USA > Illinois > McHenry County > Biographical directory of the tax-payers and voters of McHenry County : containing also a map of the county, a condensed history of the state of Illinois, an historical sketch of the county, its towns and villages, an abstract of everyday laws of the state, a business directory, officers of societies, lodges and public officers, a department of general information for farmers, dairymen, etc., etc > Part 7
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MONEY ORDERS .- Money orders can be obtained only at designated Money Order Offices. Money can be sent to any part of the country with absolute safety, by obtaining a Money Order, for which the fees are : Not exceeding $15, 10 cents; over $15, and not exceeding $30, 15 cents; over $30, and not exceeding $40, 20 cents; over $40, and not exceeding $50, 25 cents. No order issued for more than $50.
POST ITEMS .- It costs 10 cents extra, besides the regular postage, to register a letter. Letters may be registered at any Post Office.
· VALUE OF FOREIGN. MONEY.
ON A GOLD BASIS.
Pound Sterling, of England
$4.84 1 Florin, of Austria. $ .482
Guinea,
5.05
Doubloon, of Spain (1800). 15.54
Crown,
66
1.21
Real, .05
Shilling,
22
Five Rubles, of Russia 3.95
Napoleon, of France
3.84
Ruble,
.75
Five Francs,
.93
Franc, of Belgium. .18₺
Franc,
.18}
Ducat, of Bavaria.
2.27
Thaler, of Saxony
.68
Franc, of Switzerland. .18}
Guilder, of Netherlands.
Ducat, of Austria. 2.28
.40
Crown, of Tuscany.
1.05₺
¥
56
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION.
STATISTICS OF POPULATION.
POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES.
STATES AND TERRITORIES.
Total Population
Alabama.
996,992
Arkansas
484,471
California
560,247
Connecticut
537,454
Delaware
125,015
Chicago, Ill ...
Florida
187,748
Baltimore, Md.
Georgia
Illinois
2,539,891
Indiana
1,680,637
Iowa .
364.399
Buffalo, N. Y ..
Washington, D. C.
Newark, N. J.
Louisville, Ky
Cleveland, Ohio
Pittsburgh, Pa ..
Jersey City. N. J
Minnesota.
439,706
Mississippi
827,902
Missouri
1,721,295
Nebraska ..
122,993
Nevada
42,491
New Hampshire.
318,300
New Jersey
906,096
New York ...
4,382,759
North Carolina.
1,071,361
Charleston, S. C.
Indianapolis, Ind.
48,244
Troy, N. Y ..
Syracuse, N. Y.
Worcester, Mass.
South Carolina.
705,606
Tennessee ......
1,258,520
Texas.
818,579
Vermont ....
330,551
Virginia.
1,225,163
West Virginia
442,014·
Wisconsin ....
1,054,670
Total States
38,113,253
Arizona ..
9,658
Colorado
39,864
Dakota.
14,181
District of Columbia
131,700
Idaho ..
14,999
Montana.
20,595
New Mexico
91,874
Utah ..
86,786
Washington
23,955
Wyoming ...
9,118
Total Territories
442,730
Total United States.
38.555,983
POPULATION OF FIFTY PRINCIPAL CITIES.
CITIES.
Aggregate Population
New York, N. Y. .....
Philadelphia, Pa ..
Brooklyn, N. Y.
St. Louis, Mo.
310,864 298,977
Boston, Mass ..
Cincinnati, Ohio.
New Orleans, La.
San Francisco, Cal
Kansas
Kentucky
1,321,011 726,915
Louisiana.
Maine.
626.915
Maryland
780,894
Massachusetts
Michigan ..
1,184,059
Detroit, Mich.
Milwaukee, Wis.
Albany, N. Y.
Providence, R. I.
Rochester, N. Y.
Allegheny, Pa ..
Richmond, Va ..
New Haven, Conn
Ohio.
Oregon
Pennsylvania.
3,521,791
Rhode Island.
217,353
Lowell, Mass.
Memphis, Tenn.
Cambridge, Mass.
Hartford, Conn.
Scranton, Pa
Reading, Pa.
Paterson, N. J.
