THE FARM AND GARDEN. 



CJijppp hanging in folds and wrinkles, giving the appear- 



___^ '_ ^ ance that nature could not find use for all the 



' wocjl without eiihirgiug the skin to make room 



Every branch of stock raising has its periods of for it. It will he observed that the wool also 

 prosperity and depression. At the present time, ' covers the legs down to the hoofs, and extends 

 owing to the large increase of wool-growing in j over the face almost to the tip of the nose. The 

 Australia and other countries, added to our own [ prevailing idea seems to be ivuol. The Merino is 

 large production, a depression in prices of wool I the most widely distributed breed, «nd can en- 

 was caused, which was still further increased ■ dure the oppressive heat, and dry weather better 

 by the changes in the tarifT. This depression than the mutton breeds. They will thrive on 

 should not work permanent injury to the sheep the scanty pastures of liill or dale, but not in 



interests of the country. Wool-growing alone, 

 may not be so profitable as formerlj', yet, the 

 growing of finer muttons, and consequently the 

 greater demand for them, will tend to make 

 better prices for mutton, and while wool-growing 

 exclusively may diminish, mutton-growing will 

 increase, and the interest in sheep will again 

 assume an active state. No stock yields so early 

 and regular profits as the sheep. Even at the 

 present low price of wool, the value of the fleece 

 materiallj' reduces the cost of the keep, and at 

 the long continued good prices for earl.v lambs in 

 eastern markets, adds largely to the profits of the 

 stock. There is a vast difference in the sheep in- 

 dustry of the East compared with that of the 

 West. The East lias dear land and a good mar- 

 ket for early lambs, and the wool crop has the 

 lesser place in the profits of sheep-erowing. Tlie 

 West has cheaper lands and unlimited range, 

 and from its remoteness from markets, must 

 rely largely on 

 wool for income 

 and the increase 

 of stock. \Vc shall 

 keep in mind this 

 diversity of inter- 

 ests, and shall con- 

 sider the subject 

 in all its bearings, 

 suited to each sec- 

 tion, and also what 

 appears to us to be 

 the true and 

 proper solution of 

 the sheep quest ion. 

 We shall consider 

 first :— 



BREEDS.-Why 

 the sheep should 

 be clothed with 

 wool, unlike all 

 other of our do- 

 mestic animals, is 

 a question of no 

 easy solution, as it 

 is so wide a depart- 

 ure from the hair 

 of other animals. 

 The division of 

 sheep into differ- 

 ent breeds is of 

 easy solution, for 

 careful breeding 

 for years for spe- 

 cial purposes, will 

 finally fix a per- 

 manent type in any 



wet soils as well as the English breeds. From 

 their active roving habit, and indifference to 

 kind or quality of feed and pasture, they are 

 called the poor man's sheep. No breed, perhaps, 

 is so widely disseminated, or grown in larger 

 numbers than the Merino. They cover the vast 

 plains of the West, either in pure breeds or in 

 crosses, and are the great majority of Australian 



LEICESTERS.— This breed resembles the Cots- 

 wold, and differs only in being of more delicate 

 frame, somewhat smaller, and there is the ab- 

 sence of wool on the forehead. The bald liead 

 and white face are marks thatclearly distinguish 

 it from the larger Colswold. 



THE LINCOLNS, a breed originating in Lincoln- 

 shire, Enghind, are quite similar to the other 

 long-wooled Downs, and are, as yet, little bred in 

 this country. 



OXFORDSHIRES.— This breed, also called Ox- 

 ford Downs, belongs to the class of medium-wool 

 sheCp, and combines the qualities of both a wool 

 and mutton breed. This breed is popular in 

 England, and is rajiidly increasing in favor in 

 this conntr.v. It originated' some fifty years ago, 

 to combine the_ best qualities of both a good 

 wool and a fine mutton breed. To the 

 county of Oxford, England, belongs the honor of 



sheep. In almost all the common sheep of our | the idea of combining both qualitlesin one breed 



farms, we find strong marks of the blood of the 

 Merino. 



THE DOWNS.— Under the general name of 

 Downs, we have several English breeds of fine 

 size, making excellent muttons. We divide the 

 English breeds into three classes, the long, 

 medium, and short^wooled. Of the first class,— 

 the long-wooled,— we include the Cotswold, 

 Leicester, and Lincoln. The medium-woolcd are 

 the Oxfordshire, Shropshire, and Hampshire, 

 and the short-wooled the Southdown. The first 



animal and establish a 

 breed. In countries where fine wools were for- 

 merly in so great demand, the fine wool breeds 

 were the type to which all breeders turned their 

 attention, to the exclusion of all other points, 

 and fine wools were the result. 



In situations where mutton was demanded, 

 mutton was the object, mittton breeds were estab- 

 lished. On the cold barren heaths of England 

 and Scotland, a hardy race of sheep became the 

 type From these causes we have as the repre- 

 sentative breed of the fine wool class th^Bpanish 

 Merino, from which has sprung the French, 

 Saxon, Silesian, and American merino, which 

 differ from each other in but few points of breed- 

 ing, but all unite in general fineness of wool. 

