly used
up, it will soon be covered with verdure instead of being
serried with gullies.

We cannot close this chapter without once more calling
attention to the necessity of proper protection to the sheep:
from the inclemencies of the weather either by a fold pro-
vided with ample sheltering, or what is better, the fold and
shelters about the farm for protection during the day. Sheep:
require protection from the sun as well as from cold. It is
therefore proper on various parts of the farm, especially in
those pastures that have been denuded of their shade trees, to
erect sheds. These sheds can be made of the common clap-
board—something like the sheds used by bricklayers—if a
- more elaborate building is not preferred. A convenient
plan, and an economical one, is to build a shelter at the
junction of four fences, if such an one exists on the farm.
It will thus be accessible to all four fields by being cased
around five feet high with upright boards, and having a
door opening into each field.

88 ]

Sheep should be constantly watched, and should any
of them become diseased, they should at once be removed
from the others and placed to themselves to be doctored.
It is often the case that the diseases are contagious, and the
danger of communicating to the other sheep should be
avoided. A whole flock is often lost by want of attention
to this necessity of carefulness.

To keep them in good heart frequent change of pasture
is absolutely necessary. Sheep naturally love change, and
one often wonders at the avidity shown in eating when
passed from an old to a new field. If continued too long
in one place they become restless, and will try to jump out
and seek that relief their nature seems to require. To keep
them quiet aud contented, therefore, when they begin to
wander about and become restless, change their quarters.
The fields, if large, should be cut into smaller ones to accom-
modate this peculiarity, or if they are on a range, let them
be driven to another section.

ee

[ 89 ]

CHAPTER VI.

WINTER MANAGEMENT OF SHEEP—FOOD—FATTENING OF
SHEEP.

When the snows and frosts of winter come on, the green
succulent food of summer is destroyed, and a change has to
take place in the character of the food. This change should
be as gradual as possible to prevent derangement of the
digestion of the animals. Therefore a short feed of dry
food should be allowed before the grasses are entirely de-
stroyed, unless the farm should be well set in blue grass,
which will keep the sheep supplied with a moderate support
during the entire winter, except when the surface is covered
with snow. Some of our Tennessee farms require the feed
of sheep to be slightly supplemented with grains and hay,
therefore one farmer seeing his neighbor with good lots
allowing his flocks to get a total supply in his pastures is
too apt, with insufficient grasses, to follow the example and
not feed at all, or at least giving them such szant supplies
as happen to be at hand. They make no special provision
for them, and are very much surprised in the spring to see
their flocks poor, debilitated, and with ragged coats of wool
stripping here and there in patches off their sides. When
one sets out to make sheep raising an object, he should sup-
ply himself with all the appliances necessary to make it a
success. It is a difficult matter to say which is the more
important, good feeding or good shelters, for sheep cannot
possibly thrive with the snows and cold rains of winter
penetrating all through the fleece. It is true sheep often,
when supplied with shelter, will refuse it, preferring the
open. pasture, but this is when they have an abundance of
good nourishing food. Many of our Middle Tennessee pas-
tures are thickly set with shrub cedar, and this gives them a

[ 90 ]

fair shelter under ordinary circumstances. Besides this, a
large portion of the “rim” lands of Tennessee, and all the
mountain ranges, have a thick, heavy undergrowth of black
jack, oak, hickory, and other sorts of trees, under which
sheep are safely housed during the rigors of winter. But
these natural shelters must be supplemented with an abun-
dance of good nourishing food; and right here is the expla-
nation of the frequent failures of sheep-raising in the bar-
rens and on the table-lands of the mountains. Persons go
there with large flocks, and run them on the ranges through
the summer, and are delighted to see them in fine condition
in the fall. Seeing an abundance of grass covered by the
falling leaves and long-bent grasses, they believe they can
successfully carry them through the winter without further
food than that afforded by nature. But the leaves have
hid much of the grass, and the snows more, and the grass
by constant moisture has its nutritious qualities washed out,
so that what little the sheep get is procured with much diffi-
culty, and this being quite innutritious, the stomach of the
sheep really will not digest enough to keep up its condi-
tion. Therefore they soon begin to lose flesh, the wool not
receiving a proper nourishment is scant and rugged, and
disease soon puts in to finish what starvation began. Thus
it is that the cold bleak winds of March blow through
them, destroying in some instances entire flocks. They will
then pronounce anathemas against the country, and make
every effort to deter others from making the same effort.
On the contrary it rests solely with the flock-master whether
or not the business should be a success. He should provide
shelters sufficient to defend them from the severities of a
mountain winter and store up food enough in his barns to
keep up the condition derived from the summer pasturage.

To feed well, therefore, is the first duty of the shepherd,
and to supply shelters only so far as is requisite to defend
them from unusual cold so as to keep up the standard of
health, is the second duty.

[91]

But few of our farmers are able to supply themselves
with large, expensive barns, such as are used by wealthy
flock- masters of the North, who sell sheep at from $25 to
$50 the pair, and it is therefore unnecessary to go into a
lengthy detail of such descriptions, for such buildings are,
owing to our mild climate, unnecessary. Rarely are our win-
ters so severe that the cheap shed previously mentioned will
not be found amply-sufficient for all purposes. We shall
confine ourselves to recommending such accommodations as
are within the reach of every man who is able to own a
flock of fifty or sixty sheep. A suitable site should be se-
lected, and it should, if possible, be situated on the crown
of an eminence, so that the water will flow in every direc-
tion from the barn. If no such place prssents itself in a
suitable location, some point should be chosen with a south-
ern exposure. By all means avoid a north hill-side. Care
should be taken to avoid a marshy or “ crawfishy” spot, as
no sheep can be kept in a healthy condition with wet feet
all the time, as has been explained in a previous chapter.
Then a yard should be laid off containing a half acre for
every fifty head of sheep, well fenced with planks or pick-
ets, care being exercised to have it dog proof. I have
already explained the convenience of erecting sheds around
on the inside of this fence, under which to place racks to
shelter their food. But these racks are not entirely suffi-
cient to protect sheep from the inclemencies of a winter.
Therefore, in addition to these racks and shelters, there
should be built a large shelter in the enclosure. It should
or can be made by simply setting posts in the ground, and
then covering with clap-boards; afterwards set a row of the
same boards, say four feet long, all around it, leaving the
space between the ends of the boards and the plate of the
shelter open, so as to admit free ventilation. The shelter
should have a steep roof for two reasons: In the first place,
unless it is steep, the roof being large, will leak, making it
sloppy. Then it will, if steep, present a large store for the

[92]

hay designed for their food. Indeed it would be better to
run joists across the barn about seven feet from the floor,
which will add a large additional storage room. A trough
should be set on the floor running with the eaves, same
length with the shed, and a rack made to rest on a pole
placed immediately above the trough, not so high but that
the sheep can easily reach the hay. At the other end of the
rack strips can rest upon the joists above, making a space
six or seven feet across at the top. With this arrangement
a man in the loft ean easily fill the rack from the hay above,
which can be pulled down by means of a hook on a pole
within reach of the sheep as they eat it. Thus the sheep
will have free access to food at all times of the day, and
being of that class of animals called ruminant, they, in a
state of nature, are perpetual feeders. Another plan, and
it is a very good one, is to place the shed at one end of the
enciosure, making one side and two ends serve the purpose
of the fence. It is only necessary to build the center build-
ing when the flock is over the ordinary size for 50, 75, or
even 100 head. The cheap shelters referred to will be suffi-
cient to protect them, for aside from the nights, we rarely
have weather sufficiently cold to make the shelter desirable
all day ; in fact it is more a protection against cold rains and
ravages of dogs at night that these shelters are chiefly val-
uable, for in Tennessee we never have the severe cold and
deep snows that the Northern flockmasters have to contend
with. Through our most severe winters we have but few
days so cold that sheep will not leave shelter to graze. It
is as important, however, for our farmers to have such shel-
ters as we have described in order to be successful in sheep-
husbandry, as it is for the Northern farmer to have his close
and expensive barn, for the cold rains of the South are as
apt to produce disease in our flocks as the deep snows and
icy winds of the North are to produce famine.

One thing is essential in making these protective build-
ings, and that is they ought to be clean. There must not be

[93]

any more mud or slush around the building than is possible,
and the floor, whether of the earth or of plank, must be
strewed with straw for bedding. It should be the duty of
one hand, at least twice a week, to rake up and cart out all
the droppings and the old straw that have become saturated
with the urine. If the manure heap is made within the
enclosure, it must be so arranged that the sheep cannot sleep
on it. If allowed, its warmth ensuing from fermentation,
will be an invitation to the sheep to sleepon it. The gases,
especially ammonia, arising from it, will have a very delete-
rious effect on their health. It is therefore absolutely requi-
site to have it without the enclosure or protect it from them.
' To more effectually prevent the yard from becoming a
slough of mud, it is better that the eaves of the shed should
be guttered with either tin or two planks nailed edges to-
gether, forming a trough which, with a little attention, will
answer all the purposes of a more expensive arrangement.
This is more easily accomplished when the shed forms one
end of the enclosure. Should, however, the shed be in the
center of the enclosure, the water must still be conveyed
from the yard by means of troughs, as otherwise in the
winter it would be very difficult to keep it in a dry condi-
tion, and sheep more than any other animal require dryness
under foot.

There is very little or no care bestowed upon the cleaning
up and gathering together of sheep manure in our State.
We are hereditarily a slovenly people in farming, and the
value of manure has never been a factor in estimating the
value of farm products. Sheep manure, from its coldness,
does not easily ferment like horse dung, and therefore re-
tains its value much longer than the excrement of the
horse or man. It ranks among the very best of the ma-
nures produced by animals, especially from those sheep that
are fed with rich food for fattening purposes. As has been
already stated, the mastication of sheep is so_ perfect
there is no danger of weed seeds coming up after having

[ 94]

passed through the stomach of a sheep. Both the urine and
dung are very rich in fertilizing properties. Urea, the ac-
tive principle of urine, has a large quantity of nitrogen in
it, and sheep’s urine contains, according to one of our best
analysts, 28 parts of urea in every 1,000 parts, and 12 parts
of salts, among which is a large proportion of phosphoric
acid. In one hundred parts of the dung of sheep there are
68 per cent. of water, 19.3 of animal and vegetable matter,
and 12.7 per cent. of saline matters. This 19.3 per cent. of
organic matter contains as much nitrogen, which is the value
of manure’s chiefly, as 43 parts of horse dung, 63 parts of
hog manure, or 125 parts of cow dung, and is equal to ©
100 parts of the ordinary stable or barnyard manure. It is
much drier than other manures, having but little water,
comparatively speaking. For instance, let a horse receive
100 parts of dry fodder, and he will defecate 216 pounds of
fresh manure, which being dried, makes 46 pounds of dry
manure, while the sheep with the same food would give but
128 pounds of fresh manure, making 43 pounds of dried.
This is manure made with the ordinary method of feeding,
such as hay, fodder, and such grass as they can pick up.
But when sheep are fed with grain or other highly stimu-
lating food for fattening purposes, with food rich in albu-
men and phosphates, the oil and starch only are assimilated
and go to the formation of fat and flesh, while the re-
mainder, including the larger part of the salts, goes to the
manure heap, thus adding very greatly to its value as a land
application. This fact has long been known and used to
the improvement of land by the English farmer, and must
be learned and practiced by our people. The declining fer-
tility of our soils calls loudly for all the aid we can give it,
and it is time to recognize the fact that if we continue to
draw from the land, and never put anything to it, it will
after awhile cease to respond to our calls upon it.

We dislike to repeat, but with the danger of being charged
with too much repetition, we must once again call attention

[ 95 ]

to the value of oil cake in feeding, not only asa diet that
rapidly promotes the collection of flesh and fat, but as a
powerful addition to the manurial value of the barnyard.
Those who have tried it are delighted with its effects. It is
very rich in oil, and the manure falling from the cake fed
animal possesses a value beyond estimation. This fact has
long been recognized in England, and that is why the oil
cake from our oil factories is shipped to England instead
of finding a market here at home. It is plain, however,
that the reason is, because the fewest numbers of farmers,
and I say it with great reluctance, save their mauure at all.
Those few who do, place no particular estimate on any given
quality it may have, being content to spread whatever they
happen to have, satisfying themselves if it is only ma-
nure. ‘The dung of cattle or sheep fed on oil cake is so
vastly enriched that it may be spread on a greatly extended
area with far better results than can be obtained from ordi-
nary manure of a much larger bulk, and the color of the
grass or grain is darker, and can be discerned to the very
row. Not only is it better in the long run, but its action
is quickly seen, and its effects will remain long after the
presence of the manure cannot be detected in the soil. Nor in
the case of sheep does it require the tedious process of
spreading, for they themselves distribute it so regularly and
uniformly over a field that every blade of grass and every
root receives its share, and by a more luxuriant growth
shows the preseuce of the stimulant.

In estimating the size of sheds for sheep, 10 foot square,
according to the most approved plans North, are generally
allotted to each sheep. This, however, is more space than
necessary in our climate, for the reason mentioned above, that
it is only at night, and on cold, rainy days} that the sheep
husbandmen in Tennessee require this shelter. The flocks
with us are not confined to this limited space on account of
snows or excessively cold weather, for weeks at a time, like
they are in the less favored regions North. A shed 20 feet

[:96 ]

wide and 50 feet long will comfortably shelter 125 to 150
sheep. It will be economy for the farmer to bed down
under the shed with straw. Not only will it make an excel-
lent article of manure, but it will protect the fleece from
dirt, give a dry footing for the sheep, and make them more
comfortable. For this purpose a good thick coating of straw
should be first spread out. In a week’s time this will be
pretty evenly packed down and well saturated with urine,
and covered with manure. A complete covering of fresh,
clean straw should be spread over this, and as soon as it be-
comes soiled it should be removed, aud a fresh layer spread
eut. If the sheep are housed every night the bedding
should be renewed at least once.a week.

In making racks for hay care should be taken to make
them so close together as to prevent the sheep from getting
their heads hung between the bars, and thus slaughtering
them as is often the case, or they should be placed so far
apart that they can easily thrust in and withdraw their heads.
The ends of the racks should have bars placed across them
or a fine young lamb will be found tangled in the bars occa-
sionally, chilled to death. Three and a half or six inches
should be the rule. In the first distance they cannot get
in and in the latter they can get out.

WINTER FOOD.

This important subject will have to be treated under two
heads, according to the requirements of the case. Under
ordinary circumstances but little attention is paid to the diet
of sheep save by those who have some extra fine sheep for
sale. The large majority of Tennessee farmers run their
flucks on the commons or on a fair winter pasture, and only
feed during excessive cold rains or snow, and then in a very
limited manner. The old rule of ante bellum farmers was
one ear of corn to every ten sheep, which simply amounts
to no feed at all. This was iyjaddition to a few dirty shucks
or the most inferior fodder,“yey had no hay, and the freedom

[97]

of a pile, not a rack or stack, of straw. To excuse them-
selves from stinginess, some old gentleman originated the
idea that corn caused them to shed their wool. It no doubt
had that effect in the quantity fed, but it was the want of it
rather than the use of it. Many a poor sheep has bleached
its bones upon the hillsides of Tennessee, a victim to this false
aphorism.

Attention to the diet therefore falls under two heads;
first, stock sheep; second, fattening sheep for mutton.

FEEDING STOCK SHEEP.

Fortunately for the Southern farmer there is no want of
variety of food for sheep. Besides the winter pastures, such
as blue-grass, mosses, barren grasses, rye, wheat and barley,
we have hay of various kinds, such as timothy, herd’s-grass,
orchard grass, clovers, sorghum and dhoura; we have
straws, pea vines, fodder, oats, peas, beans, corn, barley, rye,
cotton seed and oil-cake, bran, meal, turnips, beets, carrots,
rutabagas, mangel-wurtzel, and in fact our list of diet is equal
to the bills of fare of the most fashionable hotels of the
country. The sheep as nearly as any other is an omniv-
orous animal, and they will thrive on anything, from the
buds and twigs of a thicket to the best of animal food. As
has been already stated, but little special preparation is made
for a flock of sheep, the owner being content to carry them
through a winter on anything that may be at hand, in most
instances contenting himself to let the sheep barely subsist
upon the scant pickings of the field or forest. But as this
work is not intended for a merely reading book, but to give
such instruction to those seeking it as will enable them suc-
cessfully to, not only carry their flocks alive through a win-
ter, but to have them fit for market at any time during the
year they may wish to convert them into food. Therefore
we will first examine into the relative value of the different
kinds of food, as the amount of nutrition each may contain

7

[ 93]

determines their relative value in dollars and cents. It may
be that many of our readers will engage or are already em-
barked in the business of fattening sheep for market on a
small farm where it is impossible for them to raise their
own produce. When they have to go on the market for thier
barn supplies it is a matter of no little importance to know
which or what kind of food combines the more nutritious
substances at a given cost. The appended tables will to
such an one be invaluable.

Organic Flesh Fat starch Crude

In 100 parts of Water. Ash. matter. formers. gum. fibre.
Meadow hay....... 14.3 6.2 79.5 8.2 41.3 30.0
Red clover hay ...16.7 6.2 Dell 13.4 29.9 35.8
Pea straw......-... 14.3 4.0 81.7 6.5 39.2 40.0
Bean straw......... WS 5.0 Gall 10.2 33.5 34.0
Wheat straw ...... 14.3 5.5 80.0 2:0 30.2 48.0
Rye straw.......... 14.2 “3.2 82.5 1.5 27.0 54.0
Barley straw....... 14.3 7.0 78.7 3.0 32.7 43.0
Oat straw........ wlA8 5.0 80.7 2.5 38.2 40.0
Corn fodder ........ 14.0 4.0 82.0 3.0 39.0 40.0

These analyses are taken from the hay cut in the blossom.
If allowed to get fully ripe the crude fibre is largely increased
and a corresponding depreciation of the fat and flesh form-
ing principles ensues.

COMPARATIVE VALUE AS TO NUTRITION OF THE SAME MATERIALS IN ONE
HUNDRED PARTS, TAKING ENGLISH OR MEADOW HAY AS A BASIS.

Meadow or English thay. ..2-.acencstenccedaes ++.ncceneeecseeee 10.0
Glover! hayecas.. ass ae ence creme ttn egatense: sce ss eateeeaee neem 12.5
(POa ‘SLAW .cctoccccass Soteneses voseteideceseorsenes Us s.cuecseureeuenaae 16.5
Bean straws rei Succes aa sec weeae cei cestsde «onan cceceh ance eens 18.6
Wheat Strawiesid. vessccssasdeccteststeecee@eceeses + vsvchee see ceaeeeees 2.0
Tay ISTE i peeadooce ace oad Codneodosacac coondondy GUEDABUGH Toes nan 3600 1.6
Barlety straws <trsess? cecssceccesnseeetocsameeseios + « useuteeneeceeeteeers 2.0
Oat StLAW os chesiccse coset cess coteteseetstncmertetel es ove saeee one ee aneeEe 1.8
GornMod der esis sds tote thea csd cote eeccen ceeines os sate een coeea eee 2.5

Now in order to produce the same nutrition in an animal
that ten pounds of meadow hay would give, there will have
to be fed of

Cloventheiyeenesetetecweicsctadseeat uangsdess: oekcshneurna es 8 pounds.
Pedi sta wixsmanesersqti celine an tecs canhncboxcothal. ane sok vecetce 6 pounds.
ABSA AESURE Nive ceodso coctiOnCoORCHUED COEABE DEDOCOCEDIER ReRe Gar rcre 5} pounds.
Wheat stan easdesdeart eee sventeressWasectnccis'so cece e102) 6 [OO UMN.
isyi@: GIUTENY inpnonodade cocase on¢6on goborbdbD oeianoR reigidcbenaneases 61 pounds.
(Banleyasitawpeu-teseeseasecsacbsrnbarenstccleaaaseceel ches: 52 pounds.
Ojitastiaiwareseeaneetsanvcee cases saaterdl Aqoenlet tose see ences 55 pounds.
Cornviodder es aie ash caaltsaberaneamey scan cat sa a 40 pounds.

Some allowances -will have to be made for the various
kinds of straw and hay, as much, indeed a large part, de-
pends on the time of cutting, manner of curing and storing ;
the same hay or straw under different circumstances pre-
senting very different nutritive effects. It will be a difficult
matter to persuade our Tennessee farmers that corn fodder
is four times less valuable than hay, as many of us believe
it is almost equal, and many, that it is superior to any kind
of hay. These analyses are from Professor Way, and he
frankly admits that the fodder is estimated. We think his
estimate is below its value, from the fact that this roughness
has always heretofore, and still is, largely relied on to the
exclusion of all others.

It however becomes very apparent from the insight given
by these tables, that our usual method of depending on a
pile of straw to feed cattle or sheep is a very precarious way
of keeping them in order, or even alive. Jt is true the straws
have a value, but just think for one moment of the amount of
straw that must enter a sheep’s stomach’ to enable it to live.
It would not be impossible for a sheep to consume ten pounds
of hay ina day, and yet to procure the same amount of nutri-
tion that sheep must eat of wheat straw 52 pounds, of rye
straw 61 pounds, and of oat straw 55 pounds. It is very
evident from this tabulation that if they had no other food
they would starve to death. With the addition of grain, or
some other of the more concentrated forms of food, they can
do very well with a constant access to the straw pile.

Our Northern brethren have long since adopted a system
of raising quantities of roots adequateeto the necessities of

[ 100]

the flock. This has so long been practiced by our English
cousins that no farmer thinks of encountering a winter with-
out a supply of roots in his cellar. It is proper we should
imitate these customs that are amply proved to be beneficial,
not only in affording food, but in keeping the flocks in a
good state of health. It is true the roots do not contain a
very great quantity of nourishment, but the large amount
of water in their composition tends, in a great measure, to
compensate for the dry fodders they otherwise would be con-
fined to at this season of the year. To give a just idea of
their value, we append a table from the work of Drs.
Voelcker and Lankester, giving the value of each in one
hundred parts.

TABLE OF NUTRITIVE VALUE OF ROOTS.

Flesh Fat Woody
Water. formers. formers. fibre. Ash.
Sugar, Beets... 5.0 cwessmpe eooees 81.05 1.00 15.40 1.03 80:
Mangel-Wurtzels. ............87.78 1.54 8.60 1.12 .96
Rutabagas fii. ls 89.40 1.44 5.93 2.54 62
Yellow Aberdeen Turnip...90.57 1.80 4.64 2.34 .65
Large Globe Turnip......... 90.43 1.14 2.96 2.00 1.02
“Fd OE) Me 85.00 1.50 10.80 1.70 1.00:

It will be seen by this table that a large proportion of
roots is water, and yet, with all this, they are highly prized,
not only for the beneficial effect they have upon the health
and growth of sheep, but experience has demonstrated the
fact that sheep fed largely on roots have a very fine lustrous
wool, especially on the long wool species. The quantity of
roots to be fed depends on the size and age of the sheep, old
and large sheep requiring a larger allowance of roots than
young or smaller ones. They should be always combined
with hay, and the largest quantity given should not be more
than one bushel to every ten sheep. As to the manner of
its preparation, that has already been noticed. Cut or
pulped up, and with a little bran or meal scattered over it,
with a rack full of hay, the sheep need not go through a
winter half starved and with poor wool, but will come

[101]

through in fine order; the lambs will be good, and will
grow off in a corresponding manner.

Tt has already been stated that one acre of average turnips
will yield about 800 to 1,000 bushels. The yield of beets
cand rutabagas will make but little less if any. One can
therefore soon make an estimate as to the number of acres
of roots necessary to winter a flock of sheep of any given
number. One acre of roots will make say 800 bushels.
This amount will feed 100 sheep 80 days, together with a
small modicum of hay, say one pound per day, and a gill of
meal to each sheep. Now, estimating the number of feeding
‘months to be five, beginning with the lst of November and
ending Ist of April, it will require to carry, in prime order
through that period, 100 sheep, 1,500 bushels of roots or the
product of two acres, or at the most, three acres of good
land. In addition to this it will require about four tons of
‘hay and about forty-five bushels of meal. Of course this
as a most liberal allowance, and the calculation is based upon
the idea that they have nothing else whatever to eat.
Owing to our mild climate and generous pastures, there is
not one winter in twenty that our sheep will require such
abundance of food. It is perfectly safe to say that one-half
‘the amount of roots and meal mentioned above will be, in
‘addition tv the grass they will have through almost the en-
‘tire winter, ample food to keep them in thrifty condition,
-and if the above rations were fed to them in addition to the
pasturage, théy would, in a few weeks, be almost too fat even
- for a butcher. None but those intended for the shambles
should be fed so extravagantly. Breeding ewes should be
fed liberally, especially after lambing, but to gorge them on
rich food before lambing has a tendency to make them
abort, and by taking on a superabundance of fat, cause them
to become barren. It will be found best to change their
food often, and at no time give them more rich food, such as
turnips, beets, oil-cake, etc., than they will eagerly eat up.

There must be a constant supply of salt also and good

[ 102]

clear water. The mustard patch heretofore spoken of is a
fine stimulant to the appetite during winter months. We
refer the reader to the article on rye, wheat and barley pas-
tures, which will be sufficient with the addition of very little
grain indeed to take them well and fat through the cold
months in Tennessee.

FATTENING SHEEP FOR MUTTON.

Much consideration is due to the age and previous condi-
tion of a sheep that is going to be prepared for market.
From this circumstance it: is absolutely necessary that the
flock should be divided. The age must be thought of,
whether it is growing or is in a state of maturity, whether
there isa drain upon its powers as in the case of an ewe.
being with or suckling a lamb, or whether a ram is serving
females. The flock should be graded to these views, and
different quarters provided for each class. We give the fol-
lowing experiment of Dr. Voelcker, of the Royal Agricul-
tural Society of England, as a sort of guide for giving the
proper quantity and quality of different kinds of food:

He fed four sheep seven weeks and they consumed 196.
pounds clover hay, 49 pounds linseed oil-cake, 3,743 pounds
mangel-wurtzels, which gave a daily ration to each animal
of 1 pound clover hay, 4 ounces oil-cake, and 19% pounds.
mangels. The nutritive elements contained in this daily
ration, according to our table, was 4% ounces flesh formers,
53% ounces fat formers, and 43 ounces of mgneral matters..
Here is the effect.

Weight at At end of Gain of each
commencement. seven weeks. in weight.
INO gah sea 8 153 pounds. 170} pounds. 174 pounds.
INOW 2. oe 134 . 1514 ef 174 i
INOMe MHS! AZ EERE 187 mene Lg.
ING Re ona 135 fs 155 4 20 ¢

Each sheep gained on an average one pound in three days,.
or one pound for every fifty-six pounds of food consumed ;.
or for every sixty-two ounces of dry matter contained in the
food. It has been demonstrated by frequent experiment.

[ 103 ]

that one hundred pounds of roots fed in a yard with shelters
will give one pound of live weight to the sheep, or if fed in
an open pasture without protection it will require one hun-
dred and fifty pounds to produce the same result, or one-
third more, and this relative proportion will hold with re-
gard to all other kinds of feeding. If one and one-half
pounds of oil-cake is given daily, the increase is two pounds
for every 100 pounds of roots, which shows that four and
one-half pounds of oil-cake will make one pound of
mutton. When peas, beans and hay were fed with
the roots it was found that eight pounds of the
mixed grain would make one pound increase in weight,
and oats fed with roots shows that seven pounds of
oats, with the same quantity of roots as fed before, will
give one pound of increase. Six pounds of barley would
produce the same result. Messrs. Lawes and Gilbert in the
course of experiments, established the fact, that to produce
100 pounds of mutton it was necessary to feed 272% pounds
of oil-cake, 2523 pounds clover hay, and 3753 pounds of
roots (rutabagas). These experiments are recorded in the
Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society. In summing
up, they, taking into consideration the various conditions of
the animals, the varying value of the feed and its quality,
and all the circumstances of disturbance and repose in which
a flock may be kept, came to the conclusion that, to produce
one pound of flesh, it would be necessary to feed the follow-
ing substances under a shelter, as it would require an addi-
tion of one-half of each food to attain the same result in the
open pasture. This calculation too is based upon the idea
of there being no other food in reach. It is as follows:

Rutabagas fed under Cover......... esses sssesessesnnn sceneereee seseeeess 100 pounds.
Good Clover hay.......... ssssesses ceccee ceccae coneesess ceeaeeaae seeeen conees dP Nes
Beans Or Peas ...2...cccec ccs vecccn cecececee coe ov coeesecncees coves snenes ces rele A
(CARLIE: castes canadBboeidetoocos:: os600e. ec obcoobidue odceconopececbuigunod PER ARA EMSC Se WOT Kes:
Barley ......cccecccescosscecceeecces onseecsce ececns scenesens canoes cocsee soeeeees Gree
Linseed oil-cake meal ..........6.seccesceceee cecaee seeneueee costae epeceece Gas

Linseed oil-cake meal and peas mixed... 1. se... esse penemaceee 45 °

[104]

Now the last item’ in this case shows curiously enough
the value of mixed food. Of the oil cake it requires
six pounds to produce one of flesh, and of peas it re-
quires eight pounds, yet mix the two together, and it only
takes four and a half pounds, or three-fourths of the quan-
tity when mixed.

Turnips are more commonly raised for sheep food than
any other root crop, but it is the result only of habit, and
it is time the old rut should be abandoned and a new path
marked out. As said before, few of our Tennessee farmers
raise roots of any kind, but if once the habit of feeding
with roots was established they would never fail in it after-
wards. The large amount of water in roots prepares the
food in the best possible manner for digestion, especially
when a little meal is sprinkled over it. Of all roots, how-
ever, the sugar beet is preferable, as will be seen by the
table, which is univerally sanctioned by experience. It is
Just as easily raised as the turnip, and is much easier kept.
Sheep are very fond of it too, and will greedily devour
every particle of it. The crop properly cultivated will yield
from 600 to 1,000 bushels per acre.

They should be planted as soon as the soil can be put in
proper condition in the spring. The ground requires the
same preparation as to thorough tilth as for turnips, and
should be mellow and well manured. After proper prepa-
tion it should be thrown up into ridges with a turning plow,
and if possible planted with a seed-drill, which will distrib-
ute the seeds far more equally than can be done by hand, as
from the rough nature of the seed it is difficult to sow it
by hand sowing. Should the crop come up unequal-
ly, they can be easily thinned out and re-set, doing just
as well as if coming up from seed. The transplanting
should take place after a rain, when the ground is thor-
oughly wet, and while very young. Wring off the most of
the tops before planting, and every one will live. Leave
them about eight inches apart in the furrow, and they will

[ 105 |

grow to fill up the spice. They grow forthe most part out
of the ground, so that but little trouble is met with in pull-
ing them from the banks. They should be put up in hills,
and covered just as directed for turnips, unless the farmer
should be blessed with a root cellar. From ten to twelve
pounds should be given at a feed. ‘There are various meth-
ods of feeding. Some farmers prepare the food, and put
enough in at the morning feeding time to last all day, while
others keep the troughs supplied all the time, only replen-
ishing when the supply is about gone. But it is far better
to feed three times a day at a regular hour, and only give
enough, as can soon be ascertained by experience, to enable
the sheep to clean the troughs at each feed. When more is
given than they can eat, they will play and stamp on it,
getting it so defiled they will not enjoy it, and only eating
in case of hunger. Besides fresh food stimulates the ap-
petite so that they will eat more than if they are surfeited
at one feed.

“One of the most marked advantages of the South,” says
Mr. John L. Hayes, “is the ability to grow grasses which
may be pastured in winter. Thus the cost of cutting the
grass and saving the hire of the barn for storing it, and the
cost of feeding it out, are dispensed with; while succulent.
food, which at the North must be provided for by storing
roots and vegetables, is afforded throughout the year. By
the aid of winter grasses it is perfectly practicable through-
out a large portion of the South to raise sheep without other
cost than the interest on the land and the value of the salt.
Oats, barley and rye sown in the fall may be grazed during
the winter without injury to the crop of grain, as is fre-
quently done; but they must be sown annually, and are in-
ferior to permanent grass pastures. The meadow oat,
orchard and blue grass, with wild rye or Tyrrell! grass, are
chiefly relied on for permanent winter-green pasture.”

Mr. Hayes might have added that for the latitude of
Tennessee winter wheat furnishes more good grazing for

[ 106 ]

sheep than any other grain. A farmer who habitually sows
one hundred acres in wheat can subsist a flock of fifty sheep
throughout the winter without any injury to the wheat. In
fact experience shows that a wheat field very forward is
greatly benefitted by being grazed by sheep. It checks the
growth, and secures it against untimely frosts in April or
May. Throughout the wheat growing counties of Tennes-
see nine-tenths of the sheep are supplied bountifully with
green food by the wheat fields alone, and are kept in a
thriving condition. Ina record kept for ten years by the
writer, who lives on the northern boundary of the State, it
appears that it has been necessary to feed sheep on an aver-
age ouly about twenty days during the winter months where
two acres of wheat to the sheep have been sown.

But in those portions of the State where but a small
amount of wheat is sown, it is necessary to feed as has been
directed in the foregoing part of this chapter. Especially
is this the case in the elevated or mountainous parts of the
State. The greatest difficulty in raising sheep in the wheat
growing sections is in giving timely attention to lambs in
bad weather. When dropped in the open fields, especially
during wet or very cold weather, many of them perish be-
fore they are able to follow the ewes, or are often left by the
ewes where dropped. Attention at this time until the lambs
are strong will insure a rapid increase in the flock.

Absolute quiet is a necessary requisite in fattening sheep.
The whole flock should be made so gentle that every sheep
will lick salt or take food from the flock-master’s hand. No
animal is more easily gentled than a sheep, and none thrive
more by it. If dogs are allowed to go near them, and they
are continually frightened, they wiJl become so demoralized
they will actually suffer from hunger while the troughs are
full. There should be as little passing through the lot as
possible, and they should have perfect repose. In a condi-—
tion of peace they will thrive apace, and in six or eight
weeks will be well fattened, for it only requires a short time

[ 107 ]

under favorable circumstances to get a wether in prime
order. Confining fattening sheep within a small enclosure
has the same effect as it does with all other domestic animals,
producing a torpor, and thus promoting the taking on of
flesh. This does not apply however to stock or breeding
sheep, as the want of exercise begets a plethora in a ewe
that is naturally disposed to it in that condition, and it in-
jures the lamb, making it small and weak.

Fattening sheep for market is an industry, though very
common in the vicinity of large cities, but little indulged in
through this section. The construction of railroads, how-
ever, has made it a business that can be profitably carried
on as well here as elsewhere, the transportation to market
being fully compensated by the cheapness of the necessary
food. Should a farmer desire to engage in the butiness he
should devote his whole energies, time and attention to it.
The fattening sheep should be kept apart from the stock
sheep, indeed it is not customary for one engaged in this
branch to devote much capital to the rearing of sheep. It
now and then happens in a large Jot that some are of neces-
sity put upon pasturage or sold. The most successful men
are those who have but a limited area of land, and that is
devoted to the fattening process entirely.

In the first place it is necessary to state that in buying
the stock the money is made. It will not pay to buy the.
common native sheep for that purpose. They will not take
on flesh properly, and besides being of a roving disposition,
the confinement necessary for fattening is irksome to them,
and they will trot around the enclosure bleating, refusing to
eat, until, with waste and spoiling, the food is rendered
worthless. Therefore purchases should be confined to grade
sheep of either Cotswold, Southdown or Merino crosses.
The two first named are excellent varieties, the dark faces
of the Southdown especially are very attractive to a butcher.
The Southdowns make a fine tender mutton, but do not at-
tain the same. proportions as the Cotswold. It is no unu-

[ 108 ]

sual thing to find sheep of this breed weighing two hundred
to two hundred and fifty pounds. The people of Tennessee
are but little accustomed to see first-class mutton, such as is
shown upon the stalls of a New York market, and conse-
quently they will have to be educated to pay the fancy
prices obtained there. It is no unusual thing there for a
farmer to get 83 to 10 cents per pound, while here with our
ordinary wethers we are content to receive 5 and 6 cents
per pound. But if the sheep are brought to the same con-
dition here, the farmer who feeds them will easily get a fig-
ure far in advance of any of the ordinary prices now paid.
A statement of Mr. Jurian Winne, of Albany county, New
York, in regard to fattening sheep, in the Agricultural De-
partment of the Patent Office, for the year 1869, will give
some idea to our Southern farmers of how the thing is done
better than a long description. He has followed it for years
and amassed a large fortune by it. In this year he made
but a small profit, from the fact that instead of buying him-
self, he sent out agents, and they paid very extravagant
prices, and as already stated, the great profit lies in the pur-
chase of the stock. The extremely heavy snows of winter,
or rather late in the spring, kept him feeding longer than
necessary, Involving a considerable loss also. Still the final
result is very satisfactory when we consider the small capi-
tal invested. Here is an abstract of his proceedings:

585 coarse-wool sheep cost him, with a small sum paid for
pastures while gathering them up, December Ist, 1869, at

PO.20 Per NCAG cris cwsa'seconncadenccerecesanec ance <scnset eee $4,797 00
He sold 140 of these before he began feeding at 8% cts., weight
LSO* pounds averages. ..c. vwreererceceetcecn tenaes +e socket meee 1,547 00
Which leaves the cost of 445 sheep............. sesscssee censeeees $3,250 00
Feb. 14, 1870, he bought 180 fine-wool sheep at $7.56 per 100
pounds werght—1SO80 ssa TF aes pecees eeeel- deus cevenmesetets 1,424 65
Total cost ot all at start. noo ee $4,674 65
EXPENDITURES.
1,245 bushels corn at $1.00.......... 2 OR a eae $1,245 00

Sytons wil) feed e.cceeseree fo seis sab cea eee 204 00

SOO) bushels! ater testis cdac. cucedatactene saat dclsastcle.'sctchun satdoleecdes'sve 150 00
H4 bushels peas aNd OAs oy acc. ebeoe ten! Gacncesebienieasddavers|=nevdasie eae 71 32
AP) 1st eTIEy Leg wally she onde coceon suoceaseen donoebabn eondeboga ceocenseuesa cma 42 00
Oil meal. oes eccescencs: ete seniccoacwes edo feeiec nwa saiiulcaiaacseetssidcneree mnie 76 12
G LUIS igs sase0 aacoc7 ceeinoh odgooo dodpbdier dct eEecoce Bo-Sbde nei Onn a See aiee ine 320 00
SUE HU GE te a eh Uae cee cosik vcnth Matis ay ene wa'sal Sol 20 00
A ttendance—one MAD... 2.2.22. ccneceees sas vecseaceroesess soseasecs serves 120 00
Bipense of “selllimaz sc se.urseenesteas cansen cecuewsee=matelaealte ose s-c\orclansns 61 12

ARO Te LE es erect she Oe tt Ue tetas Cg IE NG UR Ute Supe acide dtu naj Gakiaee hae $2,309 56.

This amount, $2,309 56, neldeditorcosti see ae eetee tee 4642 Go:

Makes a total for the fatted sheep.............00 cseseseee ane ceeee $6,984 21

SALES ACCOUNT.
April 7, 1870—247 coarse-wool sheep, weight 37,860 pounds, at

SHE GUS TNS TIGRE neCes cubbeeaee Heebeocco Eusdacrecuocosdso ddljaa5 Pause aebeees $3,002 05
April 14, 1870—184 coarse-wool sheep, weight 28,320 pounds,

PO CRME Lae aessera sees deeee dense cdoscsace tee aninceclostaceecerecnasecelecees 2,690 40
180 fine-wool sheep, weight 19,730 pounds, at 9}c. net............ 1,800 36
PPSMCC MMMM NAN Af selene vas cslecub ca een teases doseriocsseelnete astiatee 20 00
Seheepibutchered and sOldyy 15... .-<cctuseooncesasnseseensss oodesaces 85 00

4 sheep died—lost.
WRotealissales eee Wis cies tue! bans nani se icde voaldce adaaeislebs delde eecaten POA OOMRO

Net pronit, besides MANULE.g 1 ebtsae ccs dosenedeiodelse onsrjaneienojere $1,113 60

The manure, judiciously used, forms no inconsiderable
item in the above calculation. In this case, though not by
any means a fair test, the owner derived a profit on the
whole lot of about $1.80 per head, but on the fine wool
sheep it was about $2.47 per head, and they were only fed
two months. In the above case it may be observed there
was no stint of feed; on the contrary, they received as much
again as would be necessary in our milder climate. It is
true the proximity to a large and favorable market caused
a big price to be received for them, but at the same time
here the sheep could have been bought for less than half
the price paid, and the provender would not have cost more
than one-third the amount it cost thére. On the whole, the
profit, considering the duration of the investment, was ex-
tremely fair, and it can be made here at the same or a bet-
ter ratio.

[110]

It is the custom of many feeders to buy and sell contin-
uously. They keep a large feeding-lot, and keep a buyer
out all the time, and every few days the flock is culled of
all suitably fat. In this way there is no remission of buy-
ing or selling. There will for a few years yet be some dif-
ficulty in getting the sorts most profitable for fattening, the
grade breeds, but that is gradually being overcome as the
stock of sheep is being rapidly improved throughout the
State. There are in almost every section of the State pub-
lic-spirited men who devote their entire energies to the pro-
duction of full blooded sheep, relying for their profits on
retailing here and there a ram or ewe, and sometimes a pair,
to their less enterprising neighbors, and this plan is fast
improving the breeds of every neighborhood. In fact, only
the “barrens” of the “rim” and the mountain lands are
wholly given up to the unadulterated native sheep, and
from these counties the ewes that go to the production of
grade sheep are principally derived. The time is not far
distant when the long-legged, naked-bellied native will dis-
appear from our State altogether.

There is yet another class of sheep-raisers, who follow an
entirely different system for profit, and inasmuch as they
persist in it, we may suppose they find it profitable. They
will make a selection of as many ewes as their farms can
accommodate, in August. To every 35 or 40 ewes they
will add a good Southdown or Cotswold buck, and put the
ewes to them, say by the 15th of August. These ewes are
kept in fine condition through the winter, and in the latter
part of April they are sheared. The wool is sold’as one
part of the profit, and the lambs are sold off in the latter
part of May, when the ewes are rapidly fattened and sold
to the butchers. By the end of June the farmer has dis-
posed of his entire flouk, when he will clean up his lots,
spread his manure, and in a month is ready to tread again
around the circle. By actual demonstration, the following
account will exhibit the profits of this method of farming:

COyaS Tonbiracherdl wes Die SHAE aca ooe céoborces noubbonansseooondee $200 00
MO UTe aN Siete pO eemorsere nec lschire daisies estes civics woe tarts 40 00
. Pac $240 00
Average price of 80 lambs.................ceeeeees $240 00
Four hundred pounds wool at 30 cts........... 120 00
VOUT IGAIM Shetty pil Ome eee tot ate ce aatmemaeneatecees 40 00
One hundred fat sheep at $5 ...... 2.0... 00. seeee 500 00
= $900 00

The manure will well repay the attention given them,
and the only money expense attending this transaction is
the food necessary to be used during the hard weather of
the winter. Those who follow this plan usually are well
supplied with blue-grass pastures and the food raised on the
place; so that, in selling the sheep, they really are only
selling their crops at a full price, as well as utilizing the
grass that would otherwise be lost. It may be objected
that no deduction is made for incidental loss of sheep; but
every fiock-master will testify that the surplus of lambs
over 80 per cent will fully compensate for all losses, unless
the farmer is criminally negligent and suffers, for want of
proper protection, his flocks to be destroyed by dogs and
starvation. Here is a gross profit, on an investment of
$240, of $660, and estimating the feed, over and above the
grass, to be $1.50 a head, there is a net profit of $350.
Remember, too, that the $300 go into his own pocket for
farm produce, and we cannot think of anything a farmer
can raise on his farm that will surpass this small invest-
ment. By taking care in the purchase, he can often get the
ewes for a less sum than here stated, and I am sure the
prices received are of the most reasonable character. The
earliest lambs, indeed, rarely sell below four dollars each,
while the latest ones, provided they are good and fat, will
bring the estimated price, $3.00. So this must be taken as
a fair average experiment.

Another gentleman bought 25 ewes in August, for which
he paid $75. In the following May he sold the lams, num-

[112]

ber not stated, for $101. In May he sold a portion of the
ewes for $98.70, and in June the balance for $72. He got
$60 for the wool. Allowing the food to cost fifty cents per
head—and it did not exceed this, as grass was almost wholly
used—and a net profit of $244.20 was realized.

Summing up the whole subject, it may safely be asserted
that in its various branches, whether as wool, mutton or
lamb sales, there is no branch of agriculture that offers
greater inducements to the farmer than sheep-raising. The
sum necessary to get a start is by all odds less than in any
other branch of stock-raising, and its returns are quicker.
Not only does it remunerate the farmer by replenishing his
pocket, but it replenishes the land. The dilapidated condi-
tion of so many of our Tennessee farms strongly points to
some method of agriculture that will arrest the great waste
of soil and renew the lost fertility. This method is feasible
and cheap. Ido not intend to enter into a long disserta-
lion as to the profits of sheep-husbandry in general, or as
to its value in Tennessee in particular, being content to
simply give the most approved compendium of the subject,
tested by the crucible of experience, and with the facts here -
given before the farmer he must be his own judge as to
whether or not he will engage in the business. There is
scarcely any person raised to the years of maturity in Ten-
nessee who has not had more or less experience in the busi-
ness, obtained by working with sheep himself or observation
on the farms of others. ‘This experience, however small,
will render him a fit judge of the profits of the business.
Should he have any doubts about it, let him begin on a
very small scale—it is better, anyway, to do it—and then
let him drive the business. He will be sufficiently taught
in its details as he goes to avoid any serious mistakes. He
may expect changes and variations in the amount of remu-
neration from year to year, but no such slight matter should
deter him. Let his mind be fully made up before entering
the business, and then let him not drop off at the appear-

HDOWN EWES,

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aes
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SOUTHDOWN RAM

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COTSWOLD EWES,

[113]

ance of some ignis fatuus that promises to be a bonanza,
but with eyes steadily fixed upon some point to be reached,
strive to attain it. If he does this, and uses ordinary fore-
sight and necessary precautions to the success of any busi-
ness, he will without doubt attain it.

8

[114]

CHAPTER VII.

THE MOST POPULAR BREEDS IN TENNESSEE.
(See answers to questions in Appendix.)

Of all the improved varieties the Southdowns, the Cots-
wolds, and the Merino, in the order named, are the most
popular with the breeders of Tennessee.

SOUTHDOWNS.

This breed has existed for more than two centuries in
England on a range of chalky hills known as the South
Downs, from which this breed derives its name. As late as
1775 but little progress had been made in their improve-
ment, and although noted somewhat then for their mutton
qualities, they were small and inferior compared with the
Southdowns of the present day. They are an upland sheep,
of medium size, of round compact form, and their wool, in
point of length, belongs to the middle class; it is deficient
in felting properties, makes a fuzzy, hairy cloth, and is used
by manufacturers in making worsteds. ‘The average weight
of fleece is from three to four pounds.

This breed is cultivated more especially for its mutton
qualities, and in this particular they take precedence of all
others. They mature early, are industrious feeders, though
not much disposed to roam, and they take on fat quickly
and evenly over the entire carcass. They are prolific
breeders, and good mothers. They are not as long lived as
the Merino, and like most all other breeds their fleece de-
creases in weight after they pass maturity. Thoroughbred
rams of this breed are exceedingly valuable to cross upon
the common ewes of the country, and it is estimated by com-
petent and experienced breeders that the lambs from this

[115]

-cross are worth from seventy-five cents to one dollar more
per head than lambs of same age by a common ram.

Of the three varieties mentioned at the commencement
-of this chapter the Southdowns, next to the Merinos, can
best adapt themselves to any portion of the State, and while
they are an upland sheep, and will thrive to perfection on,
the Table-lands, they will do equally as well on the rich
pastures of the middle and western portions of the State,
though in flocks of smaller size. They are growing more
rapidly in popular favor South than either the Cotswolds or
Merinos. One hundred ewes of this breed will have one
hundred per cent. of lambs, the twins occurring as often as
barren ewes.

COTSWOLDS.

This breed stands first of all others for the excellence and
‘quality of the fleece for combing wool. It is strong and
mellow, of good color, about from six to eight inches in
length, and the fleece will average from seven to nine
pounds.

The Leicester or Bakewell were the first long-wooled
sheep introduced into the State, and for many years they
were unrivaled in popularity. Their fleece, though not
‘quite so heavy as the Cotswolds of the present day, was
finer in texture. They could not compete successfully, how-
ever, with the heavier carcass, as well as fleece, of their
more hardy rivals, and have almost entirely disappeared
from the State to make room for the Cotswolds.

*© This breed do not rest their value alone upon their fleece,
but claim much merit as a mutton breed. On good pas-
tures the matured sheep take on flesh quickly, but do not
distribute it evenly like the Southdowns, but pack it in
“patches” about on the carcass, neither do they “ marble”
their flesh (distribute the fat amongst the lean meat) like
‘the Southdowns.

The ewes are very prolific breeders, and generally good

[116]

milkers. The lambs are large framed and hardy, and’
although not so apt to fatten from the start as Southdowns,,.
they are considered only second to them in mutton qualities.
The rams from this breed are also extensively used upon the
common ewes of the country with great benefit. No breed
will make a more marked improvement on the common
sheep than a Cotswold ram will when bred to scrub.
ewes. The first cross will oftentimes treble the weight
of fleece, and at the same time greatly increase the size and
improve the form of the native. On this account they are
in great demand by those who desire to combine as far as.
practicable both fleece and mutton qualities in their flock..
These advantages are referred to further on, where we speak
of the different crosses and grades.

