SHEEP. 



other ftates, they were probably known long before. They 

 have lately fpread much in this country, and been greatly 

 improved in different refpeAs, by judicious croffing with 

 other forts. The horns in the true Merino rams are now of 

 a middle fize ; the faces and legs darkilh-white, the latter 

 rather inclined to be too long. The wool is uncommonly 

 fine, and weighs about ^i lbs. to the fleece, not being 

 Uable to deteriorate in this climate. The fleeces have a 

 dark brown tinge in their furfaces, formed by dull if icking 

 on the greafy yolky property of its pile ; the contrail be- 

 tween which and the rich white coloured wethers, and the 

 rofy hue of the Ikiii, is very flriking on the firit view. 



Some crofs the Merino rams with Devonfhire ewes, but 

 the Ryelands are more commonly preferred. They confider 

 five crofles as neceflary for reaching perfeftion ; and on that 

 ground properly conclude, that the wool of the firft crofs 

 can only reafonably be fuppofed to be worth about •]d. the 

 pound more than that of the maternal flock, on the idea 

 that it will, in five croil'es, be of the value of y. above that 

 of the Ryeland ewe ; making an improvement of about •]d. 

 in each crofs. And that if the wool, when this fort is 

 mixed with the moll valued native breeds, does not gain its 

 neceflary degree of finenefs in lefs than five crofles, it is un- 

 reafonable to expeft the full price for it at one crofs. It is, 

 however, certain that the animal is improved by a mixture 

 with the Ryelands, and that the wool will not ultimately be 

 found inferior to that of the Spanilh flock. The Spanifh 

 crofs with the South Down and Ryeland, in feveral de- 

 grees, is diffuflng itlelf in many dittriAs with great benefit. 

 With the latter, in Devonfhire, the wether produce, at 

 two years old, weigh 15 lbs. the quarter, and afford a fleece 

 of 5 lbs. each, worth 3X. the pound. In other cafes, the 

 weight of mutton is greater in the fii-fl crofs ; and the fhear 

 of wool from 6| lbs. to 7 lbs. in the yoak to the fleece, at 

 the fame age. Croffes with fome other fine-wooUed breeds 

 are likewife made with great utility. 



But according to Dr. Parry, who has had great ex- 

 perience of this breed, they are, as ftated in a late work 

 on Live-ltock, entirely enveloped in wool, which grows 

 under the jaws, down the forehead to the eyes, under the 

 belly, and down the legs to the very feet. It is alloiiifh- 

 ing to fee how thickly it covers the fkin ; it will fcarccly 

 give way to the preflure of the hand, but yields as it were 

 by flarts, like the cloie Ihort hair of an extremely fine 

 clothe^-brufli. In walhing them, the water penetrates to 

 the fkin with great difficulty. The fleece is heavier, in 

 proportion to the carcafe, than that of any other known 

 breed in Europe. In the raw Hate (unwaflied on the 

 fheep's back or afterwards), the fleeces of the two-years 

 old ewes average at 47;lbs. avoirdupois, and the weight 

 of the living ewe being about 6olbs. tlic proportion of wool 

 to that of carcafe is about ilb. to iZrJbs. The fl(.-ece of 

 a fat wcdder of the fame age will be from jibs, to ylbs. 

 In eight fhearlmg rains, weighed ahve, after having been 

 clipped, the weight of the fleece to that of the living ani- 

 mal, was as one to about twelve and three quarters. The 

 wool from the head and behind the ears, and the reft of 

 the refufe, generally called daglocts, had been previoufly 

 taken away. It is added, that had thcfe fheep been wafhed 

 before fliearing, their fleeces would have lofl about a ninth 

 part. And that the length of the llaple or filaments varies. 

 In a ihearling ram, fhorn when a lamb, a famplc of the 

 wool cut cloie to the fliin above the fhoulder, was three 

 inches and a half in length ; and that of the breech, or 

 middle of the back part of the thigh, three inches and three 

 quarters : of an ewe of the fame age, about a quarter of 

 an inch fhorter : the average according very exadlly with 



the fpecimens taken from newly imported Spanifh fheep. 

