110 



GENESEE FARMER. 



May. 



Saxon and Merino Sheep. 



NUMBER TWO. 



On the 8th day of June, one week after wash- 

 ing, I sheared my Saxon ewes — also an equal 

 number of Merino ewes — which I selected with 

 much care in regard to the following particulars : 

 I intended the two breeds should not differ in 

 age, or condition, or in wastage of their wool by 

 cleansing. I was also careful that the wool of 

 the Merinos should be equal in quality to an av- 

 erage of my Merino Hock. And as the Saxons 

 were rearing lambs, so also were the Merinos. 

 I weighed these sheep and their fleeces immedi- 

 ately after they were shorn, and found that the 

 Saxons gave me 1 pound of wool for every 18 

 lbs. of their live weight — and that the Merinos 

 gave one lb. of wool for a fraction less than 19 

 lbs. of their weight. The average weight of the 

 Saxons was 63 lbs — the Merinos 72. The Sax- 

 ons were rather above the medium weight of the 

 flocks from which they were selected. The 

 Merinos, it will be remembered, were weighed 

 while rearing their lambs, immediately after their 

 fleeces were taken otf, and at a time when they 

 were perhaps lighter than at any other season of 

 the year. If it were not possible that I might 

 have misjudged a little about the wastage of wool 

 or some other small particulars, it might seem 

 that the yield was in favor of the Saxons; but I 

 think they sheared as near together as could be 

 expected, and if, in my next experiment of the 

 kind, the Merinos should as much exceed the 

 Saxons, it would not (in my opinion,) reverse 

 the rule given in my former article, viz : that 

 the two breeds shear clean wool in proportion to 

 their own weiglit. 



Besides the above I weighed a number of my 

 other Merino ewes, some of which went from 90 

 to 100 lbs.; but in every case I found that it took 

 from 18 to 19 lbs. live weight to produce a pound 

 of wool. But as some flocks are more gummy 

 than others, there must be exceptions to this rule. 

 I sold my Merino wool (about 1400 lbs.,) the 1st 

 of September, to Mr. Spkncer Mowry, of Rhode 

 Island, for 34 cts. per lb. He was buying lor 

 a factory whose stapler was present and examin- 

 ed nearly every fleece. My brother, (EIector 

 Hitchcock,) whose flock and mine were once 

 the same, and since divided — (the wool has often 

 sold together and for the same price) — soon at'ter 

 the sale of mine, sold his for So cts. per lb. — 

 which I believe mine was wurth and would have 

 brought if kept a few days longer. I mention it 

 in order to do justice to Merino wool. 



It will be more diflicult to get at the true value 

 of my Saxon wool, as there was only 22 fleeces, 

 5 of which were fiom bucks. Such a small lot 

 will never sell in tiie same proportion witli a lot 

 of 1400 lb.-., and the undue proportion of bucks 

 flee "es again lessens its value. Some of these 

 fleeces were kept till after our county fair, 



consequently the wool was sold at diflerent 

 times and for different prices. As it was, the 

 lot averaged 44 cts. per lb. 1 have been inform- 

 ed by a gentleman who has been a buyer of Sax- 

 on wool for a number of years, and who had ex- 

 amined mine, that if there had been as much as 

 of my Merino wool, and only the same projjortion 

 of bucks fleeces, it would have sold readily at 50 

 cts. per lb. Mr. Swift's wool sold for 55 cts. — 

 Mine was not as nice as his, when we include the 

 fleeces of both the young and old of his flock. I 

 am aware that there was full blood Saxon wool 

 sold for less than 50 cts. last season, and I also 

 know that there has been large quantities sold for 

 a much higher price. I purchased this particu- 

 lar kind in order to grow an average quality of 

 full blood Saxon wool, the profits of which I 

 wished to compare with my Merinos. 



Now if the rule laid down by some of our best 

 wool-growers, and noticed in my former article, 

 is correct — that these two kinds of sheep con- 

 sume food and shear clean wool in proportion to 

 their own weight — then the farmer who keeps 

 400 Merino sheep (the young and old of which 

 average 65 lbs.,) could on the same feed keep 

 472 Saxons, of same age, averaging 55 lbs. The 

 gross weight of each flock is 26000 lbs. Allow- 

 ing 1 lb. of wool to every 18 lbs. live weight 

 would be 1444 lbs. 



If Saxon wool at 50 cts. per lb., $722,00 



If Merino at 35 cts. per ifj., 505,40 



Difference in favor of Saxons, .$216, GO 



I do not say that the above comparative weight 

 of the two breeds, or the price of their wool, is 

 exactly correct ; but they are sufficiently so to 

 show the calculation on which I base my opin- 

 ion that the Saxon is the most profitable breed. 



When I select a sheep, I first look for that 

 form which denotes a good constitution ; then 

 that sheep suits me best which will shear the 

 most superfine wool (after being cleansed,) in 

 proportion to its own weight. It is desirable that 

 a sheep should be equal to, and not much above, 

 the average weight of the breed to which it be- 

 longs. For instance — suppose a flock of Me- 

 rino ewes, when kept in good profitable store 

 order, should weigh 75 lbs. each, and should 

 yield 1 lb. of wool to every 20 lbs. live weight ; 

 the fleece would be 3? lbs. Suppose another 

 flock, equal in every respect, except by extraor- 

 dinai-y keeping, their weight should be brought 

 up to 100 lbs., which yielding wool in the same 

 proportion, the fleece would be 5 lbs. Now a 

 pound of wool on the latter costs the same as a 

 pound on the former ; and I appeal to manufac- 

 turers and wool buyers, if the value of the wool 

 per lb. is not ^e-creased (on account of its being 

 more harsh and coarse,) in the same proportion 

 as the weight of the fleece, is mcreased above 

 what it would havo been had the animal been 

 kept only in good profitable store order. Late 

 years manufacturers purchase wool for them- 



