SCARCITY OF SHEEP ALARMING 



Ohio Sheep Buyer Unable To Make Purchases Of Breeding 



Stock From Western Ranges Price Doubles But 



Will Go Still Higher 



By George M. Wilber, Marysville, Ohio. 



It is alarming to note how fast the flocks are decreasing in this 

 country. Dairying in the agricultural sections, miners' dogs in 

 the strictly grazing (hilly) sections east of the Mississippi River 

 and the "nester" or homesteader in the west, have combined 

 to drive out sheep raisers both on eastern farms and the western 

 ranges until alarming . conditions exist. 



No Range Ewes For Sale 



Last year I was not able to purchase a single car of breeding 

 ewes west of the Mississippi River. All of the thousands of 

 breeding ewes I handled were purchased east of Indiana. There 

 are practically none for sale this year and the price has doubled 

 in this section. Formerly I shipped in train loads from Oregon, 

 Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, etc., but it looks like there 

 could be no ewes bought anywhere at a price which would attract 

 the average farmer to invest; and yet even at the high price 

 for ewes they would make more clear money than anything else. 

 They are bound to increase in price even above the present values. 



Small Flocks Fat and Free from Disease 



There is positively not a farm east of the Mississippi River 

 which could not profitably keep a small flock of ewes, 25 to 50 

 or more, which would not only trim up the weeds at no cost, but 

 the owner would never know he had them so far as cost for feed 

 is concerned. These small flocks are always fat and free from 

 disease. 



Neighborhoods Buy Car Lots 



I would suggest that you urge farmers in their several neighbor- 

 hoods to combine and buy a deck or car load and distribute among 

 themselves. It is not practical to ship less than full cars, because 

 car load rates are charged for less than car lots unless crated. 



Sheep have decreased 50 million head in the world 

 since the war began 



