THE FINE- WOOL BREEDS 31 



ognized when it is remembered that about 30,000,000 

 of the sheep of the United States are of Merino 

 foundation. The Merino is the sheep of the range 

 country, hardy in large herds, of long life, though 

 of slow maturity, able to withstand more of " grief " 

 than the mutton breeds, and, most important to the 

 ranchmen, holding their fleeces to quite an age, 

 whereas under range conditions mutton breeds soon 

 become light shearers. However, it is not now be- 

 lieved among western ranchmen that the Merino 

 should be bred pure for their purpose. They use 

 large numbers of mutton rams and aim to keep in 

 all their ewes a strain of mutton blood, from % to 

 i/>, which they find, makes the ewes better mothers, 

 being more prolific and having a stronger milk flow. 

 Lambs from such ewes, sometimes from pure-bred 

 mutton rams, form the major part of the supplies 

 received in our great markets from August till June. 

 A flock of ewes from Merino mothers and good sires 

 of one of the mutton breeds is almost ideal for use 

 upon the farm, hardy, healthy, great milkers, good 

 shearers. When again topped by blocky, mutton- 

 bred sires they produce lambs that are hard to excel. 



AMERICAN MERINOS. 



There are a number of families of Merinos. The 

 American breeders divide them into three general 

 classes the Spanish or American Merino, the 

 smallest in size and heaviest in fleece of any; these 

 sheep were once excessively wrinkled (wool grows 

 upon wrinkles, thus the wool-bearing capacity is in- 



