154 



THE NEW GENESEE FARMER, 



Vol. 



7'iie Dilil'iCJit Bleeds of Shtep. 



Wool Growing is becoming a very imporlaiu 

 and profiiable branch of agriculture in this Sate, and 

 many larniera are anxious to inform themselves re- 

 specting the ch.iractcr and relative value of the diiler- 

 ent breeds of sheep. The floUowing article, copied 

 from the Western Farmer & Gardener, is the best we 

 have seen on this subject of late. We would advise 

 our readers, who wish information respecting this or 

 any other kind of farm stock, to attend as many Agri- 

 cultural Fairs as they enn, vs-here they may see the 

 different breeds, and compare them. We will give 

 S3me engraved representations hereafter. 



In my former communication, I endeavored to lay 

 before your renders some account of the particular ap- 

 plication of the diflereut sorts of wool, to theirnianu- 

 lacturing purposes ; distinguishing them by their 

 well known division oi long and sliort. In continu- 

 ing the subject, I purpose taking a short review of 

 the various breeds of sjieep, or such of them as 1 think 

 will be interesting to your readers ; explaining with 

 as much distinctness as lays in my power, the origin 

 of the name held at present by each particular breed: 

 having in view the inlcntof informing those who may 

 not be acquainted with the subject, what is meant by 

 the Colswold, Bakewell, (fee. 



The long-woolled sheep shall first occupy our at- 

 tention; and, as they are more especially before the 

 public mind, we will begin with the Leicestershire. 



The Old Leicester, the New Leicester, the Buke- 

 well, and the Dishley, are one and the same breed of 

 sheep; the Old Leicester being the original stock. — 

 About the middle of the last century, Mr. Bakewell, 

 who ^ved at Dishley, in Leicestershire, endeavored to 

 improve the existing sheep of that county; which he 

 did by attention and a careful selection from all the 

 flDcks around his neighborhood, without regard to 

 size, but having in view the greatest propensity to 

 fatten, with that shape which he considered would 

 produce the largest proportion of valuable meat, with 

 the smallest quantity of" bone and offal. 



Hiiving formed his stock from sheep so selected, 

 he carefully attended to the peculiarities of the indi- 

 vidals from which he bred, and (from the best in- 

 foj-mation) did not oliject to breeding from near rela- 

 tions, when by doing so he put together animals 

 likely to produce a progeny possessing the character- 

 istics he wished to obtain. 



Some persons supposed that Mr. Bakewell formed 

 the New Leceister variety by crossing different sorts 

 of sheep. There is no reason for believing this; and 

 the contrary appears to be the fact. He next estab- 

 lished a system of letting rams for the season, instead 

 of selling them, to those who wished their use — asye- 

 teni not only beneficial to the ram-breeder, but also 

 to the farmer. It enables the ram-breeder to keep n 

 greater number and give his whole attention to this 

 department; and secures to the farmer, any cross he 

 may require for any portion of his flock, without the 

 necessity of in-and-in breeding. 



Valuable as this system no doubt %vas, it was only 

 after 20 years of incessant perseverance, that Mr. Bike- 

 well had the pleasure of seeing his ideas on this subject 

 sustained by the breeders of the country. The first ram 

 Mr. B let, was for sixteen shillings. Twenty-six years 

 from thai time, he lot a celebrated ram called tite Two 

 Pounder, for one season, at four hundred guineas 

 each from two breeders, still reserving one-third for 

 himself; the value of the ram for this season, being 

 thus estimated at twelve hundred guineas, (about six 

 thousand dollars.) Mr. Bakewell's improved breed 

 were called the New Leceister, to distinguieh them 

 from the parent stock; by some they were designated 

 as the Bakewell, and by others the Uishley, being the 

 place of his abode; and thus we get at tue origin of 

 all these names. 



