364 SHKEP HUSBANDRY. 



And the sheep that in 1809 sold for one dollar, in 18 14 were valued at 

 one thousand. But the war ended, the fever subsided, and the interest 

 in breeding American merinos ceased for a time. 



The American Merino is found at the present time in great perfection 

 in numerous flocks, and possesses many distinguishing characteristics. 

 Harry Stewart in "The Shepherd's Manual" describes them as follow^: 

 The Carcass. "The carcass should be plump, medium sized, round, 

 deep, not long in proportion to roundness, the head and neck short and 

 thick; the back should be straight and broad, the breast and buttock 

 full; the legs short, well apart, and strong, with heavy forearm and full 

 twist. This compact figure indicates a hardy constitution, ease of keep- 

 ing, and good feeding properties. 



Skin. The skin should be a deep rich rose color, thin, mellow, loose, 

 and elastic on the body. This indicates a healthy, well conditioned ani- 

 mal. A pale or tawny skin, indicates impurity of blood, or at least 

 weakness of constitution, and is therefore objectionable. 



F'olds and "Wrinkles. These are permissible to a certain extent. 

 The fashion in this regard has doubtless passed beyond the bounds of 

 wisdom, and excessive wrinkling or folding of the skin is unsightly and 

 useless, if not worse. In shearing, it causes a waste of time, and gives 

 no adequate return in wool. A deep, soft, plaited dewlap on both ewes 

 and rams, and some slight wrinkles on the neck of the ram, satisfied the 

 early breeders in this respect. While heavy neck-folds on the ram, and 

 short ones back of the elbow and on the rump, are tolerated by breeders 

 at the present time, yet it is simply fashion, and adds nothing to the 

 value of the animal, but on the contrary is dearly paid for in the in- 

 creased cost of shearing. An exception to this may be taken in respect 

 to rams to be used in improving the poor, smooth-skinned native race 

 common on the western plains, in which case a heavy-yolked and much 

 wrinkled ram may be found desirable. 



The Fleece. A sheep bred exclusively, or chiefly, for wool, must 

 necessarily be valued in proportion to the value of the fleece. 1 ae wool 

 of a pure bred Merino of any value, should stand at right angles to the 

 skin, presenting a dense, smooth, even surface on the exterior, opening 

 nowhere but in those natural cracks or divisions which separate the fleece 

 into masses. These masses should not be small in size, or they indicate 

 excessive fineness of fleece; a quarter of an inch is the limit in this re- 

 spect; nor too large, lest the wool be coarse and harsh. The length 

 should be such as, combined with thickness of staple, will give the 



