SILESIAN MERINOS. 39 



" 1st. I have made importations for myself and George 

 Campbell of Silesian sheep, as follows : 



Jn the year 1851, say 40 ewes and 15 bucks. 



do. 1833, do 37 do. 4 do. 



do. 1854, do Ill So. 13 do. 



do. 1856, do 34 do. a do. 



... 212 34 do. 



"In 1854 I Visited Silesia and made the purchases myself. 



" 2d. The sheep were bred by Louis Fischer, of Wirchen- 

 blatt, Silesia, except a few which were bred by his near 

 neighbor. Baron Weidebach, who used Fischer's breeders. 



"3d. Theii- origin is Spain. In 1811 Ferdinand Fischer, 

 the father of Louis Fischer, the present owner of the flock, 

 visited Spain himself and purchased one hundi-ed of the best 

 ewes he could find of the Infantado flocks, and four bucks 

 from the Negretti flock, and took them home with him to 

 Silesia, and up to the present day they have not been crossed 

 with any other flocks or blood, but they have been crossed 

 within the families. The mode pursued is to number every 

 sheep and give the same nmnber to aU her increase; an 

 exact record is kept in books, and thus Mr. Fischer is enabled 

 to give the pedigree of every sheep he owns, running back to 

 1811, which is positive proof of their entire purity of blood. 

 The sheep are perhaps not as large as they would be if a little 

 other blood were infused ; but Mr. F. claims that entire purity 

 of blood is indispensably necessary to insure uniformity 

 of improvement when crossed on ordinary wool growers' 

 flocks ; and such is the general opinion of wool groovers in 

 Germany, Poland and Russia, which enables Mr. Fischer to 

 seU at high prices as many bucks and ewes as he can spare, 

 and as he and his father have enjoyed this reputation for so 

 many years, I am fully of opinion that he is right. From these 

 facts you will observe that my sheep are pure Spanish. 



"4th. Medium aged ewes shear from 8 to 11 pounds; 

 bucks from 12 to 16 pounds ; but in regard to ewes, it must 

 be borne in mind that they drop their lambs from November 

 to Februaiy, which lightens the clip somewhat. I do not 

 wash my sheep. 



" 5th. I have sold my clip from 30 to 45 cents, according 

 to the market. 



" 6th. We have measured the wool on quite a number of 

 sheep, and find it from one and a half to two inchess long, say 

 eight months' growth, but I have no means of knowing what 

 it would be at twelve months' gi'owth. 



