158 MODERN SHEEP: BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



Furthermore, I would not care to invest in a ram from a 

 flock tluit 1 knew had produced one. It is said that the immortal 

 Bakewell kept a black ram for use in improving the Leicester. I 

 ha\e reasons for believing rather than doubling this contention* 



In Quebec the common stock of the country appears to all 

 intents and purposes to be of the pure Leicester blood, and no 

 doubt it is, as the foundation of that stock is said to he from an 

 early importation of that breed. The flocks arc very uniform in 

 type, but one thing which drew my attention there was the large 

 number of black individuals found in every flock. In quite a 

 number of cases 25 per cent of the flock was made up of hi ark 

 sheep. 



In one case I noticed that no less than 00 per cent were black 

 or of a very dark gray color. Whether or not they had been 

 selected and bred with a view of establishing a ilock of black sheep 

 I could not learn. 



The only flock coming under my notice that has been bred 

 with a view of establishing a pure-bred flock of black sheep is that 

 of Mr. John B. Wing, of Dutchess county, N. Y. While in this 

 flock there are individuals that are as black as the ace of spades, 

 *there are others that are not black on the surface, but rather of a 

 very dark gray. I should mention that the under color of the 

 fleece is almost perfectly black. 



It is said that President Me Ki nicy was the recipient of a 

 suit of clothes made from the wool of this novel flock. Mr. Wing 

 is to be complimented on the progress he has made in regard to 

 the establishment of this flock and there is little doubt that he 

 will in the course of a few years be the owner of a very valuable 

 one, for the reason that black wool is worth considerably more 

 than the ordinary white fleece. 



This value accrues from the great demand for that class of 

 wool in Great Britain and certain countries of continental Europe, 

 where it is used in the manufacture of gowns for certain religious 

 orders, who by their vows are compelled to use undved woolen 

 clothing. Concerning black wool, a Britisli writer says: 



"The production of 'sanitary' or health flannels or undergar- 

 ments is now a thing of first importance with underwear manu- 

 facturers and these are the men who compete keenly for Mack wools. 



"It is no uncommon thing today to see a hale of hlaek tine wool 

 sell for 25 to 50 per cent more than does the ordinary white wool 

 out of the same flock, simply because black is rather scarce and 

 wanted. When the Britisli government gave out an order for 

 natural underwear flannels at the beginning of the Boer war. hlaek 

 wool went up tremendously, and it has fallen very little since, it 

 being today relatively dearer than white wool. 



"Even the scouring of the hhu k wool does not alter the shade. 

 only the grease being removed, the cotor being the same. In these 