Kansas City, Mo.
Mobile, Ala.
Toledo, Ohlo.
Portland, Me.
Columbus, Ohio.
31,274
Wilmington, Del.
30,841
Dayton, Ohio. Lawrence, Mass
30,473 28,921 28,804
Utica, N. Y.
Charlestown, Mass
28,323
Savannah, Ga.
28,235
Lynn, Mass
28 233
Fall River, Mass
26,766
942,292 674,022 396,099
267,354 250,526 216,239 191,418 149,473 117,714 109,199
105,059 100,753 92,829 86,076 82,546
79,577 71,440 69,422 68,904 62,386 53,180 51,038 50,840 48,956
2,665,260 90,923
46,465 43,051 41,105 40,928 40,226 39,634 37,180 35,092 33.930
33,579 32,260 32,034 31,584 31,413
1,457,351
1,184,109
1,191,792
57
MISCELLANEBUS INFORMATION.
POPULATION OF ILLINOIS-BY COUNTIES.
AGGREGATE.
COUNTIES.
1870.
1860.
1850.
1840.
1830.
1820.
Adams
56362
41323
26508
14476
2186
Alexander
10564
4707
2484
3313
1390
626
Bond
13152
9815
6144
5060
3124
2931
Boone
12942
11678
7624
1705
Brown.
12205
9938
7198
4183
Bureau
32415
26426
8841
3067
Calhoun
6562
5144
3231
1741
1090
Carroll
16705
11733
4586
1023
Cass ..
11580
11325
7253
2981
Champaign
32737
14629
2649
1475
Christian
20363
10492
3203
1878
Clark.
18719
14987
9532
7453
3940
931
Clay.
15875
9336
4289
3228
755
Clinton
16285
10941
5139
3718
2330
Coles
25235
14203
9335
9616
Cook
349966
144954
43385
10201
Crawford
13889
11551
7135
4422
3117
2999
Cumberland
12223
8311
371.8
De Kalb
23265
19086
7540
1697
De Witt
14768
10820
5002
3247
Douglas.
13484
7140
Du Page
16685
14701
9290
3535
Edgar
21450
16925
10692
8225
4071
Edwards
7565
5454
3524
3070
1649
3444
Effingham.
15653
7816
3799
1675
Fayette
19638
11189
8075
6328
2704
Ford
9103
1979
Franklin
12652
9393
5681
3682
4083
1763
Fulton
38291
33338
22508
13142
1841
Gallatin
11134
8055
5448
10760
7405
3155
Greene
20277
16093
12429
11951
7674
Grundy.
14938
10379
3023
Hamilton
13014
9915
6362
3945
2616
Hancock
35935
29061
14652
9946
483
Hardin
5113
3759
2887
1378
Henderson
12582
9501
4612
Henry.
35506
20660
3807
1260
41
Iroquois
25782
12325
4149
1695
Jackson
19634
9589
5862
3566
1828
1542
Jasper ..
11234
8364
3220
1472
Jefferson
17864
12965
8109
5762
2555
691
Jersey
15054
12051
27225
18604
6180
2111
Johnson
11248
9342
4114
3626
1596
843
Kane
39091
30062
16702
6501
Kankakee.
24352
15412
Kendall
12399
13074
7730
39522
28663
13279
7060
274
Lake.
21014
18257
14226
2634
La Salle
60792
48332
17815
9348
Lawrence
12533
9214
6121
7092
3668
Lee .
27171
17651
5292
2035
Livingston
31471
11637
1553
759
Logan
23053
14272|
5128
2333
7354
4535
Jo Daviess
27820
Knox
*23
58
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION.
POPULATION OF ILLINOIS-CONTINUED.
AGGREGATE.
COUNTIES.
1870.
1860.
1850.
1840.
1830.
1820.
Macon .
26481
13738
3988
3039
1122
Macoupin
32726
24602
12355
7926
1990
Madison
44131
31251
20441
14433
6221
13550
Marion
20622
12739
6720
4742
2125
Marshall
16950
13437
5180
1849
Mason
16184
10931
5921
Massac.
