FARMER'S ASSISTANT. 333 



in the chine and loins, deep in the carcase, the back 

 straight, the ribs well set out so as 10 give room tor a large 

 belly, well covered wuh wool, the forehead broad, the eyes 

 lively (a heavy eye being a mark of a diseased Sheep) tes- 

 ticles large and covered wuh wool: Let him also be 

 strong, close-knit, and active; of which you may judge by- 

 taking hold of his hind legs; and, lastly, let his wool be of 

 good quality, and as clear of hair on the hinder parts as 

 possible. 



The product of such a Ram, with common Ewes, would 

 be Lumbs possessing nine twenty- iourih parts of Merino 

 blood; and twice repeating the process ou the Females* of 

 the successive products, would give threeiourth-biooded 

 Lambs. Two further repetitions Irom a tull* blooded Rum, 

 would give Lambs possessing fifteen-sixteenths ot Merino 

 blood, which is probably sufficient. The Ram, however, 

 ought to be changed at each time ; as it is believed that 

 the rearing of succeeding stocks, between which there is 

 the closest consanguinity, must eventually tend to degene- 

 rate the breed. 



In Spain, where by the extent of the pastures the num- 

 ber of the Merinos are limited, it is usual to kill off some 

 of the most indifferent Lumbs, and thus two Ewes can be 

 given to suckle one ot those surviving. This is usually ef- 

 fected by puting the. skin of the dead Lamb over a living 

 one, which commonly induces the Dam ot the dead one to 

 recognize the living as her own. Where this fails, the Ewe 

 is held tor the Lumb to suck her; and she is confined with 

 it a day or two, by which time she generally adopts it. This 

 custom is oiily in part advisable here; that is, whenever a 

 Lamb dies, to accustomed its Dam, in this manner, to give 

 its milk to another Lamb. 



It has been feared by some that these Sheep, when no 

 longer migratory, and changed from their accustomed cli- 

 mate, will degenerate, and their wool grow coarser ; bui ex- 

 perience does by no means warrant these apprehensions. 

 They have been kept stationary tor more than eighty years 

 past in Sweden, and nearly as long in France, and yet have 

 suffered no deterioration. 



Mr. Livingston thinks the wool of his Merino Sheep, 

 *which he has raised here, finer than of those which were 

 imported. It is a general rule with animals which shed their 

 hair, that the farther north, the warmer, and of course the 

 finer, is their coats; but, as these Sheep never shed their 

 wool, the rule does not necessarily include them. Their 

 wool is in this respect similar to human hair; but this is 

 always found the finest in the colder climates. 



Apprehensions have also been entertained that these 

 Sheep, having in Spain been long accustomed to situations 



