2G0 



observance of the rule, in breeding, to keep these merinos entirely se- 

 parate from all other sheep ; their blood was, by this means, pre- 

 served pure; no mixture of them with either of the pre-existing races 

 being allowed, on any pretence whatever. And to this day, the 

 Saxon sheep breeder will not permit one to lose sight of this impor- 

 tant fact, in proof of which, I call your attention to this clause in the 

 letter of Mr. V. Kirchen, the farmer of the slock sheep-fold of the 

 Duke of Parma, in the county of Dresden, called "Weistropp," which 

 accompanies these 16 beautiful specimens, — '■^ these sheep are the de- 

 scendants of the original importation from Spain, of 1178." 



I consider this collection of specimens of Saxony wool as a practi- 

 cal illustration of my theory of sheep breeding and fine wool growing, 

 verifying the rule which I laid down, long before I saw these spe- 

 cimens, that to insure a pure and perfect breed of fine woolled sheep, it 

 is absolutely necessary to preserve the two species of these animals 

 entirely separate, and not to mix the merinos with the common sheep 

 of the country, as is too often done in the United States. 



If any American sheep breeder still entertains a latent doubt as to 

 the soundness of this rule, he is invited to inspect this collection, to 

 have passed, separately, in review, the specimens from the various 

 sheepfolds, and particularly to notice that this is not a collection of 

 piched locks, from those parts of the animal where the wool is usually 

 the finest; but that in order to afford the greatest facility of judging 

 of the sheep from the wool, samples are given from all parts of the 

 body, the shoulders, the withers, the back, from under the belly, the 

 tail and the legs : let these be carefully examined, and they will be 

 found to be all itwol ; not a hair to be found upon those parts of the 

 sheep where the impure race commence showing hair. 



I consider this uniformity and entirety of fibre as an unerring test 

 o^ purity of blood; and therefore cannot but regard Saxony as an 

 example-, upon a large scale, and worthy of being followed, of the 

 perfection of sheep husbandry. 



It will be recollected that I have heretofore shown, by actual ad- 

 measurements with the microscope and micrometer, that as fine wool 

 can be produced in the United States, as in any part of the world; 

 there is therefore no deficiency in climate or soil; all that the 

 American agriculturist requires is to procure a pure breed, and to 

 preserve them uncontaminated by spurious crossings. To obtain the 

 former, I proffer free inspection of my cabinet, where there will be 

 found samples of all the varieties, with references to the sheep-fold 



