S6 APPENDIX, No. IV. 



to be flinted for food ; and, if ever that happens, the 

 wool produced at that time is found to be of a dry and 

 brittle quality, that can never be made to wear well in 

 any fabric of cloth whatever. The wool of thefe regions, 

 therefore, Ihould not only be fine, but foft, tough, and 



elaflic, 



perience of every man who has ever bred flock of any kind will be fuffi- 

 cieut, if he be not prejudiced, to convince him of the truth of what is faid* 



Should a ram only of a fine breed be introduced, the improvement 

 produced on the luholc would doubtlefs be much greater than if a ewe only 

 had been obtained ; for there may be from 50 to 80 iambs produced in one 

 feafon from one ram, though only one or two, or, at the mofl:, three 

 lambs could be afforded by one ewe. But by means of a i-am only, the 

 breed could never be improved to equal the parent flock, as the following 

 reafoning- will full)' fhew. 



Let us fuppofe that the quality of the fine breed was as one, and that of 

 the coarfe as tivo ; and that, on an average, the crofs breed fliould equally 

 participate of the nature of both parents. 



Thefirll crofsbrced produced by the ram, (which would be produced when 

 he was two years old), when compared to the fine flock, would be as one 

 and a half to one. 



The fecond crofs, (which, allowing the ewe to be two years old, would 

 be produced when the ram was four), would be, when compared to the fine 

 flock, as I ^ to r. 



The third crofs. If the ram lived till he was fix years old, would be as 

 l| to I. 



Suppofing this ram then to die, and no frefti importation of the parent 

 ftock, it is plain, that this breed could never be finer than 1^, even if it 

 fhould be kept from Intermixing with the coarfe flock. But if a breed of 

 I^ fine were to mix with the original breed at a, the crofs would be 

 only the finenefs of if^: and fo on, by every frefli intermixture, the fine- 

 wooUcd breed would gradually be debafed; and by approaching nearer to 

 the original flock in the country. It would at lad totally difappear. 



But if along with the ram one or more ewes of the fame breed were 

 introduced, and kept entirely apart from other rams, the breed would be 

 preferved in its original purity, the ewes of that breed would increafe in 

 number, and pure rams could be fent off from it in abundance, always 

 to go on Improving the quality of the crofs breed, till they fliould at laft 

 become, in many generations, fo much the faiac with tlic other as no' 

 to be diilingulfiiabk from it. 



