24 OREGON FARMER 



gone, the ewes are allowed to rough it and pick up their living 

 around the stubble fields and meadows. Handled in this way a few 

 sheep on the farm clean up a lot of weeds and waste material and 

 so cost very little, but at the same time bring in quite an income. 

 These sheep are practically all of the mutton breeds, mostly Cotswold 

 and Shropshire. There are very few Merinos. 



The raising of pure bred sheep has become quite an industry in 

 Oregon and has made some parts of the state famous throughout 

 the country. In Eastern Oregon there are a number of large flocks 

 of very high grade sheep, particularly of the Merino and Ram- 

 bouillet strains. One company has in Eastern Oregon probably 

 spread more good Merino and Rambouillet stock through the North- 

 west than any other firm. Western Oregon and particularly the 

 Willamette valley has become famous as a breeding ground for high 

 class long wool sheep, particularly of Cotswold and Lincoln breeds. 

 It seems that the climatic and forage conditions in this section are 

 peculiarly adapted to these breeds and we find them developed to a 

 degree of perfection which is not equaled anywhere else in the United 

 States. Recently prominent importers of Cotswold and Lincoln 

 sheep, who have been hi the habit of sending to England every year 

 for sheep for Eastern shows have come to the Willamette valley 

 and have been able to get better stuff than they could import. 

 Many of the best flocks of long wool sheep in the Willamette valley 

 have been bred in this district for many years. 



On the whole the raising of sheep in Oregon is one of the most 

 extensive of the live stock industries. There is no other line of 

 agriculture in the state which has already built up as many substan- 

 tial fortunes and there is no other which offers a better promise 

 of the future. 



GOAT RAISING IN OREGON. 



Goat raising has become a prominent industry in the western part 

 of the state. Oregon ranks among the leading goat raising states 

 of the Union, being about third as to numbers and distinctly first 

 as to quality. The finest Angoras in America are produced in the 

 Willamette valley and they are produced in large numbers. Through- 

 out the foothill section of Western Oregon, especially in the coast 

 district, we find considerable areas of brushy, rough, land. This 

 condition combined with our mild winters and cool summers makes 

 an ideal place for goats. The goats shear nearly as heavy a fleece 

 as do sheep and the mohair has been selling at from 35 to 45 cents 

 per pound. In addition to the income from the mohair there is a 

 still greater income from clearing up the brush. Many of these 

 brushy pastures which are practically worthless in the beginning 

 are made into valuable land by pasturing with goats for a few years. 

 There are still immense areas of Western Oregon which are at the 

 present time producing little or nothing, but which would produce 

 a good income with goats and after a few years of pasturing would 

 be valuable for many other purposes. 