Before closing this account it may be well to des- 

 cribe the peculiarities of the New Leceister breed of 

 sheep. The head should be hornless, long, small, 

 tapering towards the muzzle, and projecting horizon- 

 tally forwards; the eyes prominent but with a quiet 

 expression; the ears thin, rather long, and directed 

 backwards, the neck full and broad at its base, where 

 it proceeds from the chest, but gradually tapering to- 

 wards the head, and particularly tine at the junction 

 of the head and neck; the neck seeming to project 

 straight from the chest, so that there is, with the 

 slightest possible deviation, one continued horizontal 

 Ime from the rump to the poll; the breast broad and 

 full; the shoulders also broad and round, and no un- 

 even or angular formation where the shoulders join 

 either the neck or the back; particularly no rising of 



the wituers; or hollow behind the bituation of these 

 bones; the arm fleshy through its whole extent, and 

 even down to the knee; the bones of the legs small, 

 standing wide apart, no looseness of skin about them, 

 and comparatively bare of wool; the chest and barrel 

 at once deep and round; the ribs forming a considera- 

 ble arch from the spine, so as in some cases, and es- 

 pecially when the animal is in good condition, to 

 make the apparent width of the chest even greater 

 than the depth; the barrel well ribbed home; no ir- 

 regularity of line on ihe back or belly, but on the 

 siifes the carcass very gradually diminishing in width 

 towards the rump; the quarters long and full, and, as 

 with ;he forelegs, the muscles extending dov\'n to the 

 hock; the thighs also wide and full; the legs of a mo- 

 derate length; the pelt also moderately thin, but soft 

 and clastic, and covered with a good quantity of 

 white wool, not so long as in some breeds, but consi- 

 derably liner. 



The New Leicesters are notTiowever, without their 

 faults; they are by no means prolific breeders. This, it 

 is probable, may be the result of the inand-in breeding 

 to which Mr. Bakewell no doubt sometimes resorted. 

 They vary much in size, weighing at a yeir and a 

 half old from twenty-four to thirty six pounds per 

 quarter; though we have instances of their being led 

 to a considerably greater weight. We have it on re- 

 cord that Mr. Morgan of Loughton, led a pure bred 

 New Leicester sheep, the live weight of which was 

 three hundred and sixiy-eight pounds, and that of the 

 carcass two hundred and forty-eight. 



The fibre of the wool varies from five to more than 

 twelve inches in length, and the Heece averages from 

 six to seven pounds ; it is used mostly in the manu- 

 laeture of serges and carpels. 



The Cotswold sheep takes its name from a range 

 of hills on which they are raised in Gloucestershire, 

 and known as the Cotswold hills — being one of the 

 grand divisions of that county. Camden says "that 

 they derive it from the cots or sheds in which they 

 were housed at night, — or permanently for the win- 

 ter; and the wolds or open hilly grounds on which 

 they were pastured in the summer." Every person 

 at all conversant with the topograghy of England 

 knows that the Cotswold hills have ever been famous 

 for the pasturage afforded to this particular breed of 

 sheep. In 1437, Don Duarte, King of Portugal, 

 made application to Henry IV. king of England, for 

 liberty to export sixty sacks of Cotswold wool, that 

 he might mannfacture certain cloths of gold at Flor- 

 ence, tor his own use. Stowe says in his Chronicle, 

 that in the year 1467, Edward IV. gave license to 

 pass over into Spain, certain Cotswold sheep, &c. — 

 The object that I have in making these quotations, is 

 merely to show the antiquity of the breed. Very few 

 pure Cotswolds now exist, and these we are given to 

 understand, are fast pasting away. The description 

 given of the pure Cotswold is that they are taller and 

 longer than the improved breed; comparatively flat 

 sided; deficient in the fore quarter but full in the hind 

 one; not fattening so early, but yielding a longer and 

 a heavier fleece. 



The Cotswold have been crossed considerably by 

 tlie Leicester, and the prevalent breed may be said to 

 consist of half Leicester, half Cotswold. Though a 

 distinct breed of sheep, the similarity that presents it- 

 self in the Bakewell and Cotswold sheep of this coun- 

 try, would carry conviction to the mind of any breed- 

 er, that the cross has been carried to a very consider- 

 able extent, upon most, if not all of the sheep ol this 

 name imported into America. In some parts of this 

 country — for instance, in the territory of Iowa, or any 

 other, where wool is the object and not the carcase — 

 the pure Colswold is the better sheep; they are more 

 easily kept; are larger, though not so well formed in 

 the body, and produce a heavier fleece. This is speak- 

 ing comparatively between the Cotswold and the Lei- 

 cester. 



The improved Cotswold, which is the sbeep we 

 have here, will weigh from 25 to 40 lbs. per quarter; 

 and yield a fleece of from 7 to 8 pounds on the av- 

 erage. 