The Cotswolds are of large, heavy frames, long, heavy
fleece, are rather unwieldy, and not industrious feeders.
Hence they are not so well adapted to the broken, hilly re-
gions of East Tennessee, nor the hot sun and somewhat
secant pastures of the southern and western portion of the
State. They must have level pastures and a frosty climate
to give the best results. Much can be done, however, by a
proper system of breeding and acclimation. Some of the
best results with Cotswolds in the State have come from a
continued and systimatic course of breeding, beginning
with the common scrub ewes. The experiment referred to.
was made by Col. Tom Crutchfield, of Hamilton county,
and is mentioned elsewhere in this work. The result of
his experiment is that with only several removes from the
scrub ewe, he has a pure bred Cotswold sheep, heavy fleec
of good quality, and a sheep well adapted to our Southern
climate and undulating lands. _ These are equally as prolific
as the Southdowns.

MERINOS.

This breed, although natives of a warm climate, become
inured to extreme cold. They flourish as far north as.

eller

Sweden, but in such an extremely cold climate their wool
loses much of the fine texture that characterizes it in its
warm native land. This is the oldest breed of sheep known
and most widely disseminated. The Merinos are the longest
lived of all other breeds, and instances have come under
-our own observation where ewes fourteen years old would
‘drop fine healthy lambs and raise them. They are not pro-
lific breeders, in this-respect not equal to either of the other
varieties. They are regular breeders, however, until seven
or eight years old. Notwithstanding the longevity of the
Merino, and the excellent health that is characteristic of
this breed, the lambs, when first dropped, appear to be
weaker and more delicate than those of any other breed.
This is only the case, however, for a few days, after which
they seem at once to inherit the characteristic thrift and
hardiness of their tribe, and the percentage of loss by a
-disease in a flock of Merinos, after the lambs are two or
or three days old, is far less than that of any other breed of
sheep. They are slow at arriving at maturity, and are not
considered thoroughly done growing until they are three
years old. This renders them, necessarily, the least desirable
as a mutton sheep, although they are by no means inferior
in this respect. They mature slowly, and do not take on
fat as quickly as either of the other breeds; but after having
reached maturity they fatten kindly. The flesh is firm-
grained, and, as mutton, is juicy and well flavored. As the
Merino is the oldest, it is also the hardiest of all other im-
proved breeds. They are alike thrifty on uplands and on
flats, in cold or warm climates, and on scant or luxuriant
pasture. The various conditions under which this widely
‘disseminated family of sheep are bred, change to some ex-
tent the quality and quantity of their fleece, as well as the size
of carcass; but under all circumstances, and iu the various
-climates, they are noted for their fine fleece and hardy con-
stitutions, enabling them to herd in larger numbers than
any other variety without detriment, or endangering the

[118]

health of the flock. These valuable qualities they transmit
to their offspring to a great extent, and for this reason they
are, as they deserve to be, the most valuable to cross upon
the common sheep of the country. About eighty per cent..
of lambs is about the usual average for the ewes.
Considering the fact that Spain has been for many cen-
turies the fountain head whence are derived the full blood
of the Merino, it will be a matter of interest to many to.
read the subjoined pages from the report of D. J. Browne,
who is an eminent author and traveler, and who wrote this.
for the Agricultural Bureau at Washington. It will also be
a suggestive essay on sheep raising on the plateau lands of |
Tennessee ; nearly every thing done there can be done in
Tennessee. To those who design following the business on.
the plateau lands the following is especially commended :

SHEEP HUSBANDRY IN SPAIN.

Tn the course of my sojourn in Spain, in 1833, I made it
a point to visit some of the sheep-walks, with the view of
procuring such informaticn from the shepherds relative to.
the management of the Merino as could be drawn from
them. The result of those inquires, together with other
facts since obtained, are embodied in the following paper,
which it is hoped may prove of service to some of those
who have embarked in this important branch of rural
economy. TD), “SRB:

“Tn Spain there are at present two domestic breeds of
sheep, which differ widely from one another, both in their-
habits and in the properties of their wool. One kind has,
for a long period, existed in the warmer parts of that
country, and is known by their long, coarse, hairy wool ;-
and the other, which migrates every spring from the plains
and valleys of Andalusia, Estremadura, Murcia, Valencia,_
and Catalonia, to the cool mountains of Old Castile and
Arragon, where they pass the summer, and return again in,

[119]

autumn to feed during winter on the warm plains below.
The latter, which includes the pure Merino, are distinguished
from the common sheep by a loose skin hanging from their
necks, and in havirig wool on their foreheads and cheeks,
and frequently down their legs nearly to their hoofs. The
horns of the males are very large and ponderous, and are
usually rolled laterally, one part over another. Their wool
is long, fine, and soft, and is twisted into glossy spiral
ringlets. It naturally contains a large proportion of oil,
to which dust and other impurities adhere, and give to the
animals a dingy and unclean appearance, that conveys to
the casual observer an idea of inferiority, but on parting it
all doubts are immediately removed, when its unsullied
purity and fineness are brought to view. There also exist
in Spain several intermediate breeds, among which are the
Pyrenean races, with remarkably fine wool, and somewhat
resembling that on the South Downs of England. In
general they are polled, but some have horns, which turn
behind the ears, and in the males project forward half a
circle. Their legs, which are short, are white or reddish ;
their faces speckled, and in some a small tuft of wool grows
on their foreheads. Their color varies from white to a red-
dish yellow, and in a few instances they are entirely black.
There is also another race in Biscay, which have from four
to six horns, but they are not of the fine wooled variety.
“The example of Columella, of importing African rams,.
. was repeated by Don Pedro, King of Arragon, in the early
part of the thirteenth century, and afterwards by Cardinal
Ximenes, prime minister of Spain; and to that epoch is to
be ascribed the superiority of Merino wool over that of all
other domestic breeds. With’ regard to the cause of this
superiority, some impute it to the sheep passing their lives
in the open air, in a dry and equable climate; others to the
nature of the soil and vegetation upon which they feed, and
to their migrating semi-annually from one part of the
country to another; and a third class, to the peculiar man-

. [120]

ner of smearing their backs at a certain period, a process
hereafter to be described ; but it is most probable that they
do not so much owe the fineness and quality of their wool
to the reasons above assigned, as to the uniform, systematic,
and unceasing care with which they are managed through
every stage of their existence, and the pure, unmixed, and
isolated condition in which each flock is kept from genera-
tion to generation. For it appears as a matter of certainty
that the sole design of removing these sheep from one dis-
trict to another is to feed; and it is equally certain that
these journeys never would be undertaken if a sufficiency
of good pasturage could be found in one place during the
year; and, besides, it is a noted fact that there are station-
ary flocks in the plains of Estremadura, where frost is sel-
dom seen, and about the mountains of Old Castile, where
snow often falls in June, both of which produce wool of an
equal degree of fineness to that of the itinerant flocks that
change their quarters every six months. It has been as-
serted, and believed by some, although controverted by
several well-informed persons, that regions abounding in
aromatic plants are more favorable to the health of sheep,
and, consequently, to the fineness of their wool, than those
entirely destitute of such plants. Two instances, well sup-
ported, will, perhaps, be sufficient to refute this opinion.
The territory of Montana, in Old Castile, is one of the most
elevated tracts in Spain, where the neighboring mountains
rise in the atmosphere to a line of perpetual snow. Its
hills consist of sandstone, covered with a deep clayey soil;
black marble, marked with white and yellow veins; grey
limestone, containing marine petrifactions, talc, gypsum, and
numerous saline springs; and in the plains and valleys
emery abounds, both occurring in large blocks and incorpo-
rated in the soil. The soils of the mountains and hills are
noted as being of a similar composition with the rocks be-
neath them; and experience has taught the Spanish farmers
that the sod which covers the limestone districts is best

MERINO RAM.

[wen

adapted to the growth of wheat and maize; that the clayey
soil lying upon the sandstone is stiff and difficult to till, and
that the intermediate soils, resting upon mixed formations,
are not very productive without the application of manure.
The hills and plains of this region, which are destitute of
aromatic plants, afford the finest of pasturage to numerous
herds of sheep, cows, and horses, the latter two of which
are fed on hay during the winter months, a very rare cir-
cumstance to occur in any part of Spain or the south of
Europe generally. The other instance referred to is the
territory adjacent to the town of Molina, in Arragon, which
abounds in aromatic and odoriferous plants, and is cele-
brated for its good pasturage and fine flocks, yet their wool
is of no better quality than that of the sheep of Montana,
where no aromatic plants are to be found. The hills and
mountains about Molina are composed of red and grey
sandstone, limestone, gypsum of various colors and stages
of decomposition, dark and light-colored granite, intersected
by numerous veins of lead, iron, and copper, the latter of
which contains silver, sulphur, and arsenic; and all the sur-
rounding country is rich in springs, from which large quan-
tities of salt are annually made. Without digressing
further from the subject, it may not be improper to state
that the pastures of Spain are generally prolific in sweet
grasses suitable for grazing, several of which are indigenous;
and others have been introduced from northern Africa, the
- East, and other parts of Europe.

“That the quality of wool depends much upon climate
there can be no doubt, for it is a well established law that
the wool of sheep, in the torrid zone, degenerates into a
species of hair; and in very cold, rigid ones, though fine
near the roots, it becomes coarse toward the ends. Hence,
it is only in temperate latitudes where wool approaches to a
state of perfection; and its fineness in the Merinos, doubt-
less, is owing, ina great measure, to their being able to pass
their lives in the open air, free from the extremes of heat,

[ 122

cold, and moisture, common to some countries, and where
their unobstructed but less abundant perspiration is allowed
to be swept away as fast as it flows. It is a remarkable
fact, that all the sheep in Spain, which constantly live in the
open air, perpetuate their color and other properties to their
progeny; and it is equally remarkable that the swine of
that country, which run wild in the woods, are invariably
clothed in fine, curly, black hair; and hence the Spanish
proverb, ‘Never did a Spanish hog’s bristle pierce a
shoe.’

“ Classification of the sheep, and laws regulating the
jiocks—The fine wooled flocks of Spain, in the language
of that country, are called ‘trashumantes,’ or traveling
sheep, in contradistinction to the ‘estantes,’ or those which
are stationary. The former, let it be recollected, migrate
every spring from the warm plains and valleys of the south,
to the cool, mountainous regions of the north, where they
pass the summer, and return again in autumn to pass the
winter below. It is obvious that migrations of so frequent
occurrence, and to so great an extent, would necessarily re-
quire some fixed regulations. Hence, a great number of
ordinances, penal laws, privileges, and immunities were en-
acted, or so set forth in different reigns, for the preservation
and special government of these sheep; and hence the origin
of the ruinous privileges of the ‘mesta.’ This was an as-
sociation of proprietors of large flocks, consisting of rich,
religious communities, grandees of Spain, and opulent indi-
viduals with hereditary rights, who fed their sheep at public
‘expense during every season of the year, which eventually
gave rise to a custom first established by necessity. The
mountains of Saria and Segovia, coudemned to sterility by
the climate, soil, and the steepness of their sides, were for-
merly the asylum of some neighboring flocks. At the ap-
proach of winter the place was no longer tenable. The
sheep sought in the neighboring plains more temperate air.
Their masters soon changed this permission into a right, and

[ 123]

united themselves into an association which, in time, be-
came augmented by the addition of others who, having ob-
tained flocks, were desirous of enjoying the same privileges.
The theater was extended in proportion as the actors be-
came more numerous; and, by degrees, the periodical ex-
cursions of the flocks were extended to the plains of Estre-
madura, where the climate was more temperate and pastur-
age plenty.

“The mesta requires the parts of the country where the
sheep are pastured to be set off in divisions, separated from
each other only by landmarks—fences, or other kinds of
enclosure, being deemed unnecessary, as the flocks are con-
stantly attended by shepherds and dogs. Each of these
divisions is called a ‘dehesa,’ and must be of a size capable
of maintaining about one thousand sheep in the grazing
stations of the north, and a greater number in those of the
south, where the lambs are yeaned and reared. Every pro-
prietor must possess as many dehesas in each province as
will maintain his flock, which, in the aggregate, is called a
‘eavana,’ and is divided into as many subdivisions, or
tribes, as there are thousands of sheep contained in it.
Each cavana is governed by an officer called ‘mayoral,’ or
chief shepherd. For each subdivision of a thousand sheep
there is allowed five under shepherds and five dogs. The
chief shepherd is required to be the owner of four or five
hundred sheep, must be strong, active, vigilant, intelligent,
and well skilled in everything that relates to his flock. He
has absolute control over fifty shepherds and as many dogs,
whom he chooses, cbastises, or discharges at will. Some of
the inferior shepherds assume the title of ‘rabadan,’ or
‘zagal,’ whose duty it is to exercise a general superintend-
ence over his tribe, under the direction of the mayoral ; also.
to prescribe and administer medicines to the sick and
maimed. At the period of travailing, and when the ewes
are giving birth to their young, two or more extra hands
are allowed to every tribe; and in time of shearing one

[ 124 ]

hundred and twenty-five shearers are required to a flock of
ten thousand sheep.

“On the propriety of law and order in conducting these
flocks there can be no doubt, but great exception is made to
several enactments in force, and a continued struggle has
long existed between the company of the mesta on one part,
and the lovers of public good on the other. No land that
has once been occupied for grazing can be tilled before it is
offered to the mesta at a certain rate. Long green roads,
leading from one district to another, at least two hundred
and fifty feet wide, are required to be kept open, as well as
extensive resting places, where the sheep are fed and sheared.
So rigid is the law on this point, that, during the periods of
migration, no person, not even a foot passenger, is allowed
to travel on these roads, unless he belongs toa flock. These
passages must unavoidedly cross many cultivated spots, such
as corn-fields, vineyards, olive orchards, and pasture lands
common to towns, the evils and inconveniences of which are
obvious and need no comment. All questions and difficul-
ties between the shepherds and the occupants of the lands
through which the roads are suffered to pass are decided by
special courts that perform a kind of circuit, and sit at stated
periods to hear and decide.

“‘ The Shepherds —The salary of the chief shepherd does
not exceed two hundred dollars a year and a horse; that of
the first under-shepherd of a tribe, ten dollars a year; the
second, seven dollars; the third, five; the fourth, three;
and the fifth, a boy, two dollars a year. The ration of each
is two pounds of bread a day, with the privilege of keeping
a few goats in the flock for their milk. They are also enti-
tled to the skins and carcasses of the culled sheep and lambs,
and each receives from the chief shepherd a ‘regalito’ of
three-fourths of a dollar in April and October, and these
are all the sweets that these poor wretches enjoy, with the
exception of about a month in a year, which each takes in
his turn, to visit his family or friends. They are exposed

[ 125

the rest of the time to all the vicissitudes of the weather,
and at night have to lie in miserable huts formed of stakes,
brambles or branches of trees, and often sleep, as they term
it, de abaxo las estrellas—under the stars.

“ Mode of giving Salt to the Sheep.—The first thing the shep-
herd does when his flock returns from the south to their
summer downs, or pastures, is to give them as much salt as
they will eat. Every owner allows to each tribe of a thou-
sand sheep twenty-five quintals of salt, (2,500 pounds,)
which they consume in about five months. They eat none
in their journeys, nor are they allowed any in winter, for it
is a prevailing opinion that it produces abortion when given
t6 ewes forward with young. This has ever been the cus-
tom, and is thought to be the true reason why the kings of
Spain could never raise the price of sali to the height it has
maintained in most parts of France; for it would tempt the
shepherds to stint the sheep, which, it is believed, would
weaken their constitutions and deteriorate their wool. The
shepherd places fifty or sixty flat stones at the distance of
about five paces apart, strews salt upon each, leads the sheep
slowly among them, and every one is allowed to eat of it at
pleasure. But when they are feeding on limestone land,
whether it be on the grass of the downs, or on the little
plants of the corn-fields after harvest-home, they eat no salt;
and if they meet a spot of a mixed formation, they are said
to partake of it in proportion as the soil is mingled with
clay. The shepherd being aware that his sheep will suffer if
deprived of salt, leads them to a clayey soil, and, in a quar-
ter of an hour’s feeding, they march to the stones and devour
whatever they need.

“Caution in allowing the Sheep to imbibe Frost or Snow.—
One of the shepherd’s chief cares is not to suffer his sheep
to imbibe, in the morning, the frozen dew or melted frost,
and never to approach a pond or stream after a shower of
hail. For, if they should eat the dewy grass, or drink the
melted hail, the whole tribe, it is believed, would become

[126 ]

depressed in spirits, lose their appetites, pine away, and die,
as often has happened. Hail water is also so pernicious to
man, in that climate, that the people have learned, by expe-
rience, not to drink from a rivulet. or stream until some time
after a violent storm of hail.

“ Disposal of the Males.—On the last of July, six or seven
rams are permitted to run with every hundred ewes, and
when the shepherd judges they are properly served, he col-
lects the former into a separate tribe, to feed by themselves.
There is also another tribe of rams, which feed apart, and
never serve the ewes at all, but are merely kept for the
butchery, or for their wool. Although the wool and flesh
of wethers are finer and more delicate than those of rams,
the fleeces of the latter weigh more, and the animals are
longer lived. The longevity of the sheep also depends upon
the perfection of their teeth, for, when these fail, they cannot
bite the grass, and are condemned to the knife. The teeth
of the ewes, from their tender constitution and the fatigues
of breeding, usually begin to fail at the age of five years—
the wethers at six—and the robust rams not until they are
nearly eight years of age.

“Smearing the Sheep.—Towards the close of September
the shepherd performs the operation of smearing the sheep
with a heavy, irony earth, common in Spain. It is first
mixed with water, and then daubed on their backs, from the
neck to the rump. Some say it mingles with the oil of the
wool, and thus becomes a varnish impenetrable to the cold
and rain; others, that its weight keeps the wool down, and
prevents it from growing long and coarse; and a third class,
that it acts as an absorbent, and receives a part of the per-
spiration, which would otherwise foul the wool and render
it rough. Be this as it may, it is a custom of long standing,
and probably is useful both to the fleece and to the animal
which carries it, and answers the purpose of destroying
vermin.

“ Return of the Sheep to Winter Quarters.—At the end of

[127 J

September the sheep commence their journeys towards the
lower plains, their itineraries being marked out by imme-
morial custom, and are as well regulated as a march of
troops. Each tribe is usually led by six tame wethers,
‘called ‘ mausos,’ which are obedient to the voices of the
shepherds, who frequently give them small pieces of bread
to encourage them along. The sheep feed freely in all the
wilds and commons through which they pass, and often the
poor creatures travel fifteen or twenty miles a day through
the crowded lanes to get into the open wilds, where the
shepherd walks slow to let them feed at ease and rest; but
they never stop, have no day of repose, and march two or
three leagues a day, ever following the shepherd, always
feeding or seeking with their heads toward the ground, till
they arrive at their journey’s end. The chief shepherd is
cautious to see that each tribe is conducted to the same dis-
trict in which it fed the winter before, and where the sheep
were yeaned, for it is thought to prevent a variation in the
wool, though, indeed, this requires but little care, as it is a
notorious truth that the sheep would go to that very spot of
their own accord, although the distance is sometimes full
one hundred and fifty leagues, which cannot be traveled in
much less than forty days.

“The first thing to be done after the sheep return to their
winter plains, is to prepare the ‘toils’ in which they are to
pass their nights, lest they should stray away and fall into
the jaws of the wolves. The ‘rediles,’ or toils, consist of
enclosures of net-work, with meshes a foot in width, and of
the thickness of the finger, made of a species of rush called
“esparto’ (Lygeum Spartum.) This plant is also much used
in the south of France and Spain for making ropes, mats,
baskets, ete., and was also employed for similar purposes by
the ancient Romans.

“ Yeaning and Management of the Lambs.—About the end
of December the ewes begin to bring forth their young,
which is the most toilsome and the most solicitous period of

| 128 ]

the pastoral life. The shepherds first separate the pregnant
from the barren ewes, and conduct them to the best shelter,
and the others to the bleaker parts of the district. As the
lambs are yeaned, they are led apart with their dams to a
more comfortable place. A third division is made of the
lambs last brought forth, for which was allotted from the
beginning the most fertile spot, of the sweetest feed, and the
best shelter, in order that they may grow with as much
vigor as those first yeaned; for they must all set off the
same day in spring towards their summer quarters.

“‘Tt is the interest of a proprietor to increase his flock to
as large a number as the land allotted to it can possibly
maintain; in consequence of which the sheep are always
low kept. When a flock has arrived at that point, all fur-
ther increase is useless, as there is but little sale for these
sheep, unless some neighboring cavana has been reduced by
mortality. Hence most of the lambs are killed as soon as
they are yeaned, and each of those preserved is allowed to
suck two or three ewes.

‘In the month of March the shepherds ee four
operations on the lambs about thesametime. They first cut
off their tails five inches below the rump, in order to pre-
serve cleanliness; they next brand them on the nose with a
hot iron, making a permanent mark or character indicating
the flock to which they belong; and then saw off a portion
of their horns to prevent the rams from hurting one another,
or the ewes. The fourth operation is to render impotent
the lambs destined for docile bell-wethers, to walk at the
head of each tribe. This is not done by making an incision,
as with us, but by turning the testicles with the fingers
twenty times round in the scrotum, twisting the spermatic
cords as a rope, and the parts wither away without danger.

“ Migration of the Sheep to their Summer Retreats—As
soon as the month of April arrives, which is the period of
departure from the winter to the summer quarters, the sheep
manifest, by various uneasy motions, a remarkable restless-

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ness and a strong desire to be off. At this time, it is neces-
sary that the utmost vigilance should be exercised, lest the
sheep should escape, as it has often happened that a tribe
has stolen a forced march of three or four leagues upon a
sleepy shepherd; but he is sure to find them by pursuing
the same road over which they came the autumn before, and
there are numerous instances of three or four strayed sheep
walking a hundred leagues to the very pastures where they
fed the preceding year. Thus they all go off towards their
summer retreats in the same order as they came, only with
this difference—the flocks which migrate to Old Castile are
shorn on the road, and those which go to Arragon are shorn
at their journey’s end.

“ Shearing of the Sheep.—The season for sheep-shearing in
Spain, like the harvest and the vintage in corn and wine
countries, is a time of great festivity and rejoicing, both to
the proprietor and the workmen. A multitude of shearers,
washers, and other attendants are fed upon the flesh of the
culled sheep, and it would seem that the slaughter occasioned
by this season of feasting would be sufficient to consume the
whole flock.

- “The operation of shearing commences on the first of
May, provided the weather be fair; for if the wool be not
quite dry, the fleeces, which are closely piled upon one an-
other as soon as they are taken off, would ferment and rot.
It is for this reason that the business is performed in large
spacious buildings called ‘esquileos,’ which are usually so
arranged as to receive entire flocks of twenty, forty, and even
sixty thousand sheep, and, besides, the constitutions of the
ewes are such that if they were exposed immediately after
shearing to the air of a bleak, stormy night, they would all
perish.”

We have only mentioned Southdown, Cotswold and Me-
rinos as the three most popular breeds in Tennessee. They
and their produce constitute nine-tenths of the sheep in the

9

[130]

State outside of the common natives or scrubs. There are
yet a few descendants of the Leicester, and some Shropshire
Downs. The former are fast disappearing, and the latter
have not proved as profitable with us as they have in Eng-
land, or even in some of the Northern States. They re-
semble the Southdowns very much in appearance, with
face and legs, larger carcass and heavier coats of wool of
longer staple. Like most of the Downs families, they are
good mutton sheep, but they are more ragged in form and
do not fatten as quickly as the Southdowns. It is claimed
however by the breeders of Shropshires that the increased
weight of fleece more than compensates for the superior
qualities of the Southdowns for mutton. As stated above,
Shropshires have not proven sufficiently profitable in this
State, as compared with the other breeds we have mentioned,
although they have been in the hands of skillful and expe-
rienced breeders, to create a demand for them, either to
breed as thoroughbreds or to cross upon the common sheep.

[131]

CHAPTER VIII.
CROSS BREEDS AND GRADES.

When it is desired to improve the standard of one’s flock,
or to change the breed altogether, the greatest care should
be observed to procure rams of the breed wished, of the
very choicest quality, regardless of the first cost. A Merino,
‘or even a scrub sheep, may be converted into an almost
pure-blooded Southdown or Cotswold by judicious manage-
ment. A grown ram will serve from thirty to forty ewes
in a season, if properly managed. A good Merino ram
will add more than one pound of wool to the fleece of
every lamb got by him from a common ewe. Here
is 30 or 40 pounds of wool for the use of a ram for one
season, to say nothing of the other valuable qualities, and
every lamb subsequently got by him adds a pound to this
amount. Many a ram gets during his life 800 to 1,000
lambs. This gives the breeder, in addition to the wool,
from 800 to 1,000 half-blooded sheep, worth double their
dams, and ready to be made the basis of another and higher
stride in improvement.

Farmers frequently experiment in breeding for their own
satisfaction by mixing or crossing two different varieties ;
this is done in attempting to establish a new breed or va-
riety, or more often to supply some demand for a special
quality of wool or mutton. The results of such experi-
ments, if made with two varieties of thoroughbred sheep,
are generally disastrous; there is no uniformity in a flock
bred in this way, for the individuality, so to speak, of each
breed that it has required a long number of years to estab-
lish, will be lost in the cross, and neither the rams nor the
ewes of this cross-bred sheep will reproduce in their off-

[ 132]

spring with any degree of certainty, and to any extent the
characteristic merits of either of their pure-bred ancestors.

To pursue a course of this kind, however, in breeding, for
a long series of years, would ultimately result in a new breed
of sheep of fixed type, and with the power of reproducing
their likeness and quality in their offspring; but to estab-
lish a new breed with this power would almost require the
work of a lifetime, unremitting skill, attention and patience,
and with a well defined object constantly in view. To skill
of this kind, and to the patient perseverance of breeders
years ago, are we indebted for the excellent varieties of the
present day, and in order to keep each of them up to the
highest standard of excellence, it is absolutely necessary to
keep them pure and free from other crosses.

GRADES.

While we doubt if there are any cross-bred sheep as good
as either of the thoroughbreds from which they come, there
can be no doubt as to the increased value of a flock result-
ing from a thoroughbred ram of any of the different estab-
lished varieties crossed upon the common scrub ewes of the
country.

Sheep bred in this way are called grades, and so marked
and rapid is the improvement of the flock by using nothing
but a thoroughbred ram on these grade ewes, that it is diffi-
cult to tell the grades from the thoroughbreds after they are
two or three removes from the scrub. ‘This rapid improve-
ment in the flock is sometimes injurious to the farmer, by
tempting him to select a young breeding ram from his flock
of handsome grade lambs, expecting him to continue the
improvement of the flock already begun by his thorough-
bred sire, but the result of such breeding will in every in-
stance prove a disappointment; a grade ram should never
be used for breeding purposes, for under no circumstances
can he increase the value of the flock, and his offspring will
invariably deteriorate. Even if bred to thoroughbred ewes,

[ 133]

this will be the case, and although the inferiority of the
produce may not be so marked as when bred to grade ewes,
the result finally will be the same, and both will terminate
inascrub. A lot of thoroughbred ewes will degenerate
into common scrawny scrubs by the constant use of grade
rams upon them and their descendants more rapidly than
the produce of scrub ewes can be bred up to full bloods by
the constant use of thoroughbred rams. Hence we say,
that the farmer, tempted by the extra fine appearance of a
grade lamb, saves him for a breeder, and uses him on his
ewes, does his flock an injury that will require a thorough-
bred ram two years to deface.

For the general farmer the most economical way to begin
a flock is to buy the common scrub ewes, and breed them
up by using thoroughbred rams, being governed in the
selection of a ram entirely by the special qualities desired
in the flock.

In none of our domestic animals have we more complete
power to breed at will such qualities as we want, than we
have in sheep, and while it would take, as stated above, a
long series of years to establish a typical breed, yet the
lambs from grade ewes by thoroughbred rams often show as
much quality as the thoroughbred, though they will not and
cannot transmit this quality with any degree of certainty
to their offspring, hence the necessity of using thoroughbred
rams, it matters not what purpose the flock-master has in
view, be it wool or mutton, or both combined.

If wool is the principal object, and a fine texture mostly
desired, a Merino ram should be used ; three or four crosses
of Merino will not only give the desired texture, but will
more than treble the weight of the fleece of the grades over
that of the original scrub, and if the demand should change
to a long combing wool, no better or more profitable cross
could be made than by breeding these high grade Merino
ewes to a Cotswold or Leicester ram, this will produce a
most desirable quality of wool that commands a good price

[134]

in any market, for it has the fine texture of the Merino.
with the combing qualities of the Cotswold. This is also a
valuable grade for any purpose, producing a superior qual-
ity of wool, and at the same time making a juicy mutton,
second in quality only to the Southdown grades.

Satisfactory experiments have been made with this cross.
by Capt. Thos. Gibson, of Maury county, an experienced
and extensive breeder. He used, however, pure Merino.
ewes instead of grades; so gratifying was the result that he
intends to cross his flock more extensively. Merinos are
the oldest established breed of sheep we have, and their
powers of transmitting their characteristics are greater than
that of any other breed, hence when this breed is crossed
with another the produce will carry the Merino type more
distinctly than that of its other ancestor; thus if Cotswold
rams are bred to only half-breed or three-quarter-bred Me-
rino ewes, the wool will show by increased length the Cots-
wold blood, but it will also retain much of the fine texture
of the Merino.

The well-known longevity of the Merino, their thrift and
disposition to flock in large numbers without danger of
disease, more common to the other varieties, make their
blood a very desirable strain to have as a foundation stone
upon which to build a flock for any purpose. Grade ewes of
this breed are good and trustworthy breeders at eight years,
and at that age, when it is no longer profitable to keep them
as breeders, they fatten kindly ard quickly for the butcher.
We do not know of any grade sheep that will pay in wool
more surely the average farmer, than high grade Merino.
ewes crossed twice or three times with a pure Cotswold ram.

Wool, however, is not always the greatest consideration
in sheep husbandry. A farmer conveniently located to a
market will find early lambs and fall mutton will pay bet-
ter than his wool clip. With this object in view, a ram
should be selected from that breed most noted for its mut-
ton qualities. Early maturity must be duly considered in

[ 135 ]

making a selection, as the sale of early lambs will be the
greatest source of profit to the mutton breeder. The South-
down are, beyond all question, the best mutton sheep we
have; they are close to the ground, on short legs, square-
bodied; marble their flesh well, and take on flesh rapidly.
As a breed, they will dress more neat meat, in proportion
to offal, than any of the varieties above mentioned ; hence,
in selecting a ram to grade up the scrub ewes, select a
Southdown. So much depends upon contingencies, such as
location, pasturage, markets, etc., that no definite plan can
be given as best, under all circumstances, for breeding the
mutton sheep.

In selecting the scrub ewes, with which it is presumed
the breeder will first start, the first and greatest care should
be to get healthy ones, free from all the many diseases so
common amongst scrub sheep. None of them should ex-
ceed three years old, for scrub ewes are by no means cer-
tain breeders after passing five years. The health and age
of a ewe being satisfactory, her shape and condition should
be next considered. These two points we place last, though
they are more often the first considered by the purchaser in
making his selections. That health and age should be first
considered, is at once apparent, for one unsound or diseased
ewe can quickly disease the entire flock, and it is never safe
- to count on getting more than one lamb from a five-year-
old ewe.

In shape, the ewes selected for breeders should be com-
pactly built, square, and wide behind, good stout frames, of
medium size, a lengthy body on short legs, and, last of all,
they should be as well wooled as can be found after the
other points have been considered; for, remember, mutton
is the principal object now, and breeding ewes should not
be expected to yield more than wool enough to pay for their
winter keep. Ewes selected in this way, even though they
are scrubs, will present something of a uniform appearance,
and this uniformity will greatly assist the breeder in select-

[ 136 ]

ing a ram of the proper form, and one that will most likely
produce the best results when mated with them.

The ram should be well developed where the ewes are
most defective. If they are light and contracted in front,
he should have full, strong shoulders, and depth in the
brisket; if they are flat-ribbed and leggy, his ribs should
be well arched and his legs short; if they are naked under
the belly, flank and thighs, he should be well wooled on
those places.

But, as mentioned above, this is an after consideration in
mutton sheep. It is not the largest carcass always that
dresses the greatest number of pounds of neat meat, or
that proves the most profitable to the breeder; on the con-
trary, medium-sized sheep are more desirable. They are,
as a general thing, more compact in form, not so coarse in
appearance, fatten more rapidly, and when brought to the
butcher will command a better average price than a ragged
and uneven lot of larger ones. There are times, however,
- when it is advisable to use a large-framed and somewhat
coarse ram to breed from. Such a one, for instance, would
produce the best results crossed upon small and delicate
ewes. Such a cross would be apt to give size and constitu-
tion. to the lambs, with, however, more or less the coarseness
of their sire; but this objection can be overcome by using
upon these young ewes a ram of finer finish than their sire.
Southdowns are deservedly the most popular sheep to breed
for mutton. They are round and compact in form, mature
early, and have the greatest tendency to take on fat. They
will dress as much, and probably more, neat meat, in pro-
portion to gross weight, than any other breed, hence they
command the best price from the butcher, either as lambs
or mutton.

Much depends, however, upon the location of the breeder
as to what particular quality of sheep will pay him best.
In breeding a grade flock for mutton, it does not necessarily
follow that the fleece should be neglected. In some sections

[137 |

it will pay best to breed nothing but thoroughbred South-
downs for mutton, for the breeder will frequently be ena-
bled to dispose of a large number of his lambs to farmers
and others as breeding rams to cross upon their common
ewes.

In breeding for mutton, early lambs for market are gen-
erally the first consideration; though every year, after he
gets fairly started, the flock- master will find old ewes and
uncertain breeders accumulating on his hands, that will best
pay him in the butcher’s pen. They can be replaced by a
corresponding number of young ewes, selected each year
from the crop of lambs and reserved for breeding purposes.
In this way he can always regulate the size of his flock,
and at the same time have nothing but young, vigorous
ewes for breeding.

We have mentioned elsewhere how mutton sheep should
be treated, but it will not be out of place here to say that
the ewes intended for the shambles should be kept apart
from the flock, for they require more food, and of a richer
quality, than breeding ewes should have, and not being
bred, they will constantly be in heat during the fall, and it
would have a tendency to make young ewes abort if they
were permitted to ruv with them.

The earlier the lambs come in market, the higher the
price they will command. In the large eastern cities
the butchers dispose readily of all the extra early lambs
they can get at fifty cents per pound dressed meat. In
order to get the best prices, the ewes must be bred early.
Probably the best time to buy the scrub ewes with which
to start the flock on, would be in June or July, after they
have been clipped and before they have been bred. In order
to get good prices for the lambs, these ewes should be bred
at the earliest moment possible, the last of July or first of
Augusi, if they will take the buck; and it is quite import-
ant that they should be bred in bunch:s of 20 or 25, as
nearly at the same time as possible, in order that the lambs

[ 138]

may come as near together as possible. No one who is not
familiar with the business can realize how much is added to
the appearance of a flock by having them all of uniform
size, or how eagerly a butcher will take a smooth, even lot of
Jambs in preference to a ragged lot, even though the latter
be larger. We have stated that the Southdowns are pre-emi-
nently the best mutton sheep we have, and where mutton
alone is desired, it is useless to hunt further than a South-
down for a ram to breed upon these scrub ewes. But there
are other considerations, important to the breeder just be-
ginning to grade up his flock, in addition to their mutton
qualities, even if mutton is his principal object. He wants
long-lived and healthy ewes, and he wants them to yield
him as much wool each year as possible without detracting
from their value as mutton. Remember, we are speaking
of a grade flock now, with no.thoroughbreds except the
rams that are used. As mentioned above, no better cross
can be first used on the common ewes, it matters not what
quality is most desired, than a Merino ram. It will add
{rom one to two pounds of wool to each lamb, and will give
a healthy and thrifty flock of half-breed ewes to breed
from. With these to start on, it is an easy and pleasant
task to shape the flock as desired. If a longer staple and
a heavier fleece and a larger carcass are desired, then a
Cotswold ram should be used until the desired standard is
reached ; if, on the other hand, mutton is the object, use a
Southdown ram on the half-breed Merino ewes. Either of
these objects, wool or mutton, can be bred on a flock quicker
by using direct on the scrub ewes a ram of either of the
breeds mentioned, but in doing this we would get the
hardy and valuable blood of the Merino, a cross that would
certainly be of benefit to every grade flock in the State. A
most valuable and desirable grade sheep, and one that comes
probably nearer than any other filling all the requirements
of the average farmer, is to breed the half-bred Merino
ewes in twice to a Cotswold ram, and then on the ewes from

[ 139]

these three crosses, breed a Southdown ram. In the first
cross with the Merino we get more fleece of finer quality, a
long-lived, healthy sheep. Such ewes, bred to a Cotswold,
will nearly double the weight of fleece, giving it more
length, and at the same time increasing greatly the size of
carcass. Breed these Cotswold-Merino ewes to a Cotswold
ram again, and the produce will approach very near a full
blood Cotswold in size and appearance. The fleece will not
be quite as long or heavy as the Cotswold, but it will be of
finer texture, owing to the Merino cross. The ewes can be
counted as valuable breeders at seven or eight years of age,
and will, in their prime, average a clip of eight pounds of
wool. The breeder can keep his flock up to this standard
by using every third year a Merino ram on the ewes. The
sale of early lambs, however, will be the chief source of
revenue to him, and in order to realize the best prices, a
Southdown ram should be used for the sire of the market
lambs.

The effect of breeding a Southdown ram on these Cots-
wold- Merino ewes will be of no advantage to the fleece
of the offspring; on the contrary, it will have a tendency
to decrease the weight and length; but the change in this
respect, is scarcely perceptible, and the advantagés arising
from this cross for mutton more than compensate for the
loss in wool. The lambs from the Southdown ram will
be of more compact form, mature earlier, and take on
fat more readily than the Cotswold-Merino lambs. Ninety
per cent of them will have the distinguishing marks of the
Southdown, in brown faces and legs. This adds nothing to
their real value as mutton, but it assists the breeder very
materially in disposing of them at the highest market
price. This will be more readily understood by those who
have experience in selling lambs, and know the very de-
cided preference butchers give lambs that show their South-
down origin in black or brown faces and legs. Aside from
the advantages mentioned above, a grade flock bred in this

£140]

way are, owing to the constant infusion of fresh blood nee-
essary to keep up the proper standard of the flock, remark-
ably healthy and vigorous.

The relative value of cross-bred sheep is shown conspic-
uously in the following table, the result of an experiment
with some of the most productive and highly esteemed of
the established breeds of improved sheep, though it does
not include Merinos, and the animals were thoroughbred
instead of grades. The Cotswold being the largest, was
the basis of comparison, the number kept being propor-
tioned to relative size:

BREEDS Compara- Weight Value Weight of
OF tive No. of of Careass at _ Total
SHEEP. Kept. Fleece. Fleece. 14 mo. old. Products.
Lbs. Cents. Lbs. Dollars.

Wotswoldy ee were. 100 5 to 10 31 to 32 80 1,241 66
Wetcester tn aeecclabes suas 105 4to 8 31 to 334 68 1,113 18
Hampshire Downs..... 115 3 to 7 31 to 36 68 1,020 62
South Downs ........... 120 2to 6 33 to 37 60 1,317 70
Cross-bred. ......6...00008 115 4to 8 33 to 36 76 1,464 50

This certainly makes a fair showing for the cross-breeds.

Interesting Experiment in Austria of the Crossing of the
Cotswold upon the Merino, on Exhibition at the Vienna Ex-
positton.—‘‘ The Merino element is so prominent in Austria
that the growing necessity for better mutton is beginning to
be met rather by cross-breeds than mutton sheep of full
blood. The Cotswold-Merinos on exhibition commanded
much attention. They are without horns, have the white
faces of Cotswolds, and the pink noses of Merinos. They
are of good size, with a girth of nearly six feet over the
wool. The fleeces, at eleven months, showed fibre 44 inches
long; much longer than the Rambouillet, finer than that
of the Cotswold, with much of its lustre, and a fair degree
of the curl of the Merino, without its dirt and grease.

“The union of Cotswold and Merino blood on the Kelt-
schan Sugar Company’s estate in Moravia, has been more
satisfactory in its results than any contemporary experience
in cross-breeding. The change was effected by the use of

[141]

imported Cotswold rams. The large area occupied, exceed-
ing 6,000 acres, is hilly, and the pastures are covered with
fruit trees, suggesting sheep as the stock most appropriate
to be kept. The old flock of fine wools was not profitable,
the culls being almost worthless for mutton, upon which
the rich beet pulp was practically thrown away in an at-
tempt to fatten them. The experiment was successful above
expectation. ‘The eross-breeds were thrifty, early attaining
maturity, becoming fat at ten or twelve months old. After
weaning, the lambs are fed upon beet pulp, have a little
rape-seed cake, and oats, until a supply of mown clover is
attainable, and later are pushed forward with mangolds.
With such a course of feeding, they weigh 140 pounds or
more at 12 or 14 months, and have brought at market an
equivalent of 7 cents per pound, live weight, or $10 per
head. After the first cross, it has been found best to breed
in-and-in by selection from the same flock. A second flock
was constituted with reference to very large size and great
hardiness, by selecting large native ewes from the Car-
pathian Mountains (Zackels), and also Merinos of unusual
size, and coupling with rams of any breed having requisite
size and constitution. The offspring of these selected sheep
‘were paired with Cotswold males from England, and their
progeny inbred without further crossing. The result is the
Keltschan sheep exhibited by the sugar company—a large
animal, an average wether weighing fully 170 pounds at 14
months, and 225 at 18.

“This company has also a Southdown flock, and a cross-
breed, or a Southdown- Merino flock, the latter well adapted
to medium lands, but surpassed by the Cotswold-Merinos
for rich lands, and by the heavy Keltschan sheep for profit
as pulp-eaters and flesh-makers. The weight of fleeces of
the Cotswold cross is fully four pounds, and of the others
three pounds.”

[ 142]

CHAPTER IX.

WASHING, SHEARING AND PACKING WOOL FOR MARKET.

Our Northern friends almost universally pursue a plan
that has never come into use with us, and that is, washing
sheep before shearing. This custom prevails also in Eng-
Jand, and in fact throughout all European countries. It
has been practiced time out of mind, and what is so popu-
lar with them certainly has merits. It frees the fleece from
dirt, and many impurities that accumulate during the year.
It causes the wool to sell at a higher price also, and I see
no reason why it should not be practiced here.

Soft water should be used in preference to hard water.
Streams with sandy, or what is better, gravelly bottoms,
must be selected, and about waist deep. If the stream has
a muddy bottom the soil will adhere to the wool, making
it worse than before. Many persons purposely select a bed
of mud, and incorporate as much as possible in the wool, so
as to add to the weight of the fleece. But this is a poor
method of cheating, and will be readily detected by the
buyer, who, awake to his own interest, will dock the value
more than sufficient to overbalance the addition. Soft water
leaves the wool, when dry, soft and pleasant to the feel, as
it does not deprive the wool of its grease or yolk-like water
that has lime in it, which leaves the wool rough and harsh
to the fingers.

The stream being agreed on, a pen is built on its banks
intg which the sheep are driven. The pen has a narrow
alley leading down to the water, and ending in a small plat-
form, from which the sheep are plunged directly into the
water. The washer should be careful not to handle the
sheep by the wool, as it impaires the wool and skin, often

[ 143 ]

producing extravasation of blood under the skin that causes
the wool to shed at that point. He should grasp him by
the legs and plunge the sheep under two or three times until
he is thoroughly wet, then allowing him to stand on his
legs, the wool is rubbed, the matted parts opened, and the
legs washed free of dung, as near as may be, without keep-
ing the sheep in too long. The sheep should then be passed
to another washer, who stands above him, and well rinsed,
and then turned into a clean, grassy meadow, squeezing as
much water out of the wool as possible. Ewes not having
given birth to their lambs should be more carefully handled
than the others, but if carefully washed, no harm will re-
sult. Good hands will wash about one sheep to every min-
ute, if sufficient help is given in passing them down. After
washing they should be kept in a clean meadow to prevent
the adherence of dirt until the wool dries, which will be
according to the weather, in five or seven days. Some
people erect a dam across a small stream or branch, and
conduct the water through a race three or four feet long to
a platform or bridge, and with a pen on one side for the
sheep, they can be washed without the necessity of stand-
ing in water, and with a gum apron and boots the washer
will be able to keep perfectly dry.

Shearing.—When the sheep has got not only perfectly
dry, but when the yolk that has been washed out has had
time to re-form, making the fleece feel soft and mellow, it
is then ready for shearing. This should be done as the
washing is, by careful, gentle hands, and no violence should
be shown the sheep, which is an exceedingly timid animal.
The shearer should be provided with a good sharp pair of
shears and a good whetstone, as the condition of the instru-
ment greatly expedites the operation. He should also have
a bench with legs about waist high, to relieve himself from
the tedium of a long continued forced posture.

A good, warm, bright day should be selected, and not as
is too often the case, wait fora rainy day when nothing can

[144]

be done out of doors. The bench on which the sheep are
laid should be planed smooth to prevent injury to the fleece
or sheep, and if possible, they should be sheared on a barn
floor, the latter veing beforehand swept clean of straw or
dust, as otherwise much filth will adhere to the wool, affect-
ing its quality. Nothing contributes more to the sale of
wool, as well as of all other farm products, than neatness in
packing up. Shearing should take place, in Tennessee,
about the middJe of May, or later if the warm weather is
backward in coming. If shorn in cold weather the sheep
will shiver in the cold, and take many lung diseases. When
every thing is ready the shearer, with his assistants, will
place the sheep on the bench, and place the head of the
sheep towards the shearer, the sheep resting on the right side.
Begin by cutting all the tags off the fore leg and belly and
neck, Let them be thrown on the floor and carried in a
basket to one side out of the way, by no means allowing
them to get mixed with the wool. Cut with the hand
elevated, so as to keep the point next the skin, along the
sides of the sheep’s belly, fore leg, and over the backbone,
as far as can be reached with the shears, then around the
hind leg, tail, to the former cut. The sheep is now turned
over on the shorn side, and soon divested of his coat by be-
ginning at the same point and meeting the first cut. Bear
in mind all the time to keep the hand well away from the
sheep’s body, and never by any means take two cuts at the
same length of fibre. If the fibre is cut it is injured.
Therefore if a farmer wishes to know whether a sheep is
well shorn, he should not only look at the sheep, as many
smoothly shorn sheep are badly shorn, but look at the in-
side of the fleece, and see if there are any short pieces of
wool. Should the skeep’s skin be cut with the shears, as it
will be sometimes unavoidably, put a little tar over the
wound, or fly’s eggs will be deposited in it, and the place
will soon be swarming with maggots.

Packing the Fleece—The manner in which the fleece is

[ 145]

packed has so much to do with its sale, we deem it neces-
sary to call the attention of farmers to the subject, and give
a few short directions about it. Nothing, as already said,
hastens or contributes more to the sale of wool than the neat
manner in which it may be put up. I have seen wool pur-
chased in large quantities in our State, and with very few
exceptions have never seen it neatly packed. A neat roll
of wool, properly tied up, will at once catch the eye of the
purchaser, who will always select wool of this character to
those rough, loosely hanging bundles, or no bundles at all,
in which for the most part it is carried to market. As little
as one would suppose, a difference of from four to five, and
even six cents per pound is paid for the trouble. In Ohio
the principal wool-growing State of the Union, much care
is exhibited in preparing, sorting and tagging wool, and a
great emulation exists among farmers as to who shall have
the nicest packages of wool. The consequence of this care
a reference to the prices current will show. The Ohio,
Pennsylvania and West Virginia wools sell in the Philadel-
phia market at 50 to 52c, while the wools of New York and
the other Western States sell at from 45 to 48 cents. This
difference is due entirely to the extra care taken by the
farmers of those States in preparing their wools for market,
as they are graded the same in other respects.

We will suppose it has been well trimmed of tags. Lay
the fleece on a table with the inside down, then turn the
ends all in, such as the neck and legs, making the two ends,
that are to be, a straight line, then roll up moderately tigh
only, and tie with good twine, not too large, and the bundle
is complete. In this shape it can be easily handled and
and readily examined, and presents generally a neat appear-
ance. Many expensive contrivances are made to give the
fleeces a uniform shape, but unless a farmer handles many
hundreds of fleeces, it would hardly pay expenses to pro-
vide all these appliances.

Should the farmer wish to ship the wool, it will be

10

[ 146]

further necessary to place the bundles in a bag or box, se-
eurely fastened. It is essential to pack it in as small a com-
pass as possible, as the railroads charge by bulk and not by
weight. The best plan to do this is to place a bag that is
to be used under a trap-door of the barn, and while one
man will get into the sack with bare feet, another will hand
to him the bundles, which he will tread firmly into place
with his feet and knees, when nearly full cramming the tags,
which have been prepared, into the corners and odd places,
until the bag is full. Let it then be securely sewed up,
stuffing some tags in the corners to give a hand hold by
which the bag may be moved about.

To prepare the tags for market, first dip them repeatedly:
in strong salt and water made hot as the hands can bear it,
then wash out in soapsuds, pulling to pieces until all filth is
removed, and then rinsing in rain or soft water. They will
thus be made into very fair wool, while otherwise they
would be worthless.

