SHEEP HUSBANDRY IN THE SOUTH. 179 



They were of the most miserable character, some of them being hardly half-grade sheep. — 

 The ship Phebe Ann brought 120 sheep, of which I know little ; and GO were lauded at 

 Philadelphia, with the character of which I am unacquainted. Having determined to settle 

 in America, I returned to Saxony, and spent the winter of 1826-7 in visiting and examinmg 

 many flocks. I selected 115 from the celebrated flock of Macheni, embarked on board the 

 shi[) Albion, and landed in New-York June 27, 1827. In 1828, I received 80 more liom the 

 same flock, selected by a friend of mine, an excellent judge of sheep. I first drove them to 

 Shaftsbury, adjoining the town of Hosic, where I now reside. On their arrival they stood 

 me in $70 a head, and the lambs half that sum." 



" It will be infeiTed from the facts above stated that there are few Sax- 

 on flocks in the United States that have not been reduced to the quality 

 of grade sheep, by the promiscuous admixture of the pure and the impure 

 which were imported together, and all sold to our breeders as pure stock." 



And independent of this, there are but exceedingly few flocks which 

 have not been again crossed with the Native or Merino sheep of our coun- 

 try, or both. Those who early purchased the Merino, crossed them with 

 the Native ; and, when the Saxons arrived, these mongrels were bred to 

 Saxon rams. This is the history of probably three-quarters of the " Sax- 

 on" flocks of the United States, and among them some, as / Icnow, among 

 the most celebrated. 



As these sheep have now so long been bred toward the Saxon that their 

 wool equals that of the pure-bloods, it is exceedingly problematical in my 

 mind whether they are any worse for the admixture : when crossed only 

 with the Merino, it is undoubtedly to their advantage. Though I once 

 thought differently, experience has satisfied me that the American Saxon, 

 with these early crosses in its pedigree, is a hardier and more easily kept 

 animal than the pure Escurial or Electoral Saxon. As with the Merino, 

 climate, feed, and other causes, have doubtless conspired to add to their 

 size and vigor ; but, after all, I have not a doubt they usually owe more 

 of it to those early crosses. 



The fleeces of the Americair Saxons weigh, on the average, from 2 or 

 2\ to 3 lbs. They are, comparatively speaking, a tender sheep, requiring 

 regular supplies of good food, good shelter in winter, and protection in 

 cool weather from storms of all kinds ; but they are evidently hardier than 

 the parent German stock. In docility and patience under confinement, 

 late maturity, and longevity, they resemble the Merinos, from which they 

 are descended ; though they do not mature so early as the Merino, nor 

 ordinaiily live so long. They are jDoorer nurses ; their lambs smaller, fee- 

 bler, and fir more likely to perish, unless sheltered and carefully watched. 

 They do not fatten so well, and, being considerably lighter, they consume 

 an amount of food correspondingly less. 



Taken together, the American Saxons bear a much finer wool than the 

 American Merinos ; but Dr. Emmons's measurements show that this is 

 not always the case, and many breeders of Saxons are now crossing with 

 the Merino, in the expectation of increasing the weight of their fleeces 

 without deteriorating its quality.* Though I am in possession of wool 

 from Saxons in Connecticut and Ohio, which compares well with the 

 higher grades of German wool,t and though there are doubtless other 

 flocks of equal quality in the country,| our Saxon wool, as a whole, falls 

 considerably below that of Germany ; and I never have seen a single lock 

 of the American equaling some samples, given me by a friend recently 



* Mr. Lawrence believes thia practicable, and Mr. Morrel and various other Saxon breeders have for 

 some time bred in this way. 



t Fully equaling, and, I think, better than some German wool I recently saw, which, all expenses in- 

 cluded, stood the purchaser in SI 60 per pound ! 



I Dr. Kmmons stated, subsequently to his measurements above, that he had received wool from the 

 flock of T)r. Beekman, considerably finer than the t;a.\on wool figured. 

 (371) 



