SHEEP. 



rsce, or what tlie Englilli graziers teclinically denominate 

 " breeding in and in," occifions a deterioration of the flock; 

 owin^ to this prejudice, the Swedifh farmers frequently 

 change the rams of the Spanifh race for others of the fame 

 race from neighbouring flocks, and fome proprietors bind 

 their farmers to renew a certain quantity of rams every 

 year. But this praftice is ufelefs, where the rams upon an 

 eftate are already of a good quality ; if the contrary v%'ere 

 the cafe, there could not exitl a perfeft Merino fheep in 

 Spain, as thefe iheep have continued to breed from the fame 

 (tock, without any attention to confanguinity, for many 

 centuries. The good quality of a race of (heep may be 

 preferved, either by felefting the moft perfedl from the fame 

 flock to breed from, or by conitantly taking out thofe which 

 are moft defeftive. 



The common food of (heep in Saxony, during winter, is 

 hay, which is diftributed three times a day, in a greater or 

 lefs quantity, according to the ftock of the farmer : thofe 

 who have not fufBcient hay, fubftitute peafe-ftraw, vetches, 

 and lentils. They take care to mow the crops before ma- 

 turity, that they maybe more nutritive, and to prevent the 

 fall of the leaves before mowing. Some farmers fupply 

 the deficiency of hay with powdered oil-cakes, crufhed 

 feeds, and meal ; they put the cake or meal into troughs 

 with water, which they give the fheep to drink, and after- 

 wards they give them the folid refidue, which finks to the 

 bottom of the trough. This treatment ferves to keep them 

 in a healthy ftate, at a feafon when they cannot have frefli 

 food. Eight pounds of cake or meal difFufed in water are 

 given to every hundred fheep. When the fnow remains long 

 on the ground, they fometimes give them Itraw which has 

 not been thrafhed, and even corn ; but as this is expenfive, 

 they generally fubftitute roots of different kinds, fucli as 

 beets, turnips, and carrots, but particularly potatoes. 



The Saxon farmers coUcft with great care the horfe-chcf- 

 nuts in autumn, which they give their (heep as a remedy 

 againft the rot. The nuts are cut fmall, to prevent them 

 getting into the throat, and choaking the animal. 



They fetid out their (heep in winter, when the weather 

 permits, and the fnow is not too deep, to the woods or dry 

 fituations (heltcred witii underwood. Proprietors who have 

 no winter pafturcs, leave their (heep in the (heep-houfes 

 from the beginning of November to April, but they take 

 care to turn them out each day in the fre(h air, for three or 

 four hours, and they keep open the doors, to caufe a con- 

 ilant ventilation. Some proprietors keep their (heep con- 

 fined the whole year ; and where the fheep-houfcs arc kept 

 clean, and the (heep are fupplied with proper food, this prac- 

 tice is not found to injure cither the wool or the animal. 



During line weather in furamer, they are allowed to range 

 in the palluri.";. They leave the flieep-lioule aftc- the dews 

 are entirely dilTipatcd, and they repofe in the (hade during the/ 

 heat of the day. Tliis pra6tice of providing (hade during 

 the hot weatlier cannot be too ftrongly recommended to the 

 cultivators of fine wool in England, both with refpedl to the 

 health of the animal and the improvement of the wool. Nor 

 is another prafticc lefs defeiving their attention, which is, to 

 fhelter them during heavy rains, hail-ftorms, and thick fogs. 

 In many (heep-houfes, water is condudled in troughs, from 

 which the (lieep may drink at pleafurc. Saxon farmers con- 

 fider (alt not only as neceflary to the health of (heep, but as 

 contributing to the finenefs of the fleece ; it is fprinkled in 

 their forage, and is didolved in their drink ; it is given prin- 

 cipally in fummer, when the weather is dry. They ceafe to 

 £lve it to the ewes five or fix weeks before lambing, bccaufe 

 they think tliat theexccfs of water which it occafions them 



Vol. XXXII. 



to drink, is injurious to them at that time, and that it alfo 

 prevents them from licking their lambs. 



