Page images
PDF
EPUB

downs and Leicesters, or Southdowns and French are the most safe and profitable, either for mutton or wool, and are also the best adapted for this climate; and I am certain they are a great deal the easiest kept.

Yours respectfully,

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS.

EDWARD DAVIS.

No. 33.-1. H. Pyle, East Fairfield, Columbiana county, Ohio. 2. Number of bucks, 3; variety, Southdowns.

3. Number of ewes, 49; variety, 30 half-blood Cotswolds, 18 Downs and one half-blood.

4. My flock is composed of thoroughbred Southdowns and half-blood Cotswolds, except one ewe.

5. Most of my flock may be considered first quality.

6. My flock of Cotswolds was commenced by myself in 1857, by a cross from Cotswold bucks, brought from Chester county, Pa., on good threequarter blood Merino ewes-the result has been quite satisfactory. My flock of Southdowns was commenced in the fall of 1862, by T. P. Davis, of West Chester, Pa.

7. Fourteen of my Southdown ewes were selected from the flocks of John Worth and Lewis Hoops, and two from C. Jackson, of John Hoop's stock, all of West Chester, Pa., in the fall of 1862; and the parents of three others of my flocks were brought here in 1861, from West Chester, Pa.

My buck No. 10, which I used this season, was purchased at J. C. Taylor's sale, of Holmdel, N. J., on the 3d of September last, he was sired by Reserve; dam's sire, Young York.

One ram lamb, Prize, sired by World's Prize.

One ram lamb, 89, sired by No. 89; purchased by J. C. Taylor, at Jonas Webb's sale, in England, 1861, for which he paid $1,300.

No. 35.-I purchased a Southdown buck in the fall of 1855, of J. N. Laughead, of Union county, and he of his brother, D. Laughead, of Greene county, and he from the Smith farm, of Kentucky. I crossed the above buck with a half blood Black Top Merino ewe, and from their increase I exhibited at Zanesville and took the second premium on middle wool aged buck; weight 197 at two years old. I sold the ewes at $5 to $10 each, and the bucks from $10 to $20 for full bloods; the halfbloods I sold for an average of $8 per head. I consider the above mixture the best grade for us who live near market. The ewes are good breeders, and when mixed, as above, average five pounds of wool; always fit for market, when others in the same flock are thin; can stand hardship

better than a mixture of Cotswolds with Merino, their wool being too open.

Yours respectfully,

A. W. LIVINGSTON.

No. 37.-In November, 1860, I purchased of a butcher in Cincinnati, some 260 sheep, of the common coarse wooled variety. These were brought from Indiana. I suppose gathered up from different flocks. I cannot give the origin of any of them except by their appearance. Some of them are about quarter Southdowns. These breed much the largest and best lambs. I paid $3 per head for all; fed them all alike; sold the wethers in February at four cents gross, with a good profit; kept 100 ewes; they raised about one lamb apiece; I sheared the ewes, getting 3 pounds from each; sold at 42 cents per pound. The lambs were sold to the butcher at five months old for $1.75. Last year I wintered 110; raised 100 lambs; sold sheep and wool, amounting to $425. To-day I sold my whole flock for $310, making in all $735 in one year. Respectfully yours,

SAMUEL DUNN.

No. 44. My pure Southdowns I bought of Mr. Thos. A. Niber, and he bought them of Mr. Hulbert, near North Leach, Gloucestershire, England. They are the largest Southdown bucks and ewes that have ever been brought to Canada. The stock has been very much increased in size, and improved in various ways. They have never been crossed with Hamp. shire Downs, nor any other kinds. They are of pure blood. My flock are from the same.

Yours truly,

THOMAS BENNINGTON.

No. 47,-I raised twenty-four; twelve were thoroughbred Cotswolds; nine were thoroughbred, cross between Leicesters and Cotswolds; three thoroughbred, cross between Saxony and Cotswolds. Amount of wool at one year old, 7 pounds; two years, 8 pounds. Amount of grain fed from November to May, one quart of meal, composed of corn in ear and oats ground together, per day, to each sheep; weight, average at two and a half years, 184 pounds.

J. H. SHIELDS.

No. 49.-There are but two flocks of sheep that number over thirty. They are called the common wool. There is but little interest manifested in the direction of wool-growing in this vicinity, and are but few fine wool sheep.

