359 
American Agriculturist, November 24,1923 
The Outlook For Eastern 
Sheep Men 
(Continued from page 355) 
the wrong course—just the other day 
one man said: “We must keep more 
sheep.” A farmer who owns 150 head 
of breeding ewes has said that he could 
keep sheep profitably if wool was worth 
nothing. However this act of gener¬ 
osity will not be necessary. Recently 
F. J. Hagenbarth, president of the Na¬ 
tional Wool Growers’ Association, in a 
letter to Secretary Herbert Hoover of 
the Department of Commerce at Wash¬ 
ington, D. C., made the statement that 
“present level of prices is justified by 
production costs and general trade con¬ 
ditions in wool.” If the price of wool - 
could be stabilized around a price of 
fifty cents a pound, it would be in 
keeping with the trend of other price 
levels. 
Here we are 1,500 to 2,000 miles from 
the regions of surplus lamb and wool 
production in an industrial, thickly pop¬ 
ulated section of the country which 
gives us a natural economic advantage 
over the western sheepman—our market 
is at our door. High freight rates 
take a big toll from the Idaho lamb 
raiser before his product is to the con¬ 
suming centers. 
“Westerns” Outsell “Natives” 
I do not believe that it is common 
knowledge that after the western lambs 
have made their long trip, been unloaded 
and loaded several times and perhaps 
spent considerable time in a feeding 
yard outside some main market, they 
sell for more money a pound than do 
our “Native” lambs. On the markets, 
lambs are classed as “westerns” and 
“natives,” the former being those 
raised west of the Missouri River. 
Western lambs as a whole are better 
than our eastern lambs because the 
western sheepman is a business man 
and he raises lambs under' systematic, 
uniform, standardized conditions. The 
painstaking man who produces a select 
bunch of lambs each year can hardly 
realize that the undocked, uncastrated 
lamb is more common among “natives” 
than is the choice type. James E. 
Poole, secretary of the Chicago Live 
Stock Exchange, a man who has 
watched the trend of live-stock markets 
at the world’s greatest market for the 
past thirty-five years in a letter to me, 
said: “We have had a spread of about 
$4.50 per cwt. between common and 
choice lambs and at all times there has 
been a superabundance of the former, 
practically all of them natives. This 
tells its own story. The farmer who 
raises cull or nondescript lambs has 
no business with a flock.” 
How to Beat “Westerns” 
Of course the remedy for this is all 
very plain—place the production of all 
native lambs on a quality basis and 
western lambs will have to take sec¬ 
ond place. This means pure-bred rams 
and proper production methods. 
No great increase in the number of 
sheep can be expected to take place 
as long as ewe lambs are so easily con¬ 
verted into ten or twelve dollars a head 
—a few will be saved by the far-seeing 
man who is not in need of immediate 
cash, but the bulk of them will go. The 
western man is pressed by his banker, 
as a hang-over of the recent frenzy 
in sheep, so that he cannot hold as many 
ewe lambs as he otherwise would. The 
average age of breeding ewes is high 
in every State in the country—a couple 
of years ago the statement was re¬ 
putably made that the average age of 
ewes in Idaho was five years and I 
doubt if it has been reduced. Young 
ewes are exceedingly scarce in New 
York. All factors point to a profitable 
eastern flock husbandry for some years 
to come. _ 
What Is Wrong With the 
Cooperatives ? 
(Continued from page 357) 
question on some policy before the 
board. Where in all human nature 
will those employee-directors be most 
likely to vote—with the president, or 
with those who may be opposing the 
president on this particular issue? 
Of course, it is perfectly possible for 
a situation like this to exist for years 
without doing any harm, but I think it 
is dangerous nevertheless, and does not 
assure the member whose director is an 
employee an equal representation on 
the board with the member whose direc¬ 
tor is also an employee. 
Seventh: There must be a larger 
sense of responsibility. This means a 
responsibility of two kinds. First, on 
the part of the best farmers in the com¬ 
munity toward accepting offices. One of 
the troubles to-day with farming is the 
fact that the best men have too often 
allowed the little fellows to run their 
public business. We are gradually 
working out of that time, for now, I 
am glad to say, many farmers of great 
ability and sincerity are working as of¬ 
ficers in the cooperatives. Often to the 
neglect of their own business they have 
sacrificed much to accept the responsi¬ 
bility of leadership. This must be con¬ 
tinued. 
