1849. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Ill 
one wool purchaser, of the amount of wool he purcha¬ 
sed in the years 1842,—’3 and ’4; the average per year 
was 110,000 pounds, and the average price 31| cents 
per pound; and this was in Washington county, New- 
York, which produces the best quality of wool. The 
income in flocks of 500, above losses, seldom goes as 
high as 25 per cent,, many flocks not more than 10 per 
cent., and some no more than keep the flocks good. I 
hope none will engage in sheep husbandry with the ex¬ 
pectation of receiving 27 per cent, on his capital invest¬ 
ed. Farmers in general, are well satisfied if they re¬ 
ceive 6 per cent, at the present low price of wool. 
Few farms will produce six per cent., over the expen¬ 
ses, on the cost of the farm. Some small pieces of 
meadow land may produce 12 or 25 per cent, on its 
cost. This subject ought to be investigated in reference 
to large farms, with buildings, woodland, &e. The 
fair way, and the one best calculated to present the 
question in a practical form, is first, to ascertain the 
true cash value of the amount of grass standing, that 
will be required to keep a certain amount of stock, and 
if this will sell for a sum that will be equal to six per 
cent, on the cost of the farm, the capital is considered 
jn this section, to be a good investment. To change 
this into hay, and from hay and grass into wool, or but¬ 
ter and cheese, is a mechanical process; the. profits 
arising from the operation, must vary according to the 
science, skill and economy used by the operator. 
In this neighborhood, hay in the barn is worth $6 
per ton, and good, smooth meadow, that will produce 
one, or one and a-half tons per acre,—the grass stand¬ 
ing— is worth $4 per ton, and lands that produce one 
and a-half tons per acre, will be equal to six per cent, 
on the cost, at $100 per acre. I estimate 20 tons of 
hay for the wintering of 100 good breeding ewes. The 
lowest estimate is 15 tons. The pasture to keep 100 
ewes and their lambs through the season, cannot be ob¬ 
tained for less than $36—ewes and lambs cannot be 
turned off until after shearing. If 33§ acres will keep 
100 through the winter and summer, such lands must 
be worth here $48, or allowing but 15 tons of hay to 
the 100 awes. There are lands in this county that 
may produce that amount of hay and grass, that can 
be purchased for $20 per acre; but they lie on the moun¬ 
tain, where the hay cannot be taken away without 
great “expense. In passing through Cortland county, 
I saw no such lands. The difference in the result of 
Mr. Randall’s calculation and mine, arises from the dif¬ 
ferent value we put upon the lands. Taking the same 
number of acres and ewes, my estimate would be as 
follows: 
A. buys 33£ acres of land, at $48 per acre,.$1600 00 
100 ewes, at $2,........................... 200 00 
Cutting and curing’ 11 acres of above land,.. 18 00 
Washing and shearing, ................... 5 00 
Summer care and salt...................... 10 00 
Winter and spring care, ................... 30 00 
Loss,.......- .......................... 4 00 
———- $1867 00 
Receipts .—300 lbs. of wool, (the same as by 
Mr Randall’s estimate,)*...... $118 71 
80 Lambs, at $1,.... 80 00 
- $198 71 
If the owner let his land and sheep, the account 
would stand thus: 
Interest on the money paid for land and sheep 
at 7 per cent., ............................ $126 00 
Other expenses as before,................... 67 00 
——$193 00 
Receipts as before,... 198 71 
By my estimation, sheep husbandry is good business. 
The owner of the land and stock, gets 7 per cent, inte¬ 
rest on his capital; and the tenant gets $5.71 over full 
pay for all his labor. I have omitted the credit for ma¬ 
nure, as that must be returned to the land. 
I will now take a farm in this county worth $7,000, 
pleasantly located and conveniently situated for school 
and meeting, with good buildings, orchard, and wood¬ 
lands. This farm will keep 500 sheep, two cows and 
a team to carry on the farm. The owner stocks the 
farm with sheep, hires all the work pertaining to the 
sheep, and lets the cows, team, orchard, &e., and re¬ 
ceives one half the avails of them. 
Interest on the $7,000. at 6 per cent.,.......... $420 00 
500 sheep at $1.25—$6.25, .. 37 50 
Cutting and curing 80 tons of hay,.. 100 00 
Summer care and salt,........................ 12 00 
Washing and shearing,....................... 25 00 
Winter and spring care, ...... 75 00 
--— $669 50 
Deduct the receipts over the wool,..................... 275 00 
$394 50 
Receipts .—1375 lbs. of wool, at 331 cts. per lb., $458 00 
25 per cent, increase,... ........... 125 00 
Receipt from plow land, &e., ....... 150 00 
•— - $733 00 
Cost of producing 1,375 lbs. of wool, $394, equal 
to 281 cents per lb. 
According to this estimate, the owner, by stocking 
his farm with sheep, has a larger income than by selling 
his hay, and by this process he keeps all the manure. 
This is a good dairy farm. Let it now be stocked with 
cows—500 sheep are equal to 50 cows. I do not be¬ 
lieve that the income from cows managed wholly by hi¬ 
red help, would be as great as from sheep; everything 
pertaining to the management of a dairy requires ex¬ 
traordinary care. I will mention one fact to show what 
a little negligence may do to lessen the profits of a dai¬ 
ry. The dairyman had no cold stream of water to cool 
his milk and made use of ice,—the curd from the milk, 
when the ice was used, weighed 90 pounds. The next 
day after his ice failed, the curd from the same quanti¬ 
ty of milk weighed but 70 pounds, of course inferior 
in quality. This loss must b'e equal to $1 per day. 
Let this farm be stocked with cows, be let out to an 
experienced dairyman, and the whole receipts will be 
over $2,000. I know some dairies where the income 
from the cows will average $40 per cow, and others, 
not over $17. The cost of producing a pound of cheese 
in one of these dairies, is double that of the other. Some 
of this difference ma 3 r -arise from a difference in the 
goodness of the feed of the cows. There are, as far 
as my knowledge extends, much greater improvements 
made in the management of dairies than of sheep. Let 
the same care, skill, and attention in the management 
of sheep as there are in dairies, and the profits of sheep 
husbandry would be increased 100 per cent. I have 
had considerable experience in both. I formerly kept a 
dairy and made it profitable. I keep from five to six 
cows now. 
When I engaged in sheep husbandry, I had a fine 
flock of Merinos. For several years, I suffered great 
losses ; I had neither sheds nor experience to make 
sheep profitable. It was the opinion of wool-growers 
at that day, that sheep must not be confined to warm 
sheds. It was no uncommon sight in the spring of the 
year, to see 200 or 300 lbs. of pulled wool, and from 
60 to 80 dead lambs. These were heavy drawbacks 
upon the profits and pleasures of sheep husbandry. 
Wool then brought from 55 to 75 cents per lb. and was 
the only income, as the increase did no more than keep 
the flock goodthe average amount of wool per head 
was not over three pounds. I have now changed my 
whole management. I keep through the winter, from 
300 to 350 sheep; from them I select generally 110 
ewes, over two years old, for breeding-—never breeding 
from a ewe that will not produce at two years old, 
over four pounds of well-washed wool. I bi'eed from 
the best rams I can obtain. I keep my sheep closely 
confined from the time they are put to hay until they 
are turned out to grass. I have 200 at one barn one 
mile from my house, about one-half of them lambs;— 
these are fed on lowland hay, twice a day, without any 
grain of any description. They have access to good 
