SHEEP. 



ing quality of the wool. This is fo well known to the 

 York(hire manufafturers, that they always avoid the wools 

 grown on chalk foils, when they want a foft thick pile to 

 the cloth. The fine wool from the South Down fleeces ie 

 chiefly ufed for light goods, fuch as kerfeymeres and pelifle 

 cloths, which require very little milling or fehing. When 

 the South Down (heep are removed from chalk Isnds, the 

 wool may be grown remarkably foft, and poflefliis all the 

 good qualities of the bell native Englifh wool. 



The aftion of the foil on the fleece was long known to 

 itianufafturers, viz. that wools grown on argillaceous foils 

 were fofter, and proved better in the procefs of manufac- 

 ture, than thofe on calcareous foils. The caufe of this was 

 involved in much obfcurity, and generally fuppofed to be 

 owing to the quality of the lierbage on different foils. Mr. 

 Bakewell, of Wakefield, in Yorkfliire, in a little traft " On 

 the Influence of Soil and Climate on Wool," proved that 

 the influence of the foil on the fleece arofe from the aflion 

 of the minute particles on the furface of the fibre or fl;aple. 

 " Not only can this aAion affed the quality, but impart 

 indelibly the colour of the foil to the wool. In part of 

 Gloucellerfliire the fleece acquires a deep orange colour 

 from the foil. In Hertfordfliire, and part of Warwickfliire, 

 and in every country having a red foil, the wool is inclined 

 to browniih-red. Wools on chalky foils are diftinguiflied 

 by their vvhitenefs ; and in every diitritl in England the 

 aftion of the foil is evinced, by communicating its own 

 colour to the fleece. The colour thus acquired is as inde- 

 libly fixed in the wool as the colouring matter of an arti- 

 ficial dye, nor can its whitenefs be perfeftly rellored by any 

 artificial procefs hitherto known. 



" That tlie fame caufe can change the hardnefs or foftnefs 

 of wool, is proved from the different effetts which argil- 

 laceous, fiUceou?, and calcareous foils are invariably found 

 to have on thefe qualities. This is perhaps no where more 

 clearly (hewn than in the northern part of Derbyfliire, 

 where the fl^rata are fo abruptly broken, that two adjoining 

 farms, feparated by a fmall brook, will not unfrequently be 

 found, the one upon lime-itone, the other on a filiceous 

 grit or fand-ftone. The difference of the wool on thefe 

 two farms, from the fame breed of fliecp, was fo dillinSly 

 marked, that the grower always obtained a higher price 

 when grown upon the latter foil. ' My wool is grit-ftone, 

 and I expeft a better price than my neighbour,' was the 

 language in common ufe, and the meaning was well under- 

 ftood by the buyer. In the procefs of feparating wool 

 from the fliin by the fell-monger, the pelts are ileeped 

 fome days in lime and water. The fofteft: wools, when thus 

 expofed to the aAion of lime, lofe their difl;inguilhing excel- 

 lence, and acquire all the hardnefs of wools grown on lime- 

 • ftone foils." 



To remedy this injurious effeft of calcareous foils, Mr. 

 Bakewell recommends the praftice of the farmers in North- 

 ■umberland, and in North Britain, of anointing the fldn of 

 the animal with butter, in which a fmall quantity of tar is 

 melted to give it confidence. In Northumberland thig is 

 praftifed with the fine-wooUed (heep on the Cheviots ; and 

 the wool from thefe (heep bears a higher price in York(hire, 

 . in proportion to its relative finenefs, than any other Engli(h 

 wool, on account of the fuperior foftnefs of the cloth made 

 from it. The ointment is alio found to defend the animal 

 againlt flies and (heep-ticks, and to be a prefervative againft 

 the feverity of the weather. The only inconvenience is, that 

 the whitenefs of the wool is in fome degree affefled by it ; and 

 it is not fuited for white Itoved cloth, or for any delicate co- 

 lours. Could any good and cheap fubftitute fortar bedevifed, 

 there cannot be a doubt that the praAice would be of great 



benefit to the South Down fleeces on their native chalkj" 

 foils. It is, in faft, fimilar to what the Romans adopted 

 with the Tarentine breed, which were frequently waftied, 

 and the fliins anointed with the dregs of olive-oil, mixed 

 with other ingredients. A fimilar treatment of all Englilh 

 (heep, after being (horn, would be found a mod effeftive 

 remedy againft flies and infcfts when the (kin is expofed ; 

 it is alfo proved by experience to be a prefervative againlt 

 the fcab. 



