1848. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



17 





PORTRAIT OF A SAT^ON RAM. (Fig. 2.) 



Saxon Sheep. 



[From Morrell's American Shepherd.] 



The following history of the introduction of 

 the Merinos into Saxony was written by the late 

 Mr. HENRy D. Grove, of Hoosic, N. Y., whose 

 decease will long be lamented b}^ those who knew 

 his many private virtues, and by American ag- 

 riculturists, who will not cease to pay the homage 

 of gratitude to his memory, for the enthusiastic 

 enterprize and zeal he continued to manifest to 

 his latest moments to improve the fleece of his 

 adopted country. 



"In the ye;ir 1764, the Elector of Saxony obtained, by- 

 special neg:oiiation through his ambassador, a grant from the 

 King of 8pain, for the purchase of one hundred ewes and 

 one hundred rams, and a few siirphis ones to keep that num- 

 ber good in case any should die during the passage. Ac- 

 cordingly one hundred and nineteen ewes and one hundred 

 and ten rams were selected, principally from the Eseurial 

 flocks, then the king's private property, under the care and 

 management of the monks belonging to the monastery of 

 that name, and which were considered the finest sheep of 

 the kingdom. They were shipped at Cadiz, in the month 

 of May, 1765, accompanied by two Spaniards to take care of 

 them. Five rams and three ewes died on the passage ; the 

 remainder arrived safely at the Elector's private domain at 

 Stolpen. The Spanish shepherds remained with, and took 

 care of the flock till the middle of the following year, when 

 they took their departure for Spain. During the time, how- 

 ever, they remained in Saxony, they instructed Saxon shep- 

 herds in the care and management of sheep. 



"In order the better to make this valuable acquisition 

 benefit the country as much as possible, the Elector appoint- 

 «d a commission, to superintend and direct the general con- 

 cerns of the sheep establishment, whose particular duty it 

 was made, to spread all the information they could obtain 

 on the care and management of sheep before the public, and 

 who were especially instructed to dispose of the young 

 rams at low prices, in order to induce the sheep-owners to 

 improve their flocks. The tenants of the government 

 domains were particularly favored, by giving them the 

 preference in the purchase (which is kept up till this day,) 

 while every possible care was taken to induce farmers gen- 

 erally to improve their breed of sheep throughout the Elec- 

 torate. It was further required of the said commission to 

 tnake a detailed report to the government, annually, on the 

 condition of the Bheep cstablishmeat, and at the same time 



to submit a list of the persons who had received sheep from 

 the national flock. 



"During the first years these valuable animals found 

 many opponents, and the improvement of the Spanish crop 

 was very slow, mainly on account of the common predju- 

 dice of the farmers, which was heightened when the scab 

 broke out among them, but afterwards they became con- 

 vinced of their value, and the improvement was more rapid. 

 But as most of tjie flocks in Spain are more or less nflected 

 by the scab, those transported to Saxony had to undergo 

 the same ordeal. This, of course, heigthened the prejudice 

 of many against them, who pronounced them as entirely 

 unfit for the country, their meat not eatable, or at best, of a 

 miserable description ; a notion, however, which soon ex- 

 ploded. The scab, however, caused great ravages among 

 them before they were entirely cured of this disease. 



" When the commissioners had exercised their functions 

 ten years, the call for young ram-s was so great, — and in 

 order the more rapidly to improve the breed of the country 

 —that they resolved to petition the government to make 

 another importation of ewes and rams from Spain, for which 

 purpose the Elector obtained another grant from the King 

 of Spain for three hundred rams and ewes. At the end of 

 the year 1777, a gentleman by the name of Vaigt, manager 

 of Count Eiorsidel's farms, who was considered one of the 

 best judges of sheep at that day in Saxony, was provided 

 with the necessary credentials and sent on that mission. — 

 But. for some cause unknown, he selected only one hun- 

 dred and ten two years old rams and ewes, and returned 

 home with them. These were, however, of a very superi- 

 or quality, selected from the best flocks of Leon. Eseurial, 

 Cavagnon, Negretti, Montarco, and Sorian, and exceeded 

 greatly in beauty of form and quality of wool, the first im- 

 portation. The cost of them was about forty rix dollars per 

 head. 



" With this acquisition, the commissioners then planted 

 the Merino Tree on the fruitful soil of Lohmen and Ren- 

 nersdorf, from whence, in conjunction with Stolpen, many 

 pure blood flocks derive their origin. And I owe it to truth 

 to remark, that I have examined private flocks equal, if not 

 superior, to the national flocks. 



" It would lead me too far here, to detail the introduction 

 of the Spanish and Saxony Merino into other parts of Ger- 

 many, Prussia. Austria, etc. Suffice it to say, that many 

 districts rival Saxony : Prussia, especially, fosters her flocks, 

 not only by premiums, bestowed through her agricultural 

 societies, but by that enlightened protection to domestic in- 

 dustry, which so truly characterizes that government." 



The invaluable properties of pure Saxon wool, 

 and the demand consequent for its manufacture 

 into fabrics, the fineness of which the world has 