 The wool of the finest bred Merinos, rivals silk in 

 texture, and can be spun in the finest of threads 

 and woven in the best broadcloths. It is this 

 breed that furnishes the wool for the best cloths 

 and the finest woolen goods. This bi'eed has 

 been bred to wool alone, at the sacrifice of the 

 muttons. We give a cut of a fine buck of the 

 American Merino, whose form and life-like ap- 

 pearance shows so well the excellencies rif this 

 type, and the differences in some points tb.at ov^, 

 especially valuable to this country and climat?.. 

 The peculiar appearance of the Merino will Iti 

 seen by observing our illustration. The looses 

 Rhaeev skin, much too larse to cover the animal . 



in the greatest perfection, and the breed at once, 

 when well established, received the name of Ox- 

 ford. They are a large sheep, rivaling the Cots- 

 wold in size and shape. They have a well-polled 

 forehead, the wool of which is not so long and 

 conspicuous as in the Cotswold. The color is a 

 trifle darker, fleece shorter, but set thickly, and 

 hence but a little inferior to that breed in the 

 production of wool. The legs are dark, free from 

 wool, and the general appearance of the animal 

 indicates a thrifty and vigorous stock. 



SOUTHDOWN.— 

 This is preemi- 

 nently the mutton 

 breed of England, 

 and while the car- 

 cass is of smaller 

 size than that of 

 the other breeds, 

 yet in quality of 

 mutton it exceeds 

 them. The breed 

 had its origin in 

 the downs of Sus- 

 sex, which are 

 only of moderate 

 elevation, and af- 

 ford a scanty, 

 though rich pas- 

 turage. The size 

 of the sheep is me- 

 dium and bone 

 small. The wool 

 short and thick; 

 legs and face smut- 

 ty or almost black, 

 and free from 

 ' wool. The charac- 

 - terlstics of this 

 ' breed are so well 

 marked that they 

 will, when once 

 seen, be easily dis- 

 tinguished from 

 all others. They 

 carrv well their 

 JVo. SS Missouri Register, owned by H. V. Pugsley, Plallsbitrg, Mo. - ^^^^ points when 



class are noted for the exeellcnce of their long i crossed on other breeds, and arenotonly of value 

 wool, valuable for many Kinds of manufactures, ' as pure-breeds, but also for crosses. This is true, 

 while the short-wools furnish the finer muttons, especially on the larger and coarser breeds; for 

 and the middle-wools combine the excellencies while they do not decrease the sizeof the crosses, 

 of both, to a large degree, making each breed they add largely to the value of the carcass for 

 valuable for particular purposes. We will take mutton purposes. Scotland produces some ex- 



"VEJVOEAfrCE,' 



the first class comprising the Cotswold, Leicester, 

 and Lincoln, and describe them as they appear 

 to the common observer, leaving all the finer 

 points for the stockmen to investigate and 



cellent breeds of sheep suited to a rough, cold, 

 and rigorous climate, and of good quality for 

 wool as well as mutton. Of these the Cheviot 

 may be taken as one of the finest. Our linaits 



discuss. Our aim is to entertain and instruct 1 will not allow ns more detail of the individual 



the general reader, rather than to consider the 

 points of merit in the different breeds. 



COTSWOLD.— This breed gains its name from 

 the Cotswold Hills, a range of mountains which 

 rise to an elevation of 1200 feet in Gloucestershire, 



breeds, but we think enough has been given to 

 enable the reader to form an intelligent opinion 

 upon the subject. 



CLIIVIATOLOGY.-We now come to a subject that 

 exerts a great influence upon the successful 



England. They are a large and hardy breed, can j breeding and the longevity of sheep. The natu- 

 endure cold and exposure, will thrive on rough ! ral effect of a torrid climate is to produce hair In 

 pastures, and mature early, producing a large [ place of wool. In fact, take any breed of sheep 

 mutton. When fed freely they are apt to become ! to a hot climate, and the wool will gradually be 

 so fat that the mutton will not be of use to the replaced by a growth of fine hair in the finei^ 



butcher. They often exceed 300 pounds in weight. 

 The breed is at once distinguished by the long 

 wool that grows from the forehead and over the 

 clean, small head, almost covering the eyes. The 

 ai>senceof horns and the freedom of wool from 

 the legs will be noted. The carriage of the ani- 

 mal is bold and fearless; in build it is broad and 

 deep. It is valuable for crossing, as it carries its 

 trood noints in its crosses. 



wooled, and coarse hair in the eoarser-wooled 

 sheep. So great is tills tendency that all sheep 

 native to the tropics are destitute of wool. The 

 temperate or milder climates are remarkable for 

 finer wools, and the colder for long and coarse 

 wools. These facts were well known to the 

 Greeks 2000 years ago, and as cotton and silk 

 were not known to them, and linen but a little 

 cultivated, to make the finest of wool the finest 



