MerinO'Byeland Breed ofSheejy, 435 



but h was a thick cloth, made of the finest Spanish wool ; and old Mr. Wnnsey, 

 while walking about and ymoaking among his spinners, used 10 complain that iheir 

 yarn was not coarse enough, and pointed to his pipe as an example of the proper 

 thickness. Every manufacturer knows that excellent mops are made of fine yarn ; 

 and what are called the flocks of superfine cloths make beds of a more moderate 

 and uniform degree of softness, and more wholesome to those who use them, than 

 the best feathers. 



In a word, were there a sufficient quantity of superfine wool properly applied, I 

 firmly believe that the breeds of coarser short-woolled sheep, so far as respected 

 their fleeces, would be unnecessary : and that nearly all the wool, which was needful 

 for the meaner purposes, would be furnished by the tails of the Merino, and the 

 shorter parts of the fleece of the long-wooUed kinds. 



Neither is it true that the production of this sort of wool is exclusively confined 

 to Great Britain. There is no country in Europe which does not produce it in 

 great abundance; and, in the paper alluded to at the beginning of this work, it is 

 stated to Parliament, that, in the 3 years ending 1804, at least 3,000, ooolbs. or 

 12,500 packs of coarse wool were actually imported into Great Britain, for the 

 use of its manufactures. 



Let us consider in other points of view the substitution of the Merino and its 

 crosses. I have already observed, that a given weight of the coarser wools will 

 make less superfine cloth than of the finer j whether the same thing be true as to 

 coarser cloth, which is more open and porous, I am unable to determine. 



The two breeds of native English sheep, which produce the greatest quantity of 

 carding wool, relatively to the weight of carcase, are the Ryeland and South Down. 

 Let us compare them in this respect with the Merino-Ryeland, assuming, what I 

 believe is peifectly fair, that in clean scouring and picking these different kinds 

 of wool, the last loses \ from the full yolk, and the two first j- each from that 

 state to which they are reduced by clean washing in the usual way on the sheep's 



back. 



lb. oz. dr. 

 South Down ewe carcase, i25lb.Washed wool, 3 lb. clean scoured, 2 6 37 



Ryeland, - - 75 lb. Do. i^-lb. do. - 1 8 sj- 



Merino Ryeland - 751b. In the yolk, 4-|-lb. do. - 240 



This is the gross result; but in order to make the comparison fairly, the weight 



