206 AMERICAN HUSBANDRY. 



vised economy, have limited their sheep to one and a 

 quarter pounds of hay per day ; but it was found that 

 they sheared from ten to sixteen ounces less wool 

 per head ; that the constitution of the animal could 

 not be matured, and that he ultimately became a 

 diminutive and feeble animal. The wool from such 

 sheep is termed " hunger-fine" appearing to possess 

 a high degree of fineness upon the sheep's back, and 

 being extremely soft to the touch. " But," says 

 Mr. Eisner, a writer on sheep husbandry, " this kind 

 of softness is as exceptionable as its fineness, both 

 arising from the poverty of the animal ; for, after 

 shearing and washing, it lessens to an unusual de- 

 gree in volume." It is deficient in strength, elasti- 

 city, and the felting properties, and it does not make 

 as perfect and durable a fabric as it would had the 

 sheep been kept in a thriving condition. Its intrinsic 

 value, therefore, to the manufacturer is not so great 

 as its apparent fineness would indicate ; and the 

 grower, who anticipated a " good clip" of wool from 

 his flock, is very unpleasantly awakened from his 

 dream when he finds that they shear much less 

 than he expected; and this, we fear, is too often the 

 case with many of our economists who undertake to 

 keep flocks of fine-wooled sheep. 



It is, however, certainly a most erroneous conclu- 

 sion, that sheep produce an increased or extra quan- 

 tity of wool in proportion to their increased or extra 

 quantity of food. " Farmers who were deceived by 

 this theory," says Mr. Eisner, the author above 

 quoted, " have been disappointed ; for the increased 

 quantity of wool was scarcely half in proportion to 

 the extra quantity of feed, and the quality was con- 

 siderably deteriorated." Such is the opinion of one 

 of the most intelligent breeders and close observers 

 of the economy of sheep in Germany. The expe- 

 rience of one of the members of this committee fully 

 goes to confirm the above position ; and his experi- 

 ments, made with great attention and exactness for 



