FINE WOOL SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 81 



and the original Spanish, sheep is most striking. The 

 longer neck and legs, and shorter bodies of the latter, 

 remind us of the Saxons. 



The improvement of the fleece has kept pace with 

 that of the form. In prime flocks, the quality is at 

 least as good as that of the original Spanish sheep, 

 while the quantity has more than doubled. 



The very best Merinos imported into the United 

 States between 1800 and 1813, yielded from 3 to 4 

 Ibs. of brook-washed wool in the ewe, and from 6 to 

 T Ibs. in the ram. Mr. Dupont's Don Pedro, the 

 heaviest fleeced imported Spanish Merino ram, I 

 think, on record, produced 8 Ibs. 8 oz., of brook- 

 washed wool. We have seen that ewes in small 

 flocks, descended from the above, yielded an average 

 of 4|- Ibs. of wool, washed in the same way, as early 

 as 1835. In 1844-'45, the product had risen to 5 Ibs. 

 in some small flocks ; that of rams to 9 Ibs., and in in- 

 dividual instances much higher.* At the present day 

 it is easier to find small flocks yielding an average of 

 6 Ibs. of washed wool, than it was in 1845 to find those 

 yielding 5 Ibs., or in 1835 those yielding 4 Ibs. 



I speak of " small" flocks, because in large ones 

 equal averages are never obtained. It would be diffi- 

 cult, and probably impracticable at this time, to find 

 a flock of 400 or 500 ewes, kept in the ordinary way, 



* See preceding statement of Mr. Atwood, that in 1845 his heaviest 

 ewe's fleece was 6 Ibs. 6 oz., and his heaviest ram's fleece 12 Ibs. 4 

 oz. My premium ram's first fleece in 1844, was 10 Ibs. of well washed 

 wool. In 1847, a ewe of mine produced 7 Ibs. 10 oz. of well washed 

 wool. (See portrait of her in Sheep Husbandry in the South, p. 134.) 

 In 1849, a ram of mine yielded 13 Ibs. and two or three ounces of 

 well washed wool. I think that Mr. Atwood then probably had ranis 

 which exceeded that amount. 



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