9581
6213
4092
McDonough
26509
20069
7616
5308
(b)
McHenry
23762
22089
14978
2578
McLean ..
53988
28772
10163
6565
Menard
11735
9584
6349
4431
Mercer
18769
15042
5246
2352
26
*. 21
Monroe
12982
12832
7679
4481
2000
1516
Montgomery
25314
13979
6277
4490
2953
Morgan
28463
22112
16064
19547
12714
Moultrie
10385
6385
3234
Ogle
27492
22888
10020
3479
Peoria
47540
36601
17547.
6153
(c)
Perry
13723
9552
5278
3222
1215
Piatt.
10953
6127
1606
Pike
30768
27249
18819
11728
2396
Pope.
11437
6742
3975
4094
3316
2610
Pulaski
8752
3943
2265
Putnam
6280
5587
3924
2131
c1310
Randolph
20859
17205
11079
7944
4429
3942
Richland.
12803
9711
4012
Rock Island
29783
21005
6937
2610
Saline.
12714
9331
5588
Sangamon
46352
32274
19228
14716
12960
Schuyler
17419
14684
10573
6972
62959
Scott.
10530
9069
7914
6216
Shelby
25476
14613
7807
6659
2972
Stark
10751
9004
3710
1573
*5
St. Clair
51068
37694
20180
13631
7078
5248
Stephenson
30608
25112
11666
2800
Tazewell.
27903
21470
12052
7221
4716
Union
16518
11181
7615
5524
3239
236
Vermilion
30388
19800
11492
9303
5836
Wabash
8841
7313
4690
4240
2710
Warren.
23174
18336
8176
6739
308
Washingto
17599
13731
6953
4810
1675
1517
Wayne.
19758
12223
6825
5133
2553
1114
White
16846
12403
8925
7919
6091
4828
Whiteside
27503
18737
5361
2514
Will.
43013
29321
16703
10167
Williamson
17329
12205
7216
4457
Winnebago.
29301
24491
11773
4609
Woodford.
18956
13282
4415
*49
Total
2539891
1711951
851470
476183
157445
55162
€
59
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION.
POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES.
STATES AND
Area in Square Miles.
POPULATION.
Miles R. R. 1872.
STATES AND TERRITORIES.
Area in Square Miles.
1870.
1875.
Miles R. R. 1872.
Alabama
50,722
996,992
1,671
Pennsylvania ...
46,000
3,521,791
5,113
Arkansas
52,198
484,471
25
Rhode Island ..
1,306
217,353
258,239
136
California
188,981
560,247
1,013
South Carolina.
29,385
705,606
925,145
1,201
Connecticut
4,674
537,454
820
Tennessee
45,600)
1,258,520
1,520
Delaware.
2,120
125,015
227
Texas
237,504
818,579
865
Florida.
59,268
187,748
466
Vermont
10,212
330,551
675
Georgia
58,000
1,184,109
2,108
Illinois.
55,410
2,539,891
5,904
Indiana
33,809
1,680,637
3,529
Iowa
55,045
1,191,792 1,350,544
3,160
Kansas.
81,318
364,399
528,349
1,760
Total States
1,950,171 38,113,253
59,587
Territories.
Arizona
113,916
9,658
Colorado
104,500
39,864
392
Massachusetts
7,800
1,457,351 1,651,912
1,606
Michigan*
56,451
1,184,059 1,334,031
2,235
Minnesota
83,531
439,706
598,429
1,612
Idaho
90,932
14,999
Montana
143,776
20,595
New Mexico
121,201
91,874
375
New Jersey.
8,320
906,096 1,026,502
1,265
New York ....
47,000
4,382,759 4,705,208
4,470
North Carolina.
50,704
1,071,361
1,190
Ohio
39,964
2,665,260
3,740
Oregon
95,244
80,923
159
* Last Census of Michigan taken in 1874.
* Included in the Railroad Mileage of Maryland.
PRINCIPAL COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD .- POPULATION AND AREA.
COUNTRIES.
Population.
Date of Census.
Area in Square Miles.
Inhabitants to Square Mile.
CAPITALS.
Population.
