EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 489 



The shearing of 1873 gave: 



1 ram fleece, unwashed 25} J pounds. 



1 ram fleece, unwashed 22{^^ pounds. 



I ewe fleece, unwashed 21-5'^ pounds. 



23 ewe fleeces, unwashed 19-iV to 20i% pounds. 



31 ewe fleeces, unwashed IB^^g to 18|f pounds. 



42 ewe fleeces, unwashed 11-,'^ to 15J pounds. 



This record gives but 99 fleeces; 190 sheep were shorn. They were 

 of all ages, mostly ungrown ewes and ewes suckling lambs, and the 

 average was 13 pounds 4| ounces each. 



In May, 1874, the shearing was as follows : 



8-year-old ram gave 35iV pounds unwashed wool. 



3-year-old ram gave 21| pounds unwashed wool. 



3-year-old ram gave 19f pounds unwashed wool. 



5-year-old ram gave 19 pounds unwashed wool. 



1-year-old ram gave 18|t pounds unwashed wool. 



2-year-old ewe gave 22J pounds unwashed wool. 



2-year-old ewe gave 21^ pounds unwashed wool. 



2-year-old ewe gave 20| pounds unwashed wool. 



Thirty-one two-year-old ewes were shorn in all, the lowest fleece 

 weighing 14rfe pounds. The average of the 31 was 17f pounds. Seven 

 ewe lambs, one year and under, sheared 14, 15, 15, 15|, 16, 16f, and 

 16|f pounds. 



At the shearing in May, 1875, the heaviest ram fleece weighed 32J 

 pounds, 2 weighed 29 pounds, and 34 ran from 12 to 20 i)ounds. Eight 

 ewes gave fleeces exceeding 20 pounds, the heaviest of which was 25J 

 pounds. Fifty -three gave fleeces weighing from 12 to 16 pounds, and 

 27 from 17 to 19i| pounds. 



At the shearing in May, 1876, 12 ram fleeces averaged 21| pounds 

 each. The heaviest was 31 pounds, the lightest ISi-i-e pounds. Fifty 

 ewes averaged 16J pounds each, the heaviest being 27 and the lightest 

 12 1^6 pounds, aU unwashed. The length of staple was noticeable, all 

 but 1 ewe's being over 2^ inches. 



At the shearing of May, 1877, the heaviest fleece was that of a ram, 

 and it weighed 32 pounds. Twenty-five rams and 109 ewes gave the 

 following : 



Tram fleeces weighed SOi*^ to 20 1^ pounds. 



18 ram fleeces weighed 19|f to 15 pounds. 



7 ewe fleeces weighed 28 to 20 pounds. 



II ewe fleeces weighed 20 to 15 pounds. 



40 ewe fleeces weighed 15 to 13 pounds. 



51 ewe fleeces weighed 13 to 12 pounds. 



In May, 1878, the heaviest ram fleeces were 35J, 32, 31J, 30, and 27 

 pounds, the heaviest ewe fleeces 27, 26, 23^, 21, 20J, and 20 pounds. 



In 1880 28 rams sheared from 35J down to 16J pounds, the average 

 being 28^ pounds each. Fifty-six ewes, mostly yearlings, sheared from 

 21 pounds down to 14, the average being 15^^ pounds each. 



