CROSS BREEDING FOR WOOL. 253 



than out of new breeds. We have abundant material for 

 this work, and in it the Merino, I feel convinced, will take 

 the first place. 



As an instance of the result of special necessities in the 

 production of wool I would recall a passage in a most able 

 and exhaustive address, made by Dr. Hayes, the President 

 of the National Association of Wool Manufacturers a few 

 years ago, in which he mentioned the fact, that the great 

 popularity of the Cotswold sheep during the years of the 

 civil war, grew 7 out of the requirements of the trade for a 

 coarse wool for the manufacture of warlike materials, such 

 as buntings, saddle-girths, epaulets, trimmings, coarse blan- 

 kets and overcoats. When the war ended this demand 

 ceased, and the Cotswold suddenly became as unpopular 

 as it had been otherwise before. Now, said Dr. Hayes, 

 the demand is for a finer combing wool, as that of the Leices- 

 ter, which furnishes the material for a large variety of 

 dress goods, and is so highly valued for its silkiness, fineness, 

 and lustre. This kind of wool is mostly imported from Eng- 

 land, for the reason principally that American farmers 

 will not take the pains to grow the roots which this class 

 of sheep or any other for that matter must have to pro- 

 duce the best wool. This fresh, succulent food is indispen- 

 sable for the best condition of sheep during the long, dry 

 feeding season of winter, and until our wool-growers 

 will adopt this manner of feeding we cannot hope to do the 

 best we may, in the production of the best wools, and es- 

 pecially of those lustrous combing wools of long, fine staple, 

 such as that of the Leicester, the French Merino, and the 

 crosses of these -which have been found so desirable in 

 France for the manufacture of the excellent dress goods 

 which we pay so highly for. 



In this production, the Merino, and especially the Ram- 

 bouillet variety, must hold the most important place. It 

 seems probable that this long-Avool, large-bodied sheep, is to 

 take the first place as a wool producer, and that the short- 

 wool sheep must follow the yet shorter Silesia into compara- 

 tive insignificance, for the reason that the fashion of cloth- 

 ing has changed of late years, as it did fifty years ago, when 

 the fine nap broad-cloths went out of demand, and the more 

 varied napless cloth came into use. And as there is still 



