58 STATES OF THE BIVEE PLATE. 



I may observe also that the Germans are now recogni- 

 sing the same fact, and are actually getting rid of their 

 small class of sheep to introduce the French (Eambouillet) 

 and English breeds. Entire flocks of numerous German 

 Cabanas are offered for sale as unprofitable stock. 



The property of meat and fat producing, is one wholly 

 lost sight of in this country, and a greater mistake could 

 hardly be made. The sheep-farmers are placed by it at a 

 disadvantage of a most serious character, as by reason of 

 the small size of the sheep, and small yield of fat, they 

 are at best of times unprofitable to kill, whether it be 

 for the meat or for rendering for grease ; but on over- 

 stocked or even fuUy-stocked camps, owing to the scant 

 food, the little they would otherwise yield is often reduced 

 to 7iil ; so that unless purchasers for stocking purposes 

 come forward to purchase by the million (the augmenta- 

 tion annually is now rated at from ten to fifteen millions) — 

 a demand httle likely to take place — the sheep-farmers 

 must remain with their sheep destroying their camps — 

 that is, virtually eating up their capital — or they must 

 throw them away, sell them for little or nothing — the 

 value of the skins — or they will die by the thousand. 



Now, it must be clear on reflection, that this evil would 

 be avoided by having a class of sheep whose yield of meat 

 and grease would bear a fair relation to their yield of wool. 

 There would then be a double outlet for the increase at a 

 remunerative price. Tliere can be no doubt that it would 

 pay to grow grease in the shape of slieep, and there are 

 breeds of sheep which would yield 8, 10, or 12 lbs. of grease 

 for every pound yielded by the existing breed as at present 

 managed. Let us look a little closely into this. What is the 

 annual yield of wool per head from the average class of 

 sheep ? Certainly not 3 lbs. Its average value is not 

 3;^ per lb. ; but take it at that, and we have 9^. The 



