EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 385 



When the Silesian wool-growers became acquainted with the Merinos 

 <>i Saxony, they went there for rams and ewes possessing a different char- 

 acter from the Silesian; the wool was softer and the sheep of a more 

 delicate form and less in size. Silesia had then two distinct breeds 

 those of the flocks furnished by the King of Prussia, with a strong 

 elastic wool and large strong body, and the Saxon breed, of small size 

 and with thin and soft wool. At that time the knowledge in wool was 

 exceedingly limited. Very little attention was paid, also, to the form 

 of the sheep; the only object was to obtain pure Spanish blood. 



The progressive demand for Merino wool, and the success in breed- 

 ing, induced all the estate holders to improve their native flocks. Sax- 

 ony was the only country where Merinos could be got to supply the 

 numerous applicants, and the flocks of the Elector and those of the 

 private estates of Kliphausen and Eocheburg furnished most of the 

 imported animals. Those who had less means bought rams of a cross- 

 breed of native sheep and Merinos, and in a short time few of the 

 original country sheep could be seen. The improvement was princi- 

 pally carried on with rams of mixed blood, and with a very limited 

 knowledge in breeding. 



Some wool-growers were misled in the beginning by the demand of 

 the manufacturers for wool of different grades, which induced them to 

 make changes in the direction of greater fineness. This gave the wool 

 a tendency to felt and twist; fortunately it was only in a few flocks, and 

 the fault was remedied by breeding anew from an original thorough-blood 

 flock. By skillful treatment, and gradually, the taste of the manufac- 

 turers was gratified and their demand answered by the production of a 

 wool of a quality suited to various new styles of woolen stuffs, which 

 attracted buyers from all countries to supply their wants. 



The high price of wool from 1815 to 1825 caused an extreme fineness 

 of wool to be cultivated at the expense of other valuable qualities and 

 the size and vigor of the animals. With the highest degree of fine- 

 in -s great softness had to be combined; the Saxon Electoral breed com- 

 bined these qualities. Such sheep were employed in crossing; conse- 

 quently the finest Silesian consisted of thin fleeced, delicate animals, 

 which, besides a deficiency of wool, were liable to many diseases. Be- 

 t\veen 1825 and 1830 wool sunk to an exceedingly low figure, and the 

 Silcsiau growers began to diminish their flocks and change their whole 

 sy>rem of farming. It brought about a crisis, and the attention now 

 became particularly directed to an increase of wool in the fleece to com- 

 pensate for the loss in the price. This crisis operated to the great bene- 

 fit of the whole vsystem of breeding the Merinos; the wool-growers 

 aimed now at a greater quantity of wool instead of extreme fineness. 

 This was the commencement of a system which reached a development 

 tli at proved to be a great advantage. 



The greatest development of the Silesian wool growing system had 

 for its object the production not only of the finest and softest wool, but 

 22990 25 