 An inttance of the extraordinary length of ftaple, of four 

 inches and three quarters, is related, wliich from the fcoured 

 fleece produced a fample more than live inches long. The 

 proportion of fine wool in the fleeces of the Spanifh fheep 

 is much greater than thofe of any pure EngUih breed. 

 Thus, while in the Ryeland, which is probably divided into 

 four or five forts, the fineft wool from the neck and fhoulderi 

 does not make above one-eighth part of the whole fleece : 

 in that of his majefly's flock, the fine wool formed near 

 four-fifths of the whole. It is farther obferved, that of 

 Dr. Parry's wool, confifling of whole fleeces taken from 

 fheep which had not more than three or four crolfes of 

 the Spaniard, and divided into three forts (R. F. T. ), ac- 

 cording to the Spanifh method, ijjilbs. produced of R. 

 or Rafinos, or fuperfine, i04lbp. more than two-thirds of 

 the whole. And the uniformity of finenefs in the improved 

 wool is fuch, that in fliewing fpecimens from tliefe differ- 

 ent parts of the fame animal, (the fliouldcr and the breech,) 

 which are generally confidered as producing the beft and 

 the worft wool ; the doftor never met with any three per- 

 fons who could agree which was the finelt, and many 

 good judges adlually decided in favour of the latter. This 

 wool contains a great deal of yolk, or oil, which is apt to 

 entangle the dufl of the fields, fo as often to form a kind 

 of mat of nearly an inch in thicknels ; it is remarkably, or 

 rather wholly free from ilitchel hairs or kemps. Brownnefs 

 in the wool of any particular fheep is an indication of 

 fuperior finenefs (and inch was the colour of the ancient 

 fine-woolled fheep, and we need not look for the caufe in 

 any peculiar quality of foil or compofition mixed with the 

 wool) ; It will neverthelefs fcour white. But according to 

 lord Somerville, this dark-brown tnige on the furface of 

 the befl fleeces amounts almolt to a black, which is 

 formed by dull adhering to the greafy yolky properties of 

 its pile ; and the contraft between it and the rich white 

 colour within, as well as that rofy hue of the fkin, pecu- 

 liarly denoting high proof, furprife at firIt fight. The 

 harder the fleece is, and the more it refills any outward 

 preffure of the hand, the more clofe and fine will be the 

 wool. Here and there a fine pile may be formed with an 

 open fleece, though but rarely. And in Mr. Toilet's Spanifli 

 flock, purchafed from lord Somerville, the average weight 

 of each Spanifh fleece in the greafe was jibs. 13 oz., and 

 the lightcfl ewe fleece jibs. 40Z., and the heaviell ram 

 fleece illbs. 12 oz. of very good quality. This ram was 

 not quite thirteen montlis old at fliear-day, and was ad- 

 judged to weigh 2olbs. per quarter. Mr. Toilet declined 

 the price of two hundred guineas for him, likewil'e that of 

 one hundred for the ufe of him during the tupping feafon : 

 he does not wafli his Merino flieep before Ihearing, fince, 

 from the clofcnefs of the fleece, it is not mucli liable to 

 the iiitrufion of dirt : as it does not lofe quite half its 

 weight in fcouring by the manufadturer, an ellimate may 

 be made after that rate of the value of the fleece in the 

 yolk. The fleece of tiie young ram produced upwards of 

 35^. and the average produce of the whole unwaflied Me- 

 rino wool iSj-. ()d. each fleece. The price of the fuper- 

 fine more than four-iiftlis of the whole, 6s. yl. and 6s. per 

 pound of tluf ttiird fort, or frils, which was but about one 

 pound in the whole quantity. Mr. Bartley has fomewhere 

 mentioned, that tour wethers of this breed produced the 

 quantity of jj^lbs. of wool; and of fi'veral ewes which 

 produced 8 lbs. each, and of a wether whicii gave icAlbs. 



In the introdudlion of this breed iiis inajelly, as has been 

 feen, ha? taken the lead, and from his flock a great num- 

 ber of the improvers of it have been fupphed m the dif- 

 ferent 