After the bag is sewed up, weigh it carefully, and mark
the weight, name and quality on it.

This particularity of impressing so much care upon the
farmer in packing and shearing may be understood when it
is stated that every fleece of wool sheared from a sheep,
when it reaches the last purchaser before the manufacturer,
has to be sorted. The manufacturer buys only the sorts of
wool he wishes to use in the fabrics manufactured. Some
wish to convert it in jeans, some broadcloth, while others
use only the finer qualities for ladies’ dresses. In fact every
fleece goes into some eight or ten grades. It may therefore
seem a light thing to pack properly, but now that the fleece
is opened, if it is all in a tangle, it can readily be seen how
difficult it becomes to properly sort it, while the well-packed
fleece flies with great rapidity into its proper heap under the
judgment of the sorter. He is generally a high-priced
workman, and his work goes on much faster with a trim
fleece than with a slovenly one, and therefore the purchaser

[ 147]

‘ean readily afford to give a better price for it. The wool
of the world amounts to 1,800,000,000 pounds, and when
_ we consider the vast numbers of persons concerned in pre-
paring this enormous amount for the wear and tear of man,
-we can form some idea of its commercial importance. It
has first to be raised by the tarmer, sheared, and the fleece
‘sent to market. Usually it passes into the hands of three
‘or four tradesman before it reaches the manufacturer. All
these middle men are given employment, and the farmer too
‘derives part of his living from it. After it goes to the fac-
tory it is there scoured, dyed, oiled, plucked, carded, combed,
broke, drawn, roved, spun, reeled, woven, all these differ-
‘ent processes employing many thousands of laborers, and
supporting their families. It has then to pass through the
hands of the jobber, the wholesale and retail merchants,
and at last comes back to the very man who sheared it from
the sheep’s back. But how different it is then. The rough,
homely jeans or linsey has the same parentage with the
glossy cloth or cassimere. The hod carrier gets his woolen
jacket from the same source with the belle in her high-
sounding and beautiful delaines. All these differences are
the result of sorting. The perfection of its manufacture,
and the wonderful differences in the fabrics cannot better
be realized than by the fact that in ordinary spinning one
pound of wool usually stretches to three-fourths of a mile,
in superfine spinning it stretches to 22 miles; while the
very finest and choicest bits of wool will reach a distance of
95 miles to a pound. Of this finest quality 1,500 fibres
laid side by side will cover one inch, and a compact bundle
of one square inch will require 2,225,000 fibres. By these
statements one can readily see the importance of not injur-
ing a single fibre of wool, and in fact the necessity of the
great care prescribed in these pages for the improvement
rather than deterioration of a staple that not only clothes

the farmer, but gives employment to so many of the inhab-
tants of our sphere.

[ 148]

There is one fact in regard to the effect of shearing more
curious than practical. It is asserted, on the best English
authority, that rams recently sheared are incapable of pro-
ducing lambs. From the fact that shearing always take
place in the spring of the year. This, if true, is of no conse-
quence, but it should be taken into account, should the
farmer desire or intend to re-shear in the fall. According
to a noted Australian writer, a flock of 4,000 ewes and 100
rams newly sheared, produced only 165 lambs. Another
author had 100 ewes and four rams recently sheared which
only brought nine lambs. A large “station” in the same
neighborhood had five per cent. of lambs. In California they
shear at any season, as in Australia, where the climate is
equable, there being no sudden transitions of weather from
hot to cold. Where there is a distinct division of heat and
cold, the habit is universal to shear during the breeding
season, otherwise the wool would shed and come off in tufts.
With the exception of the Merino this is universal, but
with the Merino, the sheep have been known to go as long
as six years without shearing, which will account for the
enormous weight of some published fleeces. One in Aus-
tralia in six years attained a length of 22 inches, and one
in California in 1874, with three years growth, weighed 52
pounds.

[149 ]

CHAPTER X.
DOGS.

The Thirty-ninth General Assembly of Tennessee enacted
a dog law, greatly to the relief and satisfaction of the sheep-
raisers throughout the State. Many farmers who had hith-
erto been deterred from raising sheep, soon engaged in the
enterprise, and many more were preparing to do so, but be-
fore the good effects of the law were scarcely realized, the
following Legislature (the 40th) repealed the law. It seems
not a little extraordinary that two Legislatures, following
each other so closely—giving them credit for an equal
amount of intelligence and patriotism—should differ so
widely in their appreciation of what constituted the true
interests and wishes of their constituents. Both could not
be right. We have the proof positive, through the answers
received to the circulars issued by this department to all the
principal sheep-raisers of the State, that they—for whose
benefit and protection the law was enacted—regarded it as
most salutary and beneficial. Why then repeal it? How
did the members of the 40th General Assembly discover
that the law was unpopular or not beneficial? The ques-
tion resolves itself into this: Whether the hundreds of
thousands of useless curs in the State shall be suffered to
roam at large, to the injury and destruction of the property
of others, or whether they shall be put under some restraint
and control, that one of the most important industries of
the State—I had almost said, the most important—might
thrive and prosper?

The following table shows the salutary effect of the law
during the short time it was in operation:

[ 150]

Toran NumsBer or Dogs 1n 1875.

Bitches. Dogs.

Hast, Tennessee ste c-secent oe uesctccess wees cuss 2,258 49,567
IMG ae ic) iy ieeieaee oe cen wiatt net a ausei dates 6,080 90,413
West sh A SA eA ROR CSS BPE 4,412 63,087
12,750 202,067

12,750

4 UG) Marl nes ev Se nenences-c suo ances emeeEE RAAT bee Sear peat oeoacoe 214,717
Total nT SOs horn sudece cuiceciar Ane Pass ace au escent eens 182,530
Total decrease mi dogs vee cree treats escent 32,187

The sheep interest was benefitted this much by the de-
crease. Did any other suffer in consequence? There might
have been some obnoxious features in the dog law; if so,
these could have easily been amended. The Supreme Court
decided that the law was unconstitutional, that dogs were
property and must be taxed like other property, and that a
special tax could not be put upon them. It would seem that
a remedy might be found to cover these objections. It cer-
tainly is not constitutional for a man, directly or indirectly,
to destroy another man’s property, or to exercise a priv-
ilege inconsistent with the freedom or privileges of others..
Since it is legal now for any man to keep as many dogs as
he pleases without paying a tax, there is a way in which
our sheep-raisers can utilize this privilege. The Mexicans,
who, by the way, are the very best shepherds in the world,
and have immense flocks of sheep, that are exposed toa
much greater enemy, if possible, than the dog—I mean
the coyote, or prairie wolf—have no trouble in keeping
them at bay by the following method: They select the
young pups from some large breed of the common cur dog,.
and put them to sucking a ewe, first taking away her own
lamb. At first she will rebel against the substitute, but
from the natural desire to be relieved from her milk, she
will permit them to suck her, and finally regard them
with the same affection that she would her own offspring.

[151]

For the first few days they are allowed to suck only twice
a day, morning and evening. After she becomes accus-
_tomed to them, they may be allowed to run together in a
small enclosure. Finally, they are turned in with the
whole flock, that they may get accustomed to them also,
for no sheep will take to a strange dog at first, not even the
finest-bred shepherd dogs. After the pups are weaned,
they will never leave the particular flock they were raised
among. No other dogs dare approach the flock, not even a
strange person. If a pack of wolves come around the
camp at night, the dogs keep up a continual barking, which
frightens them off, so that a sheep is seldom destroyed by
wolves. Three or four dogs are kept with a flock of 800
or 1,000 sheep. These dogs are much stronger and fiercer
than the Scotch colley, and can be trained to the care and
management of the sheep with equal skill and _ fidelity,
while the cost is nothing but the time and trouble of rear-
ing them. They will not require to be fed on meat; corn-
dodgers and milk are quite sufficient for them.

This is a certain and most excellent way to break a shep-
herd dog; but one equally as effective for Tennessee breed-
ers, and less troublesome, is to have the puppy accompany
the flock-master whenever he goes about his sheep, say
twice or thrice a day. The pup will soon become accus-
tomed to them, and, with a little practice each time, the
flock- master can soon make him drive a flock in any direc-
tion. These dogs have a natural instinct to drive stock of
all kinds. This is as marked in the shepherd dog as hunt-
ing or standing birds is to the setter or pointer, and it only
requires a little patience and care to make a pretty fair dog
out of any thoroughbred puppy of this breed.

After all, if the sheep-raiser gives the proper care and
attention to his sheep which they ought to have—and if he
does not do so, he ought not to embark in the business—
there is no necessity of his losing his sheep by dogs. Mr.
Cockrill, who has « large flock within three or four miles

[152]

of Nashville, told the writer that he never lost any sheep
by dogs. When asked how he avoided it, he replied that
he always kept a shotgun ready, and whenever a dog came
around his premises he killed him. His neighbors who
had dogs, understood this, and kept them at home, and
even the dogs themselves, he said, by a sort of instinctive
perception of what would be their fate if they approached
too near, concluded to keep away.

WHAT OUR CORRESPONDENTS SAY ABOUT DOGS—ANSWERS TO OUR CIRCU=
LARS ON THE DOG QUESTION. r

C. T. P. Jarnagin, Mossy Creek, Jefferson county: Any dogs killing
sheep? Answer: Their name is legion. Dogs ata premium. We are
afraid toraise sheep.

W. G. Ewin, Hurricane Mills, Hickman county: You might say all
the dogs in the county. The repeal of the dog law deterred some from
buying fine sheep and bringing them into the county.

J. A. Turley, Cog Hill, McMinn county: Yes! One hundred head
killed in the upper edge of Bradley county last week, and a few killed in
this vicinity every week.

T. J. Knox, Charleston, Bradley county: Seventy-five killed within
five miles of this vicinity since the adjournment of the Legislature.

J. N. Guthrie, Gallatin, Sumner county: Since they—the dogs—have ,
been freed by our Solons, sheep-killing is on the increase, and so are the
dogs.

G. T. Allman, Cornersville: Twenty-five per cent of our sheep are
destroyed by dogs, valued at $18,000.

W. Williams, Edgefield, Davidson county: Five to ten per cent. of
the sheep in this county destroyed by dogs.

Jno. F. Hauser, Gruetli, Grundy county: About one-third of the
whole number.

4. C. Williams, Marcella Falls, Lawrence county: One-tenth of the
whole number killed by dogs.

A. B. Cummings, Jonesboro, Washington county: About one-half of
the whole number.

M. L. Thomas, Sullivan county: One-fourth of the whole number.

J. T. Keith, Jackson, Madison county: Twenty per cent., both as to
number and value.

N. B. Cheairs, Spring Hill, Maury county: $2,500 in value destroyed
by dogs in our county.

J. K. J. Blackburn, Lynnville, Giles county: Very few were killed
while the dog law was in force.

[ 153]

M. A. Hardin, Decatur, Meigs county: We had very few killed while

the dog law was in operation.

Geo. W. Atchley, Decatur, Meigs county: From one-half to three-
fourths of the entire amount of sheep.

Wm. C. Doughtenson, Waverly, Humphreys county: About ten per
* cent. destroyed by dogs.

‘J. S. Lindsay, Campbell county: Five hundred head destroyed, worth
$1,500.

Elijah Dougherty, Johnson county: In the last three years but few,
but previous to the dog law one-fourth were killed, including lambs.
Sheep husbandry could be made very remunerative in this country if it
were not for the dogs. I know no branch of industry that would pay so

well. We have thousands of acres lying dormant, that would make the
best sheep-walks, that cannot be utilized for any other purpose. Are we
never to have any protection for the rearing of this useful animal?

Geo. T. Allman, Cornersville, Giles county: I think twenty per cent.
of our sheep are annually killed by worthless dogs.

Lorenzo Stratton, Grassy Cove: Twenty per cent. of the sheep of this
county are said to have been killed by dogs within the last thirty days.

J. A. Jones, Cannon county: A great many. The dogs commenced
soon after the dog law was repealed.

Some of our sheep-raisers have adopted the plan of not
permitting the freedmen employed by them on the farm to
keep any dogs. They find it greatly reduces the number of
worthless curs prowling around.

A most effectual method to stop the production of trifling
dogs, and’one that will inflict no injury on any one, is a
law imposing a tax upon bitches. By the influence of such
a law, the many worthless curs and mongrels would be de-
stroyed, while good ones would be retained. The fear of
popular favor, however, renders it extremely doubtful if
any law protecting sheep from dogs will ever be enacted.
It is strange, too, when the wool and meat of the sheep
clothes and feeds a large portion of the human family, and
the hair of the dog never clothed, nor his flesh never fed,
any class but savages.

[From the New York “South.”]

“The canine onslanght in the towns and cities, North
and South, on account of the fear of the horrors of hydro-

[154]

phobia, is well calculated to re-awaken inquiry as to the
cause, consistency and wisdom of the lenity shown in vari-
ous sections of the country, to curs of various degrees. A
late Tennessee correspondent of the Cincinnati Commercial
makes a fair exhibit of the too prevalent folly in this re-
gard. Tennessee has recently chosen to stand by the dog,
instead of the sheep. And taking the population of the
two States as a basis of comparison, this correspondent finds

that there are nine dogs in Tennessee to one in Ohio. In.

Ohio there is but one dog to every twenty-seven people,
and as for sheep, there are forty-six sheep in that State to
one dog. The Ohio farmers annually receive over twelve
millions of dollars for their wool and mutton. On an
average the farmers of every county of Ohio receive over
one hundred thousand dollars cash, annually, for their sur-
plus wool and mutton.

“There is nothing within the domain of agriculture in
which the permanent interest of even the average farmer
may be more essentially promoted than by sheep-raising
and goat-raising. And yet, on account of the strangely
delusive dog detriment, of which The South has so often
complained, indefinite millions of dollars are annually lost
to the Southern country, on account of the enforced neglect
or abandonment of sheep culture—to say nothing of the
dangers and death from the most hideous madness—all en-
dured out of deference to the dogs. What men!

“As the writer quoted well and truly says, sheep are an
emblem of civilization. He should have added—peace and
innocence. Wherever you find them in greatest numbers,
you will find wealth and prosperity. This is true the world
over. A sheep is a producer in two senses: it produces
both food and clothing, and also enriches the land it occu-
pies more effectually than can be done in any other way.
And this destruction among almost the most useful of our
domestic animals is nearly as much to be deplored on ac-
count of the worthless and wanton character of the de-

[158 ]

stroyer and the utterly defenseless and helpless nature of
his victim, as from the economic view of the matter. It
thus seems the more strange that measures are not carried
to the point of exterminating this enemy of the sheep; for
it is quite within the power of sheep-raisers and farmers
generally, legislatures failing them, to rid themselves effect-
ually of this foe to their flocks. It only requires a little
more energetic endeavor than has heretofore been apparent
among farmers, with a little science and something of
method and combination in their efforts, to thoroughly
suppress this evil.

“Warmers have need of watch-dogs to guard their flocks
and other property; but they should adopt and enforce a
strict rule among themselves to tolerate none but a good
breed—the shepherd dog, heretofore commended in these
columns, being sufficient for all ordinary purposes. All
dogs habitually inclined to wander from home should be
destroyed. The country cannot suffer any loss in the sud-
denness and completeness of their taking off. Sheep-rais-
ing will then become at once safe and one of the most
prosperous and agreeable pursuits of the American agricul-
turist.

“Those States, or parts of States, in which the dogs
threaten to outnumber the people, are, at best, fostering a
very crooked agricultural enterprise. The expenditure of
labor and capital necessary to the commencement of suc-
cessful sheep husbandry is so small, and the profits are so
comparatively large, that people should be encouraged to
engage more extensively, as well for their own as for the
general good, more especially as, in the South and South-
west, there are not only naturally fertile lands that need
the restorative presence of the sheep, but also many and
vast areas of land awaiting the coming of the shepherd and |
the goatherd and his flocks, and seemingly designed by na-
ture to enrich him and the country through them.

“But before the impoverished farms, or the now worth-

[ 156 J

less wilderness can blossom with the fleecy whiteness of the
sheep and the goat, they must be protected from the dogs.
This is no doubt really the duty of the States—a humane
and economic duty. But if the States fail of their duty in
the premises, the farmers must do it. And if no higher or
nobler motive impels them, let a mercenary one suffice to
stop the neglect and waste of wool and mutton, and so pro-
mote the universal increase of the flocks and herds, the
wealth of the nation and the prosperity of all.”

[ 157 ]

CHAPTER XI.
DISEASES OF SHEEP.

The digestive system of the sheep is the most powerful
of all the domestic animals, the principal energy of the
nervous system being expended on that branch of the organ-
ism. The skeleton is nearer that of an ox than any other
animal, and both alike are ruminants, that is ‘“ cud chewers.”
Perhaps there is a more universal ignorance of what is
“cud” than one would suppose. It is often thought that
when the sheep loses its cud it is in great and imminent
danger of its life, and many devices are resorted to to avert
so great a calamity. Now, practically, this is true so far as
the danger is concerned, but replacing it with an artificial
one is the veriest nonsense. It denotes a bad condition of
the digestive organs not to be able to regurgitate the cud,
and unless that condition is quickly altered the animal
will surely die. This will become apparent when the
anatomy of the sheep is understood. We do not, however,
deem it necessary in our limited space to give a detailed
account of the structure of the sheep any more than is
necessary to explain the modus operandi of digestion wherein
it is different from other domestic animals. There is but
little difference between this in sheep and cattle, both as be-
fore stated being ruminants.

The stomach is a large pouch, with irregular sacs, that
however communicate with each other, but are designated
as separate stomachs. There are four of these sacs, called
the rumen or paunch; reticulum or honeycomb ; omasum
or manyplies; and the abomasium or rennet. The gullet
or swallow leads into the rumen or paunch, and the gut or
duodenum leads out from the rennet. The gullet enters the

| 158 ]

paunch so near the honeycomb that the latter is supposed to
be a sort of reservoir to the paunch, holding the food for
the re-chewing and ruminating process.

The act of rumination is chewing the cud, and is ex-
plained as follows: The animal eats rapidly, chewing very
slightly, and continues until the paunch and honeycomb are
filled. By an act of muscular contraction, under the will
of the animal, the paunch compresses a wad of the indi-
gested food, and returns it to the mouth, where it is masti-
cated thoroughly and returned to the paunch, and is passed
by that into the third stomach or manyplies, so called from
the number of plaits or folds of the mucus membrane lining
it. Here it undergoes some unknown preparation, and
passes into the rennet, where the gastric juice is secreted,
and now undergoes true digestion. Sometimes a very small
quantity of food is swallowed, and so well chewed up that
it passes directly on for digestion without being eructated
for regrinding, and this is the case where meal or some other
concentrated form of nutriment is used; then they do not
chew the “cud,” and yet are not sick. The folly of sup-
posing a piece of dried beef or a rag will serve the purpose
of a cud is apparent after this explanation of what it is.

Sometimes the vegetable matter in the first stomach fer-—

ments, and such a quantity of gas is generated the sheep
swells to bursting, and is utterly unable to throw up the
“cud.” This is called

HOVEN,

and is quite common in sheep when turned on a fine, rich
pasture, especially clover. It is known by the large dis-
tension of the sheep, especially on the left side. The size
of the stomach interferes with the room for breathing, con-
sequently the breathing is short, in fact it becomes so short
there is danger of suffocation unless relief comes speedily.
It requires something to stop the fermentation, and saline
m'xture by chemical reaction on the acid contents of the

[ 159 J

stomach will neutralize it, and the relief is immediate.
Spirits of ammonia, a teaspoonful in one-half pint of water,
given with a horn or bottle as a drench will be effective. It
should be followed up with a dose of Epsom salts, to carry
off the offending substance. Carbonate of soda, such as is
used for making biscuits, will answer if ammonia cannot be
procured. A tablespoonful every half hour, until relieved,
should be given either in water or let the tongue be pulled
out and the soda emptied on its root. The withdrawal of
the tongue into the mouth will carry the medicine down
the throat. A bolus of lime and flour mixed and greased
with lard, and pushed down the throat, is also effective.
Chloroform and laudanum in equal quantities, a half tea-
spoonful each every hour or two will also oftentimes give
relief. Sometimes, however, the swelling has progressed so
far that medicine fails to give any relief. Then as a dernier
resort the side must be punctured with a trochar, such as
surgeons use in dropsy. Every doctor has one. This will
prevent the escape of the contents of the stomach into the
cavity of the abdomen, producing thereby inflammation of
the bowels, or rather peritonitis. This will permit the gas
to escape, and then the saline medicines should be adminis-
tered to prevent its re-formation.

The intestines of a sheep are very long, being twenty-
eight times longer than its body, while those of man are only
five times longer. In their great length there is room for
many diseases, conspicuous among which the

TAPE-WORM

is most common. ‘They contract this disease by swallowing
along with grass the eggs that have been voided by animals
of various kinds infested with them, especially the dog.
Sheep dying from worms are found after death to have the
bowels packed full of them as if stuffed. ‘The symptoms
are variable, appetite sometimes being voracious, and again

[ 160]

refusing food altogether, loss of condition, and a morbid
appetite for stones, gravel, ashes, sand and earth. The dung
becomes soft, losing its ball-shape, and adhering to its legs
and tail, making the shrub appear quite filthy. This disease
cannot be prevented, as it is liable to come from wild and
domestic animals alike, but it is easily cured. Take turpen-
tine and linseed oil, two parts of oil and one of turpentine,
and mix inastrong decoction or tea, made of worm seed,
and drench the sheep about twice a week. In two or three
weeks it will get well, and begin to fatten. An old sheep,
or after six years of age, will not have them. j

THREAD WORMS

are also common in sheep. Affected with these they will
lose flesh rapidly, and have diarrhza constantly. The
worms will be seen about the vent. Salt and copperas ad-
ministered freely will soon relieve them, or if that does not
then use the turpentine and linseed oil. There are many
other forms and kinds of worms, but the treatment is the
same. ‘They must be well fed after treatment.

Sheep are infested with worms in the nose, called astrus
ovis (Sheep gad-fly), and produced from the eggs of a large
two-winged fly. The frontal sinuses above the nose in
sheep and other animals are the places where these worms
live and attain their full growth. These sinuses are always
full of a soft white matter, which furnishes these worms
with a proper nourishment, and are sufficiently large for their
habitation, and when they have acquired their destined
growth in which they are fit to undergo their changes for
the fly-state, they leave their old habitation, and falling to
the earth, bury themselves there, and then they are hatched
into flies. The female, when she has been impregnated by
the male, knows that the nose of a sheep or other animal is
the only place for her to deposit her eggs in order to their
coming to maturity. The fly produced from this worm has

[ 161 ]

all the time of its life a very lazy disposition, and does not
like to make any use either of its legs or wings. Its head
and corslet together are about as long as its body, which is
composed of five rings, streaked on the back, a pale yellow
and brown are then disposed in irregular spots, the belly is
of the same colors, but they are more regularly disposed,
for the brown hue makes three lines, one in the middle, and
one on each side, and all the intermediate spaces are yellow.
The wings are nearly of the same length with the body, and
are a little inclined in their position, so as to lie upon the
body. They do not, however, cover it, but a naked space
is left between them. The fly will live two months after it
is first produced, but will take no nourishment of any kind,
and possibly may be of the same nature with butterflies,
which never take any food while living in that state.

The treatment for this affection is comprised in one word,
and that word is tar. It may be applied in any way to the
nose, but the best method of doing so is to bore a hole ina
log, fill with tar, and put some salt over it. In this way a
hundred sheep will tar their own noses in a few minutes.

SCAB

is a cutaneous disease, owing to an impurity of the blood,
and is most prevalent in wet lands, or in rainy seasons. It
is cured by tobacco-water, brimstone and alum boiled to-
gether, and then rubbed over the sheep. Another remedy
is to dip the sheep in a strong decoction of tobacco, rubbing
it well into the wool and skin.

HYTADIDS
is a distemper caused by bladders of water gathering in the
head. No cure has been discovered.

THE RICKETS

is a hereditary disease, for which no antidote is krown. The

first symptom is a kind of light headiness, which makes the
tl

[ 162]

afflicted sheep appear wilder than usual when approached.
He bounces up suddenly, runs to a distance as though
pressed by dogs. In the second stage the principal symp-
tom is the sheep rubbing himself against trees, etc., with such
fury as to pull off his wool and tear away his flesh. The
last stages of the disease seem only to be the progress of
dissolution after an unfavorable crisis. The poor animal, as
condemned by nature, appears stupid, walks irregularly
(whence probably the name of rickets), generally his head
down, and eats little. These symptoms increase in degree
till death, which follows a general consumption, which ap-
pears upon the dissection of the carcass.

THE FLUX

is another disease sheep are subject to. The best remedy is
to house the sheep immediately, keep them warm, and feed
them on dry hay, giving them frequent glysters of warm
milk and water. The cause is either feeding on wet lands
or on grass that has become mossy.

The popular theory, says Mr. Randall, is that

THE GRUB

causes death by boring through the bony walls which sur-
round the brain. ‘This seems to me an absurdity. If the
grub actually penetrates to the brain, the fact would be
readily disclosed after death. The full-grown grub would
naturally leave an orifice of considerable diameter through
the skull. Who has seen such an orifice? During the
ascent of the larve the sheep stamps, tosses its head vio-
lently, and dashes away from its companions wildly over the
field. The larve remain in the sinuses feeding on the mu-
cus secreted by the membrane, and apparently creating no
further annoyance, until ready to assume their proper form
in the succeeding spring.

Smearing their noses with tar, it is supposed, will keep

[ 163 ]

the fly from depositing its eggs. Blacklock says that the
larve may be dislodged by blowing tobacco smoke through
the tail of a pipe into the nostril. The Mexican shepherds
apply calomels to the parts.

- Lambs when first dropped may appear strong and healthy,
yet in a few days they begin to droop, and finally die. If
you open the stomach of such lambs, in some cases you will
find it packed and distorted with a hard curd, which was the
cause of their death. The remedy is to feed the breeding
ewes with some kind of a mild alkali, like ashes, for some
time previous to their lambs being dropped.

ROT.

This is one of the most fatal diseases with which sheep
are afflicted. On dissecting sheep that die of this disorder,
_ a great number of insects called ‘ flukes’ are found in the
liver. That these flukes are the cause of the rot therefore
is evident, but to explain how they come into the liver is
not so easy. It is probable that they are swallowed while
in the egg state. The eggs deposited in the tender germ are
conveyed into the stomach and intestines of the animal,
whence they are received into the lacteal vessels, carried off
into the chyle, and pass into the blood. Nor do they
meet with any obstruction until they arrive at the capillary
vessels of the liver. Here the blood filterates through the
branches, through the extreme branches, answering to those
of the vina porta in the human body. The receiving vessels
are too minute to admit the impregnated ova, which, adher-
ing to the membrane, produce these animalcule that feed
upon the liver and destroy the sheep. They much resemble
the fiat fish called plaice, and are sometimes as large asa silver
two-pence. It is therefore easy to conceive that sheep may,
on wet ground especially, take multitudes of these eggs in
their food, and that the stomach and viscera of the sheep
being a proper residence for them, they of course hatch, and

[164]

appearing in their fluke or last state, feed on the liver of
of the animal, and occasion this disorder. It is a singular
fact no ewe ever has the rot while she has a lamb by her
side. It may be that the impregnated ovum passes into the
milk, and never arrives at the liver. It is said that parsley
is a good remedy, given as a strong decoction. Salt is also
a useful remedy; salt is pernicious to most insects. Lisle
speaks of a farmer who cured his whole flock by giving
each sheep a handful of Spanish salt for five or six morn-
ings successively. In wet, warm weather the prudent farmer
will remove his sheep from the lands liable to rot.

DIARRH@GA.

This disease is often more properly a nervous than a febrile
one—in the former case a morbid increase of the peristaltic
motion of the bowels; in the latter an inflammation of the
mucous coat of the smaller intestines. It is brought on by
sudden change from dry food to green, or by the introduc-
tion of improper substances into the stomach. It is im-
portant to clearly distinguish this disease from dysentery.
In diarrhcea there. is no apparent general fever. The appe-
tite is good, the stools are thin and watery, but unaccom-
panied with slime and mucous and blood. Confinement to
dry food for a day or two oftentimes suffice for grown sheep.
To lambs, especially if attacked in the fall, the disease is
more serious. If the purging is severe, accompanied by
mucous, give a gentle cathartic—half a drachm of rhubarb,
or an ounce of Epsom salts, to the lamb. This should be
followed by an astringent—say one-fourth ounce of prepared
chalk in half a pint of tepid milk once a day for three days,
which will be generally sufficient. Another remedy: pre-
pared chalk, one ounce ; powdered catechu, half an ounce ;
powdered ginger, two drachms; powdered opium, half a
drachm ; mix with half a pint of peppermint water; give
two or three table-spoonsful morning and night to sheep;
half that quantity to a lamb.

[165]

For Dysentery—“ Administer a couple of purges of linseed
oil, followed by chalk and milk, as in diarrhea, doubling
the dose of chalk, twenty drops of laudanum, with ginger
and gentian powder.”

For Oolic—Sometimes called Stretches: Give one-half
ounce Epsom salts, sixty drops of peppermint, one drachm
ginger. Salts alone will generally effect a cure.

SHEEP TICK.

This troublesome insect infests sheep of all ages, but none
so much as yearlings; but it can be easily and effectually
eradicated. For one hundred lambs use five pounds of in-
ferior tobacco, or ten pounds of stems, boil it for several
hours ; then take two buckets full of water and one from
the boiled liquor, and keep adding till thirty gallons of de-
coction is made ; immerse the lambs, and let the liquor drain
off into the tub again to avoid waste. About a week after
shearing, the ticks will have left the ewes and fastened
themselves upon the lamb, which will be the proper time to
attend to them. The lambs must be held by the head with
both hands, and then dipped to the ears, using great care
that none of the decoction gets into the eyes or mouth. It
will not be necessary to dip the ewes. The tobacco decoc-
tion will be found excellent for slight wounds of the skin
and cutaneous irritations from johnswort. ‘ Buchan’s car-
bolic sheep dip” will do it more effectually than tobacco,
and is less troublesome to use. Directions are for the prep-
aration in the drug stores.

MAGGOT FLY.

Sheep in summer are subjected to extreme annoyance
from flies—the gad-fly and several other varieties. They
deposit their eggs among the wool. When the eggs are
hatched, which is almost instantaneous, the maggot erodes
the skin, and soon brings the adjacent parts into a fit condi-

[ 166 ]

tion for the reception of others. The backs of the long-
wooled sheep are, from their exposure, more liable to be
selected by the flies as a receptacle for their eggs than the
corresponding parts that are covered by a short thick fleece.

As soon as the maggot begins its operations the sheep be-
comes restless and uneasy, rubbing itself on stones and trees,
endeavoring to free itself from the annoyance. If not re-
lieved, death will inevitably ensae. Tar, with spirits of
turpentine, may be applied about the ears, horns, tail,
and to the parts affected, or flour of sulphur mixed with
melted butter. Calomel is also an excellent remedy for
this as for all sores; every sheep and stock raiser should
keep a bottle of it on hand. It is a cheap and convenient
remedy, and always ready for use.

WOUNDS

may originate in a variety of ways, and may be of any ex-
tent. In the first place, if the bleeding is very extensive,
it must be stopped by getting a hold on the end of the
artery, and give it a few twists. This will generally put a
stop to it, as sheep rarely bleed to death. The wound
should be washed clean, and if it gapes open a few stitches
should be taken in it to close it up. It should then be
smeared over with tar, grease, and a little vitriol mixed with
it. This will not only promote healing, but will keep off
the fly, which will inevitably grow a crop of maggots on it
if allowed to go without. Should the maggots appear at
any time, grease will destroy their lives at once, as they
breathe through pores of the skin, and the grease entering
and stopping these pores suffocates them at once.

Let it be borne in mind, however, that the best way to
cure a disease is to prevent it. Let all care be taken pos-
sible, have good pastures and good shelters, and feed well,
and there will be but little use for the veterinary surgeon.

[ 167 ]

DISEASES OF FERT.

The foot of a sheep is peculiarly liable to disease, from
the fact that the onter horn or crust is connected directly
by a vascular structure to the bone itself, which is unlike
the horse, the latter having the hoof connected by means of
lamine, so that in the horse the hoof can bear a vast
amount of concussion without injury. The hoof of a sheep’s.
foot grows from the underlying vascular surface, just as the
nails of the human foot. There is a small canal that opens
out on the front of the foot, about an inch above the fork
of the hoof. This canal leads backwards and downwards
to a gland which secretes mucus that overflows down be-
tween the toes, keeping them moist. Sometimes this canal
gets stopped up, and then ulceration ensues, making the
sheep lame until it bursts out and empties itself. This
canal is called the interdigital canal, and if the sheep is
seen limping at any time, and no other cause can be detected
for it, it will be best to run a straw or knitting needle into:
the canal.

Foot-rot.—But the most formidable disease of the foot.
is the foot rot. Being contagious, unless it is promptly
checked, it will get all over the flock. It is most common
in sheep that run on wet pastures. The whole hoof is in-
volved, and unless it is soon cured the hoof comes off.
When sheep are observed limping, if, on examination, the
heel and between the toes are found full of blisters, it may
be known at once to be foot-rot. The feet are so painful
the sheep will be seen walking on their knees. Many
remedies ave offered, but the first thing is to put them on
dry pastures so that remedies will adhere to the feet. As
soon as the disease is recognized, let all the dead or dry
parts be trimmed off, and then washed about twice a week
in carbolic acid soap, and after each washing wrap the foot

[ 168 ]

up in a tow cloth that has been dipped in the following
mixture :

Oxide copper: eee ate ea Cn SPR comes 4 07.
AS. SO TEC Heaeh sees Noweae ee bus a hMecaes amuetie tedatgeg cab ates oie meee + OL.
INCOULCLACHO cinco tele dusbshcsn sh eeunsisvancelaneemeccelantnen 3 OZ
ROMO carsessersecsccserscnstes selfeteananedl nape seiceaeetnanes 8 o2

Or the foot may be smeared with the following mixture:

Powdered! blue! vitriolir fcc tets ces senescence pecenen 1 tb.
Merdigrisich cise. cece a be) ees eee ee oh eens % ib.
Tinseed joule. sich cea uk Wes ae Te i tek aol 1 pt.
Pine yar’. diese ce cenne (tee caadulepian aetlieessibapoasctauntseaee 1 qt.

This will stick to the foot, and is very effective.

The digital canal should be kept open. Another method
is the following, which cau be more easily applied, especially
where mauy are affected :

Procure a tub sufficiently large for two sheep to stand in
it; pour into the tub a saturated solution of blue vitriol and
water, as hot as can be endured by the hand for only a mo-
ment. Have the liquor about four inches deep, and keep it
at that depth by frequent additions of the hot solution. As _
soon as a sheep’s feet are pared put him in the tub, and
hold him there by the neck; get another ready and stand
him by the side of the first. After the first has stood in
the tub about five minutes, take him out and replace him
by another, and so on till the whole flock have been gone
through with. I have always found this remedy effect a
perfect cure. The hot liquid penetrates to every cavity of
the foot, and, doubtless, has a more decisive effect than is
produced by merely wetting them. Twelve pounds of
vitriol is sufficient for one hundred sheep.

PELT ROT.

This is a disease of the skin, as the name implies. It
causes the premature falling off of the wool in the spring of
the year.

[169 |

It is produced by exposure during the winter, and low
condition—the latter principally.

_ Preventive-—Good shelters and good keeping. Let the
wool fluids be kept healthy and abundant, and there will be
no danger of any attack from this disease.

[170]

CHAPTER XII.

THE STRUCTURE AND USES OF WOOL.

Wool is almost identical in its structure with hair, the
only difference being that wool is curly and very fine, in
contrast to hair, which is straight and coarse.

The peculiarity of the structure of wool, that causes it to.
“felt,” is, first, its extreme curliness, and secondly, its scales.
Hair grows from the true skin, passing through the outer or
false skin. The one is called the derma, the other is called
the epidermis. The hair follicle or germ is situated in the
former, and is propagated by germs, which being formed by
the follicle, the preceding ones are pushed out as the new
ones are formed. These germs are in the shape of scales.
Tf it were possible to make a stack of very minute fish
scales, one upon another, with the center of each one capped
and the fifth outer circle turned up, this tall stack would
represent a hair. Looking at a hair from one side with a
powerful microscope, it looks like a saw, or if the entire hair
is seen it looks like a long cylinder covered with shingles.
Take two hairs and place them together, with the ends re-
versed, and these scale points will hang. Rub a hair be-
tween the fingers and it will travel towards the upper end.
This is caused by the points of these scales hanging to the
fingers, and thus it is pushed along. It is this quality that
makes wool felt; but it would still not felt well unless it
was curved. Therefore wool, which as before remarked is
curved hair, has minute waves in it. These are caused by
a regular thickening of the cortical part of the fibre, and
this thickening occurs alternately on one side or the other.
The value of the wool depends upon this curly character, as
the felting property is produced by it. There is great dif-
ference in the fineness of wool. The common coarse wools

Riv]

stand at about the rate of 5,000 to 6,000 fibres to the square
inch, while the fine Merinos require to the square inch
40,000 or even 48,000. To show the effects of breed upon
the wool by actual experiment, a coarse wooled sheep with
only one-twentieth of a Merino cross in it had 25,000 fibres
to the square inch. This shows the great importance of
having pure bred sheep for a certain purpose. It is said
that the presence of one-millionth part of the blood of a
coarse sheep is sufficient to reduce the fineness of the fleece
perceptibly. These facts are given to show the great ne-
cessity of having absolutely pure breeds, if wool is the prin-
ciple object of raising sheep.

All over the skin of a sheep are small glands that secrete
a mucus called “ yolk,” that keeps the wool soft and prevents
it from felting. When the yolk is first secreted it is fluid,
and in some breeds it remains so. In the Merinos it be-
comes stiff and dry, and adheres to the wool, adding greatly
to its weight. This yolk is an alkaloid substance, and forms
a sort of soap, soluble in water. By its aid the wool can be
washed without soap. This yolk forms about twenty per
cent. of the weight of the wool. Itis a great mistake, there-
fore, for persons to wash the wool to get a larger price, as
some do. Besides, by withdrawing the yolk from the wool
it becomes harsh and dry, and is much more liable to injure
by felting or tangling. In some countries this yolk is pre-
served in the washing, and large quantities of potash are
made from it. The presence of this yolk in wool is an indi-
cation of its superior quality, although it may be produced
in such excessive quantities that it becomes a source of actual
loss to the manufacturer. This isa question that will be
settled by the wool grower and manufacturer.

CLASSIFICATION OF WOOL.

It is very important that persons engaging in wool grow-
ing should acquaint themselves with the kinds of wool cal-
culated to bring the highest price; but it will be found a

[ 172 |

difficult matter to keep up with the popular kinds, inasmuch
as they are constantly changing. The sort of wool popular
to-day or to-morrow, may be supplanted. by some other
kind next year.

The wools are divided into two classes, short and long.
They are again subdivided into several grades, such as su-
perfine, fine, medium and coarse. A former grade prevailed
of carding and combing wocls, but from the great improve-
ment in the machinery used in woolen manufactures these
terms have been well nigh discarded. At one time none
but the Cotswold or kindred wools could be combed, but
now the Merino and Southdown wools, even under three
inches long, are included in the list of combing wools. At
one time the price of Merino wool was by far greater than
any other sort. Now the coarse and common breed wools
sell for as much or more than the Merino. A few years ago,
the Cotswold sold very much higher than other breeds, but
the past year long wools were in less demand than the South-
downs. ‘There is never, however, more than a few cents dif-
ference in the prices.

Asarule, medium wools come nearer bringing the best
regular prices, as they offer a variety of wool for both comb-
ing and carding purposes.

It may be well to explain the difference between the

two.
Combing wool is the kind that can be combed out into

long fibres, and thus spun into thread. It is joined at the
ends and shows no points of fibres sticking out. It is used
for making cloths that show the thread, such as delaines,
cashmeres and others of like character.

The Carding wools are those in which the fibres are so
intermingled that the ends show in every direction, and of
such are made cloth intended to be carded up to hide the
threads, such as broadcloth, cassimere, cassinet and hats.
Sometimes a fleece will felt on the sheep’s back. This isan
evidence of a low condition, or sick sheep, and they should

[173]

never be allowed to live to be shorn twice. Itis the absence
of yolk that produces it.

. Wool in its native condition contains a large amount of im-
purities, such as sand, gravel, dirt, dung, twigs of trees, ce-
dar leaves (in cedar countries), and many other things. The
purchaser, of course, is not expected to pay full price for all
these things, and yet the grower is not required tu wash the
yolk out. For the purpose of cleansing it of the more prom-
inent impurities, many farmers resort to washing. This is
generally and better done before shearing. In all old sheep
raising countries it is looked upon as a frolic, where all the
neighbors gather together, boys and girls, and make a frolic
over it. Enough of the impurities can be got out in this
way to make a fair merchantable wool, and at the same time
not destroy the quality. Of course, let the seller wash it as
much as he will, it still must be washed a great deal before
it can be manufactured.

THE USES OF THE SEVERAL KINDS OF WOOL.

Kentucky and Tennessee wools are identical in quality
and uses, and what is said in the subjoined article, taken
from the Rural New Yorker, in reference to Kentucky wools
will equally apply to those of Tennessee:

“ There is always a satisfaction to the producer of raw ma-
terial in learning the uses to which his products are to be
put when manufactured. Many people keep different breeds
of sheep, and have often but a misty notion of the purposes
to which the wool of each variety is applied. In this con-
nection, Leonard Drane Jately read, at the annual meeting
of the Kentucky Wool- Growers’ Association, an address on
wool and its classification for market. Besides a full ac-
count of the special subject which he proposed to treat of,
the speech was rich in other information connected with
sheep husbandry, and we have therefore here condensed it
for the benefit of our readers.

[174]

“Tt has been asked of manufacturers, ‘ What is the most
pressing necessity of your manufantue ?’ and answered, ‘We
want more domestic wool ;’ but I would say, we want more
domestic wool improved to suit the manufacturer. There
are forty-six mills in the United States that use foreign wool
entirely, and seven hundred and sixty-seven that use both
domestic and foreign wool, or nine hundred and thirty-one
milis using seventy per cent. of foreign wool. Would man-
ufacturers import wool if they were supplied at home with
the various kinds they want to use? They would not.

“‘T have condensed the uses of wool into three classes
from Mr. J. L. Hays’ report to the Department of Agricul-
ture in 1872. Merino wool is used in opera and common
flannels, blankets, shawls, shirts, vests, skirts, drawers, car-
digans, hose, fancy cassimeres, meltons, overcoatings, light
coatings, fancy cloakings, some varieties of delaines, co-
burgs, cashmeres, ladies’ dress goods, and all mixtures of
wool with shoddy; the longest and finest Merino wools are
used to carry wool substitutes. The peculiar excellence of
Merino wools is found in the soundness and strength of all
goods they are used in.

“Combing wools are used in shawls, fancy knit goods,

ladies’ fancy cloakings, serges, moreens, alpacas, cloth lin-
ings, mohair lusters, lasting, damasks for furailure, furni-
ture covering, curtains, table-cloths, reps for furniture and
curtains, webbing for reins, girths, suspenders, flags, mili-
tary sashes, cords and tassels, nubias, braids, bindings, ete.,
ete. ;
“Coarse wools are used in common flannels, blankets, also
the noils of combing wool. The warps of ingrain carpets,
two or three-ply, consume our coarsest long wools; the’
shortest stapled coarse wools are used for filling.

“We should grow in Kentucky best pure Lincolnshir e
Cotswold, Ramboullet Merinos, and Southdowns, and eross
them on our native sheep and each other until we establish
new races. Kentucky stands fourteenth in the number of

[175]

sheep, compared to other States in 1876—Indiana, 1,250,000 ;
Towa, 1,663,900; Missouri, 1,284,200; Wisconsin, 1,62,800 ;
Tllinois, 1,311,000; Michigan, 3,450,600 ; California, 6,750,-
000 ; Kentucky, 683,600; in the United States, 30,000,000
to 36,000,000. There are three States that have more sheep
than Kentucky produces pounds of wool. No animal pays
better profit. The clip of the United States for 1876 was
about 200,000,000; of England, Ireland, and Scotland, about
162,000,000, mostly combing; of the continent of Europe,
about 462,000,000; of Australasia, about 350,000,000; of
Buenos Ayres and River La Plata, about 207,000,000.
These are the principal wool-growing countries of the world,
and produced 1,282,000,000 out of the estimated 1,419,000,-
000 on the entire globe.

“The value of all kinds of wool is determined by its
strength, luster, working qualities and shrinkage. Wool is
divided by governments for tariff, and wool merchants, into
three classes: Clothing, Combing, and Carpet, and is pro-
duced in quantities in this order. Kentucky wool should
be classed as combing, delaine, medium coarse and black.
Wool merchants separate each division into as many classes
as there are distinct qualities of staple in each division, to
suit the purchaser. Manufacturers take the fleeces, putting
them into as many classes as there are distinct qualities of
staple in each fleece, according to its length, color, luster,
etc., except the gumming locks, which they will not buy un-

washed.
“ Clothing’ wool is generally divided into three classes—

fine, medium and coarse. The average price for fifty-three
years, since 1824, for each class, per washed pound, is for
fine, 61$c.; medium, 56$c.; coarse, 51c., or nearly 53c. per
pound less on each class as it grows coarser. Average price
per washed pound Australian in London, from 1862 to 1870,
inclusive, as estimated by Mr. Bond, 433c. gold. Counting
freights, commission, ete., for same period, the average price
in currency for washed Australian, would be 80c. per pound

[176]

in New York, or 19c. more than any of our clothing wools,
and 29c. more than for our coarse wools. Card or X wools
are required to be fine, short in staple, ‘ full of spiral curls
and serratures.’ Combing wool consists in drawing out the
fibres straight and parallel; then twisting into yarn, called
worsted, ‘the ends in spinning being covered, make the yarn
smooth and lustrous.’ The staple should be generally five
to eight inches long, having a few ‘spiral curls and serra-
tures,’ with distinct luster.

“These qualities are found in the English in their order
of perfection, as follows—The Lincolnshire, Leicester and
Cotswold breeds. Delaine wools are shorter and finer, and
can be used as short as 23 inches, but it must be very fine
and nice. The coarser the staple the longer it must be.
These are not classed in the trade as combing wools. There
are fine, medium, and coarse combing wools. The duty on
this wool will equal lle. per pound, and ten per cent. ad
valorum. Poorly-bred wools are very objectionable, hav-
ing long, coarse, pen-pointed tops, with a fine downy bot-
tom and coarse uneven fibres. These are generally sold for
carpet wools. I need only say to the wool growers of this
State that there is a wider field in the expansion of combing
wool fabrics than your imagination can take in.”

[177]

CHAPTER XIII.

STATE STATISTICS AND PRESENT CONDITION OF SHEEP
HUSBANDRY.

During the fall of 1878 I sent circulars to the most prom-
inent sheep raisers of every county in the State, asking for
certain specific information in relation to sheep husbandry.
Although no replies were returned from many of the coun-
ties, yet questions enough were answered to give a very
correct idea of the present condition of sheep husbandry in
this State. As to the number of sheep in each county,
there were no means by which this could be determined, as
our assessment laws do not require assessors to return the
number of domestic animals. This much, however, is made
apparent in the answers: that an earnest effort is making
to improve the character of the flocks, both as to mutton
and wool. Nearly every county reports the existence of
high graded flocks. The Southdowus preponderate, the
Cotswolds coming next, and the Merinos third. A . few
Leicester flocks are named, and some few good breeders in
the State give them the preference over all others. An-
other prominent fact is brought ont, and that is the very
small annual cost of keeping sheep. Only two report the
annual cost as high as $2.00 per head; thirteen above $1.00
to $1.50; twelve the cost to be $1.00; and twenty-three
that the cost of keeping is below $1.00, in some Instances
reaching as low a figure as 333 cents. Taking the aver-
age of each of the three divisions of the State, [ find that
the annual cost of keeping sheep in East Tennessee is $1.12;
in Middle Tennessee 90 cents, and in West Tennessee 67
cents. This arises from the fact that the climate is more
rigorous in the elevated regions of Hast Tennessee than in

the lower ones of Middle and West Tennessee. ‘The aver-
12

[178]

age elevation of East Tennessee, including the mountainous
. portions, is not far from 1,500 feet; of Middle Tennessee,
also including portions of the Cumberland plateau, 1,000
feet; while the elevation of West Tennessee will hardly
reach 500 feet, thas making a very perceptible difference in
the number of cold days, and in the length of time between
killing frosts and the consequent duration of green food.
It has long been a well established fact that lambs are at
least a month earlier in West Tennessee than in Middle,
which can only be attributed to the fact of milder winters
prevailing in West Tennessee, which induce very early
growth of green grass.

Another fact is disclosed in these questions of paramount
value to the sheep husbandman, and that is where improved
breeds have been introduced, lambs bring in the market
nearly double the price they do where only natives or
low grades are bred. Not only do the lambs of well-bred
sheep pay better, but the wool commands a readier sale at
increased prices. It must be borne in mind that the prices
given in this schedule were those of 1878, when wool was
at its minimum price. Since that time there have been a
wonderful improvement in price, and a much greater stim-
ulus given to sheep husbandry.

