CHAPTER III. 



EUROPEAN SHEEP 



ITALIAN— SPANISH, MERINOS, fcc— FRENCH-SWISS 

 ITALIAN SHEEP. 



When the Roman Empire was at its height of power, the 

 sheep of Jtaly surpassed all others in the fineness of their 

 fleeces., "The best wool, of all others," says Pliny, "is 

 that of Apulia, which is of a very short staple, and especial- 

 ly in request for cloaks and mantles." 



Ancient authors represent the Italian sheep and wool as 

 being cultivated with a degree of care, which, if true, out- 

 strips every thing in modern timesv^ The reason of this is 

 obvious. The sumptuous Roman was clothed at one period 

 in woollen fabrics, and ambitious to appear in none other 

 than the finest, induced the extreme assiduity in perfecting 

 the material for its manufacture. At length the silk and 

 cotton fabrics of the East were introduced, which, on being 

 found better adapted to the climate, caused the excessive 

 care of the sheep to relax, which were soon after cultivated 

 more for the carcass than the fleece. The celebrated breeds 

 of Apulia and Taientum ultimately disappeared, and were 

 succeeded by a larger, coarser, but, under the altered cir- 

 cumstances, more profitable race. 



The remarks of Mr. Youatt concerning the old Tarentine 

 or Tarentum breed, the admitted probable progenitors of 

 the famed Merino, will be read with interest. 



" Although the old Tarentine sheep produced a wool un- 

 equalled in early times, they were not without their defects, 

 and very serious ones too. They were called by the agri- 

 culturists of. those days pellite, from the skins and other 

 clothing- with which they were covered; and also molles, 

 not only from the softness of their fleece, but from the deli- 

 qacy of their constitution, and the constant care that was re- 



