18 RURAL ECONOMY OF ENGLAND. 



Scotland, where, through time, the nature of the soil and 

 climate has only made them more hardy. Nearly three 

 centuries ago, at the period when commercial and manu- 

 facturing enterprise began to develop itself in Europe, the 

 breeding of sheep took a start in England unusual else- 

 where : wool was then the special object, as with us now r 

 in France. The distinguishing feature was between long 

 and short wool breeds, the former being the most highly 

 esteemed. Thus when we commenced to give our atten- 

 tion to the breeding of sheep, England was greatly in 

 advance of us ; and this advance became more marked 

 by the new revolution, which established in England the 

 superiority of meat over wool as a production. 



About the time that the French Government sought to 

 introduce merinos into France, experiments of the same 

 kind were made in England. Following the example of 

 Louis XV L, George III., who paid a good deal of attention 

 to agriculture, on several occasions caused Spanish sheep 

 to be brought over, which he placed upon his own lands. 

 Those first imported died ; the wetness of the pastures 

 engendered diseases which soon destroyed them. Subse- 

 quent importations were placed upon drier land, and 

 they survived. From this time it was demonstrated that 

 the climate of England, although it limited the propaga- 

 tion of merinos, was not, at all events, an insuperable 

 obstacle to their introduction. Certain noblemen and 

 celebrated agriculturists actively engaged in the endea- 

 vour to naturalise this new race ; but the farmers from 

 the first made more serious objections than that of 

 climate. Ideas had changed, and the importance of the 

 sheep as an animal for food began to be foreseen. By 

 degrees this new idea predominated; the Spanish breed 

 has been abandoned even by those who at first vaunted 

 it most, and now neither merinos nor half-merinos are to 