The answers given to the question as to the yield of wool
are not so gratifying. While the high grades yield from
six to twelve pounds, the amount reported from the native
sheep varies from one to four pounds. Here is the field for
improvement. Our uative flocks must be bred up until
they shall make an average of at least five pounds per head.
The demand for wool will, in all probability, be greatly in-
creased during the next few years, and our farmers should
seize the opportunity to increase the wool-producing quali-
ties of their flocks.

The want of woolen factories is also made painfully con-
spicuous in the replies to the interrogatory asking for in-
formation on that subject. Only sixteen are given, and yet

[179]

the supply of wool for several years past could not have
been Jess than 2,000,000 pounds annually. This has had
to seek, in a majority of cases, a market beyond the county
where it is raised. With so many fine water powers in the
State, home capital would find a rich reward in working up
our supply of wool into such fabrics as are demanded to
clothe our population. Other replies to this question are
more to be deplored. I refer to those which indicate that
wool enough is not grown in the county to supply local de-
mand. There is not a county in the State in which the
farmers cannot raise wool enough to clothe the inhabitants
at a less cost than so many pounds of cotton would be.
Take the average annual cost of keeping sheep, which for
the State is not far from 80.cents per head, and credit each
with 33 pounds of wool, the average of all breeds, and at
present prices there will be an actual profit of 95 cents on
each sheep kept, disregarding entirely the value of lambs,
Which would add nearly double as much, assuming the
greater part of the flock to be ewes. A neglect by the
farmers of our State to see and appreciate these facts is not
encouraging, especially when persons from every part of the
United States are now seeking for locations in the State for
the purpose of engaging in sheep husbandry. Never was
the time more propitious for seizing upon this industry and
pushing it, which can be made more remunerative in pro-
portion to the capital employed than any other occupation
in the State.

Continuing the analyses of the answers given to the sched-
ule, I find a discouraging item in the large number of sheep
that have fallen a prey to the ruthless curs that prowl and
growl and howl through the State. A very cursory glance
at the replies to the question as to the number of sheep an-
nually destroyed by dogs will serve to show that not less
than 7,000 are annually immolated upon the altar of caninal
affection. These 7,000 sheep would clothe comfortably
7,000 persons, and feed 2,000 more, and yet the 182,000

[ 180]

dogs in the State are, in the estimation of many persons,
worth more than the 1,000,000 head of sheep, which supply
food and raiment to nearly as many people. The intelli-
gence of the State should make an earnest endeavor to cor-
rect public sentiment in this regard, and give greater pro-
tection to a species of property so necessary to man’s com-
fort and welfare.

It is very gratifying to know that no virnlent disease,
have ever infested the flocks in this State. Foot-rot, braxy,
water in the head, and numerous other diseases, are almost
unknown in this latitude. Old age and dogs are almost the
only enemies to our flocks. The first is inevitable; the last
may be corrected by legislation, supported by an enlightened
public sentiment.

The explanation of the appended schedule is very simple.
The numbers adjacent to the name of each person are placed
_ adjacent to the answers given by that person under all the

questions. The county to which the answer refers can be
ascertained by turning to the list of names, and looking at
the number corresponding to the answer. A careful study
of this schedule will well repay the time employed, and
give specific answers to questions concerning sheep hus-
bandry in the counties reported.

| 181 |

SCHEDULE OF QUESTIONS SENT OUT AND ANSWERS

RECEIVED.
ie NAMES OF CORRESPONDENTS. POsTOFFICES. COUNTIES.
HGRA Sb ain ee RANDLE NERAN ECORI Ses
1/Thos. G. Mosley... .. |Bellbuckle....... 2.000 sceseseeee Bedford.
2|W. P. Smallwood... eae inns 1 Beenie) Rae aun PE Sa erbaone oor Henry.
31H. F. Coleman.......... ssceeeee New Sedalia........ssseecceees Hancock.
ATW, P: Gass...--<s00seee-cers sense Washington ..........00. +--+. | Rhea.
5| John BE. Cole...... ..02.-0-2 20+ Waynesboro.. wesees | Wayne.
B/G. W. Boyd.........cesceeesecenee Wayne Furnace...........-+..| Wayne.
7\D. M. Jones......0: seseseees corees Sharon Station....... cscs Weakley.
SM iaminibtlesscesaceseesisrascccetes Dresden.. ses scaveeeee| Weakley.
9\John S. Claybrooke............ TUNE ces ceeree ceceee soceee veeeee| Williamson.
10|A. B. Commings...........---++ JOMESDOLO Meese tepsnealewesesace Washington.
11/J. N. Gurthrie...........-.--2.0+5 Galllagineses sete sa eeeeeeaae Sumner.
12|Jas. M. Head, M. D............ Galante tenes accra onsae acer .... | Sumner.
MAGN Baker. oo soe ate Gallatin) 0. 01.20... screen PUMaMer,
PAVE EY Bierce......-. 02...» --2s++5-- Gallatin seo cuases eerie ses SUNIL
AVI Tie INO AS 2. e aces sosecc ees [feemiqeneire ese menses cectineperaceans Sullivan.
16!B. A. Salisbury.....-..1.ssesssee|sccececeeeee seeeee crete saeaan seneee Stewart.
Al Jas Me) Stewiatbeec:--.-+ -co-s-es. Dunlap ...../Sequatchie.
Ths] Toth’ INU e eae eas Ree Ra aneeeserer as ‘Weiaiee Valley... ... Sequatchie.
ROWER ORE 2 c.cs csc isseest woerecee. Sadlersville... ...| Robertson.
POO mumbo ss OL sun asiccs caer Springfield ... . sss .s....| Robertson.
EUINV EDs SLOWCCL..vaceecscesccacn Half Moon Island...........|Roane.
22a He @ampbeliic. sve :sseceee= Murtreesboro... ......| Rutherford.
23/E. Bo yd SCN NUP TREAT Sea TBYSIBYOL i ctsan adn pos aononBeapaBaee le Olds
24, W. HC Gralla hyellllnetee cede cocsessen TRINFEE bbe seo vad hocroro reece nacoce | IORGr,
25|J. D. Goodpasture..............| Livingston ...... 06sec eer eee Overton.
26\H, H. Matlock...... parsers Riceville,...... . vee. | McMinn.
PM Ee By SL oplingiess:smeanerscwes- Purdy .. Sr MicINcauiny7.
2S Mies NG 18 lence Ia) podh eseooaaeee Decatur .. eae eles:
29|Geo. W. Atchley............000+ Decatur .. Mee ea | MCT:
SOU Re Sharpie lcdics eee seceeee Ten Miles Stand......0...... Meigs.
SiN A Ryley Si lenapnecee sgoccaond bonbee Denmark .. ea Miccisom:
Pzivolm Ne Ketthiyi:sssess secs. Mlackeom eee eeeteaieccses Dia Madison.
33|Stephen L. Ross.........0+ seee+ Lexingtones....2.sesee eepoo0ae0 Henderson.
SUepolan J). BOOW....<ccceassce soos: ACKSOM es cuec ser dereee sateen: Henderson.
SINE Be Chealtss.:-acestlederciccanss (Sharettnres 18 UID bee Socececee cesscccce Maury.
SG EDANOe Kel SOMs/sisceene mbaneitesescs Mlayettevullle seven eserss/ care Lincoln.
SAAC LO Williams ..5..s.ccsess-ces- Niarcelilaces aettessen-cves-tecmere Lawrence.
SoS Bradford. ...-scc-ersess<04 Mipotomyilles./sescces'aeseceeee Lake.
SIR latin (On INH Rapebaansece ccossoo Tiptomville.... 0... ceseensneees Lake.
A40| John C. Mosley......... Seda Ripley evecsmsaciaticeeanessicc nicer Lauderdale.
AU Vai emviey SyialU.nc-.a.«ccieeedesnet Holt’s Corner..........- pele Marshall.
42\Geo. T. Allman......... ...0.0000 @ornersvillle scenes tesarenesereee Marshall.
43|Geo. F. Hesselmeyer............ IRRVAENTLI pasceebos ancaododdsncace Claiborne.
44\Blijah Dougherty............+ Realeer a Gao aedeeen ce aaectequsee Johnson.
45) Pinckney McCarver..,........- Telbyaahish bike) asec chee barcereceee Jackson.
AG|OW) BP) Jarnagin....-....413.-6 Mossy Creeki.........-.000sceces Jefferson.

[1825

SCHEDULE OF QUESTIONS—Continued.

i)

A

47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60\J. S. ee Lc AsaA aan cade tis MARS
61|Michael Hoover
62|John L. Maxey
C635) [4 A Foal Sao b-@t senna aeeice Gaae
O45 ag. "Se Pope ctsscaceecese evens
65). M. Gavender.....:.2:.2. 22+...
66)G. W. & D. A. Walker........

67 Geo Morzany iis naan.
68] M. G. Gholsones:csees see

eeeecsess covees

fs

sewececes seceee sesees

eeeces cocene

wececccce seneccee.

© teeeeeece wesc cccee secece

NAMES OF CORRESPONDENTS.

POostoFFICES. CouNTIES.
WROD cewiec pwc amengeem cee Humphreys.
Hurricane Mills.............. Humphreys.
Bold Springs............ laed Humphreys.
IBrowusvallleteecceee ones meee Haywood.
Chattanooga). oa. cc sasaceseeees Hamilton.
Centreville ... .....| Hickman.
Somervillees) se liane Fayette.
divin vide ic) see cedcass eee Giles.
MGTUSTL Jase eee Grundy.
Sooth valle ee eine escees DeKalb.
iElenibumnissssestesreeaaeaeeeees Dyer.
10/0 FS He) CG EER ER Davidson.
Nashivallle 22ic Sh 2a sees Davidson.
JACK DOLO Mss Nae lkccen eee saee Campbell.
Witla Mai sorse alia ike ee en onees
Celina... ..... | Clay.
Charleston... scsssccssscsseeee Bradley.
Stephen’s Chapel... pee (mnie re Bledsoe.
Brankklin... sc (loss. ss.cssca2e2 | Wem
Friendship ... ses. Crockett.
Gainsboro.....s.csscss e+ 0000+ Jackson.
Clarksville .....................| Montgomery...
Grassy Cove..............+..--. | Cumberland.
MAZE well Mice hese caskateees Claiborne.
Claybrook Madison

eene vecececceces coccovecs | LLAUIDOUIL,

[ 183]

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.

What is the estimated number of sheep in your county?

1

Ot oO bo

O00 SIO OR oboe

. 10,000 or 15,000.

No answer.

. Between 5,000 and 7,000.

No answer.

. About 3,000.

4,000. é

. Have no idea, but less in pro-

proportion to other stock.

. Have no means of ascertaining.

. About 15,000.

. About 6,000.

. 10,000 of all breeds and grades.

. 5,000.

. Cannot answer, but
about 3,000 or 4,000.

. Estimated at 15,000 to 20,000.

. No answer.

. No answer.

. 2,500.

. 1,200.

. 7,000.

. About 10,000.

. 3,000.

. About 8,000.

. 5,000.

. 12,000.

. 15,000.

. No answer.

. No answer.

. 5,000.

. About 1,000.

. About 2,000.

. No answer.

. 15,000.

. Not able to answer.

. No answer.

. 20,000.

suppose

| 36.
. No answer.

. 600.

. 600 or over.

. 1,000 to 2,000.

. 3,500 to 4,000.

. 20,000.

. No answer.

. About 8,000.

. 2,000.

. 1,000.

. 20,000.

. No data to go by.

. Don’t know.

. 2,000 to 2,500.

. Am not advised.

. 8,000 to 12,000.

. A good many small flocks.
. About 2,000 to 2,500.

55. 1,000 to 1,500.

. About 20,000.

-. A number of small flocks.
. Don’t know.

. 4,000.

. 7,000.

. No. answer.

. 12,000.

. 6,000.

. Do not know.

. Do not know.

. About 3,000.

. About 2,500.

. Have no means of knowing.
. Do not know.

. Cannot answer.

. 5,000.

What breed of sheep are best
climate ?

. Merino, Cotswold, Leicester,
Southdown, all do well.

. No answer.

. Cotswold, Southdown.

. No answer.

. A eross of the Southdown and
Cotswold.

J

No answer.

adapted to your soil and

Cotswold and Southdown.

. Southdown, but any will be

healthy.

. The only breed in the county is

scrub.

. Southdown and the common

native breeds.

. Southdown and Cotswold.

CONRAP6 pw

[184]

. The old common stock crossed

with Cotswold.

. Southdowns, good medium wool,

best mutton, long lived.

. All breeds thrive and do well.
. Native the hardiest, crossed with

Southdown.
All
breeds do well.

. No answer.
. No answer.
. No answer.
. Southdown.
, Merino and Southdown.
. Southdown.

. Merino.

. No answer.

. Common stock.

. Southdown

is considered the
best improved breed.

. Leicester crossed with Cotswold.
. Grade Cotswold.

. All breeds thrive well.

. Southdown.

. Cotswold.

. My flock are all Merinos. They

are doing well.

. Ail kinds do well if attended

to

VA, Charold and Southdown.
. All kinds that have been tried

do well.

. Cotswold and Southdown.

. Cotswold and Shropshire.

. No answer.

. Southdown and Merino.

. No answer.

. None but natives in this section.
. No answer.

. Southdown.

. Cotswold and Southdown.

. Southdown.

| 44,

No answer.

45. Southdown, Leicester,

46
47
48
49
50
51

52
53

54.

50
56
57
58

64,

65
66
67

68

69

70
(ip

. Native crossed with Cotswold.

. Southdown the hardiest.

. Southdown.

. Cotswold and Southdown crossed
with natives.

. Cotswold, Southdown and Me-
rino.

. All the improved breeds do well
with proper care.

. Southdown and Cotswold.

. No answer.

All descriptions do well.

. Southdown.

. Cotswold and Southdown.

. Southdown and Leicester.

. The large breeds not so well as
small.

. Southdowns, and their grades on
native sheep.

. Southdowns are supposed to be
the best.

. Cotswolds and Southdowns.

. Not tested. Southdowns and
Cotswold have been intro-
duced.

. The Kentucky improved, which
is a breed between the Merino
and Cotswold.

All kinds do well.

. Southdowns and Merino.

. Cotswold and Southdown.

. Think it good for almost any
kind raised.

. The cross of Southdowns and
Cotswolds upon common
sheep.

. Sheep of a Spanish origin de-

cidedly.

. Southdown.

. Southdown.

What are the principal breeds now raised by your farmers?

. Native crossed upon Cotswold

and Southdown.

. Cotswold, Southdown and na-

tive.

. Cotswold and Southdown.

No answer.
Three-fourths common or scrub.

. Serub stock.

Native serub.

. Scrub, with few exceptions.

9
10

11
12
18
14
16

. Cotswold, Southdown, and
crosses from them.

. Common, Cotswold and South-
down.

. Scrubs and cross breeds.

. Southdown, Cotswold and native

. All kinds.

. Southdowns and Cotswold.

. Cotswold, Southdown and Me-
rino.

. No variety.

[ 185 ]

. A cross with native and Cots-

wold.

. Common scrub stock, with few

improved breeds.

. Principally scrubs.

. The majority are common breeds
. Southdown and Cotswold grades
. Scrub, Merino, Cotswold.

. Low grade principally. Cots-

wold bucks used.
No special interest
taken in sheep raising.

. Common breeds. fi
. Common stock, Leicester and

Cotswold.

. Cotswold and common.
. Southdown, Oxford-Down, Cots-

wold and common.
Serub, Cotswold, Merino.

. Common, Cotswold, Merino.
. Native stock.
. Southdown, some Cotswold and

common.

32. Mostly scrub. A few Cotswold
and Southdown.

33. Common principally. Some
Southdown.

34. Common.

35. Southdown, Cotswold grades.

WOIHP STROOD ft

—
S

. Cotswold and Southdown. ~

. Grade sheep.

. Native, Southdown, and Cots-
. Mostly native sheep.

. Native.

. Common sheep.

. Southdown are becoming the

principal sheep.
A
few Merinos.

. Old stock.

. Native.
. Common scrub.

. Southdown and Cotswold.

. The majority old stock.

. Common, Cotswold and South-

. Old native or mountain stock.
5. Southdown, Leicester and com-

mon.
Some improved breeds.

down.

. Native. Some improved breeds.
2. Rocky mountain, or scrub.
. But little attention paid to this

industry.

. Southdown, Cotswold, Merino,

serub.

. Cross with the Merino and na-

tive sheep.

. A mixture of all breeds.
. Scrubs, being crossed with im-

proved breeds.

. Natives and improved.

59. Serubs.

69.

70.
71.

. Cotswold

. A majority scrubs, some im-

proved breeds.

. Cotswold and Southdown.
. Common mountain sheep.
. Common crossed with Cotswold.
. Native and Merino, some Cots-

wold and Southdown.

. Cotswold, Southdown and native
. Cotswold and Southdown.
. Mostly scrubs; a few Cotswold

and Southdowns.

and Southdowns,
crossed on common sheep.

Mostly natives, with a few
Spanish and Southdowns.

Serubs and Southdowns.

Serub.

What number are sold out of the county, and in what
market ?

. About 6,000. Atlanta and Louis-

ville mostly.

. No answer.

. 2,000 to 2,500.

No answer.

About 500 to Memphis.
1,500 to 2,000.

Very few to New Orleans.

. Do not know.
. About 5,000 to Nashville ; lambs
to Cincinnati and New York. | 17.

. About 3,000 to eastern markets. | 18.

|
|

| 14.

15.
16.

. 2,000 old sheep to Nashville,

Louisville and Cincinnati.

. 1,000 monthly to Nashville and

Louisville.

. A good many to Louisville and

northern markets.
About 1,500 sent to Nashville
and northern markets.
2,000 to 3,000 to eastern markets.
None.
500 to go South, Atlanta, Ga.
500 to Atlanta.

1

Ne}

[ 186 ]

About 10 per cent. of the num-
ber sold to Nashville.

- About 2,000 to Nashville.

. Comparatively none.

2. No answer.

. From 5,000 to 7,000, to Atlanta

and Augusta.

. No answer.

. About 2,500, mostly to Kentucky

. Very fow shipped out of the
county.

. 3,000, to Memphis, Jackson,
Mobil e.

. 300 to Atlanta.
. Very few, to go North.
. Very few, to Atlanta.

. Home market;

Jackson 200,
Memphis 300 to 400.

- About 4,000 to Memphis in 1876
. Not able to give a correct an-

swer.

. Very few.

. No answer.

. Three-fourths, to go North.

. No answer.

. A few sold for Memphis.

. A few sold for Memphis.

- None.

. Two-thirds of the crop to Nash-

ville.

- 10,000 full bloods sold South;

grade lambs to the butchers.

. 2,000 to Kentucky.
t 1,000 to Baltimore.
. 2,000 to Nashville and Kentucky

What is the average price

1. Average price $2.50.
2. No answer.

3. For two years past lic per Ib.
4. No answer.

5. About $3.00 per head.
6. $1.50.

7. $1.50 to $2.00

8. $1.50.

9. $2.50.

10. $1.25.

11. $3.50.

12. $5.00.
13. $3.00.

14, 4c to 43c per Ib.

15.
16.
17.

$1.50 to $2.00.
Native. $2.00.
3c to 3c per Ib.

70.
Cle

. Not many ;
. About one-fourth to Memphis.
. Don’t know;

. Do not know;

. 500 to 1,000 to traders

. Don’t know:
’

a few to go Hast.

Memphis princi-
pal market.

a good many
sold to Memphis.

. None sold out of the county.
. Don’t know;

some sold to go
South.
and
feeders.

. No answer.
. A few to Memphis and Nash-

ville.

. None.

. 1,000 per annum.

. None of consequence.

- Do not know.

. No answer.

- From 1,000 to 2,000 to Ken-

tucky.

1,000 to 2,000 to Nashville and
Louisville.

those sold go to
Louisville.

3,000 to go South.

4 500 to Chattanooga.

. 2,000 to N ashville for shipment.
; 200: various markets.

. 800 ‘or 400. ;

- Do not know, not many.

. Some for northern markets and

some for southern.
Some to Kentucky.
Jackson is our market.

obtained for them ?

. 3c per Ib.

. $3.50 to $4.00.
- $3.00.

. No answer.

. $2.50 to $3.00.

$2.50.

. $2.00.
. $1.50.
. $5.50 for

common, $6.00 to
$10.00 for grade Cotswold.
$2.00.

$52.00.

. No answer.
. $1.50 to $2.00.
. Spring lambs $2.50; one to two

years old $3.50.

. $3.50.

—
i=)

. $1.50.
. $1.00 to $2.00.
. $2.50.

Are lambs sold,

CHINA oF WHE

[187 ]

. $1.50 to 2.00.
. $2.25 to $3.00.
. $2.00 to $5.00.
. 23e per Ib.

7, $3.00.

. $3.00.

. $3.00.

; No answer.

$2.50.

Full blooded Cotswold $15.00;

Southdown $5.00 to $10.00.

. $1123.

$2.00.

. $2.50 to $3.00.
. $1.50 to $1.75.
. None sold.

. $2.50 to $5.00.
. $1.50 to $2.00.

. One-half are sold.
. None.

Yes. Lambs are sold with the
sheep, say 500 per year.

None.

Lambs are not sold to any ex-
tent.

. None sold, no market.

. Very few.

. None.

. About one-half of the male

lambs are sold.

. But few sold.
ie

5,000 sold to Louisville, Cincin-
nati and New York.

. 1,000 or more annually.

UN great many, 2,000 to 3,000.
. About 800.

. Some.
. Not many.

. None sold.

. About half the product.

. Only for breeding and home

Not to any great extent.

consumption.

. Very few.

None.

. No answer.
. None.

. None.

. None sold.
. None sold.

53.

54.
59.
56.

and to what

27.
28.
29.

$3.00 for grades, $2.00 for com-
mou.

$9.00 common, $3.00 for grades.

$2.00 to $5.00.

$2.00 to $5.00,

according to
breeds.

. No answer.
. $3.00.
. No answer.
. $2.00.

$3.00.

. $1.25 to $2.00.
. $1.50.
. $3.00.
. $2.00.
. $2.00.
. $2.00.

$2.50.

. $1.25 to $2.00.
. $1.25 to $1.75.
. $2.00.

extent ?

More extensively than sheep.

None sold.

None that I know of out of ae
county.

. $1.50 to $3.50.
. 8,000 or 4,000 for home con-

sump Sai

. About tie half of the product.

. Not many.

. Very few.

. All the early buck lambs at

$3.00.

. Thirty per cent. are sold.

. No answer.

. None.

. None.

. None.

. Most of the early at $3.00.
. Two-thirds are sold.
. Yes.

. Very few.

. A few for breeding.

. None to butchers,

some for
breeding.

. About fifteen per cent.
. A few.
_ Most of the lambs are sold in

June.

. About 400 or 500 annually.
. A few for breeding.
. A limited number.

ile

. No answer.

. A few for breeding purposes.
. None sold. ;

. Yes, largely.

. None.
. Yes.

Do not know to what ex-
tent.

. Yes, probably 5,000, at $3.00.

None.

. Yes, 400 to 500.

A marked improvement.

2.\Considerable attention is paid. |
3. Very little for the last five years. | 31

4.

. Very little.

. Very little.

. None of any consequence.

. A great deal of attention of late

. Very little.
. All farmers are making an effort |

. Great attention is now being
. In some sections a good deal,
. Considerable.
. There is getting to be a good
. None.

. Scarcely any at all.

. Very little.
. Considerable.

. None.

. Very little.

. Considerable the last five years.
. Considerable interest is being

. The desire to improve is rapidly

This interest is totally neglected
in this county, though the fin-
est in the State for sheep rais-
ing.

There has not been much atten- |
tion given.

years.

to improve.

made to improve.

others not.

The business in-

creasing rapidly.

deal of excitement.

Improved breeds
are being introduced.

. Very little.
. Very little.
. More than formerly. Improved

breeds are being introduced.

manitested.

increasing.

. There is a spirit of improvement |

manifested.

29
30

32.

58.
59.

60.

. Very few.

. Very few.

. None.

. Yes, to the full extent.

. No lambs sold.

. No, except a few at home.

. Do not know. A
. No lambs sold.

. About one-fourth sold.

. About two-thirds.

What attention is paid to the improvement of breeds?

. Very little.
. Almost none.
. For the last three years consid-
erable going on.
Quite a number of farmers are
buying improved breeds.
. Very little except with a few
farmers.
. Just beginning to improve.
. Flocks generally are being im-
proved.
. A good deal.
. Some interest manifested to im-
prove breeds.
. Comparatively little.
. Very little.
. None.
. Good.

2. Improved breeds are being in--

troduced.
. Not much.

4. Not much.
5. But very little.

. Some attention is being paid.

. Good for the last year or so.

. More interest is being mani- |
fested.

. A good deal more than formerly.

. Not a great deal.

. Very little. The interest checked
by the dog law.

. Very little till of late years.

. Some little by a few.

. A few farmers are giving their
attention to it.

. Very little.

. Very much. —

. Some few are making an effort.

A great deal.

Occasionally an _ enterprising

farmer buys a good buck.
Not much.

CO OO ATO CT 09 DD

[189]

provement.

_ OF late there is some interest

maniltested.

What breeds are preferred ?

. Cotswold.
. Cotswold and Southdown.

Cotswold and Southdown.
No answer.

. Cotswold and Southdown.
. Cotswold.

_ Cotswold and Southdown.
. No answer.

. Cotswold and Southdown.
. Old stock crossed with Cotswold. |
. Southdown.

. Southdown and Cotswold.

. Southdown.

. Southdown and Cotswold.

. Cotswold.

. No choice.

. Southdown.

. Southdown.
. Merino, Cotswold and South-

down.
Cotswold.

. Cotswold and Merino.
. Formerly Cotswold, now South-

down.

. No answer.

. Southdown.

. Leicester and Cotswold.

. Cotswold.
. Southdown and Cotswold.
. Southdown, Cotswold, Merino.
. Cotswold.

. Merino by me.

. Cotswold and Southdown.
. Cotswold.

. Southdown.

. Cotswold and Southdown.
. Southdown and Cotswold.
. Southdown and Cotswold.
. No answer.

. There is a great spirit for im-| 67.
68.

Very little if any.
Quite ordinary with a few ex-
ceptions.

69. Very little.

- There seems to be ‘considerable. | 70.
. Very little.

. Generally very little.
. But very little.

ale

Some are selling off old stock
and introducing new.
Not much.

. Southdown and Cotswold.

. Southdown and Cotswold.

. No preference.

. Southdown and Merino.

. Southdown.

. Southdown.

. There is a difference of opinion

which is best.

. Southdown and Cotswold.

. Cotswold and Southdown.

. Cotswold.

. Cotswold, Leicester, Southdown.
. Cotswold and Southdown.

. Cotswold and Southdown.

. Cotswold.

. Cotswold and Southdown.

. Cotswold and Southdown.

. Merino and Cotswold.

. Southdown and Merino.

. Cotswold, Southdown and Lei-

cester.

. No answer.

. Southdown and Cotswold.

. Southdown.

. Southdown and Cotswold.

. Cotswold and Southdown.

. So far with us only an experi-

ment.

. Southdown.

. Cotswold and Southdown.

. Cotswold and Southdown.

. Cotswold, Southdown and Lin-

colnshire.

. So little attention is paid to the

matter can’t say.

. Cotswold.

. People are not generally posted.
. Cotswold and Southdown.

. Cotswold and Southdown.

[190 ]

What do you estimate the

per head tu be?

oe oo bo le

£0 90 I> OUR 99 DO

$1.50.
50e.
. $1.25, $1.50.
No answer.
75e.
50e.
$1.00.
. Do not know.
. Never made an estimate of the
cost.
. $1.00.
. $1.00.
. $2.00.
. $1.25.
lee
. $1.50.
. 80e to 90c.
. Do not know.
. $1.00.
. 50c the maximum.
. No answer.
. $2.00.
. $1.00.
. $1.00.
. No answer.
. 00e.
. $1.50.
. d3he.
. $1.00.
. About what they are worth when
raised.
. Hither the lamb or wool will
pay the cost.
. 75e.
. 7d¢e.
. 60c¢ to 75e.
. Very little. Can be grazed till
the snow covers the ground.
. $1.50.

annual cost of raising sheep

. $1.00.

. No answer,

. Very little.

. Have never made an estimate.

. Don’t know.

. 40c.

. 7de.

. No answer.

. 60c.

. The cost is very little when they

have a good range.

. 50¢e.

. 7d¢.

. Have never made an estimate.

. Don’t know, not much.

. 50e.

. Cannot tell; natives generally

take care of themselves.

. 50c, aceording to the old plan of

letting them run.

. No answer.

. About $1.50.

5. About 75e.

. About $1.00.

. No answer.

. About 25c to 50e.
. $1.00.

Ae SS EOI5).

. $1.00 on dry food.
. No answer.

. 00e.

. $1.50.

. 00e.

. $1.00.

. 00e.

. $1.25.

. From 30e to 60c.
. No answer.

. 00e.

What description of feed is generally used, and what oe
ticular method employed in feeding ?

. Grass only; a little corn and

hay in snow.

. No answer.
. Hay, fodder and corn.

No par-
ticular method.

. No answer.
. In winter corn and hay mostly.

6.

ie
8.

They run on the vacant land.
Little care taken with them.

Corn and fodder.

Anything that is fed to other
stock. ;

9. Grass, fodder and hay, very little

corn.

. Cotton seed, corn and oats.

. Woods pasture.

| 191 ]

. Grain and hay.
. No feed except in rough weather,

then corn and hay.

. Corn, hay and fodder.
. Grass and corn.
. Rye and grass, a little corn at

lambing time.

. Hay and fodder.

. Run in the woods.

. Corn and fodder.

. Corn, fodder and hay.

. Grazed on clover till December,

then on wheat, fodder and
hay in bad weather.

. Sheep run on wheat in fall and

winter, clover in summer.

. No particular feed or method.
. Not much feeding done.

Some
feed cotton seed to save hay
and corn.

. Fodder, corn and hay.
. Pasture in summer, oats

and
hay in winter.

. Corn fodder when fed at all;

Fed but little.

. Corn, fodder and hay. Clover

hay and corn the best.
No
particular method.

. Corn and fodder; turnips are ex-

cellent.
Let the sheep
take care of themselves.

. No particular feed or method.
. Oats, peas, cotton seed and fod-

der in winter.

. Corn, cotton seed and hay. No

method.

. Corn, peas, cotton seed with hay

and oats.

. No answer.
. Pasture mostly, shelled oats and

corn in winter to thorough-

breds.

. Grass.
. No answer.

Some feed onrye; mostly run in
the woods.

. Some winter on rye, others let

run in the woods.

. No answer.
. Corn

meal, blue-grass,
meadow hay, etc.

rye,

42.
43.
44.

45.
46.
47.
48.

. Corn and oats.

. Cotton seed

No answer.

Oats and fodder.

Very little attention paid to
feeding; numbers live on the
hills.

None fed.

Such food as they can glean.
No method.

Hay and corn fodder fed on the
ground.

Corn and pea hay. The latter
is as fine as can be had. We
feed on clover and chopped
food.

Not much sys-

tem about feeding.

. Cotton seed and a little hay and

fodder and turnips, raw.

. But littke feed is given; in bad

weather hay and straw.

. The old plan was to let run at

large ten months in the year,
but we are improving on
that.

. No answer.
. Corn and cotton seed with hay

in winter.

. Grazing insummer; hay in win-

ter.

. Oats, bran or meal.
. Hay and cotton seed and wheat

grazing.

. Summer, pasture; winter, hay

and a little corn.

. Grass and browsing; hay when

there is snow.

. Corn, fodder, hay and oats.
. Corn and hay.
2. Corn, fodder and hay. No sys-

tem employed.

. Grass and hay.
. Corn, fodder and hay.
. Not much if any but grass and

weeds, some corn fodder.
with fodder.
particular method.

No

. Corn and fodder.

. Corn, hay, sorghum seed, oats.

. They run at large on the plains.
. Fodder, wheat and bran.

. Cotton seed and corn and fodder.

—
_

— ft ee
He OO bO

—"
SOON TP wre

[192]

What is the average price obtained for unwashed wool?

(These answers were given in 1878 when wool was low.)

. 20c per pound.
. 85¢ per pound.
. Very little shipped. Home

price 25c to 40c.

. No answer.
. Do not think that there is any

unwashed wool sold.
No answer.

. None sold. Rolls 40c¢ to 65c.
. No answer.
. 25¢ per pound.

20645

. 20c to 25e for Southdown and

Cotswold, 18¢ for scrub.

. 30c per pound.
. 18c to 30c, according to quality.
_ Don’t know. Last season nearly |

all sold at 25c to 28e.

. 35¢ per pound.

p 30c (73 (74

. 30c to 40e per pound.
. 25¢ per pound.

19. 25c

20. 20c “ is

21. 25¢ “ cf

22. 25¢e “ "

23. 40c “ 4

24. 20c to 30c, owing to burs.
25. 30c per pound.

26. 15c to 25c for common.

SONS OUR ep

. None sold.

. 35¢ to 40c per pound.

. 30c, I believe.

. 30c the market, almost all wool

used at home.

. 30c¢ per pound.

. About 18c per pound.

. 35¢e to 40c when free from burs.
. No answer.

35. No answer.

36. 20¢ per pound.

37. About 22c per pound.
38. 15¢ to 20e per pound.

389. 1dc to 20e “ YF;
40. None sold.

41. 18c to 20e per pound.

42. 23c to 25e “

43, 20e per pound.

44, 334e “ ef

45. 20c to 22c¢ per pound.

46. 20¢e to 25e “ i

7. None sold.

48, 20¢ per pound.

49. 20c “

50. 20c “

51. I have sold mine from 33¢ to 75¢
for ten years past.

52. 20c to 25e per pound.

53. No answer.

o4. 25¢ per pound.

| 60. About 40c per pound.

56. 30c to40e “

57. 20¢ per pound.

58. 20¢ to 45¢ per pound.
59. 20c per pound.

60. 20c to 25e per pound.
61. 25c per pound.

62. No answer.

63. 25¢ per pound.

64. None sold.

65. About 25¢ per pound.
66. 18c to 20c “

67. 25c per pound.

68. 30e “ i"

69. 25c to 30c per pound.
70. 30c per pound.

71. No answer.

What is the average yield of unwashed wool per sheep?

. Native 2 to 4 pounds, Cotswold

8 pounds.
5 pounds.
4 it3
No answer.
3 pounds.

. About 23 pounds.
. 3 to 4 pounds.
. No answer.

9. 4 pounds on common, Cotswold
more.

10. About 3 pounds.

11. 6 to 8 pounds from Southdowns
and Cotswolds; 5 pounds Span-
ish Merino; 3 pounds scrub.

12. 4 pounds.

13. 3 ne

14, 4 iB

10 COMI CV 09 DO

=
—

He
oo BS

What is the clear income

. None on native sheep.

No answer.
65e to 80e.

. No answer.

About 75ce.

No answer.

. About $1.00.

. No answer.

. Have never made an estimate.

. No answer.

. From 10e to 60c, according to

breed.

. Nothing.
. Not much. If it were not for

the lambs there would not be
many sheep raised.

13

}

| 193 ]
15. Owing to the kind of sheep. 46.
16. 35 pounds.
17. About 3 pounds. aT
18. About 3 rs 48
19.17 to 10 es 49
20. About 5 pounds. 50
21. About 3 = 51
22. About 33 to 4 pounds.
23. About 5 pounds. 52.
24, No answer.
25. About 3 pounds common. 53
26. 24 pounds for scrub; 6 to 12] 54
pounds for Cotswold.
27. 4 pounds.
28. 3 pounds for scrub; Cotswold | 55
and Southdown 5 pounds. 56
29. About 4 pounds. 57
30. Native 1 to 3 pounds; Merinos | 58
3 to 12 pounds; grade Cots-
wold 3 to 7. 59
31. Common 3 pounds; blooded 5 to | 60
7 pounds. 61
32. 8 pounds for blooded sheep. 62
33. Best flocks of common 4 pounds;
improved breeds 6 to 8 pounds. | 63
34. No answer. 64
35. 4 pounds. 65
36. 35 pounds. 66
37. No answer.
38. 3 pounds.
39. 3 a 67
40. No answer. 68
41. 8 pounds for improved breeds. 69
42. Cotswold average 8 to 10 pounds
43. 2 to 3 pounds. 70
AABOR LOIS) wae
45. From 1 to 3 pounds. an

3)
. Natives

. Scrub 3 pounds; Southdown

5 to 8 pounds from improved
breeds.
3 pounds.

. 34 to 4 pounds.
. About 4 or 5 pounds,
. 2 to 25 pounds.
. Native 2} pounds;

Cotswold
average nearly 9 pounds.

2 to 4 pounds common; 8 to 12
pounds improved breeds.

. No answer.
. Cotswold 12 pounds ; Southdown

5 pounds; Merino 8 pounds;
scrub 2 pounds.

5. From 2 to 3 pounds.

. Improved breeds 5 to 7 pounds.
. 5 pounds improved breeds.

.2 to 8 pounds, according to

breeds.

. Average yield 23 pounds.

. 25 pounds.

. 4 pounds.

2. 14 to 2 pounds common; 4 to &

pounds improved breeds.

. About 3 pounds.

. 4 pounds. ,

. 2 to 25 pounds.

§. Serub 3 pounds; Southdown 6

pounds; Cotswold 11 pounds;
Lincolnshire 12 pounds.

. 23 pounds.

ce

2} pounds; Cotswold 7

=2
pounds.
5

pounds.

. 4 to 6 pounds.

wool io the sheep?

. No answer.

. No answer.

. No answer.

. Cannot say.

. No answer.

. $1.25 per head.

. No answer.

. That depends upon the manner

they are cared for.

2. 70e to 80c.

. $1.25 under good management.
. No answer.

. On common stock none.

26. 174¢ on serub.

5 20:

28. About 15c.

. Loses half in washing.
. No answer
. 60c on common, $1.25 on im-

proved breeds.

. No answer.

. Not able to answer.
. No answer.

. No answer.

. 17sec.

. No answer.

. 60e to 75ce.

. 60c to 75e.

. Do not know.

. 80ce.

. No answer.

. 00¢c to 60e.

. 40e.

. No answer.

. What you realize from the

wool.

. About 25c.
. Do not know.
. Do not know.
. 25e. or 30e.

What is the average price

. $2.40 per head.

No answer.

None sold to butchers.
No answer.

$1.50 per head.

No answer.

No answer.

No answer.

. About $2.00; the past two years

$2.50.

. None sold.

. $3.50 to $4.00.

. $3 00.

. $3.00.

. $3.00 to $4.00 per head. The

money made is on the lambs.

. $2.00 to $3.00.
. No answer.

. None sold.

. $3.00.

. $2.00. Very few sold to butchers
. No answer.

. None sold.

. $2.50.

. $1.50 to $2.00.
. No answer.

. None sold.

. None sold.

|

51, Can only answer for myself,
Cotswold averaged 9 lbs. last
year.

52. Very little on common sheep.

53. No answer.

54. Do not know.

55. From 80c to $1.00 on improved
breeds.

56. From $1.00 to $2 00 on fine sheep

57. 50c per head.

58. No answer.

59. About 30c.

60. No answer.

61. No answer.

62. No answer.

63. d0e.

64. Nothing.

65. From 60e to 624e.

66. No answer.

67. About $1.00.

68. $1.00.

69. It depends upon the breed.

70. No answer.

71. No answer.

tor lambs to the butcher ?

97. $2.00.
28. None sold.

| 29. From $1.00 to $2.00.
| 30. No answer.

31. $3.00 in early spring.
32. $2.00.

33. $1.00.

34. $2.00 to $2.25.
35. $3.00.

36. $2.00.

37. No answer.
38. None sold.
39. None sold.
40. No answer.
Al. $2.50.

42. $3.00.

43. No answer.
44. None sold.
45. $1.00 to $1.50.
46. None sold.
47. About $1.50.
48. $2.50.

49. $1.25.

50. $1.50 to $2.00.
51. None sold.

52. $1.25 to $2.00.
53. No answer.

: O04, $2.00.

SSO Be pre

elec)

li. $2.00 for

fngoul

5. None sold. | 64
56. About $2.00. 65
. None soid. | 66

. $2.50 to $3.50. 67

. $3.00. | 68

. None sold to the butcher. | 69

. No answer.
. No answer.

. $1.25.

What is the average price

. No answer.
. $1.75 to $2.00 per head.
. Ewes $2.00 to $2.50; bucks
$4.00 to $5.00.
No answer.
. From $1.00 to $2.00.
$1.50.
$1.50; select breeders $5.00 to
$15:00.

. No answer.

. About $3.00 for two years past ;
$2.00 heretofore.

. About $1.50.

common,
10.00 for breeding.
. $2.00.

$8.00 to

3. Atter shearing $2.50.

L. $2.50.

. $5.00 to $10.00 for breeders.

= Spl 2or

. $1.00 to $1.50.

5 Sil Dey,

. $4.00 to $5.00 for improved
breeds.

. Very few sold.

. $1.50.

2. $10.00 for improved breeds.

- $1.50 to $2.00.

24. $1.50 to $2.00.

. Fine bucks and ewes $5.00 to
$10.00.

0. $1.50.

. 1.50

28. Serubs $1.00; blooded $5.00 to

$50.00.
. p1.00.

30. S100 to $1.50.

i. $1.50. Fancy prices for im-
ported.
$2.50.

33. $1.25 to $1.50.
34. $150 to $2.00.

. None sold.

. $2.50 for 60 1b. lambs.
. No sale of lambs.

. 31.00.

. $2.50.

. None sold to butchers.
. None sold.

. $1.50.

for stock sheep?

or
oo.

36.

37

$2.50.

$2.00, grade $5.00.

$1.50, Southdown $10 00, Cots-
wold $15.00 to $25.00.

. 1.50 to $2.00.

. $1.50 to $2.00.

. $2.00.

. 54.00 for grade.

2. $16.00 for full blood Southdown,

$15.00 for Cotswold.

3. $2.00.

4, $1.50.

. $1.25 to $1.50.

. $1.50 to $2.00.

1 Leo.

. $1.50.

AQ. 2.00.

50. $2.00 to $5.00, according te

breed.

51. $1.25 to $2.50 for wethers.

. $1.50 to $2.00.

. No answer.

. $1.00 to $1.50.

. $1.50 to $2.00.

. Best breeds $5.00 to $7.00.

. $2.00.

. Common $1.25 to $2.00, blooded

$15.00 to $25.00.

_ $2.00.
. $1.50 to $5.00,

according to
breed.

. $10.00 for blooded.
2. $1.50.

. $1.50.

. $1.50.

. $1.50.

. $1.75.

. $1.50.

. $2.50.

. $1.00 to $1.50.
. $1.25 to $2.00,
. No answer.

. $1.75 to $2.00.

$0 9 DID YR O9 bo

. $1.75.

. $3.00 to $4.00.

. $5.00.

. $4.00 with the wool on.

. $4.00.

. It varies according to the quality

- $4.00 to $5.00.

. dc to 33c per Ib.
- $2.00.

. $3.50 to $4.00.

- $3.00.

. $2.00.

. $2.50 to $3.00.

. $2.50.

. $2.00 to $2.50.

. None sold.

. No answer.
- $2.00.
. $2.00.
. $2.00.

. 8c per lb. gross.
. $3.00.

. $2.00 to $2.25.
. No answer.

. $3.00.

. No answer.

| 196]

What is the average price for mutton per head?

- dc per lb.
. No answer.

- $2.00 to $2.50.

See remarks.
$2.00.

$1.00 to $3.00.
$150. See remarks.
$3.00.

from $2.00 up.

$3.00.

is your nearest market?

le

—_

. All consumed at home.
. See remarks.
. None at home, send to Hum-

. Entirely used at home.
. Sent to Franklin or Nashville.
. Consumed at home.

OO ONTO Or 0) bo

Sold here but consumed out of
the county.
No answer.

phreys county.
The most is used at home.
Yes.

37

38.
39.
40,
4].
42.
43.
44,
45,
46.

Have you a home market for

. No answer.
$2.50 to $3.00.
$2.50 to $3.00.
$2.00.

$2.25.

$5.00.

$2.00.

$2.00 to $2.50.
$1.00 to $2.00.
de per Ib.

. $2.00.

3. Do.OU,

. 1.50 to $1.75.

0. $2.25.

. $2.50 to $5.00.
. $1.50 to $2.50.
. See remarks.

. $3.00 to $5.00
. $2.00 to $2.50.
. $3.06.

$2.50.

$3.00 to $4.00.

. 2.00.

p20:

. $3.00 for goad wethers that will
weigh 70 Ibs.

. No answer.

. $2.00.

. $2 00.

. $2.25 to $4.00.

; $2.25.

> plvo:

. de per tb.

. $2.00 to $3.00.

. No answer.

. 2.00:

your wool? If not, what

. Some sent to Kentucky and the
North.

. Sold to agents of manufactories.

. Generally sold at home.

. Send the most of it to Bowling-
ereen, Ky.

. Have a tolerably good market
at home.

. Yes.

. We have a home market.

. Sell to the factory at MeMinn-
ville.

[197 |

19. Two fine mills on Red river, | 44. The factories at Elizabeth buy
near State line. our wool at 50c per lb,

20. Exchange our wool with fac- | 45. We have.
tories on Red river. | 46. No home market.

21. No home market. 47. We have a home market.

22. Home market. 48. Most consumed at home.

23. Home market. 49. We have a home market.

Or

Mayfield factories.

. No home market, Nashville the
nearest.

. Knoxville our market.

. Exchange with mills at Hum-
phreys county for goods.

. Consumed at home.

. Sell at Knoxville.

. Our markets are North and
East.

. Sell to go out of the county; no
factories.

24, We can sell at home or sell at | 50. We have none; ship to different

places.

. No home market. I ship to

Boston, Mass.
None. Hurricane Mills the
nearest market.

. No answer.
. Some little

home demand.

Louisville and Philadelphia.

. Not enough raised for home con-

sumption.

. We have the factories at home

and MeMinnville.

32. But little sold at home. Ship to |57. Humboldt factory the nearest.
St. Louis. Ship to St. Louis.
33. No home market, sell to Hum- | 58. Nashville our market.

boldt and Hurricane Mills. 59. Yes, we have a home market.
34. None. | 60. The most of our wool is sold in
35. Home market. Knoxville.
86. No home market. 61. Good home market.
37. Home market. 62. Not wool enough for home use.
38. No home market; Cincinnati | 63. We have.
and St. Louis. 64. We have no home market.
39. No home market; St. Louis|65. No. Nashville.
and Cincinnati. 66. Have no home market.
40. None sold. 67. Home market for all we make.
41. Home market for one-third. 68. Home market. Clarksville.
42. Can sell at home or to fac- | 69. Most merchants buy wool.
tories. 70. Knoxville.
43. Yes. Knoxville. 71. None raised for market.

Are there any woolen factories in your county. If yes,
how many and where located ?

1. None. 12. Two, one in Gallatin and one
2. One, in the northern part of the at Desha’s creek.
county. 13. Two, one ia Gallatin and one at
3. None. Desha’s creek.
4. No answer. | 14. Two, one in Gallatin and one at
5. None. | Desha’s creek.
6. None. | 15. Four, two at Bristol, two at
7. None but carding factories. Elizabethtown.
8. None. 16. None.
9. Do not know. | 17. None.
10. None. _\ 18. None.
11. Two, one in Gallatin and one|19. None known to us.
five miles from it. 20. None.

[ 198 ]

21. None. 48. Ours is all we know of.
22. None, three or four carding fac- | 49. One at Hurricane creek.

tories. 50. None.
23. None 51. None.
24. One 52. None, some carding machines.
25. None. 3. No answer.
26. One on Eastamantor creek. 54. None, one near the line in Flor-.
27. None. ence.
28. None. 55. None.
29. None, carding mills only. 06. One at Dowelltown.
30. None. 57. None.
31. None in Madison. 58. None.
32. None. 59. None that I know of.
33. None. 60. None.
34, None. 61. One at Tullahoma.
35. None. 62. None, some carding machines.
36. One in Fayetteville. 63. None, but one at McMinnyille.
7. One at Marcella Falls. near our lines. ,
38. None. | 64. None.
39. None. 65. None.
40. None. 66. None.
41. None. 67. None.
42. None, some carding factories. | 68. One on the west fork of Red
43. One near or at Morristown. | river.
44. None. | 69. None.
45. None. 70. None.
46. None, some carding machines. | 71. No answer.

. One at Big Hurricane creek.

What is the estimated amount of capital invested in sheep.

in your county ?

1. $50,000. | 22. $7,500.

2. $6,000 to $10,000. | 23. No answer.

3. No answer. | 24. Not over $15,000.

4, About $6,000. | 25. No answer.

5. No answer. | 26. $10,000 to $12,000.

6. Very little, cannot give the | 27. About $24,000.
amount. | 28. About $6,000,

7. None. | 29. No answer.

8. Do not know. | 80. $5,000.

9. About $7,000 or $8,000. 31. About $20,000.

10. $50,000. , 82. About $40,000.

11. $20,000. | 33. Unable to answer.

12. Cannot answer. 34. Very limited.

13. About $40,000. 35. $100,000.

14. No answer. , 36. Do not know.

15. No answer. 37. No answer.

16. $30,000 to $40,000. 38. $10,000 to $12,000.

17. $3,000. | 39. $10,000 to $12,000.

18. $20,000. 40, None.

19. $3,000. Al. $900.

20. $3,500. 42. $75,000.

21. $25,000 to $30,000. | 43, No answer.

