FINE WOOL SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 113 



Middlebury, Ye;mont. In 1861 he sheared 193 ewes 

 and 7 rams. Forty-four of the first were yearlings, 

 and snlallish on account of the drouth of the season. 

 Among the seven rams three were smallish yearlings 

 and one a smallish two-year old. The whole 200 

 yielded an average of an ounce or two under 10 

 pounds of unwashed wool. Three grown rams yielded 

 together 73 pounds unwashed wool. On account of 

 the great scarcity of hay and the comparative abun- 

 dance of oats, the sheep were wintered mostly on the 

 latter.* This undoubtedly increased the weight of 

 their fleeces, but the yield was still a most marvellous 

 one. Mr. Hammond's wool is a shade coarser than it 

 was when he commenced his wonderful improvements, 

 but it is of a good quality, even, sound, and less yolky 

 than that of the original sheep. 



Nelson A. Saxton, of Yergennes, Yermont, breeds 

 a small and choice flock of the same blood, drawn 

 from Mr. Hammond's flock. 



Dr. Ira" Spencer, of De Ruyter, New York, has 

 made a vigorous commencement in improvements of 

 Infantados drawn from Mr. Atwood's flock.f At the 

 last shearing his flock consisted of 40 ewes three years 

 old and upwards, 10 yearlings, and 2 grown rams and 

 8 wethers. The average weight of the whole fleeces, 

 washed on the back, was a fraction over 7 pounds. He 

 weighed and measured the height on shoulder of a few 

 of these, on the 18th of January last, and subjoins 

 the weight of their last year's fleeces. 



* the entire ewes of all ages received on the average a pound a 

 piece daily. 



f The ram, however, mentioned in the following table (recently pur- 

 chased), is of the Hammond family. 