Yours respectfully,

A. STOUT.

No. 50.-My flock of sheep number nearly 400, mostly ewes, 200 of which are Southdowns; some half, three-quarter, seven-eighths, and many full blood. I bought a buck and ewe at the sale of imported stock, by the Clinton and Fayette Importing Company; crossed them with a stock of mixed blood, of Saxony and the old Merino. A few years afterward I purchased a fine Southdown buck, raised by Mr. James Anderson, of Ross county, O.; he, I think, bought a number of them at the sale of the Madison County Importing Company. The balance of my flock I pur chased in Kentucky; they are a mongrel breed-crosses of Bakewell, Cotswold, Merino and native. The value of the Southdown consists in the superior qualities of the mutton, and also the economy in producing it. They are a hardy sheep, producing about four pounds of wool, of a coarse quality, and a majority of the ewes will produce and rear twin lambs if properly cared for.

Yours respectfully,

R. R. SEYMOUR

COTSWOLDS.

For history of Cotswolds see page 447 of Ohio Agricultural Report for 1862.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

6.8. R. Hutchinson, Miamiville.. 5 Cotswolds. ...........***

CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.

7.T. S. McFarland, Westville.. 1 25 Full Cotsw❜ds 1860, T. S. McF.. [Harrison co., Ky.

CUYAHOGA COUNTY.

8) W. Leuty, Middlefi'd Centre.] 71 71]Full Cotsw'ds 1849, R. Jackson: (1849, England.

[blocks in formation]

10 J. Matthias, Logan... 2 100 Cotswolds.................!

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

20 Mrs. McCammon, W. Zanesv'el.. 50|Cotswolds..................

MORROW COUNTY.

21 Jos. Furnar, jr., Waynesville.| 1| 10,Cotswolds...A. P. O'Neale ...

MARION COUNTY.

22 T. V. Reber, Upper Sandusky.. 30 Cotswolds................

1850, Lorain co., 0. Imported England.

England.
1860, England.
1851, 46
1856,

.¡Vermont.

[ocr errors]

T. Aston, Lorain co. O

OTTAWA COUNTY.

24H. H. Bredbeck, Port Clinton 250 Cotswolds 1858, H. H. B.. 24 Gerett Bredbeck,

[ocr errors]

1859, G. B....

[ocr errors]

2 40.do....

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors]

RICHLAND COUNTY.

Ky. (Lexington).

27|Matthew Briggs, Plymouth...10 24 Cotsw, thor'd Wm. Briggs, Sen. B. & Tate, Bedford, O

UNION COUNTY.

28A. Erwin, Irwin............ 3 100 to full Cotsw. H. Stocks.......!

No. 7.-On the 1st of September, 1860, I brought from Kentucky four head of pure-blooded Cotswold sheep, and on the 5th day of this month I brought fourteen head more, all and each of which will produce twelve pounds of merchantable wool. They were purchased of Robert Scott, Esq., of Harrison county, Kentucky, at an average cost of $12 per head. They have been remarkably healthy thus far, are excellent feeders, and are remarkable for their gentility and kindness.

In a few days I will go again to Kentucky for a car load, and as soon as I return I will notify you of my importation, if desirable. I think them far the best for home consumption, both wool and carcass. Some of my best will weigh three hundred pounds-average, two hundred and twenty pounds. T. S. MCFARLAND.

No. 13.-I take the present opportunity of furnishing such information as I can from my own experience in sheep raising for the year 1862. I kept three hundred; and from two hundred and fifty ewes raised about two hundred and fifty lambs, fifty of which I selected and kept, the rest I sold for $2 per head when three months old. Fifty wethers when shorn I sold for $3.75 per head. My wool brought sixty cents per pound, and on an average for the flock, $2.18 cents per head, which gives a net profit per head for 250 ewes and fifty wethers, as follows:

[blocks in formation]

The fifty lambs selected will fill the place of the wethers sold, and leaves the flock as good as last year. I should state that my lambs came about the 1st of March, and the ewes were housed and carefully tended. Earlier lambs would be better for the butcher, but would be more likely to be lost. My manner of keeping is to feed corn once a day, and then let the flock run out on the meadows, with hay at night when they return to the yard. If the farmers would keep sheep instead of dogs, it could be done with profit. A farm of one hundred acres could keep fifty and not feel the expense, while the profits would be handsome.

Yours with respect,

JOHN HAMMEL

No. 14.-I first bought of Mr. Joel Townshend, of Avon, in 1850, one buck and three ewes. In 1852 I got from him another buck and ewe; in 1854 another buck from him, and in 1856 another one. These were crossed with Leicesters and Cotswolds. Since then I have crossed with a Cotswold

[ocr errors]
« PreviousContinue »