43 THE DOMESTIC SHEEP. 



thirteen years past the flock has had 110 infusion of outside 

 blood. 



THE SAXONY MERINO. 



The sheep is one of the indispensable acquisitions of the 

 human race, and all the kinds in existence, and those 

 that may come into existence hereafter, will find a welcome 

 and a home among the rest of the Hocks. Once on a time 

 the Merino, and the Saxony Merino especially, was the 

 highest valued of all the ovine race. That was when the 

 exquisitely fine fleece was in high demand for the manu- 

 facture of the best broadcloths used for the clothing of 

 the wealthy and fashionable people, who dare not appear 

 at any social gathering or festival except in this finest 

 of all attire. But this habit, both in respect of manner 

 and dress, still prevails, and this finest wooled sheep of all 

 the fine wool class, will possibly ever be in the first place 

 among the finest wooled sheep. 



It is the offspring of the ancient Merino, from which the 

 Spanish flocks descended, through two thousand years of 

 the history of a turbulent period, during which our present 

 civilization was in process of slow growth. In spite of 

 wars and the dense ignorance of the so-called dark ages, 

 the Spanish flocks survived, and in time became the progeni- 

 tors of this race. By reason of the well adapted climate, 

 and high culture of the farms, as well as of the sheep, this 

 breed improved in quality, and soon after its firm establish- 

 ment it became the chief producer of the fine wools for 

 which Germany has long been noted, and now stands in 

 the first place among the nations for its fine woolens, especi- 

 ally for the finest cloths and hosiery. In respect of 

 climatic adaptation, the United States is first in the whole 

 world, and a place is, and always will be, found for every 

 kind of sheep or other domestic animals; and as our cattle 

 and horses have surpassed in value and excellence their 

 progenitors in other countries, so the sheep of every kind 

 may find room and development by the culture of our intelli- 

 gent shepherds. 



The fleece of this sheep has sold for three dollars and 

 twenty-five cents a pound, and while intense speculation at 

 times has been disastrous to the breed along with other of 



