600 



SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 



pounds, exceeding tlie product of each of the two years preceding, but 

 realizing much less money. The value per pound had steadily declined 

 from 35 cents in 1879 to 21 cents in 1884. The number of pounds of wool 

 shorn, its value per pound, and its total value from 1877 to 1884 are 

 given in the following table, compiled from the assessors' returns and 

 the statistical reports made to the Illinois department of agriculture : 



The decline in sheep continued, falling from 1,037,073 in 1880 to 

 925,201 in 1887. The continued low prices of wool arid mutton and the 

 destruction by dogs were the causes. Many farmers reduced their 

 flocks while others sold out entirely. There was also a change going 

 on in the character of the sheep, an increasing substitution of the mut- 

 ton sheep for the Merino a tendency that was recognized in the predic- 

 tion of one of the leading agriculturists of the State, that sheep for 

 wool-growing alone in Illinois would be abandoned for sheep that would 

 produce mutton and wool. Mr. A. M. Garland, a veteran Merino 

 breeder, says that the Merino must be brought to a standard both in 

 size and quality of flesh, at which it Avill be recognized as a good mutton 

 sheep. He insists that it can be increased 30 to 50 per cent in size, 

 while otherwise adding to its popularity for mutton production. No 

 outside blood is deemed necessary, and none should be tolerated in bring- 

 ing about this improvement in size; all necessary elements are now in 

 the hands of the breeders. Speaking on the same line, another Illinois 

 breeder says : 



We need not go outside of the Merino to obtain an all-purpose sheep. Two or 

 three crosses with a large, plain Merino ram, Avith good, generous keeping, will give 

 us a mutton sheep that we need not be ashamed to put alongside of any in the mar- 

 ket, and one that I believe will produce a pound of wool and meat cheaper than can 

 be done on any other sheep. This is also the kind of sheep most in demand for 

 stock purposes on the great ranches of the West, which is to be the great outlet for 

 our surplus stock ; therefore, I believe it will be better for the most of us to pay less 

 attention to fancy points and more to what constitutes real value. As a factor in 

 our system of agriculture, the sheep occupies so important a position as to be the 

 turning point in the scale between loss and profit. 



That the Merino is capable of an increase of 30 to 50 per cent is 

 shown in shearings of the last few years in Illinois, whose many rams 

 have given 140 to 180 pounds live weight, some from 180 to 202 pounds, 

 and ewes from 100 to 120 pounds. Some Merino breeders, looking to 

 an increased size of sheep, have substituted for the Vermont Merino, 