—-

[199 ]

44, About $12,000. 58. No answer.
45. Very little. 59. No answer.
46. Very limited. . 60. About $10,000.
47, About $30,000. 61. No answer.

‘ A8. Do not know. ° 62. No answer.
49. Do not know. 3. $10,000.
50. About $5,000. 64. $12,000.

~51. Cannot answer. 65. None.
52. $15,000 to $20,000. 66. No answer.
58. No answer. 67. Cannot answer.
54. $7,000 or $8,000. 68. Do not know.
55. $3,000 to $4,000. 69. Can’t tell.
56. No answer. 5 70. No answer.
57. About $10,000. 71. Don’t know.

What is the estimated number and value of sheep an-
nually destroyed by dogs?

1. Half a dozen farmers present es- | 28. Very few since the dog law was

timate the number from 300 passed.
to 1,000. 29. No answer.
2. About one-fifth annually. 30, One-half to three-fourths of the
3. Cannot give any estimate. whoie number.
4, No answer. 31. 10 to 20 per cent.
5. About 800, worth $1,600. 32. 10 per cent.
6. One-fourth. 33. Not less than 20 per cent.
7 None since the dog law was] 34. 10 to 10 per cent.
passed. 35. No answer.
8. No answer. 36. $2,500 in value.
9. In the last three years but few, | 87. Do not know.
but previously one-fourth. 38. 10 per cent.
10. About one-half of the whole | 39. Very few recently.
amount. 4). About 10 per cent.
11. 200 in this county. Must now] 41. About one-fourth.
increase. 2. 25 per cent., valued at $15,500-
12. 500. 3. No answer.
13. A great many, don’t know the | 44. A very considerable number.
number. 45, 100, value $129.
14, Don’t know, less the past season | 46. 1,000 for this county.
than ever. 47, About 10 per cent.
15. About one-fourth. ' 48. Cannot answer, know it to be
16. No answer. large.
17. About 25 per cent. of the whole. | 49. Cannot say.
18. 50 sheep valued at $62.50. 50. Cannot give the number, think
19. About 10 per cent. it great.
20. About 1,000, value $3,000. 51. Cannot answer.
21. 5 per cent. 52. Very considerable.
22. No answer. 158. No answer.
23. 100 head. 54. Very few while the dog law was
24. 10 per cent. in force.
25. About 200 or 300. 55. Aout one-third of the whole
26. 500. 56. 300 to 500 a year.

27. Very few. ’ 157. No data, number large.

ps
=)

ate

SO OAS OV Co bo

. From 5 to 10 per cent.

. No answer.

. 500 head valued at $1,500.

. 200 to 300 head.

. No answer.

. 400 head, value $600.

. Very few since the dog law was
passed.

5. None reported since repeal of

dog law.

. 50, value $100.
. 500 to 700, worth $1,000 to

$1,400.

. Recently not many, perhaps 15

per cent.

. It has been 20 to 25 per cent. this

year.

. No answer.
. No answer.

Do you know any person who has abandoned the raising
of sheep on account of their destruction by dogs?

. Yes, John Connon, Bellbuckle.

. No answer.

. Not any.

No answer.
Cannot say.

. No answer.

. One or two.

. Yes, a great many.

. A great many persons would
have small flocks but for the
dogs.

. One-half of those now engaged
in it intend to do so.

Yes, Captain Tompkins and
Mrs. Drake.

. Yes,

. A great many.

. A great many are going back to
it as it pays well

. Lhear some threatening to do so.

. None.

plo:

. I do not.

. Fully half of the farmers have
quit.

. No answer.

. No answer.

. Yes, frequently hear persons say
they will.

. None.

. Yes, several.

. Do not.

. Not many.

. None.

. Some would have gone into the
business but for the repeal of
the law.

. Yes, several.

2 ido:

. Lots of farmers.

32.
33.
Beles

. Fear of dogs prevents large in-

None.
I do for I am one.

vestment in sheep.

. Do not.

. Yes, several.

. Very few if any.

. Yes, others are deterred by dogs.
HN os

> INO:

. Yes, several.

. A few.

. No, many are deterred from fear

of them.

. No answer.
. Yes, some commenced the busi-

ness and abandoned it.

. One or two.

. Yes.

. Yes, several.

. I do not, I think many are de-

terred from fear of dogs.

. Yes, others would like to go into

the business but are deterred
by it.

. Could name several.
. No answer.
. Not altogether, but several have

reduced their fiocks in conse-
quence,

. Many.

3. Do not.

. Quite a number.

. Quite a number.

. Several, and hundreds are afraid

to.

. Yes.
. | know of a few.

. Yes, quite a vaavian ate ai
to the Eee 68. It prevents many from following
it as an occupation.
69. No. |
| 70. No.
| 71. Yes.

[ 202]

CHAPTER XIV.

CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS.

In compiling this little book, I have drawn largely upon
the judgment and experience of the most intelligent and
successful sheep raisers in this country and of Europe, in
order to make it a book of reference for such of our farmers
who have not access to, or the leisure and opportunity to
consult the works of so many and varied authors.

Some persons object to what they call “book farming.”
What is book farming but the combined wisdom and knowl-
edge of the men who have given the subject the most care-
ful investigation and attention. As well might we exclude
books of instruction from our schools and colleges, if our
youth can teach themselves the arts and sciences without
them. How often do men cling to a false theory, or con-
tinue to pursue a wrong method of conducting their business
all their lives, for the want of a proper knowledge and un-
derstanding of the true ones? It is a matter of almost daily
occurrence for persons to bring specimens of worthless rocks
to this office to be analysed, supposing, from some little shin-
ing particles they contain, they must contain some of the
precious metals. A little knowledge of geology and miner-
alogy would have taught them better and saved them the
loss of a good deal of time and trouble, besides disappointed
hopes and expectations. We must have brains on the farm
as well as muscle—brains to plan and direct, muscle to ex-
-ecute, an instructive as well as executive department.
The two cannot be successfully united to any great extent.
The man who toils and sweats at the plough through the
long summer’s day, though he might wish that he could
find some easier method of turning over the sod, would

=<

[ 203]

never work out the problem which the Duke of Sutherland
did in his closet, of using the most powerful agent known to
man—dynamite—for that purpose. Physical force must
always succumb to brain force. The laborers and mechanics
opposed one by one the new inventions as fast as they came
out for lessening the manual labor in the mechanical arts, but
_ they soon found, that instead of throwing them out of employ-
ment, they found better in other directions. The seamstress
found that instead of losing her work through the introduc-
tion of the sewing machine, she could make more money
with one in one hour than she could in a whole day by sew-
ing by hand; so through all the departments of labor.

Let us then, not despise knowledge obtained from books,
which are the only channels through which man can elevate
himself above the mere instinets of brute creation, and bring
himself to the knowledge of the living God who created
him in his own image, and will hold him responsible for
the talents committed to his care.

I cannot close my labors without making one more effort
to awaken our farmers to a sense of the necessity of throwing
off their lethargy and supineness, and infusing more life and
energy into their occupation. ‘A man’s heart should be in
his vocation.” The flock-master should love his sheep, and
feel an interest in them akin to that of his own children,
else he had better abandon the attempt at raising them.
What would be the condition of our manufacturing interests
to day if no more life and enterprise had been infused into
them than we find in our agricultural departments? Would
they have been able to compete with the skilled artisans and
mechanics of Kurope ?— nay, to have almost shut their man-
ufactures out of our markets, and even undersell them in
many of their productions in their own. Is there less skill
required in agriculture than in the mechanic arts? Agri-
culture is a science of the highest order, and no man will
succeed in it who does not so regard it. All our great
Southern statesmen and orators were agriculturists, and they

[ 204 ]

thought it not beneath them to devote the same abilities to
their home occupations that they carried with them into the
forum ; doubtless, much of their inspiration was drawn from
their constantly communing, when at home, with nature
and nature’s works. History tells us that the great Roman
Empire did not begin to decline till her patriots and states-
men forsook their landed estates to dwell within the narrow
confines of walled cities. Let our landed proprietors look
to it in time, lest a like calamity should befall our own
country, for history is constantly repeating itself among all _
nations.

Instead then of lounging and loafing around our inland
towns, telling the news of the day and laughing at anecdotes,
let our men who own lands resort to them and engage in the
beautiful occupation of the agriculturist in some one of its
‘many branches. It is not to be expected that many persons
will devote themselves wholly to sheep raising, as our farm-
ing is, as a general thing, of a mixed character. But the
object of these pages is to teach those who wish to raise a
few sheep as well as those who wish to make it a specialty.

‘There are so many advantages in having a few sheep on
every farm that the reader must pardon us for making a re-
sume of them, with the hope of impressing its importance
on some few of our many farmers who are without them.
They add to the comfort of the poor man, for it gives him
the means of clothing his family warmly, and since the abo-
litioa of looms every observant man will see the shabby
manner in which many of our farmers are clad. When the
good housewife held sway over the clipping of her sheep,
she, with the daughters of the family, could find no better
occupation, during the long, tedious winter night, than to
spin and reel the fleecy rolls from the carding factory. A
willing hand and a cheerful spirit come of employment, and
soon the supply is hanging on the walls in the shape of
hanks of fine or coarse wool, some for wearing and other for
knitting. A few days are only required to convert these

[ 205 ]

hanks into good warm jeans or calamanca, a four treadle
jeans. - ‘

In addition to the benefit of clothes, a small flock of sheep
will supply a sweet and toothsome food when satiated with
the briny fries of bacon. Nothing eats like lambs of our
own raising, and lamb and peas is a dish fit for kings.
How much better when it does not come from the butchers.
In fact, when the butcher has to supply it, it seldom makes
its appearance on the table. But from our flock it can obey
the will of the farmer, and a regular interchange of slaughter
between farmers will keep fresh meat as often as required,
without the danger of spoiling from the heat of summer.
The surplus wool gives a convenient supply of pocket change,
(we are speaking of small flocks), at a time of the year when
the farmer has no crop to sell. The peculiar fitness of wool
for market is shown by its ease and cheapness of transporta-
tion. It can be sent to any market at but a slight cost.
Nothing in agriculture is so easily carried to market without
injury and so cheaply. It can be carried from San Fran-
cisco to New York for one and one-half cents per pound,
while wheat or bacon would cost its entire value to transport
it so far. There are important considerations in selecting a
product of agriculture. It gives great facilities for the
home and brings the foreign markets into competition. It
must be kept in mind, however, that wool will not bear
baling for transportation like cotton. Its fulling property
prevents that. If baled, it might become so inextricably
tangled in the fulling process that it would be worthless.
The fibres of wool are different from hair. While the latter
has bristled or barbs on its sides, the wool is made precisely
like a stack of thimbles let into each other, and the edges
of the thimbles have beards by which they stick to each
other fibre by these hooks. While the woo} is ordinarily
pressed, these hooks do not get hold of each other, but if
brought together very firmly, and especially if rubbed, these
little hooks will catch into each other in such a manner they

[ 206 J

can only’ be separated by cutting up. The wool hat is an
instance of the fulling process. It is one of the most inter-
esting items in regard to wool to recapitulate the many pur-
poses to which it is applied. It goes into every form of
clothing for man and woman. ‘The finest gauzy fabrics of
female wear are made of the same material with the coarse,
heavy shoddy of the hod carrier. It covers our feet, hands
and heads; it covers our floors and beds. There is scarcely
a single article of commerce, from gun wads to the heavy
cordage of ships, but has wool in its construction. With
all the uses te which it is applied there will never come a
time when it will not remunerate the producer.

Again, every one knows that land must be renewed or it
will cease to be productive. I take the broad ground that
nothing will renew lands cheaper and more effectually than
sheep.

England has 32,000,000 sheep, and Scotland, much
smaller than Tennessee, with more mountains than any
State in our Union, has 5,000,000. They are kept in such
quantities chiefly on account of their fertilizing qualities.
The population of that country is so enormous that the land
is taxed to its utmost capacity to feed its citizens, and with-
out sheep it would fall still further behind than it does.
They do not destroy the grass roots like other animals, their
bite being sharp and light. They dispense their manure
evenly over the surface, so that all alike is benefitted. The
sheep will consume and finally eradicate from the soil all
noxious weeds, there being but few that are not eaten by
them. And, by the way, it is a well known thing that ivy
or laurel will kill sheep eating it. There is a great deal of
it growing in mountainous countries, and they must be
guarded from it. A gentleman of Davidson county iuforms
me that he lost a fine flock of sheep from eating the common
ground ivy common to all damp woods. This must not be
confounded with the former ivy or sheepkill as it is called,
also called calico bush. It is a laurel (Kalmia Angusti-

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[ 207 ]

folti) and is well known asa deadly poison to sheep and
cattle.

Taking all these facts into consideration, we feel that we
can commend this industry to all classes of people, alike to
the landlord and renter, 1o the owner of a few acres and to
the plantation of the once wealthy farmer, who, having lost
his laborers, can put the sheep to work to repair the damage
of years upon his exhausted lands.

To encourage thé raising of sheep the last Legislature
enacted a very wise law and one that will redound to the
welfare of the State. This law allows every farmer to own
fifty sheep exempt from execution for debt. It is unfortu-
nate that their ideas of the rights of property did not in-
fluence them to enact a law for the protection of flocks
against the ravages of roaming dogs.

[ 208}

CHAPTER XV.

ANGORA GOATS.

Angora goats resemble shogun than any other animal
in their habits of herding and feeding, as well as in the
usefulness of their outer coating and in the excellent quali-
ties of their flesh. I have thought, therefore, that a chap-
ter devoted to their management may not be unacceptable
to the farmers of Tennessee. The farm can have no scav-
enger equal to a flock of goats. However thick the briers
or tangled the undergrowth, a flock of goats will quickly
destroy them, and no food is so highly relished by them as
that which is utilized by no other domestic animal. For
clearing up the underbrush of a woodland pasture, a flock
of goats is equal to as many laborers, and they will thrive
and fatten on their Jabor. The flesh of the goat is very
palatable and healthful, and the cheapest which can be pro-
duced. Mr. Stratton, of Cumberland county, whose letter
is included in this chapter, informed the writer that the cost
of raising a goat is not as much as the cost of raising a
chicken.

Half a century ago the Angora goat was unknown in
America. For a century the existence of cashmere shawls
was known, and in high life the possession of one ranked
in importance with the possession of a diamond, and was
transmitted with equal care from mother to daughter. The
brilliancy and fineness of the texture and the high prices
which these shawls commanded, led enquiring minds to an
investigation of the subject. So rare a fabric, it was argued,
should not be unknown in its method of manufacture to
the skill and intelligence of the western world. The semi-
barbarians of mid-Asia should not be permitted to bring to

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[209 J

shame the finest and costliest textile fabries of civilized
Europe and America. For many years the texture, even,
of these costly shawls was unknown. It was believed that
they were made of a fine wool, but examination of the
fibres disclosed the fact that it was not wool at all, but hair;
and then speculation ran wild as to what animal produced
such a silky, glossy coat. The manner and method of man-
ufacture were equally unknown, and it was many years be-
fore the public was enlightened on these subjects. ven
after the origin was made public, it was still many years, in
spite of the most strenuous efforts upon the part of indi-
viduals and of governments, before the possession of a
single anima] could be obtained, so jealously was their ex-
portation guarded by the shepherd kings of Asia. It was
too fruitful a source of revenue to those nomadic people to
be tampered with. Time and patience finally overcame
’ their scruples, though the first animals imported cost fabu-
lous sums. ‘They not only had to be paid for at enormous
prices, but had to be transported about 1,500 miles over
desert and mountain, where no convenient railway offered
its services. The hostility of the Arab tribes had to be
encountered all the way, and their prejudice had taken such
deep root that every individual made efforts to thwart the
purpose, and it was only after the most incredible hardships
and dangers that at last a few goats were landed on the
shores of America.

Dr. J. B. Davis, of Columbia, South Carolina, has the
high honor of having been the first man who brought any
here, he having, while consul to Turkey, secured nine
thorough blood animals from Thibet, and landed them at
last, after many difficulties, in his native city. So valuable
were they, that he readily sold the produce of these animals
at from one to three thousand dollars a pair.

Various attempts have been made, both in Europe and
America, to manufacture these shawls, but with little suc-

cess, the water and atmosphere of Asia being necessary to
14

[ 210]

impart the brilliant colors for which they are so famous.
England long enjoyed a monopoly of the trade in cashmere
shawls, and through the selfishness of the London import-
ers much of the difficulty of importation was due.

There are two species of goats famous for the character
of the fleece. The Thibet goat is the true cashmere shawl
goat, but the distance is so great and the difficulties of ob-
taining them so numerous, they are almost unknown to our
stock men. In Asia Minor is a vilayet called Angora, of
which Angora is the capital. A species of goats called,
from this city, Angora, now are found, that so much resem-
ble the true Cashmere that only experts are able to distin-
guish them, and these have come into general use in Amer-
ica. The fleece is as good and equally as valuable, but there
are some insensible properties in the Cashmere that are of
but little practical importance, hence the Angora has super-
seded to a great extent the Cashmere. Dr. Scott, whose
able treatise we have used with his consent, says that Dr.
Davis brought over the Angora, while the Cyclopedia of
the Appletons says they were the Thibet goat. Be that as
it may, the price of a full-blooded buck is so greatly re-
duced that almost any farmer can avail himself of one, and
by crossing one of these “bucks” with a flock of the com-
mon goat, a fine character of cashmere wool, as it is mis-
called, can soon be obtained; in fact, after five crosses the
fleece cannot be distinguished from the pure bred animal.
We hardly think our progressive people, however, can ever
be got into the manufacture of those famous shawls, as it
requires from one to five years work with several looms to
make a single shawl. Labor is so cheap in that overpopu-
lated country that good workmen can be obtained at a cost
of a few cents a day, and only merchants can engage in the
work, as the laborer can get nothing until his shawl is com-
pleted, and therefore must be fed by the employer while
engaged in its construction. There are many other uses
to which the wool can be applied, and it is gaining more

[211]

popularity every day, and the time will come when much
of our woolen fabrics will be made of it.

For further information, we refer the reader to the article
of Dr. Scott, to that of Joseph Phillips, of Davidson, and
to Mr. Lorenzo Stratton, of Grassy Cove, Cumberland
county. The latter gentleman seems to think—and his
opinion is based upon experience—that they are peculiarly
suited to the Table-lands of the Cumberland Mountains.
That they can be raised much cheaper than sheep will not
admit of a doubt, and it is only the question of sales that
has to be determined.

THE BREEDING, MANAGEMENT AND PRODUCTS OF
THE CASHMERE, OR ANGORA GOATS.

[By Robert W. Scott, Frankfort, Ky.]

After maturely studying the history, and a careful inspee-
tion of the persons of these animals, during several years,
I purchased a flock of them in May, 1860. I was impressed
that an animal so hardy and prolific, producing a textile
product so rare, so durable, so beautiful, and so valuable,
must soon become of great practical importance in a coun-
try of so much wealth and taste as ours. I was specially
impressed with the facility and certainty with which the
males of this breed transferred all of their superior quali-
ties to a lower and common species of the same class of
animals, by being carefully bred to the females of the lower
class for five or more generations, the improvement com-
mencing promptly and palpably with the first cross, and
plainly manifest in each succeeding one, until in five or
more crosses the inferior blood was almost lost in form, and
fleece, and character.

This feature assured me that in a few years fine wool or
mohair could be produced from pure and from cross-bred
animals sufficient to justify the erection in this country of
manufactories of the product, until which time the animals

[212]

would have to be bred for their prospective value, and for
fancy articles mainly. A fratricidal war delayed, but could
not divert, the consummation. Several manufactories have
already been established. The demand, at remunerating
prices, is greater than the supply; and the wool of cross-
bred animals during several generations proves to be equal
to any for many of the purposes of use or ornament, and
we are assured that we may now enter confidently upon this
new and promising field of industry.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THEM.

To those who contemplate entering upon the breeding of
these animals, a few remarks, derived from careful reading,
and from practical experience during near twenty years,
may not be uninteresting.

A SKETCH OF THEIR HISTORY.

Though the goat has not long been practically known as
a wool-bearing animal in the United States, yet it is infer-
able, from their hardier nature and better adaptation to
pioneer life, that it supplied our remote ancestors with both
clothing and food long before the sheep was used for these
purposes. Certainly from the earliest history of our race
it has been intimately and practically associated with man,
and in some Asiatic countries still contributes to his re-
quirements more than sheep. The race abounds in almost
infinite varieties, which have readily adapted themselves to
the climates, subsistence and culture, to which they have
been subjected, in almost every habitable portion of the
globe. They were regarded by the ancient Israelites as
clean beasts, were esteemed as choice food, and were conse-
crated to sacrifice. Certainly ever since, and probably long
before Moses ordered one hundred and sixty-five yards of
the cloth of “ goat’s hair” to be made for the veil or cov-
ering of the Tabernacle, the wool-bearing goat has been
known and used by the Asiatic people, and the animals still

[ 213 J

greatly abound in several countries of that quarter of the
globe. It is strange, therefore, that they were not much
earlier introduced into our country.

THEIR IMPORTATION INTO THE UNITED STATES.

This honor was left to Dr. Jas. B. Davis, of South Caro-
lina, in the year 1849, since which several other importa-
tions have been made. As Dr. Davis was our Consul to
Turkey when he exported them, and as Smyrna, or Con-
stantinople, was their port of debarkation, it is probable
that he availed himself of the advantages of his official po-
sition to secure the variety known as Angora goats, called
so from the city cf Angora, in the proviace of Natolia, in
Asia Minor, where they are extensively raised, and their
wool was once more largely manufactured.

Another wool-bearing goat is extensively raised in Thi-
bet, in Central Asia. Its wool is exported to the small
province of Cashmere, where it is manufactured into the
richest and most beautiful fabrics, which have given wealth
and fame to that little interior country all over the world.
As it is not known that any of these have ever been im-
ported into the United States, those which we have should,
in strictness, be called Angora and not Cashmere goats.
Though there is some discordance in the history of the im-
portation of these animals and of their breed and nativity,
yet the name Angora is now generally accorded to them,
and their descendants from the flock of Dr. Davis, it hav-
ing been acquired many years since by Col. R. B. Peters,
of Georgia. Several other importations also have been
made at divers times, among the animals of which there is
a general uniformity, though with some discrepancy as to
size, color and fleece; and the fullest description of thena
has been given by Hon. J. S. Diehl, in the U.S. Agricultu-
ral Report for 1863.

| 214 |

DESCRIPTION, CHARACTER AND HABITS.

As they have been so often illustrated in agricultural
publications, a personal description of them is not here im-
portant. In size they are superior to the native or common
goat. Wethers, when fully grown and fatted, will weigh
from sixty to eighty pounds, live weight. A wether of my
flock, two years old, has weighed, when dressed, fifty-four
and a half pounds net—the fore quarters 18 pounds, the
hind quarters 21 pounds, the saddle 12 pounds, and the
rendered tallow 33 pounds; the tallow much more in some
other cases. The color of pure bred and full-blood animals.
is almost invariably white, though some of the earliest de-
scendants of imported animals were brown; some being
gray and some black, also, in their native country, varying
a little, perhaps, in species, or family of species. Their gay
and intelligent appearance, their cleanly habits, active and
playful disposition, make them attractive on a farm; while
in their nature they are so docile that they may be raised so
as to be as familiar about the house and yard as the dog or
the cat. Though they have great curiosity and enterprise,
they also have strong local attachments, and after wander-
ing all day, will generally seek their usual shelter at night,
especially if the weather is inclement. They do not break
fences, or clear them at a single bound, as most other stock
do, but will pass through a hole which is already made, will
elimb up a rail which leans at about forty-five degrees, or
will bound on top of, and then over, a low fence. Any
good farm fence five feet high, except stone fence, will keep
them securely. Like other stock, they are more trouble-
some after they have acquired roaming and breachy habits.
They bear coupling, hobbling and tethering better than any
other stock.

In their diet they are almost omnivorous, eating in win-
ter often what they have rejected in summer. On large

farms much the greater portion of their diet will consist of

[ 215 ]

weeds, bushes, briers, fallen leaves, brush, etc., and they are
truly valuable for keeping lands clean of these. In winter
short grass and corn-fodder is all that is required, even by
the breeding flock, and I have never found it necessary to
feed grain of any kind to them at any season.

¢ A dry shelter is desirable for them, especially to the fe-
males in kidding season; though my flock of males and
wethers, even after they have been shorn in April, has
never had any protection than what they could obtain
around a hay or straw stack.

The females have no perceptible odor at any season, and
the males only during the breeding season, when they uri-
nate on their fore legs and beards; but their habits and
odor are much less offensive than of the native goat; and
their language of love is much less demonstrative and
noisy.

In breeding they are precocious, the females being ca-
pable of breeding at seven months, and the males of propa-
gation still earlier. As the females carry their young only
five months, it is possible for them to have young within
twelve months old; but I do not think it advisable that
either sex breed in less than twelve or eighteen months old.
Generally the pure-bred animals have but one at a birth;
while grade and full-blooded females will have from one to
five, and with reasonable care will always raise as many
kids as there are mothers in the flock, and often more. If
the weather is pleasant, and the kids, at their birth, can
once get dry, and stand up and suck, they require but little
attention afterwards. The mothers may sometimes lose or
leave them in large pastures, especially if they have more
than one, when they are very young. Like deer, they in-
cline to leave their young, and return to and suckle them at
intervals, during the first few days after birth. A protracted
cold rain is often fatal toa kid at the time of its birth; it
is therefore desirable to house the females at night, during
the period of parturition. The males should be bred to the

[216]

females, so that the kids will come in pleasant weather, and
as simultaneously as possible, for which, and other reasons,
it is preferable, commonly, to keep the adult males and
wethers separate from the breeding flock. The bucks are
said to be valuable in protecting the flock from the attacks
of dogs, and under my observation the goats are most com-
monly the attacking party, having seen them frequently
charge and drive away a loafing dog. They do not, by
flight, invite the pursuit of dogs, as sheep do; and dogs do
not seem to have the same disposition to worry or to eat
them, which they manifest towards sheep.

Though goats will often bite, hook, and butt each other,
yet they are not cross with other stock, and the males do
not fight and injure each other as male sheep often do.

DISEASES AND INSECTS TO WHICH THEY ARE SUBJECT.

Though I have been breeding these animals nearly twenty
»years, and once had over two hundred head of them of all
ages, yet there has never been any epidemic disease among
them. During this time I have lost several by worms in
the nose, as with sheep, and one by a swelling of the glands
of the throat. A humor in the cleft of the foot, like
scratches in horses, has given me more trouble than all
other diseases. It is caused by wading through high, wet
grass, yields readily to strong acids, and never kills. Wash
the sore repeatedly in carbolic soap suds, or in turpentine,
and then apply a salve made of bluestone, or copperas, or
tar. A variety of small, long, red vermin is peculiar to
them ; is not fatal, and can be destroyed mainly by prepara-
rations of tobacco, cresylic soap, or camphor, sulphur, etc.,
applied along the back. ‘The great peculiarity of the

ANGORA GOAT IS ITS FLEECE, OR RATHER ITS FLEECES.

The hairy covering of all goats is known in commerce as
mohair, both the long wavy fleece of the Angora, and the
shorter and finer, silky, under hair of the true Cashmere

Onn]

goat, which is obtained by combing it out. Like some
furred animals, the Angora goat wears two distinct and dif-
ferent suits of clothing, and mainly at different seasons.
One is short, stiff, coarse, and of no commercial value; the
other is long in proportion to the degree of blood, and is
lustrous, soft, silky, and elastic. The animal is born witha
covering of the first, which in a few weeks drops out, and
is simultaneously replaced by the second, or the fine wool,
which in its time also drops out, and is similarly superseded
by the first; the animals wearing the short, coarse hair in
the spring and early summer, and the long fine wool in
summer, fall and winter. When the wool of the Angora
goat is being shed, the cups or bulbs in the skin which pro-
duced the fibers are also shed, as well as the cuticle or out-
side skin. This is a great peculiarity of the Angora goat ;
but a still greater one, and of far more practical importance,
is its capacity to transfer, or to impart this rare quality to
other goats which do not possess it. The males certainly
have this power in a high degree: and the female Angora
bred to a common male, will no doubt impart the same
quality, but probably not in so high a degree. The kid of
an Angora buck, out of a native ewe, invariably has in its
skin those bulbs or cups which produce and secrete the fine
wool of the Angora, or wool-bearing goat, while it has the
power to secrete the hair also, as its ancestry, on the dam
side, always had. ‘The wool of goats is finer, longer, or
thicker in different individuals of the same blood, just as is
the case with sheep; and like sheep, also, the same animal
produces finer wool when young than when advanced in life.
But the wool of the half-blood kid or goat is of a standard
jineness of full-blood or of pure-bred Angora goat’s wool,
but itis short. The wool and the hair of the half-blood
grow together, and seem to constitute but one covering ; but
a close inspection shows the different fibers, issuing from
different bulbs in the same skin; and when the shedding
season arrives, the fine wool may be comhed out of the hair

[ 218 ]

on the animal’s back, and on being separated from it, bears
a close resemblance to the finest fur, or to Saxony wool, and
is especially like the true Cashmere mohair, out of which
the most valuable shawls, etc., are made. A friend who was
traveling in Asia sent me a sample of mohair, which exactly
resembles this fine wool of the first cross, having also
some of the coarse hair, and of the cuticle in it, showing
that it had been shed, and not shorn. The two products of
the half and of the three-quarter blood being nearly of the
same length, they cannot be separated by shearing, and to
gather it by combing it out of the hair on the backs of the
animal is too tedious. The specimen to which I have al-
luded is most probably the product of sume other species of
wool-bearing goat, and not of a half-blood cross of different
species, and is doubtless the pure Cashmere.

If the half-blood female kid is bred to a pure Angora
buck, the product will be similar, except that the wool will
be longer in proportion to the degree of Angora blood; and
sometimes long enough to be separated by being shorn from
the animals so as to be cut over the ends of the coarse hair.
The wool will be long and fine enough for many uses in
manufacture, but there will generally be so much of worth-
less hair in it as to make it of little value. On animals of
the third similar cross, or of seven-eighths Angora blood,
the fine wool will always be so much longer than the hair,
that it admits of practical separation in shearing; and so of
those of the fourth cross, while those of the fifth cross, and
above it, bear wool, which, in every essential particular, re-
sembles that of pure bred or imported Angora goats, and
admits of application to all the uses of the best imported
mohair, or of home raised wool from pure-bred animals,
though it is always liable to have some hair in it.

\

[ 219 J

WILL FULL- BLOOD BUCKS PRODUCE THIS WOOL WHEN BRED
TO NATIVE FEMALES, SIMILARLY AS WITH
PURE-BRED BUCKS?

This question has been affirmatively settled by the expe-
rience of every breeder of Angora goats in the United
States, so far as I have ever known or heard, yet while sim-
ilarly yet not so perfectly as by pure-bred males; the fleeces
which are produced by the full-blood bucks being more
subject to long and coarse hairs in them, than those which
are the product of pure-bred bucks. But the question is no
longer of practical value, since the pure-bred animals have
become more common, and the price of them has been re-

duced.

The experience of breeders and of manufacturers has also
well established the practical value of the mohair produced
by crossing the pure-bred bucks on the native females for
five or more times. About ten years since thirty-six fleeces
of my clip of. 1868—two only of which were pure-bred, and
many less than full-blood—were forwarded to Messrs.
Bauendah! & Co., Nos. 45 and 47 Park Place, City of New
York, which were sent by them to a manufacturer, and
then sold at $1.25 per pound, upon its merits. In this cir-
cular for October, 1868, they say: ‘‘ Mohair, ete.—The
present condition of this article offers a favorable opportu-
tunity for raising full-blood goats’ wool,” ete.—drawing a
distinction between pure-bred and full-bleod. These gen-
tlemen are well-known as among the highest and most re-
liable authority upon this subject in the United States.

While I hold science and philosophy in the highest es-
teem, it must not be forgotten that they learn their best
lessons in the school of practical experiment, and their true
teachings can only be in conformity to established facts. As
improvements and varieties in domestic stock have hereto-
fore been produced by crossing, climate and subsistence, it
will be unwise to reject the use of any of these means in

[ 220]

the future, unless all improvement is accomplished, all
new uses supplied, and all new regions accommodated. But
what need of speculation in the presence of substantial facts?

THE VARIOUS PRODUCTS OF THE ANGORA GOAT.

Their flesh is highly nutritious, and easy of digestion; is
comely to the eye and pleasant to the palate, absorbing seas-
oning well. It is convenient in size, and the meat may be
used fresh, or when cured. If fattened on corn, nothing is
superior to it. Their milk is sweet and nutritious, being
often prescribed by physicians for invalids and infants. As
with other breeds of goats, cheese may be made of it of
standard quality. The pelts of young animals, taken off
when the wool is of a proper length, make most beautiful
and comfortable furs for ladies and gentlemen, which fashion
only would place as second to any others. Those of older
animals, when dressed or tanned, make mats for doors,
hearths, carriages, etc., of the most serviceable and beauti-
ful description, and several sewed together make a robe for
a buggy of the most comfortable and elegant character. A
great many of the pelts were imported from abroad into
New York, a few years since, by Messrs. C. G. Gunther &
Co., at a cost ef $10 to $30 each, and they are still imported
somewhat largely annually. The Angora goat is being very
extensively raised in California, and a popular goat breeder’s
association has been established in Sacramento, and an ex-
tensive factory for the manufacture of their skins with and
without the mohair on them, has been put in successful
operation in San Jose, California, of which Mr. C. P. Bailey
is president. Among many others, I have sold the pelt,
with the mohair on it, of a yearling at $18. Their hides,
in foreign countries, make the morocco leather, which all
know to be one of the most pleasant and durable materials
of its kind. Their tallow is white, clear and firm, bearing
a close resemblance to sperm.

(peeaig

- BUT THEIR CROWNINF VALUE IS THEIR WOOL OR MOHAIR.

At a meeting of the officers of the Kentucky State Agri-
cultural Society, and many other gentlemen, samples of all
the textile materials of that class were exhibited and exam-
ined, and discussed at length, and the Angora wool was
conceded to be the most beautiful, durable and valuable
material of them all. While it can be produced ata less
cost, by us, than any of the others, it will also bring more
money per pound, the full-blood wool not being scarcely
distinguishable from the pure-bred and the imported. It is
white, lustrous, wavy (not curly or in a screw), elastic and
strong, with properties which enable it to resist decomposi-
tion (from any cause) better than any other textile material,
receiving and retaining chemical and other dyes better than
any other, and felting so kindly that this property is used
in the manufacture of some of its most costly and beautiful
products; and so much so that the breeders must shear
promptly at the shedding season, or it will felt on the backs
and sides of the animals, as every breeder has experienced.

A complete and extensive collection of small samples of
all the principle wools of commerce, both plain and under
several colors, arranged in a gilt frame, and under glass,
together with several skins of goats, and of the ‘“ Improved
Kentucky ” sheep, with the wool on them, were exhibited
by me at the National Exhibition at Philadelphia in 1876,
and a medal and diploma were awarded them. They have
since been deposited for exhibition in the State Agricultural
room in the Capitol in Frankfort.

The American Institute at New York, and the United
States Agricultural Society at Philadelphia, and the State
Agricultural Society of Kentucky, adopted resolutions
highly commendatory of these animals for wool bearing,
and of their adaptation to the United States. The principal
wool merchants of the eastern cities have made repeated

[ 229

publications in encouragement of the production of mohair,
and several of them now make quotations of it in their
monthly reports. Besides the manufacture of it into
fringes, laces, tassels, ornaments and hosiery, several ex-
tensive factories of it into dress goods, and into plush for
the covering of chairs, sofas, etc., and especially into the
covering of railroad car seats, have been established and are
in successful operation in the United States. For this last
named use mohair is especially adapted, and it will require
all which can ever be produced.

Some of the mohair which I have produced has been
satisfactorily sold on commission for me by Messrs. Bauen-
dahl, of the city of New York. Several clips, raised by
me here, and also my partner in a flock, Mr. J. W. Dunn,
of Corpus Christi, Texas, has been satisfactorily sold by
Messrs. Kitching Bros., of 82 Reade street, city of New
York, who quote it regularly. Messrs. Justice, Bateman &
Co., extensive and reliable wool merchants of Philadelphia,
have recently issued a circular specially on this product,
which every agricultural paper should publish. They say
“‘mohair fleece can be raised in perfection in the United
States,” and they give excellent practical directions for its
growth and management which every goat raiser should re-
gard.

I have also shipped, by frovele several clips to the Farr
Alpaca Company, of Holyoke, Mass., who have made to me
positive reports of satisfactory sales, both graded and in
bulk, giving me also the privilege of re-shipping it to. be
sold op commission if I preferred. I have also corres-
ponded with Messrs. Hall & Turner, the proprietors of the
Jamestown, New York, Alpaca Company, and I am assured
that shipments may be made to them with like satisfaction.
These two companies alone would manufacture at least a
half million pounds of mohair annually, if they could get
that of American growth and good quality.

It is scarcely possible that the supply will ever fully

——_—-,

(P223)]

equal the demand for the raw material in this country,
where both sexes are so fond of fine appearance, and it is
already rare to meet an elegantly dressed lady or gentleman
without more or: less of this material in their apparel,
though it is, as yet, chiefly of foreign manufacture. Though
France, Germany and Scotland all manufacture this pro-
duct, England takes the lead, and it is said that she engrosses
two-thirds of all the wool produced, and that she even
does part of the spinning for the French manufactories
of it.

PREPARATION OF THE WOOL FOR MARKET.

About the Ist of April, in Kentucky, when a somewhat
fuzzy appearance in the fleece denotes that some of the goats
begin to shed their wool, they should be well washed with-
out the use of soap, in clear water (and the warmest acces-
sible, though not artificially heated), and on a clear and
sunny day. The males especially require washing, as they
urinate on their fore legs in the breeding season. It may
often be dispensed with after a heavy rain, and especially
with the females and wethers. For this purpose, place a
hog-scalding box, or other box or trough, near a clear pond
or stream, and fill with water; submerge the goat to the
neck in it, two men holding and rubbing. When the wool
is cleaned of any dirt, and of the old skin which is being
shed off, stand the goat upon a plank placed across the box,
and press the wool with the hands, and let the water drain
for a few minutes. After drying thoroughly for a day or
two in a clean pasture, they may be shorn like sheep, if
practicable, cutting off the wool about the ends of the hair,
which is then growing out among the wool of grade goats.
it is desirable to get as little as possible of the old skin and
of the growing hair in the shorn fleece of wool. Each
fleece should be carefully rolled up separately, outside out,
and tied up securely and closely with small, fine, colored
thread or twine. Pack the fleeces closely in a bag which

| 224 |

will contain one hundred and fifty to two hundred pounds,
and it is ready for market. The female goats should be
handled with great care, as, in this climate, they are then
heavy with young.

THE MARKET VALUE OF MOBAIR.

The market value of mohair fluctuates considerably with
fashion and taste for alpaca dress goods, which are made
chiefly of this material, notwithstanding the name. The
price also sympathizes with the price of fine lustrous wool.

HOW TO START A FLOCK, AND HOW TO PREPARE THE
MOHAIR FOR MARKET,

(From the Courier-Journal.)

The recent publication in your widely-circulated paper of
my article on the relative value of sheep and goats as wool-
bearing animals has brought me very many letters of in-
quiry from all parts of the country in regard to Angora or
Cashmere goats (to all of which I have replied), and I now
wish to give my views as to the cheapest and most practical
manner of producing a flock of wool-bearing animals, and
how the wool or mohair can be best put in the market.

The great obstacle to prompt action in the matter is the
first cost of a flock, and this obstacle has been greatly over-
come by recent reduction in price to one hundred dollars
per pair, instead of one hundred dollars each, the former
price. The purchaser should then provide himself with
about fifty select female common goats to be bred to the
pure buck. These, in‘small numbers, are scattered all over
the country, and once could be had near Memphis, Tenn.,
at fifty cents each, and can now be had in Texas and New
Mexico at that price. The mohair, or fine wool, will be
thus implanted in the kids of the first crop, but itis not of
appreciable value, if shorn, as it will be but little longer
than the native hair of the animals; though all hair, even

[ 225 ]

of cattle and hogs, is of some commercial value.. The males
of this first crop should be castrated when young, and they
will make (prejudice removed) as acceptable food as hogs or
sheep, and their hams, when salted and dried, can scarcely
be distinguished from venison, for which they often pass.

The pelts of these animals, when grown, will defray all
the expense of their raising, and there is steady market for
them, many goats being raised in some countries for their
pelts chiefly.

By the time the females of the first crop are two years
old they should be bred toa pure Angora buck, which most
probably will have been produced by the pure bred female,
purchased at first, and this is the reason why it is best to
buy such a female at first. The buck at first bought may
be again bred to the flock of common females, after which
it will be best to sell or exchange him. The mohair of the
animals of the second crop will commonly be long enough
to be shorn above the ends of the hair of the animals, and
can be sold for more than enough to defray the expense of
shearing, ete. The similar course should be pursued until
five crosses have been made, when the animals are called
fall blood, the Jength of the mohair increasing with each
successive cross, and the hair disappearing from their fleeces ;
though all of the animals, even the thoroughbred, will wear, .
for two or three months, suits of short, coarse hair, after
their mohair has been shed or shorn annually in summer.
By the time four or five or more crosses have been made,
the animals can scarcely be distinguished from the pure
bred, and metal tags in the ears of the pure breds should
be used to distinguish them, though close inspection will
often disclose some coarse hairs in the fleeces of full bloods.
In this matter I do not write from speculation, but from
matured experience, having in this manner, several years
since, produced a valuable flock, from which, besides fre-
quent small sales, I sold a small flock, chiefly of mixed
ae $2,000 cash, and I now have a flock of sixty

[ 226]

grown females, in which are a fair proportion of pure breeds,
and all are several crosses over full blood. These I am
about to breed to a very superior buck, either imported by
Mr. Entichydes from Asia Minor, or is directly descended
from his imported animals.

HOW TO PREPARE MOHAIR AND WHERE TO SELL IT.

As soon as the weather is warm in the spring, the goats
will begin to shed their mohair, which may be known by
fuzzy appearance over their bodies. No time should be lost,
but as soon as this is perceptible they should be shorn like
sheep, omitting the long, coarse hair of the beards and tails,
as they are not of much value from small flocks, or, if shorn
then, should be packed separately, as also the mane, which
some goats have. ‘The fleeces of yearling animals should
also be kept separate, as these are the most valuable, and
will be more easily graded if the clip is sold according to
quality. For this reason, also, each fleece should be tied up
separately outside out, with a small, strong, colored thread.
All impurities of any sort should have been carefully taken
from the fleeces before being shorn, but it is not generally
necessary to wash the animals. In the breeding season the
bucks urinate on their beards and on the wool of their fore-
legs, which accounts for the disagreeable odor, and these
animals may require washing. ‘This operation may be easily
performed in any pure water, without soap, and without
heating the water. After being shorn, the animals may re-
quire housing during any very cold nights or cold rains.

After shearing, the mohair may be packed in bags of
convenient size to be handled, and being carefully marked,
may be safely shipped, by freight, to the East, where it will
find a ready and remunerative market at any time of the
year. JI have thus experienced for many years, and more
recently my mohair has been sold on commissivn by Kitch-
ing Bros., 82 Reade street, New York; at other times I

[ 227 ]

have sent it directly to the Farr Alpaca Company, of Holy-
oke, Mass., and have always had prompt and fair treat-
ment. There are several other merchants and manufac-
’ tories who deal in mohair, both in New York and Philadel-
phia, among the most extensive and reliable of whom are
Messrs. Justice, Bateman & Co., of 122 Front street, Phila-
delphia, and I cannot do better, in this connection, than to
quote a circular which they have recently published on this
subject, as follows:

“Mohair fleece can be raised in perfection in the United
States. We have seen samples from Virginia, Kentucky,
and California equal to any grown abroad. At the same
time, we must candidly say no native clip approaches, even
in skillful culture, the product usually found in the Liver-
pool market. Those who wish to furnish the combing trade,
which buys the best material, are advised to follow the
directions below: Exclude from your flock all animals of
less than seven-eighths pure blood. Keep the animals
young, by killing after taking off the third fleece. The
length and lustre of the fleece may be increased by
crossing with the Van goat. Select bucks for breeding,
whose locks maintain their full size to the end of the staple,
that is, such as are not spiral. The value of fleece is com-
puted from its length, lustre, quality (fineness of fibre), and
strength. Keep your flock out of burry pastures. Burs
frequently cause a loss of ten cents a pound on the product.
Clip but once a year, as early as practicable; after the fleece
begins to shed it loses in value very rapidly. Pack the
beard, belly, and tail wool separately, also the coarse locks,
brown ends, and shorts, and send the clear fleece alone te
the comber.”

These directions are, of course, indended to apply to es-
tablished flocks, the mohair product being chiefly the object.
As Tam not familiar with the Van goat, I suppose it is
some variety or family of the Angora, which has not yet

[ 228 ]

been introduced into this country from Asia Minor, but
which I will be glad to obtain.

Allow me, in conclusion, to say a word in vindication ee
the goat, too much abused and shunned on account of his.
breachy habits. These are to be attributed almost entirely
to his keeping the bad company of careless farmers, who
keep bad fences, under which he learns bad habits when
young. I usually keep them in two or three separate flocks,
under fences of all kinds (except my hedges of Osage
orange, which they would eat up), and they are kept as
securely as any other stock, the stone fences being easily
fixed to retain them; and all other stock will sometimes
break a fence, but a goat never will.

THE VAN ANGORA OR CASHMERE GOATS.

Editor Yeoman:

The readers of your valuable paper may remember that,

in my article on Angora goats, which you published, allu-
sion was made to the circular of Messrs. Justice, Bateman
& Co., of Philadelphia, in which they recommended the
crossing of the Angora goats of the United States with the
Van goat of Asia Minor; and in which they gave, also,
valuable directions for the production and preparation of
mohair, or goat’s wool.
_ Desiring to avail myself of every valuable improvement
in breeding these animals, I have instituted inquiries for
the Van goat, and I have a recent letter from Col. Keene
Richards, of Georgetown, Ky., in which he informed me
that, during his extensive travels in Asia Minor, when he
was selecting and shipping his fast horses, he saw large
‘flocks of the Van goat on the borders of Lake Van, be-
tween Kars and Mosul. Also that he has a fine oil paint-
ing of a good specimen of one drawn by Mr. E. Troy some
years since.

If further developments conduce to show these animals.

[ 229 ]

as superior to all others of their race, I will hope
to obtain one for crossing on my flock next season.
At present I am breeding a flock of sixty choice females
to the superior buck, Ulysses II., of Eutychides’ im-
_ portation.

The great decline in the price of sheep’s wool since the
war has not only given to the public taste a strong direction
to such breeds as are best for the production of wool and
mutton éombined, but also to the breeding of wool-bearing
goats; and it has been uniformly demonstrated that the
same feed which will subsist three sheep will also subsist
five goats of the wool-bearing kind; and the fleeces of these
five goats will produce about double the value of the wool
of the three sheep, while they will also produce more meat
of equal if not better quality ; and so, also, of their hides,
and their tallow, and their skins with the mohair on them.

Although the times are so hard and so repressive of
everthing new and enterprising, yet I have very many more
inquiries for goats than ever before; also several proposi-
tions to breed them on the shares, and I am making some
valuable sales to various parts of the country.

Respectfully, etc.,

Rosert W. Scott.
December, 1878.

GOATS IN TENNESSEE.

Grassy Cove, TEnnN., June 23, 1877.
J.B. KILLEBREW, Esq.

Dear Sir—Yours of the 2d inst. is at hand. J wrote an
article for The South in March, which I enclose. I do not
know as I can write anything much different and do justice
to the subject. very month’s experience more fully con-
vinees me that the raising of the Angora goats in the Cum-
berland Mountains can be made a great success. A flock
of from 200 to 500 are absolutely less trouble than ten or a
‘dozen, as they constitute a community of themselves, and

[ 280]

do not seek the barn and other stock for association, and
consequently are less liable to get in mischief.
Yours truly, LORENZO STRATTON.

[From The South.]

Your letter is at hand, asking for any information, de-
rived from personal experience, on the subject of Angora
goat raising on the table-lands of East Tennessee.

Although it is a little out of my line to write fer publi-
eation, I can, after my style, give you a short history of the
facts. Two years ago last April I purchased seventy goats;
eight of them, four ewes and four bucks, were supposed to
be full-blood Angoras; thirty were grades or half-bloods;
the balance were the common scrub goat of the country.
The winter previous to my purchase the goats had been
confined in a small enclosure, improperly fed, and without.
opportunity to help themselves. They were consequently
in a bad condition; several of the old ones had died; be-
tween fifty and sixty kids had been lost in February and
March, and it was with some difficulty that I succeeded in
getting my purchase home alive. But I had a pasture ready
for them that has proved to be well suited to their wants;
it was a mile and a half long by a quarter of a mile wide;
that is to say, the pasture reached from the bottom lands a
quarter of a mile up the mountain, and then extended one
mile and a half parallel with the mountain and bottom
lands; it is something over a mile to the top of the moun-
tain, and my pasture hardly extends a fourth of the way .
up. This side hill is a rich limestone soil, but excessively
rocky and rough, with ledges and cliffs extending down
near the middle of the pasture, more than half way across.
it. A flock of Spanish sheep had run in this pasture for
several years; but the bushes and briers were gaining on
the sheep, and the acres of clover were growing less and
less every year. Into this pasture I turned the goats on
the 9th day of April. Leaves on the briers and bushes.

