656 [Assembly 



hill and vale, water, soils, proximity to our city, facility in every 

 respect, invite immediate action. We should be happy to have the 

 opinion of Mr. Fleischman of its fitness, and we invite him to join us 

 in a visit to it. 



Mr. Fleischman. I will do so with the greatest pleasure. 



Chairman. In the name of the Club, I return our sincere thanks to 

 Mr. Fleischman, for his most valuable discourse this day, and for his 

 offer to unite with us in an examination of our proposed location for 

 the school and farm. 



When I was in Spain, T read a letter from Thomas Jefferson, in 

 which he spoke of the immense importance to the United States of 

 the introduction of wool culture into our country, of the exportation 

 of her Merinos to Germany, &c. I travelled in Spain with an Am- 

 bassador for the purpose of acquiring some knowledge of the culture 

 of wool; I observed great variety of figure and size of the animal 

 and qualities of the wool. In 1809, I sent some of the best Merino 

 sheep home to my father in New-England. Col. Humphreys had be- 

 fore that time sent some home. My father pursued very much the 

 same course of care and feed mentioned by Mr. Fleischman. I also 

 visited the great establishment at Rambouillet in France, from whence 

 the late Chancellor Livingston obtained Merinos and sent them home. 

 I purchased from flocks of the Duke Del Infantad in Spain, 400 Me- 

 rinos, which I sent to Messrs Brown and Rives of Richmond, Va. 

 Little attention was bestowed on them, and they were soon after scat- 

 tered to the four winds. The yolk in wool, is peculiar to Merino 

 sheep, or but little of it is found in other breeds. We have gone back- 

 wards in our breeds, we have twenty millions of sheep in the United 

 States, but very few of pure blood. We must have the choice sheep 

 from Germany. I prefer that to Alpacas, we do know that sheep 

 will flourish here, but we do not know how it might be with the Al- 

 pacas. 



We must have Agricultural Schools here! You gentlemen of the 

 American Institute, have by great economy saved a little money, 

 you can apply that as far as it will go; but allow me to say that it 

 is ridiculous to behold a powerful metropolis like this lacking in pa- 

 tronage to so noble a plan as an Agricultural School. But we have 

 undertaken its establishment, and we will go on, and if we cannot 

 otherwise succeed, we will, by leading en the farmers of the land, 

 the bone and sinew of the country. 



