Sheep and Sheep Husbandry. 179 



from twenty to thirty dollars per head, and occasionally 

 extra ones for one hundred (hollars a])iece. 



This is not a fancy sketch Init a correct statement of 

 facts, as to tlie present worth and value of the hest flocks 

 of Men'ino and Southdown sheep. 



I will l)riefly call your attention to the merits of two 

 families of thorough-bred sheep, namely, the Merino and 

 the Southdown. If antiquity- is a merit, the Merino sheep 

 have tliat merit, for they are a relic of the civilization of 

 ancient Greece and Rome. The ancient Romans clothed 

 themselves with garments manufactured from wool. The 

 prices paid fo]- tine wool sheep in those days were sometimes 

 as liigli as a talent apiece, which sum, in the Greek, is equal 

 to ahout twelve hundred dollars of our money. This sum, 

 yon Avill understand, was paid for sheep per head in the 

 good old hard money times — there was no discount upon 

 paper then. 



The merits of tlie Merino sheep of to-day are that they 

 produce a large proportion of the clothing wool of the 

 world. They also produce the greatest amount of wrol in 

 proportion to their size and cost of keeping of any family 

 of sheep. 



A large pi'oportion of the nuitton consumed in tlie United 

 States is from slieep that have more or less Merino blood 

 in tlietii, and we do not hear any complaint as to its quality 

 wlien Avell fatted. 



The greatest value of the Merino sheep is in the improve- 

 ment they make when bred to other sheep in the increased 

 quantity aud in tlie (juality of wool without increasing the 

 e.xpense of keeping them. In this respect they have added 