The rams and ewes are not put together before the age of 

 two or three years : they allow one ram to twenty-five ewes, 

 and leave them together day and night during the feafon. 

 The lambs are kept in the (heep-houfes, but fome proprie- 

 tors allow them to go out with the ewes after eight days. 



Before (hearing, the flieep are waflicd in the Engli(h man- 

 ner, but with greater care. Firft they make them fwim 

 through a river or dam ; the following day they are again 

 driven through, and plunged in feparately, and the fleece 

 prelled with the hands, beginning from the head, and paff- 

 ing on to the extremities of the body ; they are again driven 

 through the water in the afternoon. The fleece is fulFered 

 to dry during two days, and (horn on the third. Saxony 

 wool, thus waflied, is much cleaner than the Englifli, which 

 generally undergoes but one wafhing. It lofes by a further 

 fcouring by the manufafturer, about i 2 per cent, more than 

 Spanifh wool already fcourcd. Enghlh wool lofes about 

 25 per cent, in the hands of the manutaAurer. 



The general treatment of the Saxon Merino (heep we 

 confider as judicious, but we have frequently noticed 

 that the wool had been fomewhat injured by want of 

 fuflicient nourilhmcnt in winter, which renders it tender. 

 The hay being given in racks, feeds and ftraws fall into the 

 fleece when the animal is eating, which the Englifh manu- 

 fafturer finds great difficulty in eradicating ; this might be 

 prevented, in a confiderable degree, by lowering the racks, 

 fo that the food might be level with the head, or fomewhat 

 below. 



As France is perhaps the moft formidable rival which our 

 manufafturers of fine cloths will meet in foreign markets, 

 the progrcfs made in the amelioration of her native flocks be- 

 comes an objeft of iatereft to the Engliih agriculturalift and 

 clothier. The celebrated minifter Colbert firft formed the 

 defign of improving the breeds of French (heep, by im- 

 portations from England and Spain. But his intentions 

 were at that time oppofeii. It was not till the year 1776 

 that the Spanifh breed was introduced into France by M. 

 M. Trudainc, intendant of finances, under the dirciSion of 

 the cckbratcd naturalill d'Aubcnton. The experiment* 

 which he made on thefe flieep, and numerous crofles from 

 them, with fcven diftinft breeds, which he had on his eftate 

 in Auxors, demondrated to the government that it was eafy 

 to introduce and preferve a race of fheep in France, pro- 

 ducing fupcrfine wool ; and in the year 1786, a feleflion of 

 376 rams and ewes, from the fined flocks in Spain, wa» 

 conduttcd, under the care of a mayor, to the farm of Ram- 

 bouillet. They confifted of indivi<luals of extraordinary 

 beauty, fuperior to any prcvioufly introduced into France, 

 but having been cholen from a number of diftnnt flocks, 

 they prefentcd great varieties of fliape and fi/.c, which hav« 

 fince diiappcarcd by intermixture ; and a now race has been 

 formed, didering from any of the primitive flock, but which 

 equals the bed of ihcm in form and conftitution, and in the 

 finenefs, length, foftnefs, elafticity, and quantity of wool. 



It is to be obferved, that the wool-dealers and manufac- 

 turers in France were at firft difpofcd to depreciate the value 

 of the wool ; but numerous accurate experiments having 

 proved that the cloths manufadlured from it were in evcrr 

 refpetl equal to thofe made from the bell Spanifli wool, thele 

 prejudices difappeared, and the republican government, aa 

 well as that of the emperor Napoleon, interefted themfelve* 

 in the further introduftion of Spanilh (heep into Fr.ince. 

 In the year 1802 it was calculated that there were one mil- 

 lion Ihecp in France, cither of pure Merinos, or of an amc- 

 3 M liorate4 