P23i

were not yet full size, but sufficiently grown to give the
surroundings the green and attractive appearance peculiar
to spring.

The way the goats went for the briers and bushes demon-
strated at once that the right kind of stock was in the right
‘place. They soon found the cliff of rocks, where there was
a good shelter from storms and a nice shade from the sum-
mer sun, and at this place they have made their home, or
headquarters, ever since; and they were so well suited with
the place that it was six or eight months before they found
out that they were surrounded by a fence, for they had not
yet made a track within fifty rods of either end of the pas-
ture, having paid their respects exclusively to the briars
and bushes in their immediate vicinity. But in the second
year, when the briers and bushes failed them in the pasture,
they found their way through the fence on the back side,
and still continue to run on the side-hill above the lot, but
always come down to the cliffs in the pasture at night. I
have found these strongly marked differences between sheep
and goats:

First. Goats will not feed on clover or other tame grasses
when they have free access to briers and bushes. Goats
kept on tame grass and clover pastures, and treated in win-
ter as Vermonters treat their sheep, do not make a success.
The goat is a browsing animal, and delights in a warm
climate and high land.

Second. Sheep, with good clover and other tame grasses,
will not disturb bushes or briers; yet it is quite true that,
in the absence of tame grasses, sheep will exist on briers,
bushes, etc.

Such being the facts, goats have the preference in the
Cumberland mountains, for the reason that the tame grasses
are here in very limited quantities, while the favorite feed
for the goats is practically without limit, and does not cost
a penny. The first winter I commenced to feed my goats
about Christmas, and to the seventy I fed a four-quart

f 282i

measure of corn every evening unti] sometime in March.
The corn was worth 50 or 60 cents per bushel. Say as
much more for the trouble of feeding them, and you can
readily estimate the cost of wintering seventy goats. The
next winter I did not feed them until the 20th of March.
At this time we had a snow of eight or ten inches that
lasted three days. I brought the goats to the barn and fed
them all the hay they would eat during the snow.

This winter snow fell on the eve of the Ist of January a
foot deep, and laid on a week or ten days; and on New
Year’s day we brought the goats to the barn and fed them
with hay until bare ground appeared, when the goats
marched off for the mountain, where they have remained
since, amusing themselves by nipping, browsing and picking
acorns.

If the bueks are allowed to run with the flock, there
would be two crops of kids per year. One crop coming in
the fall or winter, would require extra care, or many kids
would be lost. I therefore decided to put the bucks in a
different lot and keep them separate until the 20th of No-
vember. The result was, that the first kid I saw was on
the 21st of April, and within a week I could count between
fifty and sixty, and there were only forty ewes in the flock,
the balance being mostly wethers.

Last spring my flock was increased by seventy-five kids;
and as I use only the full-blood Angora bucks, the grade
and quality is improving rapidly, although not of the first
quality of wool; yet I shall have an hundred goats to shear
this spring, and another crop of kids. The wool or mohair,
being mostly from grade goats and not fine enough for top
prices in the market, we have had it worked up on shares
for domestic use.

Within the three years between thirty and forty of the
wethers have found their way to our table; half as many
more have been sold to our neighbors, principally for state
occasions, for the flesh of the Angora or grades is consid-

[ 233 ]

ered a great delicacy. The skins have been sent to the
tanner; so we are eating their flesh, dressing in their fleece,
and being shod in morocco, with the prospect of gay car-
pets and kid gloves in the near future—not French kid, or
rat skin, but genuine Tennessee kid.

The Cumberland Mountains, or Table-lands, are some-
thing over one hundred miles long, and have an average
width of forty miles, interspersed here and there with small
valleys and coves of great fertility. Such lands, with some
improvements, are worth from eight to ten dollars per acre ;
but the mountain proper can be bought at from fifty cents
to one dollar and a half per acre. It has an elevation suf-
ficient to temper the heat of summer, and then it is far
enough south to give us short and mild winters, and is
proverbially one of the healthiest countries in the United
States. I have sometimes thought that if some of the peo-
ple about New York, and perhaps in other places, that are
complaining of hard times, and find it difficult to meet city
expenses, were here, with a flock of goats, they might be
well fed, well dressed, and well shod, for goat meat can be
raised inside of one cent a pound, to say nothing of their
fleece and skins, both of which can be worked upon shares.
Then, you see, they might dismiss the currency question,
and let monopolists and bank panics go to the dogs.

LETTER OF MR. JOSEPH PHILIPS.

Mr. Joseph Philips, of Davidson county has been very suc-
cessful in raising Angoras, and he has kindly consented to
give the State the benefit of his experience in goat raising.
But it is better that he should speak for himself, which he
does as follows:

Though the Angora goat is the last contribution of the
animal kingdom to the manufacturing and art industries of
the world, it nevertheless has occupied a place in the primi-
tive industries and necessities of the nomadic tribes of Cen-

[ 234]

tral Asia prior to the advent of our Savior on earth, and at
a remote period anterior to its introduction to its present
recognized home in Angora, Asia Minor.

There is an entire absence of any reference to this animal
as characterized by its long, silken and attractive fleece, by
any of the earliest classic writers of antiquity, or in that old-
est of historic monuments, the Bible. The goat is frequently
mentioned, but no allusion is made to its fleece, hence we
may infer the long fleece-bearing goat was introduced sub-
sequently to Asia Minor during some incursion of predatory
tribes from Central Asia, where we have abundant proof of
its existence in the exportation of mohair from Chinese ports
before the exportation of the raw material was permitted
from Angora.

The earliest notice we have of the Angora goat is in the
sixteenth century, and though since known to naturalists as
possessing a valuable fleece for the manufacture of useful and
rare textile fabrics, its acclimation in Europe has been but
feebly tested, and in fact its success in any other clime than
Angora seems to have been deferred to the enterprise, en-
ergy and intelligence of Americans, who, with characteristic
zeal, have imported them in considerable numbers, and are
now reproducing them with fleeces fully up in fineness, and
even better, than the clip from imported parents.

Owing to prohibitory restrictions preventing the exporta-
tion of these animals until recent years from Angora,
coupled with the high cost of transatlantic transportation,
the possession of Angoras has been a privilege enjoyed only
by a few, and consequently regarded by the masses as an
exceptional luxury without practical utility or profit.

The first Angoras imported to the United States, owing to
fraudulent representations as to the value of the mohair,
sold for fabulous sums. Buyers of this importation failing
to obtain a market for the mohair, the interest sickened and
was finally lost sight of in the more engrossing events of the
late civil war.

[ 235 ]

Until a few years since the recollection of the first trans-
fers of Angoras had operated adversely to the development
of the interest, and the enterprise was stifled under the con-
viction that there was no demand or market for mohair.
Even at the present time, among an intelligent class of wool
growers in the United States, there is an entire ignorance —
of the existence of mills in New York and other States for
the conversion of mohair, besides both a domestic and
foreign demand largely in excess of the annual clip of our
country.

The mohair of commerce, strictly the product of the An-
gora goat, has its individual place in the textile fabrics.
Though often combined with cotton, wool and silk, it differs
mainly from wool in the absence of any felting property,
and on account of its lustre, elasticity, strength and durabil-
ity, is admirably suited for furniture plushes, and being
nearly indestructible, is used by nearly all of the railroads.
It is also used in the manufacture of the finest ladies’ and
men’s wear, where brilliancy and last are desired. The
commercial value of mohair depends on condition, length,
lustre and fineness, and varies from fifty cents to one dollar
per pound.

The Angora crosses readily with the native American
goat, the fifth cross producing the full blood, which is iden-
tical in appearance with the pure goat, as well as producing
a fleece worth the same as mohair from the pure animal.
Some authorities contend, in crossing the Angora on the
American or native goat, that the native strain can never
be eliminated, and will re-appear, notwithstanding the hy-
brid by each successive cross is constantly approaching, but
will never attain the type of perfection of the pure Angora.
These same authorities forget that the natives of Angora
frequently repair losses in their flocks by crossing the white
Angora, with its silken ringlets, on the black Hurd goat,
which, after the third or fourth cross, establishes the type of
the white Angora. This process of crossing in its mother

[ 236]

country explains the presence of brown or yellow tinted
coarse hair that succeeds the annual shedding of the mohair,
which is in turn shed, and displaced by the mohair on some
imported animals.

The facility with which the Angora crosses on the native
American goat, and the aptitude they possess in acclimation,
coupled with the boundless territory in the United States
suited directly and only to the subsistence of goats, all com-
bined, give an augury of an industry limited only by the
boundaries of our national possessions, and second to no
other agricultural interest in revenue and profit.

The goat is both graminivorous and herbivorous, but when
left to a choice of food, will subsist entirely on bushes, briers
and weeds, and on that class of vegetation that serves as an
impediment to grass, and is rejected by all other stock, and
will earn his keeping in the service rendered as a vegetable
scavenger in ridding any farm of briers and bushes.

By a comparative analysis of the profits arising from
sheep husbandry and Angora breeding, though I would not
disparage the sheep interest by advocating a reduction of
flocks or numbers, still the Angora interest is susceptible of
indefinite extension without, in any way, molesting the pro-
duction of wool and mutton. Sheep husbandry, per se, im-
plies perennial grass and high priced lands, while Angora
breeding signifies just the reverse—thrives best on lands
devoid of grass—rocky, brush hill tops, abandoned gully-
washed fields. The Cumberland mountains, with an alti-
tude above the fogs and heavy dews, covered with bushes and
briers for food, and its cliffs and protecting rocks as coverts
and safe retreats against rain, snow and wintry winds, will,
at no distant day, be appropriated as the ranch of white,
silken fleeced Angoras. The amount of capital required in
starting a flock of 2,000 native ewes witb full blood Angora
bucks, would be small in comparison with an enterprise of
the same magnitude with sheep. Two herders, with four
shepherd dogs, would be ample force to manage this num-

(23% |

ber of goats. As the wild natural subsistence is consumed
in one locality the range could be changed. Temporary
shelters facing southward and enclosed on the north and
west sides as wind screeus, would furnish protection from
rain and snow. By keeping rock salt in the vicinity of
these shelters, the goats would return at night from the
range withvut the assistance of herders.

With an experience covering twenty years in breeding
Angoras, they have-proven universally healthy and free
from the diseases and contagions that so often decimate
flocks of sheep. There is but one ailment to which they
are subject, and that, an inflammation of the hoof, resulting
from running on grass sod; this would not occur, or, if so,
only to a limited extent on rocky, dry ground, free from
grass. The application of pulverized bluestone in the cleft
of the hoof, and coal tar afterwards, is a prompt and certain
remedy. ‘This inflammation lames but seldom ever proves
fatal, and never when treated in due time.

The Angora goat probably more than any other domestic
animal demands freedom and perfect ventilation, and suc-
cumbs to close confinement in imperfectly ventilated quarters.
For this reason he is enabled to endure the inclemency of
winter far better, and will obtain subsistence under circum-
stances fatal to sheep.

By nature this goat is organized for high, dry, rocky al-
titudes; can subsist for a much longer time without water
than sheep, and this attribute, with his capacity to subsist
on scant vegetation, suits him for vast areas in the extreme
West subject to annual visitations of drouth, and unsuited
to any other industry. There are many portions of Western
Texas, Arizona, Colorado, New and Old Mexico, whose to-
pography, climate, temperature and hygrometric conditions
are the same as the home of the Angora in Asia Minor, and
where the native Mexican goat can be had by thousands at
fifty cents a head as a basis for crossing with Angora bucks.

he mountains of Tennessee, North Carolina and North

238]!

Alabama, as well as the pine woods of Georgia, Alabama,
Mississippi and Louisiana, are well suited to breeding An-
goras, the pine woods particularly exempting the young kids
from danger of extreme cold, which frequently proves fatal
in more northern latitudes.

The period of gestation with the Angora goat is from one
hundred and forty-five to one hundred and fifty days, and
as they produce but once annually, the period of pregnancy
should be so arranged as to terminate in early spring, after
all danger from cold winds and rains has passed, which in
this State is about April Ist. In States south of Tennessee
October Ist, and in Tennessee November Ist, is the proper
time to couple the ewes with bucks. Until young kids
have suckled they are sensitive to cold, but having once
nursed their vitality is probably greater than the young of
any other domestic animal. When three weeks old all
male kids not needed for sale or for use in the flock should
be castrated, as the kids are easily taken at this age on the
range, and the wound is rapidly cicatrized. The wethers,
if kept until two years old, become fat and command the
same price as sheep of the same age.

The flesh of a two year old wether in juiciness, texture
and delicacy of flavor, is superior to the finest Southdown
mutton, partaking of the flavor both of mutton and venison,
and often sold as the former from the butchers’ stalls. The
Angora clips from two to six pounds of mohair, and is finest
when the animal is one year old, maintaining quite a uniform
standard of fineness until four years of age, when the quality
begins to deteriorate, and becomes coarse at eight years old.
Its age is from eight to twelve years, and death is generally
the result of superannuation.

The claims of this animal on the attention of agriculturists
and stock breeders have been held in abeyance through pre-
judice, and a want of a proper conception of the uses for
which nature designed it. Independent of the value of the_
animal for its fleece and flesh, it possesses a mechanical

[ 239 J

value in its daily search for food which is the representative
of so much manual labor economized in the complete de-
struction of briers and bushes. The Angora goat is the
only ageat outside of hired labor that will serve this purpose,
and his insatiate appetite for buds and leaves is the motive
power to his energy, that never tires so long as a bush or
brier is in sight.

Col. B. F. Cockrill informs me that he annually expended
three hundred dollars in cutting blackberry bushes from his
grass lots until he obtained a flock of Angoras, which have
entirely cleaned his farm of briers; his experience is only
a repetition of my own.

JOSEPH PHILIPS.

Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 2, 1879.

MANUFACTURE OF GOAT FLEECE.

(Agricultural Report of 1867.)

Mr. Israel 8. Diehl, formerly United States Consul at
Batavia, Java, was deputed to visit Europe the past year to
investigate the manufacture of Angora or Cashmere fleeces,
with reference to its introduction into the United States.

The acclimation of these goats in this country is an es-
tablished fact. For several years, in different parts of the
Union, the Angora goat has been bred, both pure and
crossed with our native goat. Far from deteriorating by
the transfer, as had been predicted, it is found that in some
parts of the country even the unmixed breed of the im-
ported goats has shown evident signs of improvement re-
sulting from the change. This branch of pastoral industry
has begun to assume very considerable prominence, as is in-
dicated by the fact that during the past year not less than
$100,000 have been paid for these goats in Ohio alone.

In order to test the quality of the fleeces produced in this
country, Mr. Diehl, prior to his departure for Europe, col-
lected specimens from the different flocks and localities, from

[ 240]

Massachusetts to California, and subsequently compared
them with foreign fleeces at the Paris Exposition and else-
where, both in Europe and Asia. His own deliberate
opinion is that in fineness, delicacy, and beauty, the
American fleeces were equal, if not superior, to the choicest
Oriental specimens met with. On the subsequent exhibi-
tion of these samples at Paris and Roubaix, in France, and
in London and Bradford, in England, the manufacturers
expressed the most delighted surprise at their beauty and
facility of manipulation, pronouncing them fully equal to
the best imported Asiatic fleeces.

It is stated that most of last year’s clip was sold on com-
mission by asingle New York house. Three manufactories
have provided machinery for its experimental manufacture.
These parties ventured to pay for fleeces, varying from
three-fourths to pure breed, from fifty cents to one dollar
and fifty cents per pound. The goats shear from two to
eight pounds each, according to blood, age, and sire, hence
it is far more profitable, even at these experimental prices,
to raise goat’s fleece than sheep wool. The establishment
and extension of this manufacture cannot fail to stimulate
its increase and secure its permanancy. For combed and
washed fleece, suited to fancy work, much higher prices
have already been realized. Skins of yearling wethers,
from seven-eighths to fifteen-sixteenths pure breed, have
been sold at eighteen dollars apiece.

Having ascertained our manufacturing deficiencies, Mr.
Diehl next visited the Paris Exposition, where he directed
his attention to the fabrics of various kinds of goat’s fleece.
He was astonished and delighted at the extent, rarity, deli-
cacy and exquisite beauty of the specimens contributed by
the looms of Asia Minor, India, France, England, Ger-
many, and other countries represented in this department of
the Exposition. These manufactures consisted of shawls,
camlets, challis, mohairs, poplins, velvets, delaines, hosiery,
yarns, gowns, robes, rugs, fur-trimmings, tapels, ete. Some

[244 |

‘of them were made of pure goat’s fleece, and others of the
fleece mixed with wool, cotton, silks, and other fibres, im-
parting to these compounds a luster, strength, and durability
“which no other fibre except silk will secure. Nearly every
nation represented at the Exposition presented some beauti-
ful manufactures of goat’s fleece. India, England, France,
‘and Austria, seemed to excel in the more delicate fabrics,
while Turkey exhibited the greatest variety and richness of
‘the raw material. -

In England the manipulation of this staple is practically
‘monopolized by a few parties, who appear adverse to im-
parting any information in regard to the manufacture and
sale of their fabrics.

The fleece manufactured in England is mainly produced
in Asia Minor from the Angora goat. It is imported to the
‘extent of 3,000,000 pounds per annum, and is known in
‘commerce by the name of mohair.

Messrs. Hughes & Ronald, wocl brokers of Liverpool,
an a recent report, thus speak of this Angora fleece :

“The importation of mohair is of comparatively recent
‘date. It is scarcely a quarter of a century since it was in-
troduced into this country. It was for some time chiefly
used for the list ends of wollen cloths, and commanded but
little attention, but for some years past it has been greatly
gaining in favor for the fancy trade, and has now become an
article of considerable importance, our annual import being
3,000,000 pounds weight. It is particularly adapted for
damasks, velvet for coach-linings and curtains, and ladies’
‘dresses, mixed with cotton and silk, and produces a most
agreeable texture. A large quantity of the yarn spun in
this country is exported to France and Germany, where it is
chiefly manufactured into velvet. The fashion has this year
run very much upon mohair for ladies’ dresses, and every
thing on the spot has been bought up for home consump-
tion.”

16

[242 J

The supply of Angora fleece in Asia Minor is limited and
precarious ; access to it is both difficult and dangerous from.
the jealousy of the government and the barbarous bigotry
of the people; hence, English and continental manufac-
turers are looking to the Cape of Good Hope, Australia,
the United States, and South America for an increased pro-
duction of this staple to meet their necessities. The value
of this entire interest would be enormously enhanced by
the opening of an adequate and permanent source of
supply.

In Europe the fleece is spun into yarn, mostly in
England, or at Boubaix, in France, thence distributed over
Europe for manufacture into cloth. The excellence of the
yarn spun in England and Boubaix is due partly to superior
skill, partly to peculiar and improved machinery, and partly
to natural and artificial humidity of the atmosphere.

From very transparent motives the process of spinning
has been represented by those in the interest of the monop-
oly as very expensive and difficult, nay, even a profound
secret, known only to those now engaged in the business;
but these representations were flatly contradicted by the
exhibitions at Paris of a yreat variety of machinery for
carding, scrubbing, spinning, and weaving the tiptik or
Angora fleece. This machinery, purporting to have been
made largely in Bradford and Roubaix, two great seats of
yarn production, entirely exploded the assumption.

The delicate processes of modern machinery surpass even
the quaint and exquisite skill of oriental operatives, while
in accuracy of design and cheapness of execution there is a
still greater difference. This enables the Eurcpean manu-
facturer to purchase the raw material of Asia Minor, to pay
export and import duties, and then undersell the Asiatic
fabric, forstalling its entire western market.

Mr. Diehl visited Angora, and examined the looms and
processes of manufacture in use among the natives. These
he found to be exceedingly crude and simple. The fleece

| 243 ]

is first taken to a running stream, where it is washed by
hand and trampled under foot in the water. It is then
spread upon the sand to dry and bleach, after which it is
“assorted according to fineness, length, and purity. It is
then hackled on a simple, old-fashioned hackle, consisting
of a few dozen long iron nails driven through a board.
After hackling, the fleece is placed in bundles or rolls and
spun into yarn, mostly by the women and children. For
this purpose a common distaff is used, or a stick from twelve
to eighteen inches in length, with cross pieces, rendering it
about equivalent to a large spool. It is then ready for the
loom. This instrument in Angora is of the simplest and
rudest construction, and of the same unvarying type that
has been used by countless generations. Asiatic industry is
frugal in labor-saving processes. When once machinery is
brought to such a degree of efficieney as to render it barely
possible for an unlimited amount of labor to supplement
and supply its deficiencies, no further improvement is made.
Men then subject themselves, their minds, and muscles to a
training which makes them almost a part of the machines
they operate. Caucasian mind seeks to emancipate itself
from all unnecessary labor by transferring it to machinery,
thus leaving the mental faculty free for intellectual labor.
Each of its tasks it devolves successfully upon inanimate
matter, while it continually ascends to higher results. But
this function of intelligence seems to be entirely ignored by
Asiatic mind and Asiatic art.

The manufacture of Cashmere, camels’ hair, and other
shawls, once so flourishing in Asia, is greatly impaired, and
in many places entirely discontinued. But few of the once
famous Cashmere shawls have been manufactured since the
rise of the fatal competition of Lyons, Paris, Paisley,
Vienna, and other manufacturing centers of Europe. Cau-
casian capital and skill, aided by the elaborate contrivances
of machinery, can now produce at much lower prices fabrics

[ 244]

as delicate and beautiful as the famous Cashmere shawls,
though, doubtless, not so durable.

The immediate introduction of this shawl-weaving into
the United States is, perhaps, impracticable, though its final
success here is but a question of time. The obstacles to be
overcome are lack of skilled labor, of machinery, and of
an active home demand for fabrics of goats’ fleece.*

* Since the above articte was written, ten years ago, a demand has
sprung up, and will continue to increase. The present fashion of ladies’
dresses requires a description of so-called clinging fabrics, for the manu-
facture of which the Angora fleece is peculiarly adapted, and we are in-
formed that a number of factories have already been established in the
eastern States for that purpose, and some of our intelligent farmers are
availing themselves of the opportunity to diversify their industries by
raising these goats, as will be seen from several letters from them, which
we publish in connection with this subject.

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APPENDIX.

LETTERS FROM PROMINENT SHEEP RAISERS.

FROM TOM CRUTCHFIELD, ESQ., HAMILTON COUNTY.

J. B. Kiwtesrew, Commissioner of Agriculture, ete.

Dear Sir—You ask me, for the use of your bureau, my experience in
-sheep husbandry, and such suggestions as I may see proper tomake. I
would much prefer some one more competent und of greater experience
than I, had been called upon.

My first practical experience with sheep commenced in 1864, since
when and up to the present time I have given it more than ordinary at-
tention, having found it not only a great pleasure in conjunction with
-other duties of the farm, but also one of greater profit in proportion to the
capital invested, than anything else pertaining to the farm.

T had been accustomed to the native sheep of Tennessee, had never seen
any of the improved breeds, and well remember my astonishment when I
first saw the massive Cotswolds at Laurel Hill, the beautiful home of
James P. Johnson, of Williamson county, from whom I made my first
purchase of Cotswolds.

In 1864 I purchased a lot of native ewes, and was fortunate in getting
the use of a superior Spanish Merino ram, bred by R. Peiers, of Atlanta,
Georgia, to cross upon them, which cross gave great improvement in car-
-cass, form and fleece, covering the naked places of the natives, and making
the fleece much more dense and the fibre finer and stronger.

T saved the ewe lambs of this cross, and bred them to an improved
Kentucky buck, bred by Robert W. Scott, of Frankfort, Ky., which in-
-ereased the size of carcass and gave greater length and yield of wool.

The ewe lambs of his get were bred to the Cotswold buck bought from
James P. Johnson, and I have continued to breed to the best Cotswold
buck I could procure, American breed and imported, never using one
‘buck longer than two years, and never breeding in-and-in. In the mean-
time I have added to my flock American bred and imported Cotswold
-ewes at heavy cost, breeding them to the same bucks.

[ 248 ]

The imported and American bred Cotswolds and their offspring are not.
superior either in carcass or fleece to those of my own breeding. I clipped
samples of wool from Prince of Wales, an imported English bred buck,
and also from a ewe of my own breeding which, through several genera-
tions, could be traced back through the Merino cross to the native. I sent
these samples to my wool merchants in Boston, Mass., with history of the
wool, and requested thei pinion of the wool on its merits. They pro-.
nounced the ewe’s wool superior to the buck’s! It was equally as good
combing, about eighteen inches long, was of finer and stronger fibre, soft
to the touch, attributable to the shade of Merino in it.

The effects of the cross to the Spanish Merino in fineness and softness of
fibre and density of fleece and strength of staple remain for many genera-.
tions. I cull my ewes annually at shearing time, marking all that are
deficient in form or fleece, or that are becoming aged, and set them apart
with the wethers for mutton, which are sold the following spring, after
taking from them their fleece, they commanding a better price than ordi-.
nary sheep, because they gross less and are better mutton.

I sold a lot last spring (fatted principally on grass) to the butchers of
Chattanooga, that averaged 1663 lbs. gross, having clipped an average of
103 lbs. of nice combing wool, which sold at 374 cents per lb. The price
received for them was 6 cents per lb. gross, netting me $14 per head, while
the market for ordinary mutton was 4 cents. They grossed less than one-.
third, and were sold for 15 cents per Ib. net, and, like Oliver Twist, “the
ery was for more.” (And here, by way of parenthesis, allow me to say
that all improved stock, hogs, cattle, etc., will give like results over the-

scrub.)
I never breed in-and-in, its effects tell more rapidly and surely upon.

sheep than upon any other stock.

The buck is allowed to go to the ewes about the middle of August, and
is taken from them in November or December. The buck should not be-
allowed to run with the ewes after they are impregnated or while they are-
lambing, as there is danger of miscarriage by his injuring them. Ifa
ewe miscarries or loses a lamb after mature birth, she will usually let the-
buck serve her again in a week or two after such loss, and sometimes
when the ewe is nursing she will be served by the buck, which causes
lambs to be dropped at unseasonable times, keeping the ewe in poor con-.
dition and difficult to keep through the winter, with a delicate lamb and
loss of lamb from her the next spring.

The ewe lambs should not be bred until a year old past. It checks
their growth and weakens their constitution.

In Tennessee we have a wonderful diversity of soil, climate, locality.
and pasturage. In East Tennessee we have the hills fad mountains, an
almost inexhaustible summer range, with locality elevated and dry, with
never-failing streams of pure water, also the productive valleys, river and
creek bottoms, with their rich wietdouss In Middle Tennessee we have-

[ 249]

the blue-grass region, equal to Kentucky, furnishing good grazing almost
the year round. The breed of sheep that would be suited to one locality
might not be suited to another. In selecting a breed for any locality we
should take into consideration feed, climate and surrounding circum-
_stances, with market facilities and demand for the mutton or wool, or
both. Weshould then use that breed which will give the greatest net
value of marketable products.

- In Middle Tennessee, especially the blue-grass region, the large im-
ported English breeds, giving heavy carcass and great yield of wool, can
be more successfully and profitably bred and reared than in any other
portion of the State, unless in special localities where they can be given
rich pasturage similar to that furnished by the blue-grass of Middle Ten-
nessee.

No one breed of sheep combines all the good qualities, hence the many
erosses that have been made, not only with all the imported English
breeds, but also at home with our own natives. I believe it is a matter
of experience with sheep breeders that the most profitable sheep are those
of cross-breed races.

By the breeder breeding for a specific purpose, as Bakewell, of the
Dishly farm, did in producing the improved Leicester; as Robt. W. Scott,
of Frankfort, Ky., did in producing the improved Kentucky ; as has been
done in breeding to produce the Oxfordshire, Hampshire and Shropshire-
Downs—all, even the Cotswolds, have been refined by the mixtures of
other blood. Originally they were bred only on the headwaters of the
rivers Severn and Thames, and were a very large, coarse sheep They
have been extensively crossed with the Leicester or Bakewell, diminishing
their size and fleece, but improving their carcass and rendering it earlier
of maturity, giving to their fleece the lustre that it did not originally pos-
sess, and at the same time detracting from its density.

The improved breeds from the States are being shipped to Colorado,
California, New Mexico, ete., to cross upon the natives there. So we of
Tennessee, with our great diversity of soil, climate, etc., by judicious
erosses upon our natives, can furnish a counterpart, at little cost, for every
race of sheep valuable for its fleece or mutton, if we give our time and at-
tention to such as may be suited to each locality.

Probably nine-tenths of the sheep of Tennessee are natives—scrubs—
yielding about two pounds of wool, and of mutton, gross, about sixty
pounds. These, of themselves, are of but very little benefit to the owner
or to the revenue of the State; but as a basis upon which to build, by
using improved males, they can be made, with very little cost, a great
source of revenue to the owner and to the State.

In my judgment, by using the native ewes of fair size, good shape and
robust constitution as a base, and crossing upon them the Spanish Merino
buck, saving the ewe lambs of such cross and breeding them to the Cots-
wold buck, we can produce a breed of sheep healthier and better suited

Posen.

to our climate, soil and pasturage than any of the improved breeds, yield-
ing as much mutton in carcass, and as great a quantity of wool. A cross
of Merino and Cotswold would result similarly, but would not utilize the
great number of natives. A cross direct of the Cotswold and natives is a
vast improvement, getting rapidly to the large carcass and great yield of
wool; but without the Merino cross, the density of fleece, fineness and
softness of fibre imparted by it cannot be attained.

It is of the utmost importance that those breeding either of full bloods
or crosses should select the best of rams. A good Merino ram bred to the
native ewe adds one hundred per cent. to the yield of wool, and greatly to
the carcass in symmetry of form and fattening qualities. Nor is’this all:
the half-bloods are worth double their dams, and can be used as a basis
of still higher and greater improvement by the use of the large carcass,
long-wooled rams, which cross will greatly increase the weight of carcass
and double the yield of wool. When the number of lambs produced by
one ram is taken into consideration, and when it is seen over what an im-
mense extent, even in his own direct offspring, his good or bad qualities
are to be perpetuated, how obvious, then, that none but the best bucks
should be selected! How important, then, that every scrub ram in the
State should be exterminated, and his place supplied with one of the im-
proved breeds.

In a few years the natives would become extinct, and in their stead we
should have a breed of sheep yielding from twice to four times the quan-
tity of wool, and of a superior quality, aside from the great increase of
mutton in carcass.

Some may say that the expense of procuring an improved buck is
greater than they can bear. If they are able to own a flock of sheep, they
are able to own an improved buck. It would be money saved to give half
an ordinary flock of natives for an improved buck. The increase of wool
alone (not taking into consideration the increased value of the lambs of
the first year’s get by an improved buck) would pay for him, and every
clip after that, with the increase of lambs, is that much gained,

The Commissioner of Agriculture for the State of Georgia reports the
annual profit on capital invested in sheep at sixty-three per cent. Ten-
nessee ought to do equally as well—in fact, better, for in Georgia the im-
proved breeds will not succeed as well as in Tennessee.

DISEASES.

With proper change of pasturage and keeping the sheep away from
low, moist ground, they are comparatively free from disease.

If sheep are kept up, it is better to have their pastures divided into two
or more lots, and let them occupy one portion two or three weeks, and
then change to another. The change is of great importance to secure
health and necessary variety of food. There are certain pungent plants
and weeds which sheep are very fond of, and which seem necessary to

| 251

their health, for which they will leave the best of grasses to feed upon,
which become exhausted in permanent pastures.

Salt and shade should be constantly accessible. During the summer
months they feed early in the morning and late in the evening, and,
during moonlight nights, late into the night. They resort to the same
sheltering places of shade and rest day after day, which become very foul
and injurious, unless kept covered with litter or cleared off.

In the months of June and July they are very much annoyed by the
gad-fly depositing its egg in the nostril of the sheep. The discharge from
the nostril caused by the larva of the fly is frequently called “the rots.”
Though very annoying to the sheep, it is not a disease. The grub is
found in the heads of most all sheep. A similar grub is found in the
head of the deer, deposited by the buck-fly. By a copious and oft-repeated
application of tar to the nose of the sheep, during the months of June and
July, the fly is less troublesome, being repelled by the tar.

I have lost a few sheep by “staggers,” “turnsick,” etc., properly hydatid
on the brain, by allowing the sheep to range upon low, wet, spongy lands.
By removing them at once the disease ceased.

By changing from dry food or short pasturage to rich, succulent pas-
turage, and especially to rank clover pasture, I have had my sheep to
scour badly. I have never failed to control it by removing to a shorter
pasture, or feed a few days upon dry food, hay, oats, etc.

They should not be sheared in spring until all danger of cold has
passed. After the loss of their fleece they are very liable to take cold,
which results in a cough and discharge from the nostril, and frequently
in the loss of the sheep.

They should never be sheared in the fall. They need their warm coat,
as well as man, to protect them through the winter. They should have
open shelters, accessible at all times, to protect them from severe storms.

I have never seen a case of foot-rot, which is a disease of the foot. I
have frequently had my sheep to get quite lame in their fore feet, but
upon examination found that the lameness was caused by breaking of the
hoof, and not unfrequently a small chip or stick would get into the cleft
of the hoof, which, by constant irritation, would make a sore and create
lameness. Sometimes, after rains, the mud which would be forced into
the cleft while soft, would harden, and by chafing, produce lameness; by
simply removing the cause, the lameness would soon be gone. If, at
shearing time, a little pains be taken to trim the foot, much of this would
be avoided.

When the bucks and ewes are placed together for the purpose of breed-
ing, the tail and the buttocks of the ewes, and the wool from the belly of the
buck, should be cleanly trimmed. A neglect of this, especially with the
long-wooled breeds, frequently results in loss of impregnation of the ewe,
and a weakening of the buck by a discharge in the clotted wool of the
belly of the buck or buttock of the ewe.

[ 252 ]

The lambs should be docked (tails cut off) when a few days old. It
improves the appearance of the sheep, and prevents much trouble when
purging takes place, which, if allowed to remain, in warm weather will
be blown by the fly and filled with maggots, which, if neglected, will
spread over the body of the sheep, resulting in death.

I mark my lambs when a year old, at shearing time, using Dana’s
patent label, by the numbers. I can keep their ages and their breeding
correctly.

TICKS.

If annoyed with sheep ticks (about two weeks after shearing, the ticks
will all leave the older sheep and go to the lambs), by dipping the lamb.
in a solution prepared of Buchan’s carbolic sheep dip, you destroy not
only the tick but the eggs.

BUTCHERING.

Many persons do not eat mutton because of the peculiar sheepy odor
and taste sometimes found in the mutton, and attribute it as being due to
the contact of the wool with the meat. This is a mistake. The true
cause of this taste or odor lies in the delay of disemboweling the carcass.
If the intestines are allowed to remain until the pelt is removed, the
gasses emitted from them are disseminated through the flesh, which causes,
the objectionable taste or odor. Disembowel the carcass at once, before the
pelt is removed. Or, as soon as the throat of the animal is cut, having it
tied up by the hind feet with its head hanging down, cut a hole between
the hind quarters, and fill the body at once with cold water; then take the pelt
off at your leisure, and remove the entrails, and you will have none of
that disagreeable odor.

HOW TO MAKE WOOL UNIFORM.

One thing of which I thought, but it escaped me at the proper time, is
this: The sheep should be kept in uniform condition to produce good
wool. If the condition of the sheep is kept uniform, the wool will be uni-
form. If the sheep are allowed to grow poor and then suddenly fatted,
or vice versa, the staple of the wool will change in the same way. With
combing wool, it injures it materially, as where the weak places are it
gives way, destroying its value as combing wool. Fat sheep make fat
wool. Wool from sheep kept in good, uniform condition, will be uniform
throughout, and the yield from the same sheep greater, longer, stronger
and heavier, having more yolk.

In writing, I endeavored to give you my idea, and the reasons for it, of
the best sheep for Tennessee, as a whole, and at the same time utilize the
natives, which are now comparatively worthless. There are breeders of
the Downs—Southdowns, Shropshiredowns, Oxfordshiredowns, ete., ete.
For a medium wool and high-flavored mutton, these sheep are exceed-

0) eae

ingly valuable, but for wool and mutton combined, where carcass also is
desired, the cross I have mentioned I think is decidedly preferable.

Sheep sometimes shed their wool, and I have heard old farmers attrib-
ute it to feeding them corn. Such is not the true cause. Any sudden
change—if suddenly fatted from poverty, or allowed to become rapidly
thin from good flesh, they will shed their wool. If from any cause they
are sick, causing them to have fever, as from garget, swelled udder, caused
by loss of lamb, they will shed their wool.

I said nothing about feeding or grazing; every one will control that to
suit himself; nor as to the dogs, whick is the greatest obstacle of all to
successful and profitable sheep-raising. The more we can get interested
in sheep, the fewer friends the dog will have.

The following essay, also written by Mr. Crutchfield,
though going over some of the same ground, is well worthy
a place in this treatise:

Gentlemen of the Stock-breeders’ Association :

Your president, Mark S. Cockrill, has done me the honor to impose
upon me the duty of preparing an essay on Sheep Husbandry in Tennes-
see, to be read before your convention. I would have much preferred
that the duty should have fallen upon some one more competent to do
justice to the subject, and of greater experience than I have.

As farmers and breeders of live stock, we owe to each other our expe-
rience in our various vocations that we may each reap the benefit of the
other’s experience. This interchange of opinion can better be attained
through organized associations of farmers and breeders, like that of the
Stock Breeders’ Association, and through the agricultural press, to which
we all onght to be, if we are not, subscribers and contributors.

Sheep husbandry had its origin co-existent with man, and has co-ex-
tended with him through all the various ages to the present time. It is
not, however, with its ancient history that we have now to do, only in so
far as it assists us in tracing back the breeding of the many species or va-
rieties of the present generation, and accepting those best suited to our
purposes.

Strictly speaking, there is no sheep indigenous to our continent, unless
it be the Rocky Mountain sheep, and that, I believe, partakes more of the
nature of the goat than the sheep. The sheep most numerous with us,
called the Native, or the Scrub, are of foreign origin, brought over to this
-country by our ancestors from different portions of Europe, each bringing
the favorite breed of their immediate district, and from them sprang the
race of sheep now known as Natives.

From no care at all in breeding, except to let them breed indiscrimi-
nately among themselves, without any regard to improvement, their type,

[ 954]

as a breed, is as well fixed as any of the carefully bred European breeds;
they can be selected from-any other breed by the most casual observer.
This is the breed of which probably nine-tenths of the sheep of the State
are composed, and this being the fact, it must be the basis upon which all
improvement must be made, so as to utilize what we now have. Now,
how shall this improvement be made? Simply by using upon our native
ewes rams of the long-established and improved breeds. We have of
these, bred by our own breeders, to select from, the Merino, the South-
down, Shropshiredown, Oxfordshiredown, Leicester, Cotswold, ete.

Each breeder must determine for himself what improvement he desires,
or for what purpose he shall breed—-whether for wool alone, and if for
wool alone, whether fine, medium or combing wool; or whether for wool
and mutton combined, or for mutton alone, or for whatever purpose he
may desire, and select the breeding ram accordingly, and breed continn-
ously for the purpose desired. I am of opinion that the best general-purpose
sheep we have are from careful selections and judicious crosses. Witness
the improved Leicester, Cotswolds, Shropshiredowns and Oxfordshire-
downs. And even with the Merino and Southdown there are many shades
brought about by the peculiar fancy of the different breeders, breeding
for different and specific purposes. It is true these breeds have become
perfect breeds within themselves, and yet none of them combining all
that may be desired.

‘Beyond doubt, the Merino is the most ancient race of sheep now exist
ing with us, and is probably more diffused throughout the world than any
other breed of sheep, having been used advantageously in crossing upon
breeds of localities, soils and climates different to that from whence it
originally came, occupying prominent position over both continents and
on the isles of the seas. Next probably in the purity of their breeding
isthe Southdown, which has existed for centuries in England, and their
kindred races, the Shropshire and Oxfordshire Downs—crosses of the
Down family with the larger, long-wooled breeds, which are of more
recent origin. Then we have the long-wocled breeds, Leicester, Lincoln
and Cotswold. Mr. Spooner, in speaking of the Cotswold, says, “they
were formerly bred only on the hills, and fatted in the valleys of the
rivers Severn and Thames, but afterwards in the Cotswold Hills of Eng-
land,” from which I presume they take their name. The Cotswold have
been greatly refined and improved from their original state by judicious
crosses with other long-wooled breeds, principally the Leicester. This
breed of sheep, the Leicester or Bakewell, some writers say, were originally
of the Lincolnshire breed, noted for the quantity of their wool and
coarseness of their mutton. Mr. Bakewell, of the Dishly farm, England,
by judicious selections and a steady adherence to certain principles of
breeding—breeding for a specific purpose—perfected what is known as the
improved or new Leicester, which ranks very high among the long-wooled
breeds of England and America. Robert W. Scott, near Franhfort, Ken-

[ 255

tucky, originated a breed of sheep, known as the Improved Kentucky,
very much as Mr. Bakewell did the Leicester, and produced a sheep very
similar to the Leicester.

I am of opinion, and that opinion is predicated upon a practical expe-
rience of over twelve years, that the breeder can breed in sheep just what
‘he desires. In Tennessee, with our great diversity of soil, climate, pas-
turage, etc., by judicious crosses upon our natives, we can furnish a coun-
terpart for every race of sheep valuable for its fleece or mutton, if we
give our time and attention to the breeding of such as may be desired or
suited to each locality and for each purpose. Some may prefer medium
wool and earcass, with superior mutton of high flavor—these would prob-
ably select, to improve their flocks, some of the Down family. I believe
this race of sheep is considered superior in the quality of their mutton to
all other breeds. As the partridge, quail, etc., are to birds, and the trout,
salmon, etc., are to fish, so is the Down to mutton.

Others who prefer a large carcass, quantity without especial regard to
quality, and a great yield of wool, will select some of the long-wooled
breeds. Others, who prefer finer wools and a medium carcass, will select
some of the Merino breeds.

As a general thing in ‘Tennessee, it is not so much the quality as the
quantity of of carcass desired; very little difference, except in especial
localities, is made in the quality of mutton, just so that it is in good con-
dition, and the larger the carcass the greater the profit.

Many breeders, particularly in Middle Tennessee, rely for a portion of
their profits upon early lambs for Northern markets—the lambing season
(from November to February), on account of our mild climate, being
months in advance of our less favored Northern borders, enables our
breeders to get the cream of the market. __

This branch of sheep husbandry has been very remunerative to those
breeders who have adopted it, breeding the comparatively inexpensive
native ewes to come of the imported English breeds. In my portion of the
State—East Tennessee—with the line of railroads that we now have, by
which we can reach the markets of Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia
and New York, and with the road now in course of construction, and soon
to be completed—the Cincinnati Southern Railway—connecting Cincin-
nati with Chattanooga by one line af road, certainly gives to that portion
of the State, for this branch of the industry, market facilities unequalled.
A car-load of lambs could be transported from Chattanooga to Cincinnati
in twenty hours, and from there could be distributed to the markets offer-
ing the greatest inducements. This line of railway is, for ninety miles,
at the base of Walden’s Ridge, thence crosses the Cumberland Mountain,
through Tennessee, into Kentucky, bringing at once into easy access to
markets the great table-lands of the Cumberland Mountain and Walden’s
Ridge, (which is a spur of the Cumberland), where, in time, will be the
finest sheep-walks in the world. This road will also open up to the mar-

[ 256]

kets of the world the vast deposit of minerals along its line so long lying
‘dormant, new mines will be opened and worked, new manufacturing es-
tablishments built, giving employment to thousands, and furnishing a
home market for the products of the country.

But to return: Whatever course may be determined on by the breeder»
the utmost importance should attach to the selection of the ram to be
bred to, for in the purity of his blood is represented the improved type
that is desired. The purer the blood of the ram the more strongly will
his characteristics overcome the subsequent mixture of breeds, and im-
print themselves upon his offspring. Then in selecting the ewes to breed
from, avoid as much as possible any defects you wish to obliterate, select-
ing ewes of the best form, size and constitution. It has been aptly illus-
trated by a writer on this subject, as “in giving motion to a projectile (for
instance, a cannon ball), the velocity obtained is not merely in propor-
tion to the propelling force, but also to the resistance of the medium
through which the body is driven.” Now in this instance the ram would,
represent the propelling force, the ewe that of resistance, since if there
were no obstacle on;,her side the complete effect would be realized by the
faithful reproduction of the improving type. Clearly, therefore, the in-
fluence of the ram upon the offspring will be the stronger, the purer, and
more ancient in the first place that his own race may be, and in the next
place the less resistance is offered by the ewe through the possession of
those qualities of purity and long descent which are so valuable in the
sire. But after all care and diligence may have been used in the proper
selection of rams and ewes to improve the breed, ill results, and probably
failure, will follow, unless a like improvement in keep and management
accompanies. The great improvement of the English breeds, to which we
must resort for the improvement of our breeds, is greatly due to their ex-
cellent management and keep. Proper attention to the selection of rams
and ewes, and an annual culling of the flock, which is best done at shear- .
ing time, when any deficiency may be detected, and the defective ewe
marked for the mutton pen, culling out and disposing of the less perfect
-ewes, and keeping only what can be well cared for, properly sheltered if
needed, and provided with good pasturage or feed, and good management
have given to others their improved breeds, and will give to us ours.

Tennessee, by the census of 1870, had about 800,000 sheep, producing
about two pounds of wool per head, or 1,600,000 pounds. If these sheep
were half-breeds of any of the improved breeds, the yield of wool would
be at least double, or four pounds per head, or an increase of 1,600,000
pounds, which, at 20 cents per pound, would gain to the producer $320,-
000, and in ashort time, by proper breeding, as indicated, could be in-
-ereased to an average of six pounds per head, or an increase of 3,200,000
pounds, which at 20 cents, would gain $640,000.

Probably one-half of these sheep are sold or consumed annually for
mutton, estimating them to average in weight 60 pounds, and to sell at 2

[ 257 J

cents per pound, would bring $480,000. Now the use of the improved
rams would increase the carcass fifty per cent., or to 90 pounds each, and
the value of the mutton fifty per cent., or at 3 cents per pound, giving a
gross income of $1,080,000, or a gain in mutton alone of 4600,000—thus

_you would have an increase to the revenue of the farmers and breeders of
sheep from wool and mutton alone, about one and one-fourth million of
dollars, and that without adding one sheep to the flocks of the State—
enough to pay the current expenses of the State and the interest on her
bonded debt at the seale.

In making these estimates I have placed them far below the actual
weighis and sales of imported mutton sheep. My own mutton sheep, the
past season, averaged 1662 pounds, (nearly double the estimated weight).
After clipping 102 each of wool, which sold for 374 cents, nearly double
the estimate on wool, and the mutton sold for 6 cents per pound, just
double the estimated price.

Increase the number of sheep improved, to the capacity of the State,
and give to the sheep raiser proper protection by law, and the beneficial
results would be almost incalculable. In one sense of the word, sheep
husbandry may be classed among the smaller industries of the State, be-
cause it is so economical in all its bearings, and so little capital is required
‘to engage in it, even on an extensive scale. Yet in the aggregate it is, or
ought to be, one of the greatest industries of the State. Thesmal! amount
of money that can be put into sheep husbandry by any one persom, suffi-
cient to stock their farms, is one of the principal objections urged against
it by men oi capital—while they admit that there is no live stock, which
the farmer handles, which pays a better dividend, in proportion to the
capital invested, than sheep, yet the income, in the aggregate, is too small.
Herein is where the profit of sheep husbandry will be to the masses of the
farmers of the State. With very little outlay of money each farmer can
add to his live stock as many sheep as he may desire, or can properly
handle in conjunction with the other duties of his farm, “here a little
and there a little” will the profits accrue, each sharing his portion, and
the industry will be so greatly diversified there will be the greater assur-
ance of protection.

Our Supreme Court, although some of our Judges held to a contrary
opinion, decided against the constitutionality of the dog-law, which was
one of the best laws ever enacted by the Legislature, and although it has
been repealed, and it was in force but a very short time, its good effects in
ridding the State of many worthless dogs, and the saving of sheep was
great, and is still manifest, without saying any thing ‘Shout two hundred
thousand dollars or more that was paid into the State Treasury from this
canine luxury.

The farmers of the State should not rest until they get protection by
law for this industry. Within my knowledge parties from the Northern
States, who want to come to Tennessee and engage in sheep husbandry on

ike

[ 258 ]

a large scale, are deterred from doing so alone from fear of the dogs.
Some protective laws can be enacted that will be constitutional. As the
law now is, any one is liable to the owner for killing any straggling dog.
A law giving the right to kill, without liability, any trespassing dog,
would be a good step in the right direction, and assist materially in the
protection of sheep

As will be seen by reference to the breeders’ directory of our agricultu-
ral papers, we have breeders in Tennessee of all the improved stock—
horses, cattle, sheep, hogs, ete. If you want either a race horse, trotting
horse or saddle horse, a lordly Durham to improve your beef cattle, or a
little Jersey, should the madam have a fancy to excel in golden butter,
or the beautiful Devon, which, for all purposes, milk, butter and beef, is
hard to excel, or any of the improved stock, you have only to refer, as in-
dicated, to know where to get them. Our breeders have been at great
expense in importing, rearing and acclimating improved stock, and it is
to the pecuniary interest of the farmers of the State to sustain them, and
save to themselves the heavy tax incident to transporting live stock singly
from a distance, and the risk in acclimating them afterwards.

