No. 244.J 167 



ON SHEEP AND WOOL. 



BY Mr. ANCRAM OF MICHIGAN. 



In compliance with the requisitions of the Institute, I respectfully 

 offer three papers, marked A, B, C Paper A. Wool Matresses, the 

 only material that ought to be used for bedding. Paper B. Of the 

 importance of wearing flannel next to the skin, and the manufacture 

 of flannel in United States, home market for wool, &c. Paper C. Ex- 

 periment recommended for the sole purpose of discovering the food 

 that creates wool. 



To write an essay on sheep would not only take a volume, but vo- 

 lumes; each particular breed of sheep must be treated separately. 

 The natural history and habit of the sheep may be re-written with 

 great advantage. Naturalists give a very erroneous account of the 

 sheep, particularly the Count d' Buffon; the sheep is not the stupid 

 animal he asserts it to be, and I know what he says to be decidedly 

 untrue; instead of stupidity it is an excess of sensibility. I could 

 name many facts of their intelligence if it was not too long. The 

 horse has the longest memory, the dog and the elephant remember 

 the most things, but the sheep has an excellent memory. A flock of 

 sheep may be drilled under a good shepherd, and brought to the strict- 

 est discipline of any army. As I am not going to v/rite an essay on 

 sheep, I will mention such things as I think will aid to carry out the 

 important views of the Institute. One thing is certain, if the Almigh- 

 ty reduced us to one animal^ and commanded us to choose^ we should he 

 obliged to choose the sheep! If the Institute would employ some in- 

 telligent man, to collect the facts to write the life of the celebrated Mr. 

 Bakewell, and all his improvements on sheep, it would be of as much real 

 practical use as all the essays in the world. He was the prince of 

 farmers! He not only transformed and created a new breed of sheep, 

 but he excelled in all he undertook. He grew the best cabbages; he 

 made the best ditches and fences; he bred the finest horse in the world, 

 which was shown to the king, and all over England. It is not an 

 easy matter to write a good life of Bakewell, but it is highly worthy 

 the care of the Institute. The Institute, and the man of science look 

 over the whole globe to see how we can improve the sheep and his 

 wool. I shall pass in review some of the finest sheep on the globe, 

 not known in the United States, to see if the Institute can select any 



