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Illinois, brought with him 27 years ago, a small flock of pure Span- 

 ish Merinos; I have not seen the sheep, but have large samples of 

 their wool, and a full account of the flock from the gentleman him- 

 self; the wool is very fine, so fine that I would not wish to raise finer 

 in this country; it competes with all my samples of Rambouillett, 

 and pure Spanish wool; he always gets the highest price that im- 

 ported Saxony wool of the finest quality commands, and the manu- 

 facturers say it wastes less, and yields more pure washed wool than 

 any they buy, and the gentleman says that after 27 years of accli- 

 mation on the prairies, the wool is much finer than the original im- 

 ported flock, and the fibre gains strength on this herbage, which ren- 

 ders it more valuable; he says it cost him one cent and a half per 

 pound to transport his wool to Lowell, Mass., via. New Orleans. We 

 in the United States, labor under no disadvantage from distance in 

 raising wool, considering our other immense advantages, still I can- 

 not recommend these sheep, because they only clip 2| lbs. ewes back- 

 washed, and 3 lbs. wethers; rams 4|. Our standard should be 5 lbs. 

 backwashed, and we must go to the expense to obtain it; then we 

 should make it 6 lbs; this is a high figure. To prove it may be got, 

 I went on the following facts. An American gentleman imported 

 three years ago, a small flock of Rambouillet Merinos; the whole 

 flock sheared six pounds nine ounces, the rams a great deal more. 

 Messrs. Grandmaison & Dumonts' flock, when I was in France, clip- 

 ped, ewes from 6 to 7 lbs., rams 10 to 12 lbs; it will pay to buy 

 the very best the United States affords. Last year an American gen- 

 tleman took a tour into France, and saw rams that clipped 18 lbs. 

 of wool; he purchased a buck 17 months old; this ram weighed 215 

 lbs. French weight, or 223 lbs. English; his fleece weighed 16 lbs, 

 and was worth 40 cents in the United States: but this extraordinary 

 ram was the best ram the breeder bred in ten years, out of a very 

 select large flock; this American gentleman purchased him for $400, 

 and did not think the terms unreasonable, nor at this price would 

 the owner part with him, till he had served a certain number of his 

 ewes, nor could any price tempt him to do so; here is a ram at 

 $400, besides the cost and risk of his voyage, and you can buy 

 sheep for one dollar, so you see how many shades there are. 1 do 

 not recommend these high priced sheep, but you see what can be 

 done; there is much to learn yet as to increasing quantity of wool; 

 if the ram had been mine, and he was the best I had, the $400 

 should not have bought him. The royal flock of Rambouillet clip 

 round, rams 12 to 16 pounds, ewes average from 8 to 10 lbs. of fine 

 quality. I have spared neither trouble nor expense to procure infor- 

 mation, and more is still to be got in regard to the best sheep; the 



