54 Report vpon the Af/ri cultural Features 



This notice of the Austrian sheep classes will be well closed 

 by a reference to the Zackel sheep, exhiljited by Baron Jakob- 

 Romaszkan, of Horodenka, Galicia. These represent the 

 division of " long'-woolled sheep" {^Ovis stj'epsiceros), which will 

 again come prominently into notice in treating of Hungarian 

 sheep. They are of various colours, and are not fixed in their 

 character, even with regard to horns. They are a long, coarse- 

 Avoolled race, and the examples just referred to vield from 6 to-. 

 18^ lbs. of unwashed wool, sold at from ()^r/. to 7r/. per English 

 lb. unwashed. The ewes are regularly milked, and are fre- 

 quently let during the three milking months at Gi\ to 7s. per 

 head. The judges acknowledged the value of the Baron's work 

 in improving these sheep by awarding him a Hamburg prize.* 



Hungarian Sheep. 



The same general character was traceable throughout the 

 entire Austro-Hungarian sheep show. Here the Merino reigned 

 supreme, apparently no other race dividing the attention of Hun- 

 garian breeders. Wallachian, Transylvanian, and Zackel sheep 

 appeared, it is true, but they came as mountaineers, and did 

 not enter into competition with the sheep of the plains. The 

 Archduke Albrecht keeps Southdowns and Southdown crosses on 

 his extensive Hungarian estates, but no specimens were forth- 

 coming from these flocks. 



English sheep, which have evidently gained a footing in 

 Germany and the northern parts of the Austrian Empire, were 

 here almost absent. The only cases, indeed, in which English 

 blood appeared were examples of a very successful cross made in 

 Transylvania between Lincolns and Zackel sheep. The Zackel 

 or long-woolled sheep have been already mentioned in the report 

 upon the Austrian section. This race is generally distributed 

 over the mountainous regions of Transylvania and Galicia, and 

 appeared in considerable strength in the section now under con- 

 sideration. Professor VVilhelm has been previously quoted as 

 the writer of an article upon sheep in the \ ienna agricultural 

 paper for June 21st. Regarding Zackel sheep, he writes: " We 

 noticed GO pure specimens and 30 ci'osses of this race from various 

 flocks. Side by side with the robust coarse-wooUed Zackel sheep 

 from the Transylvanian Hills were superior Zigara or Cigarea 

 sheep, with finer wool, from the flock of Count Emerich Miko, 

 Klausenberg. There were also black Szekler sheep, and white- 

 woolled Zackel sheep with black heads and legs. Also com- 



* '' Hamburg Prizes " are given by the city of Hamburg at certain Live Stock 

 Shows held in Austria. Exhibitors from the Austro-Hungarian Emjiire are alone 

 entitled to compete for them ; and a separate jury was appointed at Vienna to 

 adjudicate them. 