The pure Linconshire sheep, like the pure Cots- 

 wold, is fast disappearing. Culley describes them as 

 having no horns; white faces; long, thin, and weak 

 carcoses; the ewes weighing from 14 to 20 lbs per 

 quarter, and the wethers from 20 to 30 lbs.; with 

 thick, rough, white legs; large bones; thick pelts, 

 and long wool, from teit to eighteen inches, and 

 weighing from S to 14 lbs. per Heece. According to 

 Ellis, they were the longest legged and largest car- 

 cassed sheep of all others; and although their U'gs and 

 bellies were for the most part void of wool — yet 

 they carried more wool on them than any other sbeep 

 whatsoever. The contest for supremacy between the 



Lincolnsand the Leicesters ^as long and aerimunioi 

 and doubt even now exists m the minds of some, w! 

 regard to the relative value of the respective breecW 

 The cross of the Leceistershire ram on the Lincoh 

 ewe, displayed to a great extent the excellencies of th 

 male parent, and the wether attained its maturity h 

 a year less time than it was accustomed to, with lee 

 compariitive expense of food even in that time. Thi 

 Lincolnshire sheep now, is for the most part croesei 



th the Leceist'^r — as indeed is the case with nios 

 of the long wooled varieties. The average weight o 

 the fleece of the present sheep, is about 7 lbs., and o 

 the pure Lincoln, not more than 9 lbs. — the lengtl 

 of the staple from 8 to 9 inches. 



There are other long wool sheep, but from the cro* 

 of the Lcicesler, they have generally imbibed so inuc! 

 of the characteristics of that breed that 1 think it ur, 

 necessary to give any lengthened description of them 



In a future number I will take a review of the shot 

 wool sheep, and give my opinion as to the adaplatioi 

 of the particular breeds to western farming purpnset 

 Yours, &c. UMBRA, 



American Wool Product. 



To those who have paid the subject but little ai 

 tention, the amount of money invested in the produt 

 tionof wool within the United States, will seem sui 

 prising. It is very generally beheved that this is quit 

 a secondary bran'-h of our general interest, insteadc 

 one of the most fruitful sources of our wealth, an. 

 bestdeserving the cherishing protection of our Gov 

 ernment. As shown by the returns of the late ccnsuE 

 we have in this country, exclusive of North Carolina 

 Michigan and Kentucy, 19,085,962 sheep ; and takiiu 

 ten dollars as the avepgo value of land necessary t 

 sustain a sheep and make a fair allowance for tbi 

 animals themselves, for the labor necessary for the« 

 proper superintendence with that rrquired to prepar 

 their product for its first market, which arc as muc 

 part of the investment as the land which sustaine 

 them, the aggregate amount of capital invested in thi 

 branch of industry will be at least two hundred mi, 

 lions of dollars This is certainly an immense sun: 

 and well deserves the attention of the General Gov 

 ernment. At present, England supplies us annuall 

 with some ten millions worth of broadcloths, and al 

 ter all chooses to import her wool from the continenl 

 to the entire exclusion of our own. In 1839, her er 

 tire import of this article was 57,395,944 pounds, an 

 while we had some 40,000,000 pounds ol wool re 

 maining at home, nearly two-fif hs of the whole woi 

 len manufocturcs of Great Britain came to the U. £ 

 And yet we have only $1.5,000,000 invested in woUe 

 manufactures. 



Of the aggregate amount ol wool grown in th 

 United Stales in 1839, New York produced 4,012, 

 144 pounds; Ohio, 3,650,970 ; Vermont, 2, '257 

 7^5; which, in proportion to her population, is niiic 

 the largest amount grown in any Slate ;Penn6ylvanli 

 3,076,783; Virginia, 2,672,044; Blaine, 1,475,551 

 New Hampshire, 1,260,988 ; Indiana, 1,202,209 

 Massachuseits. 1,055,591 ; Tennessee. 1,029,516 

 and the other Statts various amounts between tb 

 893,675 pounds of Connecticut, and the 45,524 < 

 Louisiana. — N. Y. Trilianc. 



Cnlture of the Tare or Vetch. 



A subscriber in Canada inquires whether any fai 

 mers in this region are in the practice of growin 

 English Tares; and if so with what success. W 

 should be pleased if some of our readers would giv 

 us the results of their experience on this subject. I 

 the meantime, the following, from the Farmer' 

 Cabinet, may be useful: 



"At a late meetingof the Philadelphia Agricultu 

 ral Society, a member inquired if any one prescr 

 could speak experimentally on the culture and valu 

 of the tare or \etch, which is in such very genert 

 use in England, where the summer-soiling system i 

 adopted; remarking, that from all acconnts the plan 

 must be astonishingly productive as well as nutritiotie 

 Having myself employed it for that purpose ver; 

 largely, and for many years, I would say, its produc 

 tivenees has never yet been overstated, or its valU' 

 overrated, as food for all kinds of cattle. Horses 

 milk cows, fatting beasts, sheep and hogs, will gro' 

 fat while feeding on it, and the older i: grows tl 

 more valuable it becomes, as the seed when formed 

 the pod, is far superior to onts or any other grain fo 

 the purpose of cattle feed; the seeds are black, an 

 the size of very small peas. The crop is used for soi 

 ing, by cutting while green and taking it to the sti 



