Essay o?i Sheep. 1 43 



Foote's ewes; and yet Mr. Foote's sheep are 

 evidently superior to the sheep of the country, 

 whose average, under similar circumstances, 

 would certainly not exceed three and a half 

 pounds. My own, however, have not been so 

 high as Mr. Lasteyrie^s, and have not fallen 

 much short of Mr. Footers. Three full-bred 

 ewes, all having lambs, gave the year before last 

 eleven pounds and three quarters, or near four 

 pounds each. Last year I did not keep a se- 

 parate account, but as they were in better order, 

 I think the average was near five pounds. 

 This year seven fleeces, after ihey had been 

 soaked twenty hours, and then washed in warm 

 water, weighed twenty-six pounds, but this in- 

 cluded two ram fleeces. Supposing them to 

 have lost no more than common wool would 

 have done, which, by such perfect washing, 

 would not have been less than one third, they 

 would then have weighed five pounds, which 

 falls only half a pound short of the Arling- 

 ton sheep. These seven fleeces would have 

 sold for fifty-two dollars cash; whereas seven 

 of Mr. Footers fleeces, reduced one third by 

 washing, would only have produced (selling at 

 the usual price, thirty-six cents a pound) eigh- 

 teen and a half dollars; and yet his sheep, 

 being larger, would have demanded more 



