444 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



After he is a year old, he is called a shearing, a shear hog, and 

 a shearling wether when castrated. At three years old, a three 

 shear ram, &c. 



Sheep were, probably, the earliest of domesticated animals, and 

 formed the chief wealth of the patriarchal tribes. It is not known 

 when they were introduced into Europe; they have an advantage 

 over nearly all other quadrupeds from the fact that they can be 

 reared upon soils and in situations where horned cattle could not 

 exist, on account of the scantiness of the herbage. In usefulness 

 they rank next to the cow. Their fleece varies according to the 

 temperature of the climate. In cold countries, the wool is exces- 

 sively fine; and in warm countries, it resembles hair; nature 

 covers the animal, according to the heat or cold it is intended to 

 bear. I believe sheep are the only animals entirely dependant 

 upon man for support aiid care, when left to themselves, they 

 become subject to disease, and a prey to wild beasts. The varie- 

 ties of sheep in the world are, almost endless; and even in our 

 country, they can scarcely be accurately described. Some are 

 valuable on account of their fleece, others for the quality of their 

 meat; some are particularly large and fatten with ease, but their 

 flesh is coarse; others are small, and although they cannot be 

 made fat, produce fine flavored meat, with a close fine grain. The 

 quality of flesh is aifected by food; those animals that range over 

 mountainous countries, and feed upon wild grass, possess a much 

 finer flavor than those fed upon rich and luxuriant pastures. If 

 sheep are managed for the purpose of producing long wool, they 

 will not yield fine mutton. A species of sheep is common in Asia 

 and Africa, which have large flat tails, weighing from thirty to 

 forty pounds, consisting entirely of fat and marrow, which is used 

 for cooking instead of butter and lard; both sides of this tail are 

 covered wath wool. The best variety of sheep for profitable pro- 

 duction of wool in our climate, is the Merino; they are undoubt- 

 edly superior, on this jiointjto all other breeds. There are three 

 varieties of them among us, and they are all equally valuable — 

 the French, Silesian and Spanish; they are descended from the 

 Merinos of Spain, and have been bred by us for more than forty- 

 five years. If well kept, a flock will average four pounds of 

 •clean wool to the fleece, worth thirty cents per pound, and will 

 each cost to keep a year, about seventy-five cents. The profit of 

 keeping sheep is about 22 per cent on the capital invested, inclu- 

 ding the expense of keeping. 



