EAST OP THE MISSISSIPPI KIVEB. 671 



never breeding in-and-in. In the meantime I have added to my flock American-bred 

 and imported Cotswold ewes at heavy cost, breeding them to the same bucks. 



The imported and American-bred Cotswolds and their offspring are not superior, 

 either in carcass or fleece, to those of my own breeding. I clipped samples of wool 

 from Prince of Wales, an imported English-bred buck, and also from an ewe of my 

 own breeding, which, through several generations, could be traced back through 

 the Merino cross to the native. 1 sent these samples to my wool merchants in Bos- 

 ton, Mass., with history, and requested their opinion of the wool on its merits. 

 They pronounced the ewe's wool superior to the buck's. It was equally as good 

 combing wool, 18 inches long, was of finer and stronger fiber, soft to the touch, 

 attributable to the shade of Merino in it. 



The effects of cross to the Spanish Merino, in fineness and softness of fiber and 

 density of fleece and strength of staple, remain for many generations. I cull my 

 t- \vt-s annually, at shearing time, marking all that are deficient in form or fleece, or 

 that are becoming aged, and set them apart with the wethers for mutton, which 

 are sold the following spring, often taking a better price than ordinary sheep, 

 because they gross less and are better mutton. 



I sold a lot last spring (fattened principally on grass) to the butchers of Chatta- 

 nooga that averaged 166J pounds gross, having clipped an average of 10| pounds of 

 nice combing wool, which sold at 37 cents per pound. The price for them was 6 

 cents per pound gross, netting me $14 per head, while the market for ordinary mut- 

 ton was 4 cents. They grossed less than one-third and were sold for 15 cents per 

 pound net. 



In 1871, Mr. Outclifield had 72 breeding ewes, a cross from the 

 Improved Kentucky impregnated by a Cotswold ram. From 50 of 

 these ewes he had 85 lambs, 72 living, 13 came dead, and one was 

 killed. In reviewing his experience with his flock up to 1877, he said 

 that at one time 23 ewes brought consecutively 47 lambs, 22 having 

 twins and the twenty-third triplets. In 1877 50 ewes raised 79 lambs. 



Since 1866 he received for sheep and wool sold $3, 974. 00 



He had on hand 100 head valued at 1, 500. 00 



Value of flock and increase from it 5, 474. 00 



He had expended for breeding ewes and rams 657. 50 



Leaving a gross profit for twelve years of 4, 816. 50 



Or over 60 per cent per annum upon the capital invested, supposing the 

 same to have been invested at the beginning, while about one-half of it 

 was invested in the latter years. The cost of keeping is not included, 

 and is counterbalanced by the benefits derived from the sheep. 



Others have followed Mr. Crutchfield in raising sheep and lambs for 

 the Chattanooga market, and there is now an increasing interest in the 

 mutton breeds in East Tennessee, and excellent mutton raised there 

 commands good markets in Cincinnati and other Northern cities. 



Bat the best locality in Tennessee for raising all classes and varieties 

 of sheep has proven to be the great Silurian limestone basin of middle 

 Tennessee. This district is thus described by Prof. Killebrew: 



Here the meadows are luxuriant, the pastures are green, the soil is fertile, the 

 Avater abundant. Here are landscapes diversified by hill and dale, wood and stream, 

 iueado\v and field, forming a thousand delightful combinations, and making an 

 extended panorama of exquisite rural elegance and beauty. Here all the grasses 



