EAST OF THK MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 383 



wool yielded by the greater part of Ms sheep would bear comparison 

 with that found on the best sheep of Spain, and at length exceeded it 

 in fineness and value; and in the course of a few years his returns were 

 multiplied more than twenty -fold. 



Mr. J. G. Eisner, in his history of SUesian sheep, giving an account of 

 the origin of nearly 300 Silesian flocks, leaves the impression that the 

 Silesians are a cross between the Xegretti of Spain and the Electorals 

 of Saxony. Under the head of " History of some flocks which were 

 founded from the so-called Kegretti and Electoral Merinos " he describes 

 the Lichnowskyan flocks. The sheep forming the original fine-wooled 

 flock of the Duke of Lichnowsky were descendants of the original 

 importation of Spanish sheep at Holitsch and Mannusdorf. His flock 

 was a private one, and located near Troppau, in Silesia. The type of his 

 sheep was Negretti-Infantado. The wool was very strong, containing 

 a large quantity of grease; the body, barrel- shaped; the head well cov- 

 ered with wool, and folds around the neck; wool covering the limbs Avell 

 down towards the extremities; the skin of a deep rose color — these are 

 the main characteristics of the type. At that period sheep were 

 esteemed valuable in proportion to the many folds they had on the neck 

 and body, and that became the prevailing type in Moravia, Austrian 

 and Prussian Silesia, and adjoining provinces. 



In 1801 the Duke Lichnowsky traveled in Saxony, where he discov- 

 ered that the Saxony Merino had many desirable qualities which were 

 not possesed by his own flocks. At about the same time the fine, soft. 

 Electoral wool was very much sought after throughout all the Austrian 

 and German states. The flock owned by the Duke had been very care- 

 fully bred and selected, and had many desirable qualities of which the 

 Electorals were destitute. He concluded to combine the two types and 

 thus secure the desirable qualities of both. He quietly secured one of 

 the most highly prized rams of Saxony origin, and the progeny of this 

 ram, bred to the Merino ewes of Silesian parentage, were all that the 

 most sanguine could expect. Soon after he procured a second ram, 

 and in a v^ery short time sheep of these crosses were in great demand 

 as breeders ; he furnished them to other sheep-raisers as far as prudence 

 and the interests of his own flock would permit, and from this com- 

 mencement has grown one of the types of sheep known throughout the 

 world as Silesians. 



Another celebrated Silesian flock was that of Gross Herrlitz. The 

 domain of Gross Herrlitz was the property of the Duke Eugene of 

 Ubrna, in Troppau, Silesia, and in 1842 was in possession of the oldest 

 Merino flock in this region of country, and which must be classed with 

 the first flocks of Germany; and this flock has furnished more improved 

 breeding ewes and done as much, if not more, than any other to dis- 

 seminate and encourage the growth of fine wool. The history of this 

 fine flock is thus briefly told : 



In the last quarter of the preceding century there was great attention paid to fine 

 wool, and many sheep ftom the best floots in Spain were introduced into Austria. 



