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THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



the ewes. The Merino is described generally as a small-boned sheep of medium size, com. 

 pact form, light in the shoulders and chest, and in this respect more deficient in form than 

 the best mutton breeds, being better for wool-production than mutton. The weight of ewes 

 will average from sixty to seventy pounds ; the rams varying in weight from one hundred to a 

 hundred and fifty pounds. The group of this breed of which we insert an illustration repre 

 sents truly fine animals, the property of G. &quot;W. Hunt, of Greenwood, Illinois, who has been 

 a successful breeder of this variety for sixteen years. One of the ewes represented recently 

 clipped 16| Ibs. of wool, and the other 15^ Ibs., both only of one year s growth. 



Owned by Messrs. Dean and Jennings, West Cornwall, Vermont. 



The above illustration represents the famous ram &quot;Jason,&quot; bred by the late Col. E. S. 

 Stowell, and now owned by Messrs. Dean and Jennings of West Cornwall, Vermont. This 

 valuable animal composed one of the flock to which was awarded the gold medal at the Ver 

 mont State Fair in 1881, and is one of the finest specimens of the Spanish Merino race of 

 sheep in this country. 



OXFORD DOWNS. 



THIS comparatively new and popular breed was produced by a successful course of 

 cross-breeding of Cotswolds with the Hampshire ewes, with occasional mixture 

 of Southdown blood, the Cotswold ram and Hampshire Down ewe being the chief 

 material which, by judicious blending and careful selection, have resulted in a breed of sheep 

 that, all things considered, can hardly be surpassed for the production of both mutton and 

 wool. This breed was produced about fifty years ago, in the county of Oxford, England, 

 from which it takes its name. Though comparatively but recently introduced into the 

 United States, it is gaining favor rapidly, and bids fair to become widely disseminated 