China
446,500,000
1871
3,741,846
119.3
Pekin
1,648,800
British Empire ..
226,817,108
1871
4,677,432
48.6
London
3,251,800
Russia ....
81,925,400
1871
8,003,778
10.2
St. Petersburg.
667,000
United States with Alaska.
38,925,600
1870
2,603,884
7.78
Washington
108,199
France
36,469,800
1866
204,091
178.7
Paris ..
1,825,300
Austria and Hungary .....
35,904,400
1869
240,348
149.4
Vienna.
833,900
Japan
34,785,300
1871
149,399
232.8
Yeddo ..
1,554,900
Great Britain and Ireland ..
31,817,100
1871
121,315
262.3
London
3,251,800
German Empire ..
29,906,092
1871
160,207
187.
Berlin ..
825,400
Italy
27,439,921
1871
118,847
230.9
Rome ..
244,484
Spain
16,642,000
1867
195,775
85.
Madrid
332,000
Turkey
16,464,000
......
672,621
24.4
Constantinople
1,075,000
Mexico
9,173,000
1869
761,526
20.
Stockholm
136,900
Persia
5,000,000
1870
635,964
7.8
Teheran
120,000
Bavaria
4,861,400
1871
29,292
165.9
Munich
169,500
Portugal.
3,995,200
1868
34,494
115.8
Lisbon
224,063
Holland
3,688,300
1870
12,680
Hague ..
90,100
New Grenada
3,000,000
1870
357,157
8.4
Bogota
45,000
Chili
2,000,000
1869
132,616
15.1
Santiago
115,400
Switzerland
1,669,100
1870
15,992
166.9
Berne
36,000
Peru.
2,500,000
1871
471,838
5.3
Lima
160,100
Bolivia
2,000,000
......
497,321
4.
Chuquisaca
25,000
Argentine Republic Wurtemburg ..
1,818,500
1871
7,533
241.4
Stuttgart
91,600
Denmark
1,784,700
1870
14,753
120.9
Copenhagen
162,042
Venezuela
1,500,000
.....
368,238
4.2
Carraccas
47,000
Baden
1,461,400
1871
5,912
247.
Carlsruhe
Greece ...
1,457,900
1870
19,353
75.3
Athens ...
Guatemala
40,000
Ecuador
1,300,000
......
218,928
5.9
Quito
Asuncion ..
48,000
Hesse ...
823,138
2,969
277.
Darmstadt
30,000
Liberia
718,000
1871
9,576
74.9
Monrovia
3,000
San Salvador
600,000
1871
7,335
56.
Port au Prince.
...
Nicaragua
350,000
1871
58,171
6.
Managua
10,000
Uruguay ..
300,000
1871
66,722
6.5
Montevideo
44,500
Honduras
350,000
1871
47,092
7.4
Comayagua
12,000
San Domingo
136,000
......
17,827
7.6
San Domingo
20,000
Costa Rica
165,000
1870
21,505
7.7
San Jose ..
2,000
Hawaii
62,950
7.633
80.
Honolulu
7,633
1870.
1875.
States.
States.
Wisconsin
53,924
1,054,670
1,725
Kentucky
37,600
1'321,011
1,123
Louisiana
41,346
726,915
857,039
539
Maine.
31,776
626,915
871
Maryland
11,184
780,894
820
Dakota.
147,490
14,181
Dist. ot Columbia.
60
131,700
Mississippi.
47,156
827,922
990
Missouri .
65,350
1,721,295
2,580
Nebraska
75,995
123,993
246,280
828
Nevada ..
112,090
42,941
52,540
593
Washington
69,344
23,955
....
New Hampshire
9,280
318,300
790
Wyoming
93,107
9,118
498
Total Territories ..
965,032
442,730
1,265
Aggregate of U. S.
2.915,203 38,555,983 0,000,000| 60,852
420,000
Sweden and Norway.
5,921,100
1870
292,871
Belgium
5,021,300
1869
11,373
441.5
Brussels
314,100
1,812,000
1869
871,848
2.1
Buenos Ayres.
