372 THE BREEDS OF LIVE-STOCK 



tions devoted to its interests, and the absence of one 

 centralized and directing body. It was not until 1906 that 

 any success was attained toward the formation of such a 

 national society. In that year, the American and De- 

 laine Merino Record Association was formed, by the 

 union of the International Delaine, Standard Delaine, 

 and Improved Spanish Delaine Merino Sheep Breeders' 

 Associations. Among nearly a score of associations giv- 

 ing attention to Merino sheep may be mentioned the 

 following, which are concerned especially with the Ameri- 

 can Merino: The Vermont Merino Sheep Breeders' 

 Association, United States Merino Sheep Breeders' 

 Association, American Merino Sheep Register Associa- 

 tion, Ohio Spanish Merino Sheep Breeders' Association, 

 New York State American Merino' Sheep Breeders' Asso- 

 ciation, Michigan Merino Sheep Breeders' Association, 

 Missouri Merino Sheep Breeders' Association, National 

 Merino Sheep Register Association, Standard American 

 Merino Sheep Breeders' Association. Many of these 

 associations issue flock-books, and employ a score-card for 

 judging purposes. 



DELAINE MERINO SHEEP. Fig. 74. 



458. The word Delaine means " of wool," and is from 

 the French. Delaine wool can be combed and spun 

 with the fibers of full length, making a fabric of great 

 strength and durability. The Delaine type, of several 

 families, has been developed from importations of Spanish 

 Merinos, by selections from several different flocks as 

 noted in the following paragraphs. 



459. Families. The Dickinson Delaines were devel- 

 oped from sheep of the Humphrey importation of 1802, 



