660 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 



aud other States at prices ranging from $25 to $100 per head, accord- 

 ing to age and selection. Every two years Mr. Baber procured an 

 imported or Canada ram at a cost of about f 100 for his own breeding. 

 He bred his lambs at eighteen months old. 



The following, from the records of the Department, shows that com- 

 mon Ootswold flocks kept simply for the mutton and wool pay well. The 

 correspondent wrote from Carroll County : 



The slieep most profitable in our county are the Cotswolds and their grades. They 

 will consume proliably one-fourth more food than the fiue-wool sheep, hut are hardy, 

 needing no shelter, and generally live the entire ■winter on our blue-grass pastures 

 without other food, produce from 6 to 10 pounds of wool per head, and from 60 to 100 

 pounds good mutton at one and two years old. I have about 50 in my flock of the 

 Cotswolds and grades, which I have taken as a sample for the above statement. 

 They have not eaten a single pound of hay or anything but what they have gathered 

 for themselves in the pasture, winter or summer, for the last two years. This wool 

 is worth, just as it comes from the sheep, unwashed, 35 cents per pound; mutton is 

 worth 10 cents. 



But the general use of the Cotswold was to cross other breeds, and 

 good results were obtained by crossing on the native ewes. Three 

 crosses made a good flock. The comparative profit of a flock of 100 

 full-bred Cotswolds and 100 common natives with the Cotswold cross is 

 given in this statement of J. D. Guthrie, Shelby, Ky., who prefaces his 

 statement that improved long-wools pay the best, but that those who 

 keep common or short- wool ewes and propagate from rams of the long- 

 wooled or mutton breeds for butchers' use, or to gi'ade up for quality 

 and price of both wool aud mutton, were satisfied with the result. 



100 common ewes, cost $300 



2 Cotswold rams 50 



Feeding, etc 50 



Total cost 400 



100 lambs to butcher $400 



400 pounds of wool, at 25 cents 100 



Value of ewes and rams after lambing 300 



800 



Net profits 400 



100 Cotswold ewes, cost 1 200 



2 Cotswold rams 50 



Feeding, etc 50 



1,300 



100 Cotswold lambs, $10 each $1 QOO 



1,000 pounds of wool, at 36 cents 3gO 



Value of ewes and rams after lambing i 200 



2, 560 



-Not profit 1 260 