177,800
43,400
Guatemala
1,180,000
1871
40,879
28,9
70,000 ·
Paraguay
1,000,000
1871
63,787
15.6
81.8 San Salvador.
15,000
Hayti
572,000
...
10,205
20,000
Brazil
10,000,000
.. ...
3,253,029
3.07
Rio Janeiro ..
Mexico
210,300
Virginia.
40,904
1,225,163
1,490
West Virginia
23,000
442,014
485
Utah
80,056
86,786
36,600
.
...
POPULATION.
TERRITORIES.
.....
290.9
60
GENERAL INFORMATION FOR FARMERS.
GENERAL INFORMATION FOR FARMERS.
SHEEP AND THEIR HISTORY.
With the exception of the dog, there is no one of the brute creation which exhibits the diversity of size, color, covering and general appearance which characterizes the sheep, and none which occupies a wider range of climate or subsists on a greater variety of food.
In every latitude, between the equator and the arctic, he ranges over the sterile mountains and through the fertile valleys. He feeds on every species of edible forage, the cultivated grasses, cereals and roots ; he browses on aromatic and bitter herbs; he crops the leaves and bark from the stunted forest shrubs and the pungent resinous evergreens. His coat is sometimes long and coarse, like the Lincolnshire; short and hairy like those of Madagascar; soft and furry like the Angola, or fine and spiral like the silken Saxon. His color, either pure or fancifully mixed, varies from the black or white of our own country, to every shade of brown, dun, buff or gray.
With the earliest records of man we have mention of sheep. Abel was a keeper of sheep. Abraham and his descendants as well as most of the patri- archs were shepherds. Job had fourteen thousand sheep. Of Rachel it is said, "She came with her father's sheep, for she kept them." The seven daughters of the Priest of Midian "came and drew water for their father's flocks." Moses "kept the flocks of Jethro, his father-in-law ;" and David was a keeper of sheep ; and to the shepherds of Judea, watching their flocks at night, was announced their Savior's birth.
Emblematic of purity, they have been used as sacrifices in the religious exer- cises of the earlier ages ; while the writers of all nations and creeds have dwelt with pleasure upon their virtues.
Sheep formed the principal wealth of the Hebrew patriarch, and the term pecus (cattle), of the Latins, whence was derived pecunia, wealth, was applied especially to them. It is generally believed that the fable of the Argonauts and the "Golden Fleece" rests with the facts connected with the first importation of sheep into Greece. And the old Spanish proverb, " Whereon the foot of the sheep treads the land is turned to gold," evinces an early appreciation of a concomitant to sheep raising which is quite overlooked by our farmers in their estimate of the value of sheep.
A knowledge of the effects of breeding was early known to the race, as is shown in the Scriptural history of Jacob, and mention is frequently made by profane writers.
The signs of a good ram are concisely laid down by Varro, by Virgil, in his third Georgic, and by Columella ; and though the Spanish nobility were looked upon with wonder in giving two hundred ducats for a ram, yet Strabo
61
GENERAL INFORMATION FOR FARMERS.
assures us that in his day (under Tiberius), they gave more than three times that sum for one of the breed of the "Coraxi," a Pontiac nation, believed to have the finest fleece in the world.
The greatest recorded improvers in sheep in ancient times were Lucius Colum- ella and his uncle, Marcus Columella, who are reported to have crossed a variety from Africa with the breeds of Tarentum and sent the offspring to Spain. There they throve remarkably, attracting the attention of other nations to whom they were from time to time exported, and became the progenitors of all the finest breeds at present existing. The King of Spain, about the year 1800, presented the Elector of Saxony with a small flock of Merinos, and from these came the fine Saxony breeds for which Germany is famous.
The first sheep were introduced into the United States at Jamestown, Va., from England, in 1609. About the year 1625, they were introduced into New York and Massachusetts. In 1676, they were spoken of as being "abundant in New England," and in 1790, it is said, flocks were numerous in New York. The first Merino sheep sent to this country, it is said, were smuggled out of Spain in 1793, but they were not preserved for breeding.
Between 1801 and 1808, several pairs were imported by enterprising Ameri- cans ; but the French invasion of Spain and consequent sale of several of the largest flocks enabled the United States to obtain several thousand of the most improved breeds of Spanish sheep.
