MODERN SHEEP: BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 157 



THE FRANCO-AMERICAN. 



This is comparatively a new breed of sheep and an American 

 production, originating among the fine wool breeders of Michigan 

 and New York states, and is the result of crossing the Eambouillet 

 ram on Merino ewes or, perhaps, vice versa. To the writer's mind 

 there is no more beautiful sheep than the first cross of the Ram- 

 bouillet ram on the Merino ewe. The rams are remarkable for 

 their extreme masculinity. Their fleece is ideal, partaking of the 

 fineness and density on the dam's side with the staple of that on the 

 sire's. If the type of the. first cross can be maintained this is a 

 breed that will find favor no matter where it may go, but whether 

 this can be done very readily with animals of practically the same 

 blood, bred on divergent lines for so long a time, remains to be 

 seen. There is no doubt but that after the first cross the offspring 

 will be somewhat erratic in type, as there is a wide field for sport- 

 ing between such divergent types as the Rambouillet and the 

 Merino. The Franco-American has already been taken a fancy 

 to by South African sheep breeders, and that it has a big future 



before it there is no doubt. 







BLACK SHEEP. 



Being very much interested in, and having unusual opportun- 

 ities of studying this interesting class of sheep, I was inspired, a 

 few years ago, to pen the following in regard to them: 



Flocks of black sheep are not common, still there are those 

 who have taken especial interest in establishing flocks of this kind, 

 not only in Australia, but likewise in this country. It's a common 

 saying that there's a black sheep in every flock, and in a figurative 

 sense no doubt this is true. 



That there are flocks of sheep composed entirely of black ani- 

 mals may not be generally known. One of the most valuable, 

 if not the most valuable one, is that left by the late Hon. Allen, 

 of Braeside, Queensland, Australia. This flock is composed en- 

 tirely of Merinos and was established more than twenty years ago, 

 and numbers 625 ewes and twenty-five rams. 



Some time ago a flock of 2,000 black sheep were shorn in 

 New Zealand. 



It is said that there is in the United States a flock of black 

 Shropshires, but as I have no data at hand concerning this flock, 

 I offer no comment thereon other than that of saying that cases 

 where Shrophshires produce black lambs must be extremely rare, 

 except it be in the case of poorly bred flocks, for in my experi- 

 ence in years of handling large flocks of this breed, both on their 

 native heath and in this country, I have never yet had a ewe 

 bring forth a black lamb. 



