688 



SHEEP INDUSTEY OF THE UNITED STATES 



by dogs have made slieeii-raising both unpopular and unprofitable. 

 Hence, sheep have sufi'ered from neglect." In 1886, "the low price of 

 wool and the ravages of dogs ha-^e combined with the neglectful habit 

 of the people to reduce the number of sheep in the State." In 18SS, 

 " sheep have decreased in number in every section of the State, except 

 in the pine lands of south Alabama, where an increase has taken place. 

 Several causes have operated to prodiice this effect, including the low 

 price of wool, stock law, want of attention, and the old enemy, the 

 dog." These combined causes acted disastrously on sheep husbandry, 

 and the report for 1889 says : " One may travel across the State by rail 

 without seeing a sheep. The number is gradually decreasing and the 

 attention given them lessening each year." 



Sheep and wool of Alabama, ISiO to ISOO. 



Year. 



Number of 

 sheep. 



Wool. 



Average 



weight of 



wool per 



head. 



1840. 

 1850 . 

 1860. 

 1870. 

 1880. 

 1890. 



163, 243 

 371,880 

 370, 156 

 241,934 

 347, 838 

 28G, 238 



Tounds. 

 220, 353 

 667, 118 

 775,117 

 381,352 

 782, 207 

 632, 585 



Pounds. 

 ' 1.3S 

 1.76 

 2.09 

 1.67 

 2.18 

 2.21 



It is estimated that 95 per cent of the sheep are still the unimproved 

 scrub, and that 80 per cent of the wool is a low-grade clothing or car- 

 pet wool. 



The first land in the present limits of the United States to feel the 

 pressure of the golden-hoofed sheep was Florida, and the descendants 

 of these sheep have come down to us through a period of over 325 years, 

 and are to-day seen all over the northern and western part of Florida 

 and along the Gulf coast to and beyond the Mississippi. In this sec- 

 tion they constitute 95 per cent of all the sheep known, and practically 

 defy aU attempt at improvement or cross. In the eastern part of the 

 State and in some of the central counties they have given way to low 

 grades of English sheep; from some localities they have disappeared 

 and left no successors. The history of sheep husbandry in Florida in 

 the early years of the century is unknown. There are no records prior 

 to 1840, at which time the census figures gave the State but 7,198 sheep 

 and 7,285 pounds of wool, an average of 1 pound of wool to each sheep. 

 In 1850 the sheep had increased to 23,311, yielding 23,2-17 pounds of 

 wool. From 1850 to the present day eflforts have been made, particu- 

 larly in east and central Florida, to improve the native sheep by intro- 

 ducing English and Merino breeds, but they have generally failed. Tho 

 conditions were not favorable to them. Several attempts were made in 