The first Saxon Merinos were brought over in the year 1823 ; and for sev- eral years following they were extensively introduced. They were at one time quite popular, but other breeds proving more remunerative they have almost disappeared, and but few pure bloods can now be found in this country.
.It is a fact, perhaps not generally known, that Washington imported prob- ably the first improved breeds of English sheep introduced into this country ; and that from his stock was obtained, by Mr. Custer, by crossing a Persian ram with Bakewell ewes, the Arlington " Long Wooled Sheep," mentioned by Mr. Livingston in his essay on sheep, published in 1809.
Sheep are divided into Long Wooled, Short Wooled and Cross-bred-the latter being obtained by crossing the long and short wooled sheep, either for the purpose of modifying the character of the fleece or improving the condition of the mutton.
LONG WOOLED SHEEP.
Among the long wooled sheep are the following : Lincoln, Leicester, Cots- wold, Romney Marsh and Oxford Downs, all of which have been introduced into this country from England, where, by careful and judicious breeding, the peculiar characteristics of each have been obtained.
The Lincoln is probably the heaviest bodied sheep. They have been greatly improved during the past century, and from 1862 to 1870 carried off most of
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GENERAL INFORMATION FOR FARMERS.
the prizes for long wooled sheep in England. It is popular for crossing with other breeds. It is a sheep requiring rich soil and careful attention. A few have been introduced here from Canada.
The Leicester .- This breed was brought to its great perfection by Mr. Robert Bakewell, of Leicestershire, England, who, by a course of careful breeding, begun in 1755, obtained an animal which had established such a reputation in 1789 that he obtained over $6,000 for the use of three rams. They are a large sheep, mature early, and shear about seven pounds. They are not a hardy sheep. They require proper food, careful shelter and skillful treatment to be kept in good condition.
The Cotswold .*- " The Cotswold has an ancient history. It is said to have been introduced into England from Spain by Eleanora, Queen of Henry II, of England, in the twelfth century. Although there is nothing more than tradition to support this, yet there is some corroboration of it in the fact that in Spain there has long existed, and is now a breed of coarse, long wool sheep, not unlike the original Cotswolds in some respects. It is known, however, that in fifty years after this early date the wool of the Cotswold sheep was a source of material wealth and was jealously guarded by law."
They are a large breed of sheep, producing a fleece about eight inches in length, and weighing from eight to ten pounds. They have been extensively introduced here, and full-blooded animals can be obtained in almost every State east of the Mississippi.
The Romney Marsh .- Its home is in the county of Kent, where it thrives on the low lands. It is a hardy animal, and will stand severe weather and poor treatment better than mnost breeds. Its fleece, which weighs from eight to ten pounds, is long and glossy, and much sought after by continental manufac- turers of mohair and alpaca goods.
Oxford Downs are a cross between the Cotswold and Hampshire Downs. They are said to produce a fleece of better quality than the Cotswolds, and to thrive in some localities better than their progenitors. They have only recently become prominent in England, and have therefore not been introduced to any extent in this country.
SHORT WOOLED SHEEP.
The Southdown is perhaps the best known sheep on account of its superior mutton. It has been brought to its present perfection by careful attention during a long continued series of years. It derives its name from the Downs upon which it feeds-a range of low hills gradually descending to the sea shore, containing a dry soil covered with a rich but dense herbage. It has inhabited this section from the earliest times, but has been greatly improved during the past century. It has become thoroughly acclimated in America.
* Shepherd's Manual, by Henry Stewart, published by Orange Judd & Co., New York.
63
GENERAL INFORMATION FOR FARMERS.
They are very hardy, keeping up their condition on moderate pasturage, and readily adapting themselves to the different systems of farming in which they are situated. They fatten early, and the meat commands the highest price in market. The fleece, which closely covers the body, produces a valuable cloth- ing wool.
The Cheviots derive their name from the hills upon which they are found, and by some are supposed to date their origin back to the times of the Spanish Armada, on the supposition that they swam to the shore, and escaped to the hills when the ships were sunk. The original stock has been greatly improved, and are now an excellent mutton sheep, at the same time producing a fair fleece of medium wool.
