18 APPENDIX, No. I. 



The experiments made by M. Le Blanc have fully afcer* 

 tained, that neither the foil, nor the climate, has fuch influ- 

 ence on the quality of the wool, as is commonly imagined *. 

 France pofTtfles in her extenfive dominions a great variety 

 of climate, and paftures of various kinds, calculated for 

 maintaining every fpecies of flieep. Yet it is only within 

 thefe few years that it could boafi: of flocks of fine-wool'd 

 Iheep. According JLo M. Le Blanc, the bad quality of the 

 wool in France, and he might have added, in other parts of 

 Europe, is entirely owing to the inattention and ignorance 

 of the farmer, who, neglefting to preferve the beft fpecies, 

 and to extirpate the bad, infenfibly fufFers the moft valuable 

 part of his property to degenerate and to perifh before him. 

 " Under the hand of an intelligent pofieiTor (he adds), na- 

 ture is embellifhed and brought to perfeftion ; whereas, 

 when left to ignorance and floth, it is rapidly degraded." 



From the fame experiments, it appears, that the quality 

 of the v/ool depends principally upon the male ; and that, 

 when the ram is of the beft fpecies, the fecond or third ge- 

 neration always carries the fineft poffible wool. It is afto- 

 nifliing, therefore, with what rapidity any breed might be 

 multiplied and brought to perfection. An hundred rams 

 and a thoufand ewes of tlie Spanifli breed, and a proper 

 number of Englifli ewes, might, in the fpace of ten years, 

 be increafed to a million, and might fupply thefe kingdoms 

 with all the line wool that It now imports from Spain. For 

 it is to be obferved, that one ram is fufficient for fifty ewes 

 at an average ; and that the offspring of Englifli ewes would 



produce, 



ounces of waihcd wool; and as the firfl: aivd fecond quality of liis wool fold, 

 in 1787, for four livres per pound, it follows, that the deece of a young ram 

 was worth about 24 livres, or L.I Sterlirg;. 



* M. Le Elanc acknowledges, that the paflure has great influence on the 

 /izg of the Ihcer, and confequcntly that the large Iheep of Flanders and Lin- 

 Ci-lnlhire would diminiih in a dry and arid pafture; but the wool which thf 

 animal prcduc.-d Wfuid continue nearly the f;!mc. 



