Sko. r.] SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 83 



rain, tlian among the lambs born in tlie intervening period, when the male 

 is weakened by excessive exertion; and tiiat tlie ewes wliicli produce males 

 are on an average lighter than tliose which produce t'eiualcs, and lose morG 

 weight than the latter during the nursing period. Thus vigor in the male 

 tends to produce males, but more from the weaker than the stronger ewes ; 

 and the opposite fact in regard to females tends to keep up the equilibrium, 

 and secure the perfection and preservation of the species, by confining the 

 reproduction of either sex to the most ])erfect type of each respectively. 



114. First Importation of Merinos. — ^'Ihe first importation of Spanish sheep 

 into the United States took place ift 1801. Four were shipped by Mr. Deles- 

 sert, a banker of Paris, three of which perished on the passage. In 1802 a 

 largo importation was made by Col. Humphreys ; and in 1809, '10, and '11, 

 the Hon. "Wm. Jarvis, the American consul at Lisbon, sent home large and 

 valuable flocks to his farm in AVcathersfield, Vt. 



115. General fare and Man<isemcnt of Slieep. — There are not many men in 

 this country more capable of giving information upon this subject than T. S. 

 Gold, of Cornwall, Connecticut. In the series of Yale College lectures, in 

 the winter of 1859, 'CO, Mr. Gold gave a lecture upon sheep husbandry, in 

 which he made the following points, worthy of note by all sheep farmers : 



" Thrift. — It sliould always be the object of the flock-master to keep his 

 sheep in a thriving condition. The quality of the wool, as well as its quan- 

 tity, and the general productiveness of the flock, demand this system. 



" Shdter is the first necessity in providing for wintering sheep success- 

 fully. The Southdowns will bear exposure better than any other class of 

 sheep. The open fleece of the long-wooled parts on the back when wet, and 

 admits the water, wliich completely drenches the animal, so that his abund- 

 ant fleece is no longer a protection from cold. 



" Economy in fced'auj demands shelter tor all sheep, as not only less food 

 is required, but also it is better preserved from waste. Water-soaked hay, 

 or that which is in any way soiled, is alwa3'8 rejected. The improvement 

 in the quality of the manure forms another argument in favor of shelter. 

 Tiiat this is not only healthful but grateful to the sheep at all seasons of the 

 year, wc see in the fact that even in summer they will seek their winter 

 sheds at the approach of a storm if they are within their reach. 



" Ventilation is of paramount importance as connected with shelter; and 

 to insure this, sheds open to the south are to be preferred. A stable with 

 an open window will answer for a small number, but the crowding of a 

 large flock in such a place aft'ects the organs of respiration, and may result 

 in serious disease, and should never be tolerated. 



"The best form of rack has posts three feet high in the corners, a bottom 

 of boards, the sides and ends of two boards eacii, and the lower one the 

 widest, with narrow perpendicular strips nailed on to keep the stronger 

 sheep from crowding the weaker. Tlic spaces are larger in their per])en- 

 dicular than their horizontal opening. The size of tliese, as well as the 

 width of the rack, must be in ]iroportion' to the size of the sheep. Not more 



