MERINO HARDIEST OF ALL BREEDS 



81 



Fig. 13 Karakul Ram, owned by Middlewater 

 Cattle Co., Middlewater, Tex. 



Figure 13 Karakul or Persian Fur sheep are natives of 

 Turkestan and Persia. This breed is valued for the skins of the 



young lambs, which are 

 killed for their pelts 

 when three or four days 

 old. Fine quality pelts 

 are worth as much as 

 $12 each. Karakuls be- 

 long to the fat-tailed 

 family of sheep. They 

 mature to medium size 

 and the mutton is of 

 high quality. The rams 

 are usually horned, the 

 ewes are hornless. The 

 ears are small and pen- 

 dulous, the face nar- 

 row. Face and legs are 

 covered with short, glossy, dark hair. The wool is long and hair- 

 like and varies in color from light gray to black. 



Mr. Alex Albright, Dundee, Texas, has developed the "Karalinc 

 Fur Sheep," which is a cross between Karakuls and Lincolns. 



The Merino or Fine Wool Breed 



The Merino is the hardiest of all breeds and produces the finest 

 wool. Merinos came from Spain where they were kept in great 

 herds and trailed many miles to pasture. They have been de- 

 veloped in the United States into three classes. 



Figure 14 "Class 

 A," very wrinkly and 

 has a dense, fine, oily 

 fleece. Rams of this 

 type sometimes shear 

 more than 30 pounds 

 and ewes over 25 

 pounds. They are usu- 

 ally completely covered j 

 with wool on face and 

 legs. "Class A" Me- 

 rinos are not valuable Fig 14 _ class , A ,, Merino Ram> owned by 



for mutton, but pro- W M - Stale V> Marysville, Ohio 



duce the highest grade of clothing wool. 



