406 SHEEP INDUSTRY OP THE UNITED STATES 



to 30. The lambs and fat sheep were disposed of to butchers in cities 

 and towns. The conversion of Merino flocks to coarse- wools continued. 

 In western New York, from 1875 to 1880, many of the best farmers crossed 

 Cotswold rams on Merino ewes with great satisfaction. Some of them 

 who made many crosses had flocks which for all practical purposes were 

 nearly equal to pure-blood long wools. These results were secured by a 

 careful selection of Cotswold rams of pure blood, and, where possible, 

 none others were used. In nearly all the western counties there was an 

 increased demand for mutton and more combing wool. The latter want 

 was supplied by the rapid conversion of the Merino flocks, and the caU 

 for mutton was answered by the shipments from the far Western States. 

 N'ot only had New York ceased to grow fine wool, but she had fallen 

 behind in the production of her own mutton. 



In 1870 the number of sheep, as returned by the United States cen- 

 sus, was 2,181,578, yielding 10,599,225 pounds of wool; in 3880 the 

 number returned was 1,715,180, yielding 8,827,195 pounds of wool. 

 The decrease in ten years was 366,398 sheep and 1,772,030 pounds of 

 wool. The average yield per head increased from 4.86 in 1870 and 

 4.95 in 1875 to 5.14 pounds in 1880. 



At no other period previous to 1882 were the New York flocks of 

 breeding Merinos so highly appreciated as at that date, nor was the 

 prospective demand on them so promising; and the breeders assumed 

 that no breed or family of domestic animals possessed such varied 

 characteristics and met such a diversity of wants as their Merino 

 sheep, varying greatly in size of carcass, form, and gener.al contour, in 

 fleece from short to long staple, with fiber varying from fine or broad- 

 cloth wools, medium quality, and long-stapled delaine wools, and 

 coarser, sti'onger-fibered, shorter staple clothing wools, at the same 

 time possessing another characteristic peculiarly their own, that of 

 folds or wrinkles, which more than any other gives character and indi- 

 viduality to the animal. With such varied characteristics in the 

 breed, and a demand for all its different grades of fleece, and a diver- 

 sity of tastes among its breeders, it was Jiot strange that it was diffi- 

 cult to find any two flocks similar in type and general chai'acteristics, 

 although nearly alike in blood or line of descent. The New York 

 breeders, by common consent, group this family of sheep under the 

 head of two distinct types, classified as American Merinos and Delaine 

 American Merinos, each supplying a special want of our manufacturers 

 in the product of wool , as well as meeting the fancy and taste of breeders. 

 Those who have a fancy for the American Merino type generally have 

 a common aim and object in breeding, and difi'er but very slightly in 

 what constitutes their highest ideal or perfect sheep. Hence they 

 endeavored, as a rule, to type breed their flocks, and selected, as far 

 as possible, the materials promising success in that direction, hoping 

 by untiring effort to establish the type which would reproduce itself 

 with almost unvarying certainty. 



