1847. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



69 



Fig. 18. THE BROAD OR FAT-TAILED SHEEP. 



This race of sheep is found throLighout Asia, 'ties is a striking spectacle. The main body is 

 a great part of Africa, and throughout the north- j generally preceded by an advanced guard of stout 

 eastern part of Europe. | young men, well armed as if to clear the way ; 



Dr. Russell, in his history of Aleppo, gives! then follow large flocks of all kinds of domestic 

 the following account of it, as it appears in Sy-hinimals covering the country far and wide, and 

 ria :— '-The dead weight of one of these sheep j driven by the lads of the community. The asses, 

 will amount to 50 or 60 lbs., of which the tail | ^^'^ich are numerous, and the rough, ?tout yaboos 

 makes up 15 or 16 lbs., the tail alone composing; (small horses,) are loaded with goods, tents, 

 one third of the whole weight. This broad, flat- , clothes, pots and boilers, and every sort of uten- 

 tish tail is mostly covered with longwooI,andbe- jS''' bound confusedly together. On the top of 

 coming very small at the extremity, turns up.— | '^ome the burdens may be seen mounted the el- 

 It is entirely compo-ed of a substance between | ^er children, who act the part of drivers, and the 

 marrow and fat, serving very often in the kitch- '^sser urchins holding on manfully with feet and 

 en instead of butter, and cut into small pieces, | hands. A third class of animals bear t'ae super- 

 makes an ingredient in various dishes." I annuated of the tribe, bent double with age, and 



Dr. Russell further remarks :— " Animals of I hardly distinguishable from the mass of rags that 

 this extraordinary size (150 lbs.) are, however, ! ^oi'"'' their seats. The young men and women 

 very rare, and kept up in yards, so as to be in i hustle about, preventing, with the assistance of 

 little danger of hurting their tails from the bush- pheir huge dogs, the cattle from straying too far. 

 es. The shspherds in several places in Syria | The mothers, carrying the younger infants, pa- 

 fix a thin piece of boai-d to the under part, which | tiently trudge on foot, watching ihe progress of 

 is not, like the rest, covered with wool, and to j their domestic equipage. The men, vath sober, 

 this board are sometimes added small wheels ; | thoughtful demeanor, armed to the teeth, walk 

 whence, with little exaggeration, we have the j steadily on the flanks and rear of the grotesque 

 story of the Oriental sheep being under the ne-j column, guarding and controlling its slow and 

 cessity of carts to carry their tails. But the ne- j regular movement." 



cessity of carriages for the tails of the African i -Much wool is grown in those districts of Per- 

 sheep, mentioned by Herodotus, Rudolphus, and'sia, where the majority of the inhabitants lead a 

 others, is real. The tail of that animal, when | pastoral life ; the most valuable is found in the 

 fat, actually trails, not being tucked up like ! province of Kerman. This is a very mountain- 

 those of the Syrian Sheep." I ous country, hot and dry in summer, and intense- 



In Persia the fat-tailed sheep greatly predomi- ly cold in winter. 



nate; and although the diief source of wealth to 

 a large class, no efforts are bestowed upon their 

 improvement. The shepherds still follow the 

 wandering life of their ancestors. In Frazer's 

 account of Persia, they are thus described : 



" When the pastures are bare, they shift to 

 some other spot. The march of one of these par- 



Blckthorn for Hedges. — Mr. A. H. Pow- 

 ERS, of Seneca, writes for information whether 

 the seeds or plants of the Buckthorn can be had 

 at the nurseries in this vicinity ? Pie wishes to 

 use them for growing a durable living fence. — 

 Will the nurserymen answer ? 