The effect of climate is probably greater upon the improved sheep than
upon any other of the imported, improved stock. It is, therefore, better
to purchase rams desired to improve our flocks from those raised in and
inured to our climate. With me the only trouble with the imported sheep
has been to pass them safely through the first summer, while those of my
own raising have been as healthy and hearty as the native sheep.

But, gentlemen, I have already trespassed too far. Your President, in his
letter addressed to me did me the honor to say that he knew “I had made
money out of sheep,” and requested that I “tell them how to do the same
thing.” I presume he did not mean this intelligent body. That would
be like “ carrying coals to Newcastle,” as I am but a novice in sheep cul-
ture, compared with some whom I address, but to the general farmer who
has given it but a passing notice, what I have said, or may say, may be of
some advantage. I do not know that I can tell them how to make money |
out of it, but I can tell them how I have done so.

Without any knowledge (or very little) of the industry, except what I
could gain by reading the authorities on sheep, and the experience of
others, as expressed through the agricultural press, I began sheep hus-
bandry in 1864, by the purchase of twenty native ewes, for which I paid
$100—war prices—the same could be bought now for $25. I bred these
ewes to a Spanish Merino ram. Why? Because the Merino was a native
of a climate similar to that of Tennessee—was acclimated—was of a long
established breed —possessing a dense coat of fine, soft wool; all of which
I wished to perpetuate in my cross, and cover the naked places of my na-
tives. In this I succeeded, and got a sheep yielding from four to six
pounds of fine, soft wool, with carcass considerably increased, and a greater
aptitude to take on flesh. I then desired a larger carcass, with the staple

[ 259 J

-of my wool longer, and the yield greater, combing wool bearing the best
price; hence I bred myhalf-breed Merino ewes to a long-wooled ram, and
succeeded in getting what I desired, and still retaining the fineness of the
fibre and softness to the touch, so characteristic of the Merino—as also the
‘density of fleece. I have continued to the present time to breed to none
but improved Cotswolds, adding to my flock at intervals, Kentucky-raised
and imported Cotswold ewes and rams, and breeding the imported ewes to
the same rams. Neither the imported ewes nor their offspring (and for
the ewes I paid what was considered fancy prices) are superior to those of
my own raising, but, in fact, those of my own raising are superior in
health, carcass and yield of wool, to the imported—all receiving the same
‘care and attention, which I know was not so good as that received by the
imported ewes before I purchased them, as they doubtless had been pam-
pered and handled with great care. The less kind treatment they re-
‘ceived in taking their chances with my flock, and not being acclimated,
had its effect upon them.

Annually, at shearing time, I cull my flock, and take out all ewes and
lambs that are less perfect in form and fleece, or in any respect inferior,
and place them with the mutton sheep, keeping to breed from none but
the hest.

I give my flock good attention. They have access to an open shed, and
‘salt all the time. I change their grazing ground often, and endeavor to
keep them in uniform condition, as that makes uniform wool. Any sudden
change from a fat to a poor condition, and vice versa, strengthens or dimin-
ishes the fibre of the wool, which detracts greatly from the value of the
wool, frequently rendering the long wools valueless as combing wool. Ii
the sheep becomes poor when the fleece is about half grown, and then
fatted, the wool inevitably tells it, as at that point where the poverty of
the sheep was shown, so will it be shown in the wool being much weaker
than the other portions of the fibre grown while the sheep was in good con-
‘dition ; this same cause, as also any cause from which they have had any
fever, will cause them to shed their wool. I have heard it said that the
feeding of corn to sheep made them shed their wool. No doubt it is true,
as the corn brought them rapidly from poverty to flesh, the sudden change
‘causing the shedding of wool, which, rightfully, is attributed to the corn.

I never breed in-and-in; never use any but mature rams. It is false
economy to breed to a lamb, because he can be bought for a few dollars
less, and it is a positive injury to the lamb. I never allow the ewe lambs
to be served by the ram until the fall previous to two years. I permit the
ram to run with the ewes from August to November, when he is taken
,from the ewes and lotted to himself, otherwise lambs would be coming at
inopportune times. A ewe that loses her lamb in the spring is very apt
to be served by the buck if he has access to her, within a short time after
such loss, which would cause her to drop a lamb in the fall, making it
-difficult to carry her and the lamb through the winter, with loss of lamb

[ 260 ]

from her the succeeding spring. One mature ram to about fifty ewes,
with a little grain twice a day, as his attention to the ewes prevents his
grazing, and without extra feed would cause him to decline in fiesh and
strength, and be less able to perform his duties. In summer they graze
upon my meadows and grass lots, destroying noxious weeds, briars, ete.;
in winter upon the winter grazing oat, and are fed only when the oats are
too wet to graze or the ground frozen; they are then removed to sod
ground, and if neces®ary, feed hay or grain. In the spring of 1877, 1
sowed a field to clover; during the summer the rag weed was about to
take possession of it and smother out the clover. I cut it and cured it,
and stored it away in the shed, salting it as I hauled it in; upon this the
sheep have principally fed this winter, preferring it to the best timothy
hay. I market my mutton at home markets and my wool in Boston. My
flock averages about nine pounds each, of fine combing wool, not sur-
passed by any, and retains the fineness of fibre and softness to the touch
transmitted by the Merino. I sent samples of wool from sheep of my
own breeding, and samples from an imported Cotswold, to Boston for com-
parison—the preference was given to that of my own breeding, it being
equal to the imported in every respect, and superior in strength and fine-
ness of fibre. I would prefer to market my wool at home, but from some
cause there is too great a margin between the home and the Boston mar-
ket. It costs me, in commissions and freight less than three cents per
pound to market it in Boston.

My ewes are now lambing, in which they have heretofore been very
proficient. At one time 23 ewes brought consecutively, 47 lambs; 22
having twins and the 23d triplets. In 1877, 50 ewes raised 79 lambs.

Since 1866 I have received for sheep and wool sold................. $ 3,974 00
I have now on hand 100 head, which I could not replace by

TUUE] NESS, JO) aoe saB Bees Boohosabe tas aAdaelsuSAcceon Soconocsden caadgouoy s.c350 1,500 00
Value of flock and increase from it................206 seeeeseee eoreeeee $ 5,474 00
I have expended for breeding ewes and rams..........c0ssseee weeeee 607 50
ibeavinesa; ross) profit Lor LA byeansOl-p.ra. eern-s-see-teeeseeeeee see $ 4,816 50

or over 60 per cent. per annum upon the capital invested, supposing the
same to have been invested at the beginning, while about one-half of it
has been invested in the past few years.

T have said nothing as to the cost of keep, or the benefits derived from
the sheep, but taking one-fourth of the gross profits, which is about $1.50
per head per annum, without giving to the sheep any credit for benefits
desived from them, which are many, and there is still left over 45 per
cent. per annum for twelve consecutive years.

IT have sustained losses by dogs, by accident, by theft and by disease,
the latter principally with lambs—but none of the diseases incident to
European flocks have troubled me. With dry grounds, proper attention

[261 J

to grazing and feeding, and salting, with shelter during inclement seasons,
my flock has kept quite healthy.

I do not believe such profits can be realized upon sheep on a large
‘scale, or even with a smaller number, if the husbandman relies upon the
‘ -breed alone (to make his profits) without giving them proper care and
attention. But I am sure that the farmer of Tennessee who will use

-_ ordinary judgment in making his selections, and ordinary care in hand-

ling his flock, adapting the same to the capacity of his farm, will reap a
greater profit in proportion to the capital invested, than from any other
source. His flock will be to him better than Government or State bonds,
returning to him annually, or semi-annually if he desires it, coupon
fleece, far exceeding in interest any Government or State bond, with no
fear of repudiation constantly staring him in the face, and with the
proud consolation that it is the result of his own care and attention, and
not wrung from the sweat and blood of the toiling millions.
AMNICOLA, Feb. 5, 1878.

FROM D. M. JONES, SHARON, TENNESSEE.

J.B. KILLEBREW, Commissioner, etc.,

Dear Sir—I received your circular at alate date. In reply I will say,
‘sheep raising is much neglected, taking our facilities into consideration.
Permit me to speak a few words from experience. Last winter was the
hardest on stock we have had for several years, and I personally know of
a flock of sheep that ran in the woods all winter, without feed or atten-
tion, but am not able to state the loss. In May my attention was directed
to a portion of said flock, numbering fifty-two head, old sheep, ewes and
wethers, with fourteen nice young lambs, with a good prospect of raising
them, the older lambs having died before vegetation afforded sufficient
grazing for the ewes.

I estimate the wintering on cotton seed and crushed corn six months
through the winter at 75 cents each, giving them all they will eat, in con-
nection with rye and other winter grazing.

In August last I purchased one pair of sheep, of J. B.
Hill, Franklin, which cost $17.00. I then selected
32 scrub ewes at $1.50 each. Total cost of stock.... $65 00

Wintering 33 head at $1.00 each...............06. seececeee 33 00
Interest on $98.00 at 10 per cent........ She cerclecmevanieesicc sce 6 50
$104 50
Lost one ewe from natural causes, one by abortion, one
killed by accident, one from castration, and two
lambs when three days old. Now on hand 65 head.
Vialwieror bucks. heater ee ic Lah TRE oh a $17 00
ol old ewes and 12 wether lambs ai $1.50 each......... 64 50
16 ewe lambs at $2.00 each, and 5 bucks at $3.50...... 49 50
Wool clippled from 32 ewes and buck, 1314 1bs., at 25c. 33 63
$164 63

IN Cf: PAIN. ss .e000'e0 pastate coc PAREIECCIECEIOR ARE OB OCH CRS REEeE seasesee $ 60 13

[ 262]

FROM MAJ. GEO, T. ALLMAN.

STocK WELL, MArsHALL Co., TEnn., July, 1877.
J. B. KinLesrew, Commissioner of Agriculture, ete.

In reply to your letter of the 25th ult., I do not know of any stock
kept on a farm that is more profitable than sheep. They pay two divi-
dends a year—lambs and fleece—besides a daily dividend of manure, and.
are indispensable on a stock farm to keep down weeds, bushes, etc.

I do not know how I can better illustrate the profits than by giving a
recent occurrence. A gentleman had seventeen very inferior sheep, sold
them for $20, and gave that money for a very fine ewe, then with lamb.
This was three years since. He received $62.50 for two lambs sold and
the wool. I paid him $100, a few days since, for the original ewe and
nine others—all her produce and descendants. He lost several lambs by
the severe winter of 1876-7; never provided any shelter, and never fed
them one bushel of grain.

My best ewes pay me annually an average of $25 per head (sales of
lambs and wool).

The second question is more difficult to answer, as all depends upon the-
number of other stock kept on the farm, and whether luxuriant pastures
or a scanty bite. There is neither profit nor pleasure in handling inferior
stock, and there is no pay in short grass. From three to four sheep to one
acre of grass can be well kept with other stock in such quantities as are-
usually kept on our farms.

For mutton, the Southdowns have no equal. For carcass and fleece-
combined, I prefer the Cotswold. When large flocks are proposed to be

‘kept, I would give the preference to the Merino. I prefer the Cotswold.
from the fact there is more demand for them and they pay better. I find.
that sheep and all other stock do best and pay most when protected from
sleets, snow, etc. When there is plenty of grazing they require very little.
feed. I think it advisable to change their pastures, and they should have
salt, water and shade free of access. During severe winter I feed one ear-
ef corn per day to each sheep, and when the ground is covered with snow,
all the hay they will eat. Sheep properly cared for seldom have any
disease with us. If kept in good flesh, they are seldom annoyed with
“sheep ticks.” A tobacco dip will rid them of ticks. It is an excellent
plan to bore holes with a two-inch augur, fill the holes nearly to the top.
with salt, and put pine tar around the holes, so that when the sheep lick
the salt they get the tar on their noses, and are not much annoyed by the
fly in summer. Early lambs should be clipped in July, which renders.
them less liable to disease. This applies more especially to the long-
wooled sheep. When the fly annoys them, the lambs run from tree to
tree and get very hot and perspire very much, then lie down on damp.

[ 263 ]
grass and get chilled, their fleece being so long their carcass does not
“dry out.”

In answer to your question as to the number of sheep killed by dogs, I
answer that I believe one-fifth are annually killed or maimed by dogs in
‘ this vicinity. This is the great barrier to the profitable raising of sheep,

and as our wise solons love the dog more than the sheep, and as our pres-
-ent law is wholly insufficient to give the owner of the sheep any protec-

tion, I see but two ways to remedy the evil. 1. To make it a rule to kill
every straggling dog found on the premises 2. To make the land-owners

responsible for all sheep killed by dogs that are around or kept by those

in their employ or living on their land. I think we would not then, as

now, have from two to five worthless curs to every freedman or tenant.

SHEEP-HUSBANDRY IN EAST TENNESSEE.

BY J. W. F. FOSTER, LL D.

The permanently remunerative industries of every country will be de-
termined by its physical peculiarities of soil, climate, and topography.
Governmental interference and other temporary circumstances may, for a
time, turn them into unnatural channels, but ultimately they will assume
or revert to those channels which nature has pointed out. Of this truth
East Tennessee is a notable illustration. The unwise devotion of the
Gulf States to the almost exclusive production of cotton created a near
and profitable market for our cereals, and to supply it their production
was stimulated to the utmost. Our devotion to grain was as exclusive
and as unwise as was their devotion to cotton. As a consequence, after
half a century of uninterrupted grain-growing, we have reached the point
that, away from the river buttoms, few farms are profitably productive,
and large numbers are utterly exhausted. The lands and their owners
are gradually growing poorer. And so they will continue until a radical
change is introduced into our system of husbandry. It is not a matter of
choice, but one of necessity. The character of this needed change is

[ 264 J

plainly indicated by the physical elements of the country. They are the
same as those of Spain, the oldest and most extensive wool-crowing region
of the world; they are the same as those of California and Australia,
which, in our day, are as yet her only rivals, High ranges of mountains
to the north and the south of us, furnishing shelter from arctic cold and
torrid heat; the intermediate space furrowed into innumerable ridges and
valleys; a dry soil, but an abundance of the purest living water; a cli-
mate strictly temperate, where all the valuable grasses flourish in perpet-
ual verdure; an atmosphere saturated with all the elements of health;
such are its chief characteristics, and such is the paradise of the sheep.
Notwithstanding these great natural advantages, we do not produce over
the sixth part of the wool consumed by our population. The number of
our sheep is scarcely equal to half of our population; we have but one
sheep to every eight acres of our improved lands; one to every forty acres
of our entire territory. Our number is but a small fraction of what it
could and should be, as may be seen from the following statisties: Spain,
with neither a soil nor climate equal to ours, has two sheep for each of
her population, and one to every five acres of her territory. The State of
Vermont keeps one sheep to every four acres of her territory, and three to
every one of her population. New York has one sheep to every seven
acres of territory; Ohio, one to every six acres. The proportion of horses
and cattle in the two last mentioned States is also fully double that of
Tennessee. If in these States, where sheep-husbandry is not the chief oc-
cupation of the farmers but merely incidental to their other occupations,
where the climate is so rigorous as to require ieeding from three to six
months in the year, and where the price of land is upon an average four-
fold that of ours, sach numbers of sheep are maintained, how much better
could be our own showing if our people were only wisely alive to their
own interest. The assessment rolls of East Tennessee show an aggregate
in round numbers of eight and one-half millions of acres, of which not
quite one-fourth is returned as improved. Without materially interfer-
ing with other agricultural operations this territory could support two
and one-half million sheep, which, at a low estimate, would yield in
money three-fourths as much,as the entire crop of wheat, corn and oats,
basing the calculation upon the census report of 1870, and taking the
average price of wool and grain for the last five years. In other words,
the income of our farmers would be nearly doubled, with but little addi-
tional labor and expense. From cur own experience and that of a large
number of farmers who do raise sheep, we believe that the results would
be considerably above our estimate. Moreover, this estimate does not in-
clude the value of the manure as a fertilizer, of which more will subse-
quently be said.

If this representation is correct, the question naturally occurs, why do
not our people engage in the business? There are, it seems to us, three
chief reasons. There exists in many minds a prejudice against the sheep;

[ 265 ]

there is a natural reluctance to change from old ways and habits which
have been handed down from father to son; but more than all else, is the
want of adequate and permanent legislation to protect the sheep-grower
against his most deadly enemy, the dog. Against a prejudice and a feel-
‘ing the weapons of reason are powerless. People cannot be argued out of
them; they must outgrow them. But when this growth has once com-
menced it is generally rapid, and from all the information which we can
derive from the various counties in this division of the State, it has al-
ready proceeded so far that, but for the want of adequate legislation, our
people would largely embark in the business.

THE DOG,

more than any other one thing, is keeping Kast Tennessee poor. If, ac-
cording to the Spanish proverb, beneath the foot of the sheep is prosper-
ity and wealth, beneath that of the dog is decay and poverty. From data
furnished by the assessment rolls, we have in this division of the State at
least sixty thousand dogs. If before the tribunal of Reason and Common
Sense an indictment were preferred against these dogs as a public nui-
sance, such an array of charges could be made and sustained as would
insure a verdict of guilty, and with scarcely any palliating circumstances
for an appeal to the mercy of the court. It would be proved that the
food consumed by each dog would produce one hundred and fifty pounds
cf pork, which would aggregate nine million pounds, worth, at the lowest
estimate, five hundred and forty thousand dollars. It would be shown
that the destruction of property by them annually averages, but little less
than that produced by fire and flood. It would be shown that, in conse-
quence of their evil disposition, our farmers are deterred from engaging
in the raising of sheep, by which a loss of revenue is caused to the people
and to the State of at least five millions of dollars annually. It would be
shown that large numbers of immigrants, with money in their purses and
brains in their heads, are prevented from settling among us and helping
to build up the country, from the fact that these dogs render it too hazard-
ous to embark in the only agricultural operation that offers a reasonable
prospect of profit. It is a crime against the dignity and welfare of the
State that such a nuisance should exist.

THE PROFITS

of sheep-husbandry, like those of every other business, will greatly depend
upon the skill and attention with which it is conducted. In estimating
them, three elements are to be considered—the wool, the mutton, and the
manure. There are several ways of estimating these profits, all of which
are very approximately correct and whose results closely harmonize. We
will first compare them with those of corn and wheat upon our lands of

—_

[ 266 |

average fertility. The account with an acre of corn would be about as
follows:

PLOW oye ambi Oe ene cee sees sence se/sceaesnae'cnacenses $2 00
Cultivating and harvesting ...............01 secsessee coveeeee 2 50
$4 50

Twenty bushels at 50c. per bushel, $10—leaving a profit of $5.50 per acre.
With an acre of wheat it would stand:

Seed fjaecutosenncaeen sea tareseccnadaes cc 28 Moselsaane ae enaeercheaeeee $1 00
Plowing and sowing: ceive s.cice ce sass ceueseantce en oaees '2 00
Harvesting and threshing seks ...-. +. -<sssreeceesnteonsecein 85

$3 85

Hight bushels, at $1 per bushel, $8—leaving a profit of $4.15 per acre.
The same land would support five sheep to every two acres:

Wool, 4 lbs. per head, at 40c. per 1b............00 seseeeess $8 00
Kour lambs; iat ble50\perwheadesss--pecsecssueeeees arene ara 6 00
$14 00
Expense'at:60e7 per head: oe. e oe eecssscetmeise cans coeeeae 3 00
$11 00

Leaving a profit of $5.50 per acre, being equal to that of corn, and ex-
ceeding that of wheat by $1.85 per acre.

Our estimates of the profits of the corn and wheat are full high, larger
than will be generally realized; that of the sheep full low, much less —
than would be realized with good sheep and proper management.

Another method of estimation is the rates at which sheep are loaned.
In some States it is quite common for moneyed men to let out flocks of
sheep to those having less means. Sometimes a flock of ewes is thus
loaned, to double in four years, being a rental of 25 per cent. per annum.
More frequently they are let for two pounds of wool per head annually,
returning the original number. If the ewe is worth three dollars, and
wool forty cents per pound, this would give a rental of 263 per cent. per
annum.

No man can rent land at 25 per cent. of its value per acre, keep it up,
and, after a series of years, return it in as good condition as when re-
ceived. A clear interest of ten per cent. would make land the most profit-
able investment that could be made.

All of these estimates show that sheep-husbandry is more profitable
than grain. But we are satisfied that in this climate, with good breeds of
sheep and with the right management, our lands can be made to yield at
the least fifty per cent more than our estimate. We have assumed our
sheep to yield four pounds; they can be easily made to reach six and
eight pounds. We have assumed that our lands can carry but two and
one-half sheep to the acre; they can carry three. We have assumed that

| 267 ]

every hundred ewes give eighty lambs; they can be made to give from
one hundred to one hundred and twenty. We have assumed that the
lambs bring $1.50 per head; they can be made, as mutton, to yield $3
per head net. Moreover, we have left out of the consideration the ma-
nure, which, at the lowest estimate, is worth fifty cents per head. In cor-
roboration of our estimate, we would state that we have taken pains to
ebtain the opinion of sheep-raisers upon this point, and though their esti-
mates differ from each other, all agree that it is the most profitable part
of their farm operations.

No estimate of the profits of this business is complete without a consid-
eration of the value of

SHEEP AS PERTILIZERS.

This is a matter of special interest to the farmers of Hast Tennessee, to
whom the recuperation of their exhausted fields is a subject of vital im-
portance. Chemical analysis shows the manure of the sheep to be richer
in the elements of vegetable growth than that of the horse or cow. Its
nature and method of distribution insure nearly its entire utilization,
while that of these other animals is, to a large extent, wasted. In Eng-
land it is held to be worth over a dollar per head. In this country it is
commonly placed at fifty cents.- Our own estimate would be much higher.
In the absence of a record of exact experiments by others, we may be
excused for referring to two of our own made this year. Our sheep are
folded every night, summer and winter, in an enclosed shed, with a paled
yard attached. The shed is kept well littered, and the yard scraped once
or twice a week, the scrapings being thrown into the shed. Last August
the manure from ten sheep for the year was spread upon a quarter of an
acre of my thin land. The piece was then sowed to turnips. Though
the season has proved very unfavorable, it promises a yield of at least the
rate of 250 bushels to the acre. Without the manure it would not yield
fifty. The manure of these ten sheep will make me fifty bushels of tur-
nips; its effects will be larger next year, and will be very perceptible for
the two or three succeeding years.

This summer the scrapings from a yard in which twenty sheep were
folded, have amounted to about four bushels per week, or about ten bush-
els per head for the year. In May one bushel of these scrapings was
sown in a ridge of sweet potatoes, ten rods in length. As compared
with the adjoining rows the effects throughout the season have been vis-
ible; and judging from the few that have been already dug, the yield
will be increased at least three pecks, or an increase of sixty-six bushels
to the acre. The nightly manure of twenty sheep thus saved and used
would cover an acre and a half of land, and increase the yield one hun-
dred bushels. And furthermore, the force of the manure is far from
expended on the first crop. This is the result of only half of the sheep’s

[268]

manure, the balance being spread on the pasture. From these and other
experiments made by me, I am_ positive that the manure of one sheep is
of more value than one hundred pounds of guano, which will cost at
least three and one-half dollars. Too little value is generally attached
to this element of profit; probably from the fact that our fathers tilled
the land in all its virgin fruitfulness, and did not feel the need of it,
and we are still encumbered with their ways of thought and action. But
many of our best farmers are beginning to discover that, if the manure
is their only clear profit on stock, it nevertheless pays.
The profits of sheep-husbandry will largely depend on

THEIR MANAGEMENT.

No animal will endure neglect and thrive under it equal to the sheep;
and no animal will respond more generously to extra care and attention.
Tt is the prevalent idea and practice that sheep must take care of them-
selves. Hence small sheep, little wool and no profit. It would be as
reasonable to expect a good crop of corn without cultivation as to expect
a good crop of wool or mutton without the bestowal of proper care upon
the producers of them. Sheep will thrive in the summer season on almost
any of our pastures and old fields; it is consequently for the winter that
provision is specially to be made. And herein lies one of our chief ad-
vantages as a sheep-raising State. In the-North they must be fed on arti-
ficial food from three to six months in the year; here they need require
it scarcely as many days. In New York or Michigan it will cost from
$1.00 to $1.50 per head to winter them; here they can be wintered
equally well at a cost of from twenty-five to fifty cents. The course
which I would recommend, founded on my own experience and that of
many of our most intelligent and successful sheep-raisers, would be about
as follows: Provide a field of such grass as grows late in the fall and
starts early in the spring, and which will keep green through the winter.
Orchard grass and red-top are perhaps the best, especially where blue
grass will not sueceed. Let it make a good growth in the fall. Turn on
about the middle of November; and unless too heavily stocked, it will
furnish an abundant pasturage till the first of February.

As early in the fall as possible, sow rye or winter oats in corhfields or
elsewhere. From the first of February till late in the spring, sheep can
have no better food than can thus be provided. By this method they can
be kept thriving through the winter at but a trifling more expense than
through the summer. But when the weather is stormy and inclement, so
that they are disinclined to graze, it will be advisable to feed them some
grain. At such times they need a more nutritious food to supply the
animal heat which the cold and dampness so rapidly abstract. For it
must be remembered that large, healthy lambs at yeaning time, and
heavy fleeces at shearing time, can be expected only from sheep that have
been kept in good order through the winter.

A, 2a |

The importance of the matter will be a sufficient excuse for a brief
digression upon the sowing of rye in the fall. The advantage of it is
three fold, especially on fields that have been cultivated this year, and
are to be followed by cultivation the next. First, a large amount of ex-
cellent teed is obtained; secondly, it very effectually prevents the wash-
ings to which our fields are so disastrously subjected by winter rains .
thirdly, when turned under in the spring it is a valuable fertilizer. Its
rapid decomposition furnishes heat and assimilable food to the plant at a
time when they are particularly needed. Hither one of these advantages
is sufficient to repay the cost; the three combined make it one of our
most valuable crops. In fact, as things now are, itis an essential of good
farming; and it is a happy omen for the agriculture of our State that the
practice is rapidly extending.

Though not a necessity in our climate,

ROOTS

are an important adjunct in the wintering of sheep. No other crop will
furnish an equal amount of wholesome food to the acre. In this manner,
also, a variety of food is furnished as essential to sheep as to man. It is
well known that the agriculture of England has been brought to its.
present high standard, and is kept advancing, chiefly by means of sheep,
largely supported on turnips. In our climate, as there, the crop can be
left on the ground during the winter and harvested by the animals them-
selves. An acre of good ground will yield from 400 to 600 bushels; more
than equal to fifty bushels of corn, and raised at less expense. Another
important root crop, too much neglected, is the sweet potato. On fair soil
productive varieties will yield from 250 to 400 bushels to the acre, equal
for feeding purposes to from 60 to 100 bushels of corn; and they can be
kept without difficulty till Christmas. The expense of raising them is
some more than that of raising an equal area oi corn, but less than that
of raising their equivalent in feeding qualities. Besides, they are but
little exhaustive to the soil. My own practice is to raise sweet potatoes
for early feeding and turnips for late. They are moreover an excellent
feed for horses, milch cows and hogs. A feed of them two or three times
a week greatly promotes the thrift of these animals.

It is a prevalent belief that sheep need no protection from the weather.
No idea is more erroneous. They will suffer less from the dry cold of
Minnesota than from the chilling rains of Tennessee. Their fleeces be-
come saturated with dampness, and the animal heat is rapidly abstracted
by evaporation. It is the very best of economy for the saving of food,
for the growth of soft and heavy fleeces, for the health of the sheep, and
for the preservation and thrift of the lambs, that ample and comfortable

SHELTER

should be provided. The saving of feed and life, and the éxtra produce,
will amount to full twenty-five per cent. Then there is to the humane

[ 270 ]

man the feeling of pleasure and satisfaction arising from the knowledge
that in the midst of a wintry storm, while he himself is enjoying the
comforts of a blazing fire, his sheep likewise are comfortable in their
quarters. Their house should be well covered and protected from
the winds. Attached should be an open yard, to which they have free
access. Their house should be kept well littered. Upon one side should
be troughs for feeding and salting. Many, perhaps most, will consider all
this as unnecessary and useless trouble. But we say that which we do
know, when we say it pays. Sheep thus sheltered will keep fat on the
food that will barely sustain life in those which are exposed. Their
fleeces are kept clean, lambs are seldom lost from exposure; they become
gentle, can readily be caught and handled, and the state and condition of
the flock are known every day. Uncared for sheep will yield some wool
and mutton. but no profit. Generous profits are the offspring of generous
treatment. Physical comfort and mental quietude are as essential to the
well-being of our domestic animals as to our own.
Among the numerous

BREEDS

‘of sheep the public favor seems to be divided principally between the
Merino and the Cotswold. The former yields a short, fine fleece weighing
from four to six pounds; the latter yields a long, rather coarse, fleece,
weighing from eight to ten pounds. The former has a small carcass,
weighing from seventy-five to one hundred pounds; the carcass of the
latter will run from 125 pounds to 175 pounds. Formerly the Merinos
were the most popular; but of late years the increasing consumption of
mutton and the demand for long wool for combing purposes seems to have
turned the tide of popularity towards the Cotswold. For the mountain-
ous regions of East Tennessee, remote from markets and lines of transpor-
tation, and where the production of wool is the chief object of the sheep
raiser, the Merino may be the most desirable. But in most portions that
breed will be found most profitable which yields the greatest returns
both of wool and mutton. These combined qualities the Cotswold seems
to possess above any other breed

But throwing the wool entirely out of consideration, it is generally
maintained by sheep-growers, that, as meat-producing animals, they are
more profitable than either hogs or cattle, except perhaps on rich bottom
lands. Randall, an extensive sheep-farmer of New York, says it can be
demonstrated that a pound of

MUTTON

can be produced cheaper than a pound of pork or beef. And several
farmers of this State largely engaged in all three varieties of stock-rais-
ing, have expressed to the writer the same opinion. The consumption of
mutton is fast increasing throughout the United States. In our large

amt §

cities the demand is, as a rule, in excess of the supply; and the recent
successful enterprise of shipping fresh meat to Europe will doubtless, in a
few years, greatly enhance this demand. If for no other purpose, every
farmer should keep a few sheep that he may have a supply of fresh mut-
ton whenever desired. It is as wholesome and nutritious as beef, and if
properly dressed, as palatable. The flesh diet of our rural population is
chiefly salt pork; and so it must for a long time continue, especially
during the hot months, unless resort is had to mutton. By interchanging,
every neighborhood of three or four farmers could keep their tables sup-
plied without risk of loss by the weather. It would add much to the
comfort and enjoyment of the family, and perhaps cause no small saving
on the score of “doctor’s bills.”

Information received from all portions of this Division of the State
makes it certain that there is a rapidly growing sentiment in favor of
sheep-husbandry. Many who have not heretofore kept sheep are starting
flocks; others are enlarging ; all are striving to improve their quality.
Quite a number have engaged extensively in breeding Cotswolds, and they
are unable to supply the home demand for pure-bred stock. If wisdom
rules in our Legislature, and the dog nuisance is permanently abated or
rendered harmless, it may confidently be predicted that within the next
decade scarcely a farm will be found without sheep, and in the larger
number of instances they will be the principal stock. Nature certainly
points in that direction ; and the good sense of our people cannot fail to
‘nduce them to follow at her bidding. For us there is no need of a new
Argonautic expedition in search of the Golden, Fleece. We can find it
right here at home. Her sheep yield more gold to California than her
mines. The herbage that grows upon our mountains and hillsides can
yield to us and to our posterity a more enduring supply of wealth than
their interiors, though traversed with Comstock lodes.

We have presented, hitherto, some of the claims of sheep-husbandry as
a source of profit by the money it yields and by the fertility it imparts to
the soil. But it is not upon this ground alone, nor chiefly that we would
urge it upon our farmers. As a class of the community, they, their
wives and their children, are overworked. Almost from the cradle to the
grave they spend a life of unremitting toil. They grow prematurely old;
they lack many of the rational enjoyments of life; worse than all, they
are far from reaching that high standard of intellectual and moral char-
acter to which their occupation is preeminently favorable. Overwork is
as bad on the health and character as idleness. Both are extremes; both
are misfortunes; the one makes men useless drones, the other makes them
jaded slaves. Under our present system of farming it cannot well be oth-
erwise. The difference in the labor reyuired on a grain farm and that on
a stock farm can scarcely be appreciated by those who have not expe-
rienced it. But great as is this difference, it is no greater than that in
the character of the two classes of farmers. Go to the rich prairies of

[ 272]

Illinois; visit a grain-growing community; then pass to the adjoining
stock-growers. The contrast is so great that a dullard cannot fail to mark
it. He seems to have been transported to a different world. The grain-
grower is so dependent on the fickleness of the seasons and the unreliable-
ness of human labor, that he seems to have lost all independence of char-
acter; the stock-grower, less affected by these troubles, presents an ideal
of manly independence. The grain-grower sees the fertility of his Jands
decreasing, and with it his income, talks of selling out and moving west
to fresher fields, to Kansas or Nebraska; he is filled with the spirit of
unrest and discontent, and they brand their mark on his and his family’s
foreheads. The stock-grower sees’that his lands are annually becoming
richer, and in consequence his income larger; for him Kansas and Ne-
braska have no charms; he thinks of no change, unless it may be to buy
a gold mine in California or a palace in Chicago, after he has bought and
stocked all the desirable lands in his vicinity; he is filled with quietude
and content, and upon his and his family’s foreheads they too impress
their mark. From January to December the grain-grower and his family
spend a round of constant toil. Too busy in the daytime, too fatigued at
night, they neither study nor read. Of the literature, science and art of
the world, they know little, care less. Their intellects become narrowed
and dwarfed, incapable of a noble thought or a generous feeling. The
stock-grower and his family, with more of leisure and less of wearisome-
ness, find time for reading and for society. Their taste becomes refined,
their intellect expanded. Books and periodicals become a luxury and a
necessity. An interest is created and cultivated in the affairs and the
thoughts of the great world lying beyond the horizon of the belfry of
ther village church. In their views of things they become cosmopolitan,
noble in their thoughts, generous in the impulses of their hearts. This
contrast is not exaggerated. All intelligent travelers will perceive its
truth. The writer has marked it in scores of instances in different
portions of our country.

We conclude with the language of Mr. Grey to the Hexam Farmers’
Club in England: “The wealth and success of a farmer may be pretty
well calculated by the amount of his sheep stock. Sheep are said to be
the animals with the golden hoof; they enrich where they go. ‘They not
only enrich the master, but the soil.”

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| 273]

LEICESTER SHEEP.
By Dr. WM. WILLIAMS, or Davipson County.

Mr. Bakewell, a breeder of stock in the shire of Leicester, England,
with clear and well-defined ideas in regard to sheep-breeding, created in
his own mind an ideal of perfection, and determined to establish a distinct
breed of sheep to which he thought no possible objection could be raised.
From his own flock, those of his neighbors, and the stock-yards, he selected
sheep which he thought were most likely to produce the offspring he
wanted. Encouraged by the success of this effort in obtaining a sheep of
good form and constitution, he continued his efforts in making selections
to cross-breed with. When on a visit to a friend in Lincolnshire who was
an eminent stock-breeder, and looking over the flock of sheep his quick
eye rested on a ram whose small head, long, round body, short legs, and
mellow handling, so pleased him that he prevailed on his friend to part
with his best ram. This ram corrected some of the defects of the flock,
particularly in the wool, he having a coat of closer texture and of a
longer and finer staple. He must have been a splendid cne indeed to
satisiy Mr. Bakewell, who considered him a prize, and changed his sys-
tem of cross-breeding to that of breeding in-and-in, for the purpose of per-
manently fixing the type, which he succeeded in to his entire satisfaction,
by-making selections of the best of his own flock to breed from, carefully
avoiding hereditary defects and diseases. By patience and perseverance
his theory of cross-breeding and close-breeding became so well known
that his flock of Leicesters soon gained a world-wide celebrity. They
were resorted to for the purpose of improving other breeds. The improved
Cotswold is a cross between the large, coarse Cotswold and the Leicester,
which gave the Cotswold a better form, better constitution, and finer
wool. The Oxfordshire is a cross between the Southdown and the Leices-
ter, which has produced a sheep having the color of face and legs like the
Southdown, and the size, form and fleece differing but little from the
Leicester.

In Tennessee to-day, for general purposes, the Leicester is unsurpassed |
if not unequaled, by any other breed of sheep. Compared with the dif-
ferent breeds of fine-wool sheep, they are larger and yield more wool,

which is worth more per pound. Possessing a good constitution, they
fatten as well as the Southdown, have a heavier carcass, a heavier fleece
of wool, also worth more per pound. They are not so large as the mag-
nificent Cotswold, but they surpass them in symmetry of form, in consti-
tution, which insures to them long life, and in the texture of fleece, The
ewes are good breeders and good nurses. They very often produce twins,
and the twins grow off as well as the single lambs, which are sought for

18

[274]

by breeders and butchers at liberal prices. The wool has been sold in the
Nashville market during the last twelve years for from twenty-five to
sixty-five cents per pound, as taken from the sheep, and averaging from
six to eight pounds each fleece, and in some individual cases as high as
twelve and even fifteen pounds. The wool is strictly combing wool, and
is used by manufacturers in making the finest blankets and other articles
requiring a long, fine fibre. Samples of this wool I have sent you, which
you have seen proper to speak of in terms perhaps above its merits.

Were an animal painter to group a flock of Leicesters on canvas, the
heads would be small and hornless, the ears long, the legs short and
small, all clean of wool and usually of a dusky tinge, and occasionally
small black spots on them; the neck small, the brisket deep, the body
long and round, the back broad, and the hind quarters square. Dressed
in their winter suit, the neck is well protected with the Elizabethan ruffle,
and their bodies covered with a soft coat of long, wavy, combing wool,
which the March winds toss about like billows.

IMPROVED: KENTUCKY SHEEP.
Brep BY ROBERT W. SCOTT, Franxrort, KENTUCKY.

In the communication from Mr. Tom Crutchfield, he
speaks of crossing his flock with a buck bred by Mr. Rob-
ert W. Scott, of Frankfort, Kentucky, and of the beneficial
effects derived from this cross. It occurred to me that this
now famous breed merits more attention than it has received
from the stock-breeders of Tennessee. I therefore wrote
to Mr. Scott to give me a history and description of his
flock. In compliance with my request he very kindly for-
warded to me the following essay, in which the intelligent
breeder will perceive that Mr. Scott has exercised unusual

| 275]

skill in breeding, and has taken infinite pains to give his
flock all the qualities to be desired in sheep for this lati-
tude:

The sheep which are called “native,” or “common,” in the West, are a
hardy and prolific variety; but they are deficient in size, in thrift, and in
fleece. Though the general diffusion of them proves their adaptation to
the circumstances in which they are placed, yet it is well known that the
tendency which all animals have to adapt themselves to climate and sub-
-sistence may be materially modified and controlled by judicious crossing,
and that the improvement made by these crosses becomes permanent, and
thereby stamps distinct varieties of the same class of animals. Chiefly
by these influences (crosses, climate, and subsistence) the Bakewell, Ox-
fordshire, Saxony, and other varieties of sheep, have been produced; and
their distinctive features, in congenial localities, are as indelible as those
of the stocks from which they were produced. In the same manner, no
-doubt, still other varieties may be produced; nor does there appear to be
any insuperable difficulty in blending, in the same animal, any number
_-of valuable qualities which are not actually antagonistic to each other.
These principles extend even to points of fancy merely. For example,
‘some breeds of sheep are hornless, while others have two, others three, and
others still have four horns. The Syrian shepherd delights in a breed
whose tails are so long and fat that wheels are required on which to draw
them over the pastures; but we prefer sheep with short tails, and per-
haps a breed might be produced as destitute of them as are dogs of some
breeds.

There are other valuable considerations which make the frequent cross-
ing of sheep desirable, if not indispensable. Dr. D. H. Dadd, in his Amer-
ican Cattle Doctor, page 248, says: “It is now a well-ascertained fact
that health and vigor can only be perpetuated by not running too long.on
‘the same blood. The best variety of sheep I have ever known (putting
fineness of fleece aside) was the mixed Bakewell and Southdown.” Sir
Robert Smith, in his prize essay for the English Royal Agricultural So-
-ciety, says: ‘‘Having tried experiments in every possible way, I do not
hesitate to express my opinion that, by proper and judicious crossing
‘through several generations, a most valuable breed of sheep may be raised
and established.”

The tendency of all improved breeds of all domestic animals to relapse
‘to their original status when they are neglected or abused, is no proper
discouragement to this course of improvement; for such a policy would
-condemn the adoption of all our best breeds of horses, cattle, sheep and
hogs; for all have been produced by careful and judicious crossing and
‘selection, and all improvements in stock can be fuily maintained only by
a reasonable share of the same care and judgment by which the improve-
«ment was originally effected.

[276]

None of the previously existing breeds seemed to possess all the require-.
ments of sheep for the great West and South; the native sheep were infe-
rior in carcass and in fleece; the Cotswolds were too delicate, especially
when young, and their fleeces too open, to bear exposure to our wet sea-
sons; the fleece of the Southdown was too short, and the Merino was too
small. Acting on these impressions, the writer has perseveringly endeay-
ored, for over forty-six years, to combine in the same animal the hardiness.
and prolific quality of the native sheep, the size and the weight of fleece
of the Cotswold, and the symmetry of form and delicacy of mutton of the-
Southdown; and also to combine in the same fleeces the weight and length
of the Cotswold, with the thickness and softness of the Merino. My suc-
cess has been so great, and the sale and diffusion of the sheep have been.
so wide, that I am gratified at having been able to give, through the pop-
ular Report of the Agricultural Department for 1865, the following his-.
tory of the improvement:

In the beginning, in 1834, about thirty ewes were selected from a flock
of unimproved common or native sheep, and they were bred to a very
large and fine Saxony or Merino ram, the object being to give, in the off-
spring, more thickness to the fleece and more fineness to the fibre of the”
wool. This step was thought advisable before uniting the coarse fleeces.
of the native sheep with the coarse and still more open fleeces of the large
imported varieties, and the effect was satisfactory. The ewe lambs of this.
cross were bred, on the first of October after they were one year old, to an
imported Bakewell buck, of large, full, round carcass, and a heavy fleece
of long wool. The ewe lambs of this latter cross were also, in due time,
bred to an imported Southdown buck, of large size and high form, the
object now being to infuse into the progeny that active, sprightly and
thrifty disposition, and highly flavored and beautifully marbled mutton,
for which the Southdowns are so justly celebrated. This object was also
successfully attained. The wethers of this cross were the delight of the
epicure, while the value of the fleece was not diminished, as much being
gained by increasing the number of fibres to the square inch as was lost
in the length of them.

The next cross was made by a ram which possessed, in combination,
many of the good qualities which it was desired to perpetuate in the flock.
He was three-fourths Cotswold and one-fourth Southdown; a large, hardy,
active sheep, with a thick and heavy fleece, and his progeny possessed the
same qualities in an eminent degree. The two next crosses were made by
pure-blood Cotswolds; and the next by a very fine full-blood Oxfordshire
ram of remarkable softness and silkiness of fleece, They were all animals.
with short necks, round barrels, broad backs, and full briskets. They
added to the flock still more weight of carcass and fleece; while the tex-
ture of the latter and the delicate flavor of the former were not percepti-
bly impaired, and therefore, in the next fall—of 1853—the flock was
divided between two fine full-blood Cotswolds.

[277]

Every one of these crosses was perceptible in the flock (blended, but
‘still manifest), in the character and habits, as well as in the carcass and
in the fleece; but in some a particular cross predominated, which was
naturally to be expected, on account of the recentness of the improve-
ment. In order to obliterate these discrepancies, and to produce more
complete uniformity in the flock, it was bred, in 1854, to five select rams
of my own breeding. The progeny showed a reasonable accomplishment
of the object; and though there was some variation in their carcasses and
fleeces, still they were in all respects beautiful and valuable animals of
their kind.

In the fall of 1855; in order to carry out the same design, I bred chiefly
to a mixed-blood ram, whose pedigree showed Cotswold, Oxfordshire, Tees-
water, and Southdown blood. He was a highly formed and finely finished
sheep, of large size, and a thick fleece of medium length and fineness of
fibre, and his lambs possessed great beauty and value.

In 1856 I bred chiefly to a large and fine Cotswold, and in 1857 to him
and to a ram of mixed blood, the ewes being so selected and bred as to
produce a more complete uniformity in the progeny—those having a pre-
dominance of Southdown and Merino being bred to the Cotswold, and
those having a predominance of Cotswold qualities being bred to the
mixed-blood ram. In 1858 two large and fine rams of my own breeding .
were used in the same manner, and for the same objects chiefly, viz., to
give uniformity and stability to the flock. A few ewes were also bred, in
1858, to a very fine mixed-blood ram, which was a perJect model of sym-
metry, and which had taken a premium at the State fair in Louisville in
that year. In October, 1857, the flock of about one hundred ewes was
again selected, and bred with a view to the same object, about one-half
being bred to the above premium animal, and the remainder to a fine
“Ymproved Kentucky” sheep, which had a fleece of remarkable length,
fineness of fibre, and was of good size and fine form.

By this time these sheep were as essentially alike and uniform, main-
tained their identity and imparted their qualities as surely, as sheep of
any other breed. They had been exhibited with success at many State
and county fairs, and had been sold and sent to almost every State in the
West and South, even to California; and all which I could raise from a
flock of about one hundred ewes found ready sale at the uniform price of
thirty dollars for those one year old and under. A lot of these sheep was
exhibited at the fair of the Kentucky State Agricultural Society in Paris
in 1856, and again at the fair of the United States Agricultural Society in
Louisville in 1857, and at each a special premium was awarded them.

Since 1860, well selected rams of my own breeding, and those of Leices-
ter and of Cotswold blood, have been used in such manner as to impart
some valuable qualities either to the fieece or the carcass, or to the con-
stitution of the progeny, pure Cotswolds, superior in form and size and
fleece, being used.

[ 278 ]

ADAPTATION TO THE CLIMATE AND SUBSISTENCE OF THE WEST AND SOUTH.

In a country which is comparatively new, and in which stock-raising is.
conducted on an extensive scale, housing in winter is necessarily expen-
sive and troublesome, and it is impracticable except with those animals
which are very valuable and very delicate. Hence the necessity that
sheep, which are generally regarded as of inferior importance, should be
capable of self-protection, as far as is possible. Indeed, it is doubtful
whether any breed of sheep which requires housing in winter can become
a generally popular and practically successful breed in the West and
South. Living at all times in the open air, their subsistence must be of
such a character that they can gather it at all times for themselves, or
which can be given them at but little expense or trouble. Climate and
subsistence are both known to have material influence even on the fleeces
of the sheep; and so much does the character of the food affect the qual-
ity of the wool, that the same individual, by a change of food, may be
made to produce, at different shearings, wool of widely varied quality and
value. Luxuriant and coarse vegetation, grown on limestone soils, is.
more favorable to the growth of longer and coarser wool; but this ten-
dency may be qualified by judicious crossing, and the growth of fine wool
in the West must be sustained by an occasional infusion of ‘fresh blood
from the more congenial flocks of Andalusia, Saxony, or New England,
and thus a superior article of medium wool may be produced.

The “Improved Kentucky” sheep (that is the name by which they
have been long and widely known) have always faced the bleakest win-
ters and the hottest and driest summers without any protection, except
that which nature has given them, and yet they have been almost entirely
free from all disease, especially from the coughs which often, in winter,
affect sheep; and they have been equally free from the snuflles and foot-
rot, which have been so fatal to other breeds. In springs, winters and
summers of excessive rains, clothed to the knees and to the ears by a thick,
long, and impenetrable fleece, they bid defiance to the wind, rain, and
snow, and seem at all times to be comfortable and sprightly. In summer
they are changed from pasture to pasture, and devour almost every green
weed. In winter, short grass is all they require; and if that cannot be.
afforded them, they will take their corn-fodder with the cattle, and thrive
well upon it, though at lambing time, like other sheep, they require a
more succulent diet. My stock sheep have never been fed with grain at
any time, and when in winter they have been admitted to a hay-stack,
they have seemed to prefer the corn-fodder.

THEIR THRIFTY AND PROLIFIC CHARACTER, AND THEIR SIZE.

In the month of August or September, in each year, any aged, inferior,
or declining ewes are taken from the flock; and on being separated from
their lambs and put on good grass, they soon make excellent mutton.

[ 279 |

Only the most healthy, finely-formed, and well-wooled ewes are kept as
breeders; and the utmost care has been taken, und no reasonable expense
has been spared, to secure rams to breed to them of a similar character,
and which would impart some superior qualities to the flock; and no ram
has ever been used with any, even the slightest, taint of disease upon him,
In this manner, and by frequent crosses with animals which were not
even remotely related to each other (except in the cases and for the pur-
poses above stated), and also by crossing with rams of different breeds;
without making violent crosses, a degree of health and vi gor has been in-
fused into this breed which, I feel assured, is not surpassed, if indeed it is.
equaled, in any other- So great is their tendency to take on flesh and fat»
that ewes which lose their lambs not unfrequently become, on grass
alone, too fat to breed; and in several instances I have seen fully three
inches of fat on the ribs, after being dressed for mutton, though fed on
grass only.

As to their prolific character, native ewes, under favorable circum-
stances, very frequently, if not most commonly, have twins, and being
good nurses, generally raise them well. Notwithstanding the accidents
to which they are liable in the absence of a regular shepherd, and despite
the rigors of winter endured without shelter, I have often, when the flock
of this breed of sheep was smaller than at present, raised one-third more
lambs than there were ewes, and have rarely failed to raise as many
lambs as ewes even under unfavorable circumstances.

