CAECASS OF THE MEEINO. 69 



Bi'itain the Merino was soon found not to meet the requirements 

 of the market and prevailing systems of agriculture; and its 

 breeding has heen but little pursued there. In France and 

 Germany considerable has been -written concerning it, but 

 most of it is inapplicable here, because the standards of 

 excellence adopted in each of those countries differ essentially 

 from those accepted in our own. Indeed, our own standards 

 have materially changed within a few years, owing to 

 circumstances already mentioned. It is for this last reason 

 that the valuable works on Sheep Husbandry which have 

 appeared id the United States do not furnish full information 

 in regard to those points of the Merino sheisp which now best 

 meet the requirements of the market and the interests of the 

 grower. This information is the more needful at a moment 

 when multitudes of comparatively inexperienced persons, 

 under the stimulus of an extraordinary demand for wool, are 

 engaging in its production.* 



Carcass. — Carcass is undoubtedly the first point to be 

 regarded, even in the fine-wooled sheep, for on its form and 

 constitution depends the health of the animal. Good medium 

 size, for the family^ is the most desirable one under ordinary 

 circumstances, for with that size generally go the best 

 development of the parts and the greatest degree of vigor. 

 The body should be round and deep, not over long, and both 

 the head and neck short and thick. The back should be 

 straight and broad ; the bosom and buttock full ; the legs 

 short, well apart, straight and strong,- with heavy forearm 

 and fulness in the twist. I decidedly incline to the opinion 

 that it is not advisable to attempt to bring all our American 

 Merinos to the same standard of size. There are now two 

 well marked families — the Infantado, which have been bred 

 large, and the Paulars, which have been kept a size or two 

 smaller and shorter. The former are for the rich lands, the 



" Galatea," he Bays many of its shepherds and shepherdesses are only such in their 

 costome; and this describes all the pastoral romance and poetry of Spain from 

 Montemayftr's " Diana Bnamorato" down to Lope de Vega's "Arcadia.' If there is 

 a book in the Spanish tongue on the practical topics of Sheep Husbandry I have never 

 heard of it I , , . ^ ^ . v i. 



* The prices of pure Merino sheep were nearly as high, and m some cases higher, 

 durlnff the fell and winter of 1863-68 than they were between 1808 and 1815. Consider- 

 able flocks of ewes were sold at $100 a head, and small numbers at every intermediate 

 price between this and $300, $400, or even $500, a head. One breeder sold some ewes 

 at $600 and declined much higher offers for favorite individuals. He declined an offer 

 of $20 000 for 60 ewes. Had they been sold, the purchaser was to receive $15,000 for 

 half 0^ them from other parties. I state this on the authority of the person making 

 the offer Mr A. M. Clark, of St. Albans, Vermont. Choice rams sold for $600 to $600, 

 and for one or two very celebrated ones $S,BOO a piece could have been taken. 