The Merino, which we have before noticed, is the predominant breed in this country. During the past half century it has been judiciously bred here and so successfully as to obtain an individuality of its own. So favorable a reputa- tion has it obtained that rams have been sent to Australia to improve the fine flocks there.
The French Merino has been introduced here in past years. It is an ex- cellent sheep, but hardly hardy enough to withstand the rigors of our climate. Its origin is as follows : In 1786, a small flock was imported from Spain and placed at Rambouillet, near Paris, France. In the course of fifty years, they had so improved as to be considered by many superior to the parent stock, both on account of size of sheep and improvement in staple of wool.
It is not possible, in the limits of such a short article as this must necessarily be, to give a description of the crossbreeds, although judicious crossing is, per- haps, one of the most important points in the business of sheep raising. We cannot do better than to quote the remarks of Mr. Stewart, in the "Shepherd's Manual," upon the subject of breeding :
" Breed for some well understood object. Learn and know the character of every ewe and ram in the flock. Remember that the male gives his impress upon the progeny most strongly. Purity of blood in the male is an absolute necessity.
"It is cheaper to pay a fair price for good rams to a capable breeder who makes production of breeding animals his business, than to attempt to raise one's own breeding stock.
" Animals that are not pure blood when coupled tend toward reversion to the inferior stock rather than progression to the superior.
" Animals, as sheep, that are easily improved favorably, as easily retrograde; the rule works both ways.
" To feed well is the co-efficient of breeding well ; without good feeding, good breeding is of no avail. Breeding lays the foundation, feeding builds upon that.
" The first cross is the most effective, the next is but half as effective and so on in the fractions 2, 4, 8, 16, 62, 64) 7 15 31 63, etc. Unity is approached by dimin-
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GENERAL INFORMATION FOR FARMERS.
ishing quantities, and is thus never reached, so the higher we breed the less ad- vance is made in proportion." 1
The sheep industry must continue to increase in this country ; for, aside from the constantly enlarging demand for lambs and mutton, the home consump- tion of wool will insure a fair profit.
Our manufactories, though at present suffering from the dullness of the times, are yet well appointed ; and we possess, in most branches of woolen manufac- tures, equal skill with the English. Labor is not much higher, while fuel is de- cidedly cheaper here, and the advantage in this respect is likely to become, from year to year, more and more in our favor. The statement that wool-growing does not pay is not well-founded. And we think that if farmers would give the proper care and attention to this industry for a series of years, they would be satisfied as to the correctness of our views.
From the following statement, it will be seen that, although the most of our flocks are of no well-defined character, such as the English, French, German or Spanish, yet the returns from the wool are even now greater than in those countries and, also, in some of the colonies into which they have been intro- duced :
COUNTRY.
Pounds of Wool per Sheep.
Price per Pound of Wool.
Annual Revenue per Sheep.
Great Britain.
4.7
25 cents.
$1 17
Australasia
4.1
37 “
1 51
Cape of Good Hope
3.2
33
6
1 05
Germany
2.1
41
85
France
3.0
18
66
54
Spain.
3.5
41
66
1 45
United States.
5.0
40
66
2 00
We take pleasure in quoting from a paper written by John L. Bowes & Bro., English wool merchants, upon the subject of American wool :
"The estimate of wool clipped in the United States during the past year (1875) was 193,000,000 of pounds against 178,000,000 in 1874, and 175,160,146 and 163,000,000 in the four years preceding that ; we regret we are not in a position to give detailed information as to the quantities of each class produced ; but we can say that the varied climate of that country admits and encourages the growth of nearly every description, from the purest Merino to the commonest carpet wool ; no better delaine wool is grown in any part of the world than in the United States ; bright haired wools, also, grow there to perfection, and the cultivation of the Angora goat has recently been essayed with a fair amount of success. It only requires the adoption of an enlightened fiscal policy to secure for the wool-growers of the United States the reward due to their success in this branch of industry, a success due equally to their abil- ity and to the climatic advantages of which they are possessed."
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