EAST OP THE MISSISSIPPI EIVER. 555 



of 20^ pounds. Three 2-year-old rams averaged 18| pounds, and 3 

 yearling rams 13 pounds. Spanish ewes at 3 years old gave 15^ and 8f 

 pounds; 2 years old 10, 11, and 12J pounds, and yearlings from 7J to 

 15 pounds, the average of 8 being lOf pounds. 



At the Wyandot County exhibition 74 sheep were on the ground, but 

 only 34 were shorn. Four yearling rams, whose average weight was 82 

 pounds, sheared 12J pounds of wool each. Five 2 years old and over, 

 whose average weight was 106i pounds, sheared 18^ pounds each. 

 Ten yearling ewes averaged 58j% pounds of carcass and 10 pounds 33 

 ounces of wool. Fifteen ewes 2 years old and over averaged 76 pounds 

 to the carcass and 11 pounds 14f ounces of wool. The general average 

 of the 34 sheep was 76| pounds of carcass and 12 pounds 8^ oimces of 

 wool. 



The Geauga County shearing took place May 23. The Merinos receiv* 

 ing the premiums are presented in this table : 



Weight. 



Fleece. 



Two-year-old ram — 

 Do 



Three-years-old ram. 



Yearling ram 



Do 



The yearling ewes receiving premiums weighed 48f, 54^, and 53 

 pounds and gave fleeces of 7|f, 8{%, and 7-^ pounds. The 2-years-old 

 ewes weighed 63J, 55J, and 70| pounds and their fleeces 11, 9, lO^^g. 

 pounds. 



Shearings were also held in the counties of Seneca, Portage, Lake, 

 Lucas, Wood, Morrow, Clarke, Media, Warren, Cuyahoga, Huron, 

 Ashtabula, Columbiana, Ashland, Trumbull, and Tuscarawas, and aU 

 bore witness to a great improvement in the Ohio Merinos. It was 

 observed also that the climate and food of Ohio being different from 

 that of Vermont caused a gradual change in the fleece — producing apti- 

 tude of the Merinos brought from Vermont. Less knowledge of the 

 laws of breeding, feeding, and less shelter caused the descendants of 

 the Vermont sheep to fall below the original standard, except in some 

 few cases where the Vermont practice was intelligently and closely 

 followed. 



But a new era had dawned on Ohio sheep husbandry. The number 

 of sheep increased from 1862 to 1868, but their value declined from 

 $3.50 per head in 1865 to $1.90 per head in 1868. There were causes 

 for this in the falling off in the demand for wool after the close of the 

 war, and the substitution of the coarse-wooled mutton sheep for the 

 flne-wooled Merino. This change began in 1862 and 1863. Previous 

 to this the longest and most lustrous combing wool grown in the coun- 

 try was used for the manufacture of carpets, and was compelled to 