Then there must be a larger respon¬ 
sibility on the part of every farmer to 
insist upon putting competent men in 
office instead of letting the incompetent 
put themselves in. If a man never 
made a success of his own business, 
how can you expect him to do much 
better for you? 
Then after you have attended your 
meeting and elected your leaders, stand 
by them. The habit of not sticking has 
cost the American farmers millions of 
dollars. We are sticking together bet¬ 
ter than we did, but we still have a con¬ 
siderable way to go along this line. We 
are actually still doing more criticizing 
of our cooperatives and their leaders 
than we are of the dealers. Sad to 
relate, there are actually some farmers 
who will take the dealers’ word before 
they will that of their own leaders. All 
of this talk about “selling out,” “graft,” 
and “putting something over on us,” 
about our leaders is rank nonsense, and 
it hurts the plain farmer more than 
anybody else, because he puts the 
sand in the machinery of cooperative 
progress. 
One of the greatest things in the 
world is our belief in one another, and 
in human nature. When we fail in 
that, we certainly have not much of 
anything left. To be sure, our leaders 
are not perfect, nothing human ever is, 
but “In the good old days,” the farmer 
(Continued on page 366) 
Barns and 
A dark barn is as cheerless as a 
dungeon. Its gloom makes easy work 
harder, robs you of time for other 
things. 
Darkness is an enemy, ever ready to 
lead you into accident—or worse. 
Thirty-one years ago science made 
a wonderful discovery—the way to 
Bright Lights, More Eggs 
banish darkness on the farm. That 
discovery was Union Carbide. A little 
mixed with common water makes 
Union Carbide Gas, which gives the 
most beautiful and restful light known, 
and the hottest flame for cooking, iron¬ 
ing, or water heating. 398,000 strong 
has been the farmers’ response! 
Keeping the Iron Hot 
The Colt “Gas Well” makes this 
Union Carbide Gas automatically 
The Colt “Gas Well” is planted at 
a convenient place in the yard. It 
makes Carbide Gas just as needed. 
Small iron pipe carries the gas to all 
parts of the house, barn, and other out¬ 
buildings. No matches required for 
lighting. For many years, on. thou¬ 
sands of farms in every State in the 
Union, Colt “Gas Wells” have been 
taking the gloom out of the morning 
and evening chores. 
With the Colt “Gas Well” on your 
farm you won’t have to hurry to get 
the night chores done while there is yet 
light of day. You can do more and 
better work—and be safer, too! You 
won’t have to guess about that loose 
board—that top step—that doorsill— 
nor your stock, either. Colt “Gas 
Wells” are helping thousands make 
their farms pay. Why not for you, too? 
You buy Union Carbide direct from 
Union Carbide Warehouses at factory 
prices. 
Lighting the Bedroom 
Qet your Colt “Qas Well” now—take a year to pay 
Get the story of what the Colt “Gas 
Well” is doing on other farms. Learn 
all that Union Carbide Gas will do for 
you—learn how to light up the hen¬ 
houses and harvest more eggs. The 
first step is to send in the coupon NOW. 
J. B. COLT COMPANY 
DEPT. F-ll 
30 EAST 42d Street, NEW YORK 
599 Eighth Street, San Francisco, Cal. 31 Exchange Street, Rochester, N. Y. 
325 New York Life Building, Kansas City, Mo. 
Oldest and Largest Manufacturers of Carbide Ughting-and'Cooking Plants in the World 
Lighting the Living Room 
/ 
/ 
TRADE 
0 MARK 
J. B. 
r q' 1 ' / COLT 
r ^ / COMPANY 
X Dept. F-U 
/ 30 East 42d Street 
^P / New York 
’ Please supply me without ob- 
/ ligation, full facts on the Colt 
^ Lighting-and-Cooking System. 
Union Carbide in generator sizes is sold direct to 
consumer at factory prices through 150 Union 
Carbide Warehouses. There is one near you 
v / STATE. 
TOWN. 
NAME. 
✓ 
