404 



KEW ENGLAND FARIMER. 



Sept. 



w 







TEXEL OB MOUTON FLANDBIN BAM. 



Early In the seventeenth century the long- 

 legged African or Guinea sheep were intro- 

 duced into Europe by the Dutch, and distrib- 

 uted among the islands near the Texel and in 

 Gronigen and Friesland, where they were 

 crossed with the common sheep of the country, 

 producing the animal known as the "Texel" 

 or'"Mouton Flandrin" breed of sheep. As 

 long ago as 17G3, a French writer in a work 

 published by royal authority says "its walk is 

 firm, its deportment is noble, its form well 

 proportioned in all its parts, announcing a good 

 constitution and a healthy temperament, and 

 exempt from the maladies so common to other 

 breeds. Its wool is white without spot ; it 

 is contented everj'where — it becomes a citi- 

 zen of the place it inhabits." Youatt, in 

 1857, speaks of them as being of large size, 

 and having considerable res.emblance to the 

 British or Irish long-wooled breeds, but more 

 prolific, and producing long fine wool, which 

 can be appropriated to valuable purposes by 

 the manufacturer. . 



Our cut represents one of the animals of 

 this breed imported and owned by Winthrop 

 W. Chenery, Belmont, Mass., and which has 

 taken prizes at the Fairs of the New England 

 and other agricultural societies. He claims 

 that the breed at the present time is a re- 

 markably beautiful, compact, hardy and pro- 

 lific race of animals, possessing quiet and con- 

 tented dispositions, readily accommodating 

 themselves to change of soil and climate, pro- 

 ducing heavy fleeces of long and tolerably fine 

 wool, mutton of superior quality, and lambs 

 which, at four months of age, attain a weight 

 of from seventy to eighty pounds. 



Mr. Chcnery's importation consisted of one 

 ram and seven ewes when put on board ship, 

 but on arriving at Boston, after a voyage of 

 eighty-one days, the flock was found to have 

 increased to seventeen animals, nine jambs 

 having been produced ; affording strong evi- 

 dence of the good qualities of the ewes as 

 nurses, as well as of the hardiness of the 

 breed. 



