468 SEEEP INDUSTRf OF THE UNITED STATES 



within recent years, and the opening up of large sections of railroads 

 has given increased interest to the possibilities of the sheep and with 

 it greater attention. 



There has been but little fluctuation in the number of sheep from 

 1870 to 1890; in the first year it was 552,327; in the last it was 508,654. 

 But there have been counterbalancing changes. The revision of the 

 tariff in 1883 caused a great decrease in the fine- wool flocks of the 

 western counties, and the growing demand for good mutton increased 

 the mutton flocks in the eastern counties. In January, 1888, the Agri- 

 cultural Department reported "a decrease in the number of sheep in 

 the western portion of the State, while in the eastern part there has 

 been a large increase. There are more flock-masters now than hereto- 

 fore, owing to the increased number of small flocks (extremely large 

 ones being an exception), which gives the sheep better care and atten- 

 tion, and increases their value." 



One of the largest, if not the largest, fine- wool flocks of the eastern 

 part of the State was that of Logan Osburn, of Jefferson County, 

 briefly noticed elsewhere. The origin of this flock traces to the pur- 

 chase by William Osburn, of Loudoun County, Ya., of fifteen moun- 

 tain or open-wool ewes which were bred to a thoroughbred Ohio Merino 

 ram. The offspring were bred in the same manner, and in 1872 Logan 

 Osburn purchased of his brother William three head for $500, and in 

 1873 100 half-blood Ohio ewes were added at a cost of $800. In 1874 

 another addition was made to the flock of 100 thoroughbred Merinos, 

 heavy shearers and of fine carcass. Each year the ewe lambs were 

 retained and bred at the age of eighteen months. Mr. Osb urn's practice 

 was to keep the entire crop of lambs each season, weeding out and selling 

 to the butcher the objectionable ones, and with them the old sheep, 

 poor shearers, or broken-bagged ewes. After the wether lambs were 

 sheared and attained sufficient age to fatten, they were disposed of for 

 mutton. From 1878 to 1882 the flock aggregated from 2,000 to 2,800, 

 the latter being the greatest number it ever attained. In 1880, from 

 the sale of wethers, old ewes, rams, and wool, Mr. Osburn received 

 $7,452, and in 1881 from the same sources, $8,620. A drought then 

 ensued which necessitated the reduction of the flock by 1,000 head, 

 this number being shipped to city markets and sold at very low figures. 

 From this time until his death, in 1890, Mr. Osburn maintained the 

 flock at about 1,600 to 1,800 head, giving fleeces of 7 to 9 pounds 

 washed wool. The flock was sold in August, 1891, the purchasers 

 being parties living in the county. The prices realized were from $3 to 

 $10 per head, the average being nearly $5. Two hundred head were 

 retained by his son, Logan Osburn, jr., of Kabletown, Jefferson County, 

 who furnished the above facts. 



The fact that the sheep of this flock, in but little more than fifteen 

 years, averaged nearly one-third larger than the flocks from which they 

 sprung, and that the weight of fleece and length of staple increased in 



