EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI EIVER. 



625 



The shearing at Saline for 1891 showed several rains that exceeded a 

 fleece of 30 pounds and ewes that exceeded 18 pounds. The age, weiglit 

 of sheep, weight of fleece, and length of staple are here given : 



EAMS. 



Ago. 



Weight of 

 sheep. 



Weiglit of 

 flobce. 



Lengtii of 

 staple. 



Six years old 



Three years old 



130 



Four years old 



Three years old 



Six years old 



Three years old 



EWES. 



Four years old 



Six years old 



Four years old 



Three vears old 



i)o 



Two years old 



Do 



Three years old 



Two years old 



Do 



One year old 



Two years old 



Three years old 



Pounds. 

 161 

 130 

 164 

 181 

 163 

 171 

 180 



Lbs. Oz. 

 35 

 32 

 30 



36 4 

 32 

 34 

 32 



Inches. 



2 

 2i 

 3 

 2 



2J 



2 



li 



2i 



2 



2* 



2| 



2i 



2* 



With the exception of three, all these fleeces were less than 365 days' 

 growth, many of them were 364 days. Most of the sheep belonged to 

 the Wood flocks, and B". A. Wood, in a communication to the Michigan 

 Farmer, claimed that the shearing demonstrated that he had the " most 

 heavy ewe fleeces of any flock in the United States of America." He 

 cites the fact that few, if any, were more than a year's growth, and — 



The 62 sheared at the Saline public shearing were shorn there the last year one day- 

 later, so were less thau a year. I have 22 that sheared 440 pounds; lightest 17^ 

 pounds; heaviest, 28 pounds. Ten of these sheared 225 pounds; an average of 22|- 

 pounds. The four heaviest were sheared at Saline, except one (she heing heavy in 

 lamb I conld not take her) and out 100} pounds, an average of 25 pounds 3 ounces. 

 All but three of the 22 ewes have had lambs (mostly in March, 1891), and nearly all 

 are raising their lambs. The three that I mentioned were 2-year-oIds and have not 

 bred. 



The improvement of the Merino sheep in Michigan attests the adap- 

 tation of the soil, climate and herbage to them and the skill of the Mich- 

 ifan breeders. A comparison with the early Merinos of the country 

 will show the improvement. In 1883 six fleeces of Michigan sheep 

 (stock rams), whose average live weight was 117^ pounds, realized 49 im- 

 pounds scoured wool, or an average of Sf^r pounds per fleece. The least 

 was 7 pounds, the heaviest 9 pounds 2^ ounces. Compared with Chan- 

 cellor Livingston's sheep about 1810, theii- unwashed fleeces averaged 

 7i| pounds, the best one at fourteen months 9-fi. pounds. The average 

 live weight of the Livingston sheep was 125 pounds. The per cent of 

 22990 40 



