THE FINE- WOOL BREEDS 41 



years of their lives growing Merinos under the let- 

 alone, outdoor system to take another breed and 

 make it thrive at all. They cannot bring themselves 

 to give the feed, shelter and attention that the Eng- 

 lish breeds demand. And with Merinos, kindness 

 and care are usually well repaid. There are hill re- 

 gions where the flock may be out of doors almost 

 the whole year, but the grazing should be supple- 

 mented by a regular allowance of grain or early- 

 cut hay, and it is well if the flock can be sheltered 

 from chilling winter's rains. 



Merinos live to a greater age than the sheep of 

 other breeds, and the ewes are useful up to an age 

 of 10 years or more. They also retain their wool 

 better, so that one can count on getting good fleeces 

 up to their eighth, tenth or even twelfth year, while 

 with ewes of the mutton breeds the fleece thins and 

 lightens rapidly after the fourth year. We must 

 have the English breeds; nothing else will give us 

 the early-maturing, heavy-weighing, juicy, good-sell- 

 ing lambs, yet there is hardly room for doubt that 

 where the ewe flock is of either pure Merino (De- 

 laine, Blacktop or Eambouillet) blood or has an ad- 

 mixture of that blood and the rams are downs, Dor- 

 sets or long-wools, according to the conditions of 

 the sheep-grower, the greatest profit is secured. 

 Further, there is not a question that under Ameri- 

 can conditions where flocks of coarse-wool ewes are 

 kept, and the wool clip is too light and the thrift of 

 the flock somewhat below par, an infusion of Merino 

 blood by the use of a good "muttony" Merino ram 



