MERINO II VRDIEST OF ALL BREEDS 



81 



Figure 13 — Karakul 

 Turkestan and Persia. 



Fig. 13 — Karakul Ram, owne< 



Cattle Co., Middlew^ater, Tex. 



d by Middlewater 



or Persian Fur sheep are natives of 

 This breed is valued for the skins of the 

 young lambs, which are 

 killed for their pelts 

 when three or four days 

 old. Fine quahty pelts 

 are worth as much as 

 •112 each. Karakuls be- 

 long to the fat-tailed 

 family of sheep. They 

 mature to medium size 

 and the mutton is of 

 high quality. The rams 

 are usually horned, the 

 ewes £ire hornless. The 

 ears are small and pen- 

 dulous, the face nar- 

 row. Face and legs are 



covered with short, glossy, dark hair. The wool is long and heur- 



Uke and varies in color from light gray to black. 



Mr. Alex Albright, Dundee, Texas, has developed the "Karalinc 



Fur Sheep," which is a cross between Karakuls and Lincolns. 



The Merino or Fine Wool Breed 



The Merino is the hardiest of cdl breeds and produces the finest 

 wool. Merinos came from Spain where they were kept in great 

 herds and trailed many miles to pasture. They have been de- 

 veloped in the United States into three classi's. 



Figure 14 — ' 'Class 

 A," very wrinkly and 

 has a dense, fine, oily 

 fleece. Rams of this 

 type sometimes sh<>ai 

 more than 30 pound-, 

 and ewes over 2.5 

 pounds. They are usu- 

 ally completely covei-(H' 

 with wool on face and 

 legs. "Class A" Me- 

 rinos are not valuable 

 for mutton, but pro- 

 duce the highest grade of clothing wool. 



Fig. 14 — Class "A" Merino Razn 



W. M. Staley, Marysville, Ohio 



owned by 



