Essay en Sheep. 49 



the national flocks, yet the price of rams drawn 

 froni those flocks is daily increasing. This 

 fact shows in a very striking point of view the 

 .advantages of this breed of sheep, since they 

 have been enabled to conquer the prejudices 

 even of the French peasantry, who adopt im- 

 provements very slowly. Having mentioned 

 the superiority in size and beauty of the national 

 flocks of France, it may be satisfactory to know 

 the quality of their wool. This I shall give 

 from the report of M. Gilbert, one of the mem- 

 bers, to the National Institute of France. 



*^ The stock from which the flock of Ram- 

 '' bouillet was derived, was composed of indi- 

 " viduals beautiful beyond any that had ever 

 " before been brought from Spain ; but having 

 " been chosen from a great number of flocks, in 

 " different parts of the kingdom, they were dis- 

 " tinguished by very striking local differences, 

 ^^ which formed a medly disagreeable to the 

 " eye, but immaterial as it effected their quali- 

 ** ty: these characteristic differences have been 

 " melted into each other, by their successive al- 

 " liances, and from thence have resulted a race 

 *' which perhaps resembles none of those which 

 " composed the primitive stock, but which cer- 

 " tainly does not yield in any circumstance to 

 " the most beautiful in point of size, form, and 



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