As it is not desirable, for many reasons, that sheep should have the size
of bullocks, other valuable qualities have not been sacrificed to obtain-a
large carcass alone. Perhaps they are now fully as large as is compati-
ble with that activity of habit which is indispensable to a breed which
shall come into general use in the West and South. Larger and less ac-
tive animals will always be more liable to the sheep-bot, and to the dep-
redations of dogs, their flesh will be less captivating both to the eye and
to the palate, and the animals will be less capable of roaming in quest of
food and water over large pastures and prairies.

None of these sheep have ever been fully fatted, and their weights care-
fully noted, within my knowledge; but a few years since, I sold sixteen
wethers of this breed to a sheep-dealer and farmer, at fifteen dollars per
head, and he wrote me: “TI sold them at twenty-five dollars per head,
and the person I sold them to did well with them. They took the pre-
mium over a fine lot of Cotswold wethers. I consider them better than
the Cotswold for mutton and wool, and think they feed more kindly than
any sheep I ever saw. They were pronounced by all, the best sheep in
the market.” I extract from my sheep register the following weights of
some of them taken in the month of August: A yearling ram, 174 pounds;
a two year old ram never shorn, 224 pounds; a grown ewe, 162 pounds;
a ewe lamb, 114 pounds; all weighed off of grass, without extra keeping
of any kind.

[ 280 ]

WEIGHT AND CHARACTER OF THEIR FLEECES.

The fleeces of these sheep vary from eight to fifteen, and in one instance
seventeen and a half pounds, the whole flock of over one hundred breed-
ing ewes having averaged over eight pounds of merchantable wool, free
from burs, tags, ete.; and though not washed on the sheep’s back, still
clean enough for domestic manufacture. Though the fleeces of these
sheep (like those of all other breeds) are not perfectly uniform as to
length, thickness, and fineness of fibre, still there is a general uniformity,
and the diversity is of no practical disadvantage. Their wool is longer
than that of any sheep, except those of the Cotswold family, and is equal
in length to that of many individuals of that family, while it greatly ex-
cels the wool of the Cotswold in fineness and softness of fibre, and in the
number of fibres to the square inch on the sheep’s back. In some indi-
viduals it is wavy or curly, but it is never harsh or wiry. Except the

face and the legs below the knees, the whole body is covered with a close”

and compact fleece, which, when full grown, leaves no open line on the
back, as with the Cotswold, but gives a perfect protection to the sheep,
and causes them to present a smooth, handsome, and portly appearance.
Their fleeces have enough of grease and gum to preserve the softness and
vitality of the fibres, even to their ends, but not so much as to give the
sheep a dark and dirty appearance. Their wool receives domestic dyes
- without any washing whatever, is easily cleaned on the sheep’s back, and
when it is washed in soft water, with soap, it readily becomes very white,
receives chemical dyes, and preserves its lustre perfectly. It has gener-
ally commanded from three to five cents per pound more than any other
best combing wool in the markets of the vicinity; and I desire to refer to
the opinions of several extensive and intelligent manufacturers who have
bought it frequently. Mr. L. C. Stedman, of Georgetown, says: “As re-
gards the wool of your sheep, I think very highly of it, being strong and
well adapted ta our use for domestic purposes; cards and spins well, and
makes a good strong fabric.” Mr. J. W. Martin, of Midway, says: “It is
in all respects superior wool, and peculiarly adapted to the manufacture
of jeans and linseys, and we have paid more per pound for it than for any
other wool.” Mr. S. L. Brownell (an extensive and experienced manu-
facturer of Louisville) says: “I noticed particularly its working qualities,
and believe that no cross of wool could be effected that would improve
its working character. It seems to have length, strength, and texture,
and at the same time firmness, fineness, and softness of staple, which
render it peculiarly adapted to Southern and Western manufacture and
wear.”

Mr. Joseph Gorbut, of Woodford county, says: “I can and do with
pleasure say, that we prefer the wool of your ‘Improved Kentucky’ sheep
to that of any other we have ever used. When we take into consideration
the fineness of the texture, the length and evenness of the staple, the

[281]

weight of the fleece, its clearness of gum (losing less in scour ing than any
other of anyWkind), we can say that we prefer the wool purchased of you
to any other we use; and in consequence have for years recommended
our customers to. aval themselves with your ‘Improved Kentucky’
sheep.”

LETTER FROM HENRY STEWART.

AurHor or “Tur SHEPHERD’s MANUAL.”

A gentleman of prominence, residing in Nashville, has
for several years been studying the capabilities of the moun-
tainous regions of East Tennessee with a view of ultimate-
ly engaging in sheep husbandry there should his investiga-
tions prove satisfactory. He recently addressed a letter to
Mr. Henry Stewart, asking for some specific directions as
to the management and care of a flock in that region. Mr.
Stewart replied at some length, and his suggestions are so
practical that the gentleman has kindly placed the letter at
my disposal, which I subjoin, believing that the informa-
tion contained therein will be of benefit to those contem-
plating going into sheep raising in the mountainous regions:

Westwoop, N. J., Feb. 28, 1880.

My Dear Sir—I have to apologize for keeping you waiting so long, but
T have been so busy the past week or two that I have scarcely known how
to turn around. So many people write me on similar subjects, and my
editorial duties, together with my farm here, on to which I have removed
the past week, keep me going day and night.

I have given your letter close consideration, and reply in detail as you
request. I know of no better sheep country in the world than the one
you refer to. The Western plains are excellent, but my flock of over
5,000, which I have there now, requires about 400 square miles of range
to feed on. On the contrary I have seen tracts of pasturage in Hast Ten-

[ 282]

nessee and Western North Carolina, on the table lands, that will feed two.
or three sheep to the acre by keeping a winter pasture of bine or native
grasses untouched from August for the flock. The soil, water and cli-
mate are all that can be wished, and if you proceed with caution, and at
first get experience, and don’t hope to make money the first year, I have
no doubt of your success. Your plan is sound, and I am sure you have,
as you say, studied my little book with profit. I would get 100 or 200
native ewes, pick out those with neat heads, deep flanks, the broadst backs,
shortest necks, and not too leggy. These will be easy feeders, and more
gentle to control than the deer-legged and thin-backed ones, which are
restless creatures. You can as easily manage 200 as 100, and the expense
of management will be halved. If you can find any with brown or
spotted faces, choose those, and take ewes with fleeces free from coarse
hair on their buttocks and shoulders. These are apt to convey a bad
quality of wool to the lambs; these hairs are called “ kemp,” and depre-
ciate the price of the wool, being also hard to breed out. You should
have a good man to help you, but you will probably be able to pick up a
boy cheaply near you who is accustomed to keeping his father’s flock, and
will be more apt and less fussy than an English shepherd. These require
two or three years to lose old notions and take on our ways, and are very
obstinate besides. I have a Pennsylvania man with my flock in Kansas,
whom I trained in this way when living in Pennsylvania some years ago,
and he is now able to go along alone, working my flock on shares. You
should not have lambs until the weather is warm, and there is good grass.
April would perhaps be the best time, but you could do an excellent busi-
ness in raising early lambs for Washington market possibly by having
some come in February, or sooner even. All that you would need
would be some cheap shed and a yard for shelter for the dams. I
will gladly post you on thissubject when you wish. You are near enough
to markets to raise mutton and wool both, and a half-bred Merino is not a
bad mutton either.

The run now is for combing wool, that is Merino wool three inches or
two and a half in length, for manufacturers have begun to comb even
Merino wool, and the half-bred is called delaine wool, and brings the
highest price in the market Choose rams with wool three inches long
when spread out, fine and well curled, and with plenty of yolk, but not
too much wrinkled, also with deep sides, and with wool on the legs and
bellies, also on the heads and faces. The weight should be be at least 120
pounds. These are now the profitable kind. The Cockrills should be
able to furnish you with these. When you get fully into your business,
you can pick out such a ram as you would like.

All the shelter you will want is a few rough sheds to preserve from
rain and snow. A piece of woodland with serve-pole and thatched sheds,
that you and your man can make, will be amply sufficient. It would be
safe, and perhaps necessary, to grow about one bushel of corn per head

| 283 ]

for your flock, and get in about fifty or one hundred pounds of hay per
head as well, in stacks near where you keep the sheep. A run in a corn
stubble with half a pint of corn (one ear) for each sheep per day, and
_ some hay ought 1okeep them in good order. But you can get a fine win-
ter pasture by seeding down some open sheltered woodland with orchard
and blue grass, one-half bushel of each per acre. Cut the hay in June,
‘and let it grow up without feeding until other ground is bare. The sheep
may go into green grass to their bellies in this way in November and
later, and feed well until spring. They will even get enough feed when
grass is covered with snow by pawing the grass clear for themselves. The
corn and hay are only jor emergencies, but I would feed half a pint of
corn anyhow; you will get it back in the wool.

Success in sheep-keeping is gained by constant observation, and the in-
stant reparation of any thing that is going wrong. The chief things to
avoid are damp pastures, stagnant water, banks of streams, too much
shelter; and the chief needs are pure spring water, dry soil, and pure,
fresh, cool air. With these requisites and protection from dogs (a shot-
gun and a bottle of strychnine, quietly used where it will do the most good,
will do for the dogs), you should succeed without doubt, and if even you
fail wholly the first year, it will be the way to success the next. Increase
the flock cautiously; buy young ewes with good teeth and good fleeces; use
very few medicines, give salt regularly ; don’t coddle l&mbs or ewes; make
them tame and friendly with you, so that they will follow you and put
their noses in your hands, and you can do any thing with them.

“The good shepherd loves his sheep, and they follow him ;” this is
true now asever. Lastly, don’t invest more than a fourth of your capital
to begin with, salt away the balance, and ihe second year begin to use it,
as you can see clearly to do so.

If any points need further elucidation, write again. In this business
any time is good to begin. If you begin in the fall you have to buy feed;
if in the spring you can raise it.

[ 284]

WOOL AND MUTTON.

Mr. James Geddes, of New York, has recently written
the following interesting communication, which we find
going the rounds of the press. There are many facts de-
tailed in this letter to which our farmers may wish to refer
in the future:

In 1836 our production of wool was 12,000,000 pounds; in 1860 it had
increased to 60,000,000. The extra demand for cloth occasioned by the
war, and the protective tariff, so stimulated this industry that, according
to the estimates made at Washington in 1867, the annual production had
risen to $147,000,000 pounds, and in 1877 to 208,000,000, that is from 1860
to 1877, inclusive, the increase was at the rate of 246 per cent., while in
the preceding twenty-four years, the increase was about 40 per cent. Since
1836 the number of sheep in the old States has constantly declined, and
they have now less than one-half the number they had then. The in-
crease in the new States and Territories has compensated for this. In
1862 Hollister & Dibbles took 400 pure Mercer ewes to California; since
then the productiongof wool in that State has reached 54,000,000 pounds
in one year. Texas, which in 1845 had only native Mexican sheep, by
infusing Merino blood, has raised its flocks until they number 4,000,000
of animals producing wool, much of it equaling the wool of Ohio. The
traditional Southern hatred of sheep, as expressed by John Randolph,
must be dying out when such men as Alexander H. Stephens and Senator
Gordon, have embarked in the business of wool growing.

Since 1809 our improvement in the sheep that produce clothing (fine)
wool has been very great. Then 93 per cent. of unwashed wool to the
live weight of the animal was the standard; in 1865 the best recorded
yield was 21 per cent., and tne heaviest fleece 27 pounds. Three rams
bred since 1873 in Vermont have yielded fleeces averaging 26.3 per cent.
of unwashed wool, while the average weight of the fleeces was 344 pounds.
The fineness of the fibre equalled that of the Saxon super-electa. Breed-
ers of Australia and South America are importing these animals to im-
prove their flocks. The Secretary of the National Wool Growers’ Asso-
ciation has lately taken 200 of our sheep to Japan for the government of
that country. We have made equal progress in the production of long-
combing wool, or mutton-sheep husbandry. In 1860 a very little long-
combing wool was raised in Kentucky and Maryland, but the proprietors
of our worsted mills had to go away from home, chiefly to Canada, for
2,500,000 to 3,500,000 pounds annually, the impression then being general
that these wools could not be grown in this country. Now Ohio, Penn-
sylvania, Michigan, Maine and other States are producing, it is estimated,

| 285 |

10,000,000 pounds annually—equal in quality to the best English wool.
Wool yielded by cross-bred Merino and mutton sheep is held by the man-
ufacturer to be of great value, producing a combing wool that gives soft-
ness and cloth-like character to our fabrics not found in those abroad, as
admitted by the best London and Paris tailors.

We are now raising good mutton and supplying a rapidly increasing
“market. In 1839, on the great market day before Christmas, 400 sheep
fully stocked the market at Brighton, near Boston, Mass. Last year
272,000 sheep and lambs were slaughtered at the Brighton Abattoir,
20,000 of them coming from Kentucky. This wonderful advance in the
production of mutton and wool in the last twenty years has grown out of
the war and a protective tariff. Mr. McKean, in his address at the an-
nual banquet in Philadelphia last fall, of the National Wool-Growers’
Association (to whose latest Bulletin I cheerfully acknowledge obligation
for most of the figures of this article), answered the question, ‘‘ What
does the wool come to?” by saying that the annual product of the wool
- manufacture of the United States is estimated by Mr. Lorin Blodget as
follows:

The six New England States... .......:..::2.cceeeerceseserenee snnnerens $127,500,000
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware............ 98,340,000
-Twelve Western States and Utal..........sesceeceecee tne cee ceeeee cores 41,200,000
Twelve Southern States ... ...cs.sceces reece coetee testes soscen cesses tee 8,830,000
Colorado, Oregon and Washinton BPOVTIUONY sea scsenss cnn aeneseteancns 7,250,000
BIS no eine een EL AID N ri tisaares soe 2ncesuecerece $284,120,000

Capital employed by manufacturers he estimates at near $300,000,000,
giving work to nearly 200,000 persons, “for it is not alone the mill hands,
but the workmen who make the repairs and renew all the machinery, the
miners who get out the hundreds of thousands of tons of coal for the
engines, the teamsters and railway men who carry the wool to the mills
and the manufactured goods to the market, and the farmers and farm
hands and herdsmen who raise and tend the sheep and clip the wool:
There is no end to the ramifications.” He goes on to say: “ In nearly all
staple goods for wearing apparel our mills are abreast of any in the
world; the exceptions are the foreign goods, which some wealthy people
still have a weakness for—like the family that bought a beautiful Ax-
minster carpet under the impression that it was a French moquette. It
was a great pet and pride in their house until they saw its mate at the
Centennial among American carpets; then they were disgusted. Their
beautiful French moquette had been made at Smith’s mills, at Yonkers,
where they weave as much Axminster every year as they do in all France,
and more than they do in Great Britain.”

The improvement of American machinery for manufacturing wool into
the most desirable fabrics deserves attention. The power looms that now

[ 2867

weave carpets had no existence when Mr. Bigelow first entered upon his
career as an inventor; only plain fabrics, of comparatively simple figures,
were woven on power looms, and “ he put in operation the first successful
power loom known in the industrial art of weaving coach-lace, wire-cloth,
ingrain carpets, tapestry carpets, Brussels and Wilton carpets, and silk
brocatel.” On the latest of his looms one operative has woven 73 yards
of Brussels carpet in ten hours, and 50 yards is an ordinary day’s work.
On hand looms the weaving of brocatel costs in Lyons 60 cents per yard;
on power looms in Connecticut it costs but 15 cents.

The cheapening of carpets by the inventions of Americans may he
stated as follows:

“By the power loom one woman in a given time will weave as many
yards of ingrain as four men by hand; as many yards of tapestry as six
men by hand loom; and as many yards of Brussels carpeting as ten men
and ten boys by the hand loom.”

The result of these and other improvements in machinery is a great
fall in prices as well as improvement in quality. By the books of lead-
ing mills it appears that in ingrain carpets “prices of 1879 are 123 per
cent. less than in 1860, higher prices for labor then being paid in 1879 than
in 1860, the prices for wool being about the same. Im dress goods the
prices have fallen off 25 per cent.” John and James Dobson, of Phila-
delphia, manufacture 30,000 pounds of wool every working day, and
Philadelphia has become the largest wool manufacturing city in the
world. Highty per cent. of the wool now manufactured in this country
is produced by our own fiocks, and soon we will produce a full supply,
and ere long export wool, if the present tariff laws are unaltered. The
importation of wool in the form of manufactured goods is rapidly falling
off. In 1860 our importation amounted to $37,973,190. In 1878, our
population having increased not less than, 12,000,000, we imported only
$25,230,154. In certain classes this falling off of importations is very
marked. In carpets the importation in 1878 was not one-fourteenth the
value of the importations of 1872. Dress goods; in which the foreigners
still lead our manufacturers in the estimation of certain wealthy con-
sumers, are no longer imported as extensively as formerly, their value
having fallen in 1878 to $12,000,000 from $20,000,000 in 1872.

In December, 1865, the now famous joint convention of wool-growers
and wool-manuiacturers was held in Syracuse, N. Y. There and then
these two great industries, that before had been antagonistic, learned that
they had common interests, and that neither could prosper at the expense
of the other. The wool-grower must have a market at home, and the
wool-manufacturer must have a home-grown supply to depend upon in
case of a foreign war or any other cause cutting off a supply. Since that
time these industries have acted in concert, and have been heard in Con-
gress, and thus far have been able to prevent hostile legislation. The
wonderful progress made, to the great benefit of the whole nation, is be-

[ 287 ]

tore us, and our flock owners having surmounted the difficulties of changing
the native flocks of Tennessee into producers of long wool and mutton,
we look forward to profitable production of wool, combined with mutton,
in Tennessee, as has long been the case in England, and abundant re-
wards to the owners of flocks of fine-wooled sheep in their new homes.

RAMBOUILLET SHEEP IN FRANCE.

In a most interesting address delivered 24th of March,
1880, in Rochester, New York, by Mr. Markham, Presi-
dent of the New York State Sheep Breeders’ and Wool
‘Growers’ Association, detailing what objects of interest to
sheep-breeders he saw in a trip around the world, I find the
following reference to the Rambouillet flock of France,
which is a translation of thirty-one answers in French to as
many questions propounded by Mr. Markham.

RAMBOUILLET, February 4th, 1880.

Str—I have the honor to give you below replies to the thirty-one ques-
tions addressed to me in your letter of the 29th of January last.

1. The Rambouillet flock was established in 1776.

2and 3. At the beginning it was composed of forty-two bucks and
three hundred and thirty-four ewes.

4. These animals were taken from ten of the best Spanish sheepfolds,
according to the recommendation of the king of Spain HEED and were
chosen from among elite subjects.

5. The weights of the unsheared bucks were iS noeiutatels 110 to 120
pounds.

6. That of the ewes, also unsheared, was about 72.5 to 88 pounds.

7.- The fleece of the bucks weighed about 8.8 pounds.

8. That of the ewes was about 7.7.

9. According to samples which form the collection of the sheepfold,
the wool of the bucks had a length of 55 millimetres 9-10 (2.2 inches) ;
‘this measure taken upon the fibre in a state of nature, i. e., not stretched,

[ 288 ]

in such a way as to destroy the sinuosities or undulations. The crimp of
the wool had 15.3 undulations per centimeter (39.25 per inch), and in hun-
dredths of millimetres, 2.16 diameter (1-1175 inch). Wool of the ewes
had 52.7 millimeters (2.07 inches) length of fibre, 39.8 crimps per inch»
2.06 mm. (1-1235 inch) diameter.

10. In 1802 a new importation was made from Spain to Rambouillet,
numbering six bucks and forty ewes, as subjects for experiment, and as
terms of comparison with animals resulting from the first importation.
They were found inferior, and they do not appear to have been kept very
long.

[Norr.—For the dates of 1860 and 1880 I shall substitute respectively
1867 and 1878—those of our last two universal expositions—because in a
report to the minister I wascalled upon to make a comparison of the flocks
of these two epochs. This report will furnish me some precise figures upon
which I shall comment when indicating what may have been the condition
at the dates you mention. |

In 1867.

11. The bucks weighed, with their fleece, 192.5 pounds.

12. And the ewes 135.3 pounds, also with fleece included.

13 and I4. The fleece of the bucks weighed in grease 11.77 pounds;
that of the ewes 9.13 pounds. In 1860 the animals must have been heavier
and the fieeces of less weight.

1n 1860 the lengths of fibre for the bucks was 2.29 inches, the crimp had
41 undulations per inch, and the diameter 1-1159 inch. For the ewes
these were respectively: length of fibre, 2.2; 45 undulations per inch and
— 14-1198 inch diameter.

16. From 1840 the object was to produce Merinos of which the animals
were at the same time valuable for slaughtering and for the production of
wool. The fleece ceased to be the entirely predominating consideration
in the choice reproducing animals. The chief end was plump and well
developed forms, and by a rich regime, animals were obtained, about 1850,
having very large weight, but which were very exacting and less robust,
and the fleece of which was not in relation with this weight, either as to
quantity or quality of wool.

17. The end in view the mutton, had almost destroyed the folds, which,
with the exception of a few subjects, scarcely comprised more than those
of the neck, and the result was to diminish the value of the animals in the
eyes of foreigners. Shortly after 1850 these errors were renounced and ef-
forts were made to bring the flock back to its true and ancient type, by
making choice more with regard to wool and repudiating the exaggeration
of development in the choice of reproducing animals, and the superabun-
dant and onerous feeding that had been practiced to attain this end. The
Negretti type again acquired importance and the folds they bore were no
longer excluded, but sought after rather as characteristics essential to ani-

[ 289 |

mals furnishing the richest fleeces, and corresponding better with the de-
sire of foreigners, whocame to Rambouillet to seek reproducing animals.
It was especially since 1°67 that the improvement of the flock has realized
marked progress with regard to production of wool, and a return to their
' primitive aptitude to live exclusively on pasture and to support intemper-
ate conditions, and the privations resulting from dry seasons and the nat-
‘ural aridity of pasturage.
In 1878.

18. The weight of the bucks with their wool was 159.06 pounds.
19. That of the ewes with their wool was 115.17 pounds.

20. The bucks give annually a fleece of 16.7 pounds.

21. The ewes annually give of wool 11.04 pounds.

22. The fibre from the bucks had a length of 2.6 inches; the crimp of
the wool had 39.26 undulations per inch, and the diameter was 1-1076
inch.

For the ewes the length of fibre was 2.33 inches; the crimp had 45.76
undulations per inch, and the diameter was 1—1245 inch.

23. A Merino for countries where the production of wool isthe princi-
pal end in view should have folds rather numerous than large about the
neck, one fold of horse-shoe form about the tail and a few only on the
body. If some countries reject animals with folds, it issaid to be because
of the scab which occurs there, the seeds of which find lodgment and ul-
eers which form between them.

24. In France there exists an erroneous desire to secure very plump
Merinos, without folds, which on this account are very exacting. Euro-
pean countries ordinarily attach importance to large Merinos having a
moderate number of these folds. The Cape of Good Hope seeks good form
and few or no folds. The same is true of Australia. South America de-
mands folds above all, and prefers animals of average form, and the same
is true for North America. I generally find that it is wrong to prefer a
large animal to a smallone. Merinos being destined to live upon pastur-
age, if they have a reduced form they are more easily and more surely
satisfied in the countries to which they are transported. If its develop-
ment is inferior as compared with the richness of the pasture it will find
in abundance, it will enlarge, will naturally progress, will be profitable,
and will be exposed to no miscalculation ; while if, on the other hand,
those of too large form be chosen they will be exposed to the chances of in-
ability of being satisfied by the resources at their disposition, they will de-
cline, be subject to dangers, give place to deception and be a cause of loss.
IT submit in principle that upon a given extent of pasturage it is impossi-
ble to maintain quite as great a weight of animal by adopting subjects of
small form, as in taking the large types, and no one can contest that small
Merinos in larger number, making together the same weight as the larger
ones, will furnish more of wool each year and less of losses.

19

[ 290 ]

Sheep giving large and heavy fleeces are every where in demand; but
the mistake is sometimes made of attaching importance simply to the ab-
solute weight of the fleece, making no comparison between the weight of
the wool and that of the animal. It is thus that some persons who seek
Merinos even with reference to wool alone, prefer a buck of (120 kilos) 264
pounds, giving (8 kilos) 17.6 pounds of wool to another of (60 kilos) 132
pounds, which furnishds a fleece of (7.5 kilos) 16.5 pounds, saying that the
first gives more wool than the second, taking no account of the respective
weights of the subjects.

I have always combatted and shall always combat such reasoning, be-
cause a Merino of 60 kilos 132 pounds, with its 16.5 pounds of wool, is far
superior to that of 264 pounds with a fleece of 17.6. In fact, in pasture,
two small Merinos of 132 pounds will live easily upon the space required
by asingle buck of 264 pounds, and they will give 15 kilos (38 pounds)
of wool each year against 17.6 furnished by the large buck.

Let us also consider the sheep at Rambouillet according to the quan-
tity of wool they give each year for 100 of their weight, and we would
say that, according to the preceding hypothesis, Merinos of 60 kilos (182
pounds) furnished 12.5 per cent. of wool, while the large sheep of 120
kilos (264 pounds) gave but 6.66 per cent. This latter is therefore infe-
rior to the other with the special regard in question.

I profess the opinion that a Merino, strong and well constituted, with
large, short legs, head also large and short, and body low, with proper
ancestors, can scarcely ever be too small, because the smaller the subjects
the more hardy they will be, and the more wool they will give in propor-
tion to their weight.

Another advantage of small Merinos is that they are more fertile and
are longer lived. They are better adapted to multiplication and the crea-
tion of flocks. Importance is given and will always be given to the length
of the wool. However, this coniideration is now of less importance since
it is now possible to comb relatively short wools.

Fine wool is also always sought after; but extreme fineness does not
outweigh all other considerations, since it has become possible to spin fine
with average wools. And since extreme fineness excludes abundance of
fleece, a heavy fleece of strong wool and average fineness is preferred.

25. Asa general rule we avoid giving a ewe a buck of near relation.
By near relation I mean the father and his daughter, the mother and her
son, the brother and sister. :

But if exceptional qualities to be perpetuated are found in a male and
female of these relations, we should not hesitate to couple them if we
failed to find in non-relatives the same suitability (convenance); for con-
sanguinity is not to be avoided except in case of individuals having a
constitutional vice common to the family.

[291]

26, Purchasers of our wool (and they have no interest in exaggerating
the yield) declare that the fleece comprising the whole of the wool (body,
belly, legs, head, etc.) yield, according to the year, 30 to 33 per cent. of

, White scoured wool. This is the same proportion as when the animals
arrived from Spain in 1786.

_ 27. Very much folded animals which furnish a super-abundance of
wool are sometimes weakened in their constitution and appear as though
exhausted by this exaggerated production of wool. Our shepherd, in
such case, says the wool eats them Ja lime les mange.

But apart from these very exceptional cases, and which never represent
one per cent., the folded animals are very hardy, very resistant, and are
capable of supporting privation.

On the whole, they are less finely formed than sheep without folds;
they are more angular, are less developed, less plump; but when the meat
is no consideration these characteristics should not be considered as de-
fects, but the opposite.

28. Folds on sheep imply closer, more setiled wool, fibres closer to each
other and stronger, and indicate a more abundant fleece, notwithstanding
the wool is shorter.

The fleece of folded animals covers all parts of the body more com-
pletely than that of subjects without folds;.it is better closed externally,
that is to say, it is with more difficulty penetrated by dust, seeds, etc.,
which may annoy the animal and soil or alter the wool.

29. Folds on Merinos are above all found about the neck, in front of
the shoulders; to proscribe them would, therefore, be to exclude the best
wool producers.

But if the folds of the neck are too large, they present an inconven-
ience. With age, the skin of these folds becomes callosed. This change
in the nature of the skin brings about a degeneracy of the wool, which
then sticks to the skin (se rapproche du poil), which is an unfavorable qual-
ity, without, however, producing a sufficient motive for the rejection of a
buck having this peculiarity. These large folds on an animal are always
to be regretted, and, all other qualities being equal, we prefer those which
have only small or average-sized folds, which never cause the callosity of
the skin, and the sort of protuberance which is the consequence thereof.

30. In the Merino race the buck generally weighs three when the ewe
weighs two. Supposing the animals charged with one year’s wool, a
weight of 75 kilos (165 pounds) for the buck, and 50 kilos (110 pounds)
for the ewe, seem to me sufficient, if we have in view a flock destined to
live exclusively on pasture, and to be especially devoted to the production
of wool.

For an arid country I would even advise confining it to 60 kilos (132
pounds) for the buck, and 40 kilos (88 pounds) for the ewe,

| 292 |

When I advise small subjects, if wool be the special end in view, I am
governed by statistics of the flock covering twelve years. In dividing the
animals into five categories according to weight, I have observed that the
lightest give a quantity of wool equivalent to 12.38 per cent. of their
weight; the next, 11.41; the average, 11.14; then 10.38, and finally the
heaviest, 9.51 per cent.

I have further found that fleeces of animals of the “average” section
each weigh 125 grammes (275 pounds) more than those of the section
comprising the heaviest animals,

31. From statistics of twelve years, it follows that, on an average, of
the 100 ewes which we cause to be “served,” it is found that 83 1-10 be-
come with lamb (pregnant), and that they give, including twins, ninety-
two lambs.

I shall stop, sir, believing I have answered each of your questions. If
I have badly comprehended your requests, and made omissions, I beg
that you will call my attention thereto in order that I may repair the de-
fects.in my replies. I have been pleased with the impression which your
visit to our flock produced, and it is an inducement for us to persevere in
the way we have followed for some time.

I beg you to accept, sir, with my thanks, my respectful and devoted
homage. The director, BERNARDIN.

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[294 J

The United States Economist, of recent date, says:

There never was a time at this period of the year when stocks of do-
mestic fleece and pulled wools were sold up as clean in all markets, and
were it not for the large quantities coming from all foreign countries it is
fair to conclude that prices would have ere this risen to exalted figures.
Prices are advancing in the markets abroad for all classes of wools adapt-
ed to our necessities, in consequence of the large demand for this country»
and it is getting more difficult every day to obtain the grades of wool we
require, unless at prices which will materially enhance the cost of the
scoured pound. There is no safety left manufacturers but to diversify
production (if a modification of the wool tariff is not reached), because it
is now clear that any class of fine wool when scoured will cost from 80c.
to $1.15 this season, while last year mannfacturers were enabled to pur-
chase the bulk of supplies at from 40c. to 75c. scoured. The cause of this
enormous advance is founded on demand and supply. We do not grow
sufficient wool for the wants of manufacturers, and the result is seen in
the sharp competition to obtain the necessary supplies adapted to the
wants of our woolen mills.

INDEX.

A

PAGE
Abel, First Shepherd...... ........ 8
Adaptability of Tennessee........ 5
Adaptability for Sheep... ......... 31
Advantages of Tennessee......... 21
Advantages of Sheep Culture...204
Africa, Sheep Growing............ 22
Allman, Geo. T., Letter............ 262
America, Sheep Growing.......... 22
Analysis of Excrement............ 77
Analysis of Food..... ......0....+++ 98

Angora Goat........ 00... ss eee see eee

Anatomy of Sheep..................157

Answers to Circulars...............178

J payors Tm lise aye senesnnuieaeiad ease coosoc 247

PA OMAMUS ae. ecesrespiemer corer eee 11

JN TISTTERIINE) Vadeegare ecaosheedade peccHesas 23
B

Bakewell Sheep.............s02 sss 008 116

Bali W OOle cy <syethweueencsee ess
Banffshire Sheep..............-...... 62
[Sener Se RSE leet ce oN
feemnnia’), Wards, <..1jeacsenee test. 91
Barns, Number of Sheep in...... 95
Asin OiUUrIAN,....:<. 7. sseeeeroe=-<| 42

Beddine for Sheep....25..cc.ccse: 96
Beetstor Hood .......--se-ecversessec 101
Beets, Cultivation and Ber tae
BER ORMS IGE... .jc.-01nhaeclstnencieen 79
Bessarabian... 2.14 s.cecs <asecaiseesaceee 24
Beumnos\Ayres\......2+..25scccesseenee 24

Blood, its Composition............ 76
Oe GMs sete. sick iene ses co MereReee ee OD

20

Bones,t Size Olee. tac entan eee C0.
Book Farming, value of..........%
Breeding Sheep.................... 14

Breeding, In-and-in............. 55, 63
Breed, Best. t...00.0sccocswae <ecese nat 135
Breeds, Favorite..........<.0-.-----= 29
Breeds to ite eecsensce sees aaeoo
Breeds to Convert..........00.-..++ 61
Breeds ie opullaniry esr seest essere 114
TBO ON (SHAT Se se55,cnoaatods sava0e ooeeae 40
Bucks, Tne Pe eens)

Bucks... RE ees crop tecn ite)
Bucks, foo! YOUN GME ee eeesey see
Bucks, When to Seponntel LAR as 51
Bucks, Number of Ewes to...181, 7
iButterdinom™: Sheepi yd ...cdase scree 8

C

CalyyeamtlinSto-escesiasese:.te-s-1-emeee 79
(CENCE a44 feared tas pecan peRRaNRObes 136
@ampetsi i easiest teas eet
Carter) Countivecsee sei esa see -iceaees 33
@astrablomg esses teens ai eaceaste 76
Cedars, a Protection...............- 89
@emsusvctensasesn Gs ens seaetenes deosis 30
@heapy anders. ce uc.jsgeearescnn OO
Cheese from a SSabaneides BOA Kei
Circuilanspeneeveci. a eecbecwsnegeae
Climates .......... eeu cee we dedee
Cockrill, Mark Be. Soe | eA
Commpenitionpees:tiijs3.3 ste csatee ns 24
Conelusioniitrsscssere-srecsesseancs 202
Confinement, Injurious... ....... 107

[ 298 ]

PAGE
Consumption of Mutton and |
Wo] ities Sige ene eernenearcaere 25
Comnsas gal ood nnwcescsuestse cheats: oT)
Costes cuncaednescasees coh euan seer eee 28 |
Costronublcedimespareseeesccnesees 42
C@obtiol Raising, iis... clccpenes ss WATE |
Cotswold Sheep. ...... scceecoeecosees 115
Countries best Adapted to........ 18
OPOSSEH) Since ct recast inet tence 34
Crossinp, bests seeecssescs eae 46 |
Grosses, Breedssi-tec.crseueerr se 45
Crosses, five to purify blood...... 64
Crutchfield, Tom, Opinion........ 37
Crutchfield, Tom, Advance
Sheetstancertsrccsamecessecesacisccsa 247 |
Crutchfield, Tom, Letter........... 253
OUG .ccaro aco ioscan tesy i inesthdae saree 158
Culling tHocks:2-secteyeree.. meres 137
Cumberland Mountains for
SHEP eisssieeissotsese cee tenis seees 18
D
Darwin on Sheep...........-.. -..-.» 34
David, King, a Shepherd......... 9
Davis, Dr..J. B. Letters.......... 209
5 Dyes hice iayabepscecacco sos5ocnnd sonnadaes 3
Depeneration tise-osecess-tese-: wccc ee 133
Deihl, Israel S., Letter............ 239
Demand for Sheep.................. 16
Diseases of Goats........... seeceeeee 216
Diseases of Sheep... ......5 s.ssc000 157
Diseases unknown here.... ....... 180
Diversity of Sheep......... 0000 6
Divasionsiol WlOCK....../.¢ic eeeeee 80
MOCK OF, ceicckias! seeseelaeatestes arteces 74
IDB sacey/as5 cechen car susapeacminsoon bec 20
Dogs, effects Injurious to Indus
LIYees Secpctskeitencusisoosteasalesinae 29
Dogs, effects on Fattening Sheep.106
Do owiliaiy aap reeceprecctns ss szcsisansace 149
Dogs) (Shepherd itecarn.vecsscc esis. 150
Does) low o leans acca cee 150
Dogs, Answers to Correspond-
SINUSES sabes .. 152

| Drop pls Gi O0e; vs..vs,cceecehe Stone 50
Dropping, When best............... 93
BSD)
| East Tennessee......:....scc0e0ceeees 38
Economist, U.S. Circular.........294
Bing land ...ssceseconeasvseeeaeeere eee 12
IB piclenaves|. si.cnasee eee eee 23
Hurope sie ela dance eee 22
wes stor: Iamlbsieaessen seen aeeeeeeee 48
Ewes for Breeders................0+. 52
wes for Suckling.......0: case 54
iwesi bestinccaag aeisd oesenent eee 140
Mxcrements,, cre. ashe 77
Exemptions from keserifiois 207
Exportatlons:.5..s:s-1e.eee eee 12
ooh
Factories :stciviloee. eae 178
Parme, Sheep tii se!scss:seee sarees 68
Pattening for Mutton. ...)).aaOn
Fattening for Market..............107
Fattening for New York.......... 108
Feeding Stock Sheep.............:. 14
Feet, Diseases of...........2... 00.04 167
Frelting’..:...ckececlecn ace «hel oe eee
ences, Good....< cccsacan-tcs0 3s: See
Fences, Portables... .c:s4-10s-ccoaeemeen
Fibre; Wool... asses cent
PlCCCG isis so cac geesscea selene ee ae
a (cic) Ue PRM eS
Flocks, to perfect... . 08
ROVM SCs os bedlcgiics seams comeneeeennen 70
Food 5 he Oo SR
Food, varieties necessary......... 40
Food, Winter... . 40
Foster, J. W., Leann ..263
G
(CNEL Bironeepuar deocdandy cagousedd soo20s 50
Geddes, James, Letters: sks ahinind PaaS 284
Ga aion sihaieina Ate eeeehe setae nOea Ee 48
Gibson, Capt. Thomas ........:... 134
Goats: Aneorar.s-essceceseeseReete 208

[ 299 |

PAGH | , PAGE
Goats, Breedimotpsmeciarn cvestss. Pal Job, a Sheep owner............:--- i)
Goat Breeding in Tennessee...... 229 | Johnson County... ..........06.0. 33
Goat Breeding, at what age...... 2200 Jones, O. N.,, Wetter 20. o-.0208
Goats Breach... ccc munnQueeraicss 228 |
ov, Goats, Crossing....:.......ddnene es eho Les
Goats, Description......... ........ 214 | Kentucky, Sheep Growing........ 174
Grouis, Diseases.: .....4.-aa-t eon), Kentucky Seep... ...ccccdnes, coset 274
Granite wl leeeey nico. Wal eee POO MOK oxcvilles en etaea ccc teeee eens 36
Goats, Gestation.......... Pes aeee oH 215
Goats. Eistony of.....sc.neneemes 212 | LL
Goats. Importation... :.....0dc-c--. Zils elamnibs: disowileds..-..a-csee seeseee=- 53
Groaits Relits. 222. 9. -gineaeea ee eens 225 | Lambs, Driving injurious......... 67
Gioaisy Productsy:..seeeerseeseeces 220 | Lambs, Profits of Harly........... 66
GOs, WO KINSA cs. cas equnceree anes saaee 2G Tabs, Salles.c.33..ces.ctscsies steaee ea
Groaitish WOO. yas wane usebeaead st te. 2S) aims, Spring csc sees oe 51
Golden, Wiese a eae. he Adit Wamis, Wreatment.)/ 2000s oe 53
CORUM sata 85s Meenas! ewlineuem tdaslies 130) | Glamins aViellme ee smear i)
Grasses best adapted to Sheep... 32 | Laurel, a Poison..............2 0.005 206
GIRO Ss AN ASE ene 11 | Leicester Sheep................ 115, 273
meen h OOM ena. sos eaiuases sees buries 106 |! Limits of Sheep Raising.......... 28
EmeeCINSOUIMe.: osteo case Ydacese Sno MM TIO CALTON ose2% ices Waneeeep mane eee 136
Growing Interest.............. 0020+. AOS UOLisy MSC. OL. ...).0-25 comet sees 92
Guaiters usetulbiny SHeds.,.-ca.c-.4p 90 | WOmgevity....c..cco s-sssnecueecencess 134
is 1M
TELS cee aE RI Ea REA eR ef Merron Hav and: whens tae 74
HIRT a ceearet acs, Saneiaiae facaeclan Sete 78 Maen VWemensinds ee 49
Herd’s-grass .........+ sreres eanesenes 4} Wiggs. Lee 37
Hughes & Ronald, Circular... ae | Memorandum Book, how kept... 50
ISIE DEP Poste ces sce soc bes cocoa Be aichrate deme = eae 60, 118
Eliurdllesiiae 2. crasiaco vet enuectsctete es 84. Nee ean Puma tee ONAN 138
i Metamorphic Rocks, _ their
iepoxts'or Wool... onc tessee. 26 eigen oe aR EN Gahan 1) ae
iemeeovement® in|@heens sa! 9 Mexico Ui aldara byceiemeetsee tae os ates Date 24
Fe onts in EGe ee 13 Middle Tennessee........... ....00008 42
pro Vies :
leeettitics in Wool Seen: Milk, Ewe SRE ING cs eae aM ey ontea 8
eee ererrat Sheep. An Nenemnias Mohair Aa aL ss nenees onenen onens 216
RCC Rene to craane ime memo Mohair, Dealers Us seeeseses reece 222
Nantestimes es. k2.02sscsicweceereneces 159 Mohair, Markets for.............. mae
HisothemUss tenes .2. .. 2 esseeeee eee OO Mohair, Freparation’ef.-.....--- ae
Mohair, Value of.............. 221, 224
oS Moisture Injurious................+ 18
iaCOb SHRUSC i. fesrssoes ecmsrcrouees Sr Moors ie Risiaance. > = sie cisenencneee 12
Blain sCloveriee. sin). </teleenaaenanny 400) Moses; his floekss).022 55. seeeten. 9

| 300 |

PAGE |
Mountains as Sheep walks........ 17 |
Mustard) as tood ss .-s-seeeeee eo
Mnstard, How to grow............. 102
IN
Natives Walle Olesussesents-cueee ss 34 |
INaiavaiby OL Sheepecrccce ect ssnn. 8
New Yorker, Rural, Circular....173 |
Numa Dersisiccace sees naee soeseeeolsceass 29 |
Numbers of Sheep.................. 175 |
oO
Oil Cake, its food value........... 95
(ONIGIROLONINE: Gonednbokos ose uanbes asdoobos 25
Oversioclimeyscs.saceeesen: cccee 46, 79
Pp }
Rackamo wh leeGestvaneesn-cest seers 145
1 Arer ia aauenaeeniadsiocomoonodans céoeoocte 9
Parsley as Oo Gcoseassenaeneees sere 78
IPAS TURERY dav aoiee ec emeere reece neces iy
Pastures, Changing................. 88
iRalsturess ooeecereeseiee sere: 18, 79
Pasturinos bowers aeaeseeee cee. in-c--- 75
PEAS csi c sys ee eae case onic’ 40, 81
Pelinmo takeseaesaretemetens «tree semne 168
Philipswosereetese vsccews. 208
PLY GIG ye reeeesienicsscatcse in ecoan. 80
Plate ayy eee tek eral caiceesasreainaseise 34
IROISONMSP Reet eave ciece ans seeemeedulcocee: 206
BOLO alee tee Waseae scales saaeaomees 10 |
Prerequisites for success........... 68
IBrices VaVerages..........sc0secs 26, 175
JEIROMINIS 6 wines eineeog SonADpBBN DparueGo6do- 12
Profits in Tennessee.......... euee 16
Te doyohisy 1nKo) an! \AYOY0) Ge peeecipeplepessaocc 19
Profits from Mutton................ 43
Profitiamdmlossiences.0.c5 «ssrceee til
TO LECLLOMG One eee cas cork aueuaee 36 |

©

Questions and Answers...,.....18, 183)

he.

PAGE

1S ec OR 72, 90, 92, 96
Raising Sheep... <asvinesssie+seudven sl
vam Changing: .ce.peaees 0 seen 56

| Ram,, Merino. s7--eecisteneeeeeee 138
Rambouillet Sheep.................. 287
Remedies... nus senor eee 162

Requirements for Sheep raising.. 27
Review of Sheep Husbandry in

Tennessee........ B gen abod spgeee 20 27
inn Lands -.0...ucegeeeereeeetaee 40, 90
Rise and’ Progyessis- 1.31.70 27
River, Tennessee............22. seers 41
ROO tS... kab. and see eee eee mo
Rot, Lands liable to............ 164
BRUSS1 A. cca e ae elegen ttle tree aaa eM
Rye Pastures... 752.2 .-..-. epee

s
Salting: Sheep. xvwce:. ccskeecaeess 73
Schedule Questions and An-
SWEDES sac) cuatiecehiecssojaccseeeeeeeerae 181

Scott, Robt W , Letters.....211, 274

Serbs «:2..0:-3-\ssesae dec secee ee eee 34
Shawl, Cashmere..............020:-7- 244
Shearing Lambs and Sheep..31, 148
Sheep, Sick, Caner oleae 88
Sheep, Killed)... :ccqseces seer aaeres 179
Sheep, Stock.....0.2 ..sns.eeeeesseeme 97
Sheds ii .cc.i. sassewesgcaes neeeeeeeee 87
Sheltering... ..0. 04.2 kceraes ae 38
Shepherds.....i:.002en eee eeeeitenes 9
Shropshire... <2 cswen--ice seme eee 61
Size and Shape..........0..-.-++- 6, 135
Skin, its structure............... spelt
SLOPES. .cvoscds concke doceeeaeeetee 34, 80
SOUS onc. 5. ccctretceeectl-aeeemmeec eee em 69
Sore hin) eee eee eee es fac Sa 81
South, The, Extracts from..153, 230
Southdowns...... ........ 60, 114, 139
Spain. .., ciackkce se temeeeies eee eee 10:
Statistics:!c.0 6-case terse eae 22,177
Steppes...vaa.ccdscameumnemaasecente haa 24

Stewart, Henry, Letter....... 33, 281

Btinting .......11 cece ene ceecnene vee eee 49
ee LorenZ0......-.scesee vee see
Silents sco aso ma ncuitee mea cvaiscn! OO
- Strays... Bc adeea eeu saeneapineelsusy 20)
Sumner Sani Sree eee OR

T

Palslen lian dsia..) ee tees cee eae LO
Tables.. me ee
Tables, Woelber & Tianester
Meare eS ie ac ia aacet tie a een aey Te
Tails... Te Ra ees eK
Trontine e Sheep. Hee ads shoes
Tarif... a A eae
MCCUON sacso cdc tence seve eto Wctwen CO
Mentineraiires see oi Ubracectc.ececsse Oe
nD Pinas SEE ater taco ce non vc wwe uaees OO)
Thiv.. Goat... Beeler
Titles... : SU NOS
arouchs, Seenabiel. PACE OE
Turnips.... 2. 85, 101
Twins, ae SCCUMEN. 23o seu eceecnalce 56
Myriam Purples isc dcaleccwonecces. 10

Unaka Mountains, its grasses.... 32
UWnderstocking. 30.0 ..cn ccc. 17, (79
Whitted States: ..)c) 00 4eee eee cel) 24
Wrines ats! value?) ee 94
Weesian Sheep is eee gee wok! F

Vv

Valley of East Tennessee......... 35
Werle of Micepr ne cces teense.) 0
Value of vurious breeds relative.140
Wier Goats. .2.15 0: cesarean Oe
WAOUTEA)..:.... 0 230 espouses OO

Ww

Warren County..........02 .2 sees 41
Washing Sheep....... 2.0 .0sessse000
Watchfulness, necessary........... 80
Walter Supplyesiccscotces-calececcoces OU
Weaning Lambs..............0000. 65
West Tennessee...............20:00. 43
Wheat as Pastures.............00+:
Williams, Dr. Wim............ 00
NYG ha (STOP BS RM SA eee ee tate)
Winter Weeding: cence esau (ot
Winter Management............... 89
Wool Breaks.............+. ae el)
Wool, its Ciisineacon ‘71, 9, 173
Wool and Cotton.... ......... ..... 147
Wool, The Crop bee Sones ecco)
Woolly Merinosca.ceccccscroessiasdeeed
Woolliits tibrescascscscess set seel 27,
Wool, Importations.. ..............293
Wool; Shedding... co) ome ic censare) 09
Wool, aa paths Uh RAG
Wool, Structure... Spee TAD
Wool, its uses......... Bee
World’s Fair, en nesehe Wool at 21
Worms in Sheep... .. 160
Wounds .... ee

Y

Noteldiot Waele to. 6... ssa
Violloantaniserss shes 0G). - 02... sors AO
Yolk, its composition...............171
Youatt, Work on Animals........ 23

z

Zone, Wool, of the world......... 23

‘Gi en eh)
“ie ey apnoea clan ineahay aan
\ ce CUSED Rom bite FNeiee ith eae
Wyeth piksour dope Wesey esis santa WY ie ie i
eM beaAP Rd wh Drv gap Hila Walang AE | ’

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Hae ae Wed wnt har. hh Crain
MS EE ee

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MAMA ee

GURY Nn
Ce er
Poet

Cnet

SHEEP HUSBANDRY:
ew O RK

PREPARED FOR

The Farmers of Tennessee.

+ @+—

BY

J. B. KILLEBREW, A. M., Ph. D.,

Commissioner of Agriculture, Statistics and Mines for the State of Tennessee.

_ NASHVILLE:
TAVEL, EASTMAN & HOWELL.
1880.

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