376 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 



The elimination of the Saxons from the sheep husbandry of New York 

 was accompanied by a heated discussion. There were those who con- 

 tended that they were a hardy sheep, and that the failure to make them 

 profitable was largely due to the want of care and general careless 

 manner of breeding. A noted breeder of Oneida County sums up the 

 record of the case in his own experience. He had been raising sheep 

 over twenty years, having a small flock 100 to 200 originally of grade 

 Merinos, half blood. From this flock, without change except by judi- 

 cious breeding and the use of Saxon rams, he produced a flock yielding 

 about 2j pounds of fine wool. After thorough trial he became con- 

 vinced that, although producing fine wool, he was not increasing the 

 real value of the flock; the improvement in the quality of the fleece 

 being attended with a proportionate diminution of the quantity, so that 

 while he was enabled to obtain an advanced price per pound for a given 

 number of fleeces, the aggregate value had in reality decreased in 

 consequence of the decrease of weight. He also found the animals to 

 be less hardy, less able to withstand the great changes of our variable 

 climate, and, consequently, much more subject to disease. A change, 

 therefore, seemed to be necessary. This was sought to be eifected by 

 the introduction of the pure Spanish Merino blood, and for ten years 

 rams of that description were used to the exclusion of all others and to 

 great satisfaction, bringing back the flock to medium-sized sheep, com- 

 pact and symmetrical in form, perfectly healthy in every respect, and 

 yielding per head an average of about 4 pounds of fine Merino wool, of 

 good length of staple, uniform in quality, not overcharged with yolk, 

 and showing in opening a good crimp and luster. With the Saxony 

 sheep the average annual loss from disease and other causes amounted 

 to nearly 10 per cent. 



After the change made in the course of breeding the average annual 

 loss did not exceed 2 per cent, and that arising mostly from accidental 

 causes. This seemed to be convincing that in that county (it being on a 

 range of land in latitude 43) the Spanish or French Merino sheep were 

 preferable to the Saxony, if wool-growing was to be made profitable. 

 The principal benefits found to result from the change were : An in- 

 crease in the average weight of fleece from about 2 to nearly 4 

 pounds; getting a close and compact fleece, comparatively impervious 

 to the weather, and thus furnishing a more perfect protection to the 

 body of the sheep from wet and cold, consequently a more firm and 

 vigorous constitution; and, in consequence of the preceding, better 

 breeders and better success in rearing lambs. The only offset was in 

 the quality of the wool. A few figures demonstrate whether, in a 

 pecuniary point of view, there was actually any loss: 



2 pounds Saxony wool, at 56 cents $1. 40 



4 pounds Spanish wool, at 44 cents 1. 76 



Difference in favor of Spanish .36 



