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Story
January 15, 1869
The Union Flag
Jonesboro, Jonesborough, Washington County, Tennessee
What is this article about?
Article criticizes sheep farmers for past mistakes like selling flocks cheaply, poor breeding, and warns against skimping on winter feed, emphasizing profitability and humane treatment of animals.
Clipping
OCR Quality
95%
Excellent
Full Text
Agricultural.
Mistakes of Sheep Farmers.
A large class of sheep farmers (says the Rural New Yorker) have made two or three mistakes, and now threaten to make another. They had not firmness enough to go through a pinching time in the wool business without becoming discouraged, and to a greater or lesser degree sacrificing their flocks. Sheep that would have, before long, been in good demand, and brought a remunerating price to those disposed to sell, have been recklessly crowded off at less than the value of a single fleece, to be killed for their pelts with less than half a year's growth of wool on them.
Secondly. Many that have retained flocks have abandoned improvements on them; bred them the past fall to rams of inferior quality, or made the most irrational crosses.
Third. Not a few farmers, we are told, in certain portions of the country, are preparing to make another egregious mistake, namely, to give their sheep an excessively poor wintering, feeding them very scantily, and compelling them in a great measure to shift for themselves.
The folly of this last procedure is fully equal to that of either of the others; and it is barbarous as well as foolish. If sheep are worth wintering, it is certainly more profitable to give them a full supply of food, and thus preserve their lives and obtain their full amount of wool and lambs next spring, than it is to go to half the same cost for keeping and have half or more of the sheep perish in March—lose half the value of the wool and nearly the entire drop of lambs.
We question the moral right of any man thus purposely, and without actual necessity, to subject to slow starvation and long protracted suffering any animal, and especially any domestic animal. And what shall we say of its humanity? Whoever has seen a flock perishing in March, from starved wintering, can bear witness to the utter misery of the spectacle. Human beings seem to suffer no more.
Does the prayer, "What mercy I to others show, that mercy show to me,"
include nothing in its scope but men and women?
Mistakes of Sheep Farmers.
A large class of sheep farmers (says the Rural New Yorker) have made two or three mistakes, and now threaten to make another. They had not firmness enough to go through a pinching time in the wool business without becoming discouraged, and to a greater or lesser degree sacrificing their flocks. Sheep that would have, before long, been in good demand, and brought a remunerating price to those disposed to sell, have been recklessly crowded off at less than the value of a single fleece, to be killed for their pelts with less than half a year's growth of wool on them.
Secondly. Many that have retained flocks have abandoned improvements on them; bred them the past fall to rams of inferior quality, or made the most irrational crosses.
Third. Not a few farmers, we are told, in certain portions of the country, are preparing to make another egregious mistake, namely, to give their sheep an excessively poor wintering, feeding them very scantily, and compelling them in a great measure to shift for themselves.
The folly of this last procedure is fully equal to that of either of the others; and it is barbarous as well as foolish. If sheep are worth wintering, it is certainly more profitable to give them a full supply of food, and thus preserve their lives and obtain their full amount of wool and lambs next spring, than it is to go to half the same cost for keeping and have half or more of the sheep perish in March—lose half the value of the wool and nearly the entire drop of lambs.
We question the moral right of any man thus purposely, and without actual necessity, to subject to slow starvation and long protracted suffering any animal, and especially any domestic animal. And what shall we say of its humanity? Whoever has seen a flock perishing in March, from starved wintering, can bear witness to the utter misery of the spectacle. Human beings seem to suffer no more.
Does the prayer, "What mercy I to others show, that mercy show to me,"
include nothing in its scope but men and women?
What sub-type of article is it?
Agricultural Advice
Moral Commentary
What themes does it cover?
Moral Virtue
Misfortune
What keywords are associated?
Sheep Farming
Winter Feeding
Animal Welfare
Farming Mistakes
Where did it happen?
Certain Portions Of The Country
Story Details
Location
Certain Portions Of The Country
Story Details
Sheep farmers have made mistakes by selling flocks cheaply during hard times, abandoning breeding improvements, and planning to underfeed sheep in winter, leading to losses; the article argues for proper care on moral and practical grounds.