The South Down breed, fo far as relates to the fleece, 

 will admit of confiderable improvement in the following par- 

 ticulars. Firft ; it might attain a degree of finenefs more nearly 

 approaching that of the Merino fleece : fecondly, the fleece 

 might be grown more uniformly fine over the body : and 

 thirdly, almoll all the South Down fleeces have a few 

 grey or black hairs intermixed, which is a great defeft 

 where the goods made from it are intended to be ftoved 

 white. At prefent, the fineft part of the South Down 

 fleeces, called by the wool-ltapler the prime, does not bear 

 half the price of the prime Spaniih, or R wool, from the 

 beft Merino flocks. In the South Down fleeces very rarely 

 more than one-fourth part is of the bell quality ; but in the 

 Merino breed fall two-thirds of each fleece will be of one 

 uniform quality, and that the prime or R wool. In the 

 South Down fleeces, thofe parts from the buttocks and 

 (hanks will alfo be as coarfe as the coarfell wool from 

 heavy (heep. Thefe defefts in the South Down fleeces are 

 common to almofl; all our native fine-wooUcd (heep, except 

 the Ryeland ; but we conceive they admit of a remedy 

 without any injury to the form of the animal, or the weight 

 of the fleece. If the opinion of an intelligent wool-ltapler 

 were firft taken on the qualities of the different fleeces of 

 thofe ewes from which it were propofed to raife a itock, 

 and felefting for them fome of the belt formed rams bred 

 from South Downs and Merinos, called Anglo-merinos ; 

 from this progeny the moll perfect forms might be again 

 chofen : and if thefe were ilill too itrongly marked with 

 the charafter of the Merino form, another crofs with per- 

 feft South Down ewes would produce a progeny from 

 which a race might be felcfted poffeffing whatever was de- 

 firable in the carcafe, with a confiderable amelioration of the 

 fleece, both in the finenefs of the wool and the regularity 

 of the quaUty, over the greater part of the (kin. The 

 weight of tlie fleece would alfo be increafed, for the wool is 

 grown clofer and thicker on the Merinos than on any of the 

 Englilh breeds ; and this property continues in the croffes 

 from that breed. The advantage of employing an intel- 

 ligent wood-ftapler to judge of the quality of the fleeces 

 will be admitted, when we confider that a fibre of the fineft 

 wool is perhaps little more than the two-thoufandth part 

 of an inch in diameter ; and that a variation from this, 

 which is too fmall to be vifible by the unpradtifed eye, 

 may occafion a difference in price not lefs than 40 per cent. 

 Indeed, it is truly attonilhing that the eye can detedt this 

 microfcopic difference unaided by inftruments. Nothing 

 but long and conftant praftice can fecure the facihty of 

 determining the finenefs of wool ; and the molt experienced 

 dealer in Englilh fine wool, were he to difcontinue entirely 

 the examination of wool for three months, would not be able, 

 at firft fight, to afcertain its quality and value to 15 or 20 

 per cent., fuppofing no change to have taken place in the 

 markets. Can it then be fuppofed that a grazier, who 

 has never acquired this fine fenfe of vifion, and to whom wool 

 is only an objeft of particular attention at one feafon of the 

 year, we fay, can it be poffible for fuch a perfon to be an 

 accui-ate judge of the quality of wool, and the comparative 

 finenefs of fibres ranging between the fifteen-hundredth and 

 9 the- 





