180 DOMp:s'nc anevials. 



COMPARATIVE VALUE OF THE DIFFERENT BREEDS OF SKEEP.— On tins 

 subject we quote the careful, and to us convincing reasoning of H. S. 

 Randall, Esq., contained in "The Sheep Husbandry:" 



" In instituting a comparison between breeds of sheep for wool-grow- 

 ing purposes, I will, in the outset, lay down the obviously incontrover- 

 tible proposition that the question is not what variety will shear the 

 heaviest or even the most valuable fleeces, irrespective of the cost of 

 production. Cost of feed and care, and every other expense, must be 

 deducted, to fairly test the profits of an animal. If a large sheep con- 

 sume twice as much food as a small one, and give but once and a half 

 as much wool, it is obviously more profitable, other things being equal, 

 to keep two of the smallest sheep. The true question then is, with the 

 same expense in other particulars, from what breed will the verdure 

 of an acre of land produce the greatest value of wool? 



*' Let us first proceed to ascertain the comparative amount of food 

 consumed by the several breeds. There are no satisfactory experiments 

 which show that breed, in itself considered, has any particular influence 

 on the quantity of food consumed. It is found, with all varieties, that 

 the consumption is in proportion to the live weight of the (grown) ani- 

 mal. Of course, this rule is not invariable in its individual application, 

 but its general soundness has been satisiiictorily established. Spooner 

 states that grown sheep take up three and one-third per cent, of their 

 weight in what is equivalent to dry hay per day, to keep in store condi- 

 tion. Veit places the consumption at two and a half per cent> My 

 experience would incline me to place it about midway between the two. 

 But whatever the precise amount of the consumption, if it is propor- 

 tioned to the weight, it follows that if an acre is capable of sustaining 

 three Merinos weio-hing one hundred pounds each, it will sustain but 

 two Leicesters weighing one hundred and fifty pounds each, and two 

 and two-fifths South-Downs, weighing one, hundred and twenty-five 

 pounds each. Merinos of this weight often shear five pounds of fleece, 

 taking flocks through. 1 he herl)age of an acre, then, would give 

 fifteen pounds of Merino wool, and but twelve pounds of Leicester, and 

 but nine three-fifths pounds of Soutli-Down (estimating the latter as 

 high as four pounds to the fleece) ! Even the finest and lightest fleeced 

 sheep ordinarily known as Merinos, average about four pounds to the 

 fleece, so that the feed of an acre would produce as much of the highest 

 quality of wool sold under the name of Merino, as it would of New Lei- 

 cester, and more than it would of South-Down ! The former would be 

 worth from fifty to one hundred per cent, niore per pound than eithei 

 of the latter! Nor does this indicate all the actual ditference, as I have, 

 in the preceding estimate, placed the live-weight of the English breed? 

 low, and that of the Merino high. The live-weight of the four pound 

 fine fleeced Merino does not exceed ninety pounds. It ranges from 

 eighty to ninety pounds, so that three hundred pounds of live-weiglii 

 would give a still greater product of wool to the acre.* I consider it 

 perfectly safe to say that the herbage of an acre will uniformly give 



* It is understood that all of these live-weights refer to ewes in fair ordinary, or 

 what ia called store condition. 



