WOOL. 



The wool has been hitherto wafhed on the flieep's back 

 in the Englifh method, by which it is not rendered fo clean 

 as by the Spanifh or German mode ; but making allowance 

 for the additional wafte, its value is equal to that of the 

 rery beft. Merino wool imported from any part of Europe. 



The quantity imported this year is about eighteen thou- 

 fand pounds weight, and a farther arrival is expefted. 

 The laudable example of Mr. Macarthur has been followed 

 by other perfons in the colony, and the total amount of 

 wool fent from thence this year is about fifty thoufand 

 pounds weight ; and fuch is the fpirit of agricultural im- 

 provement, that at the annual fales of (heep eftablifhed by 

 Mr. Macarthur, rams and ewes have been fold at from ten 

 to thirty guineas each. Though the abfence of Mr. Mac- 

 arthur impeded the progrefs of improvement, yet this will 

 be more than compenfated by the valuable information he 

 has obtained with refpeft to the management and improve- 

 ment of his flocks, from obftrvations made on the continent ; 

 and he has further benefited the colony by taking back 

 with him a feleftion of olive-trees, vines, and oranges. The 

 drynefs and mildnefs of the climate of New Holland, and 

 the almoft total abfence of briars and underwood, are ex- 

 tremely favourable to iheep. His ftock is divided into 

 flocks of about four hundred, with (hepherds and Spanilh 

 dogs to each. Under thefe propitious circumftances, and 

 as the flocks double in number every thirty months, we may 

 anticipate, that in the courfe of twenty or twenty-five years, 

 the importation of fine wool from this colony will be fully 

 equal to the total amount at prefent imported into England 

 from all the different countries of Europe. It might repay 

 the exertions of this enlightened agriculturift, and of the Bri- 

 tifli government, could they procure from India the animals, 

 yhether fheep or goats, which yield the peculiarly foft 

 wool for ftiawls. This would be a moil valuable article, 

 and is much wanted by our manufafturers. 



There can fcarcely be a doubt, that under the favourable 

 climate of the Britifli fettlements in New Holland, all the 

 Afiatic wool-bearing animals, particularly thofe of Cafhmere 

 and Thibet, might be introduced with every profpeft of 

 fuccefs. The coarfe wool grown in the colony is chiefly 

 manufaftured in the country for domeftic ufe. It is efti- 

 mated that there are at prefent fixty thoufand (heep in the 

 eolony, and a little perfeverance and attention would fuiEce 

 to change the coarfe-wooUed breeds into finer ones ; a 

 change which is at prefent rapidly taking place, and deferves 

 the greateft encouragement, as wool is the only article of 

 produce which the colonifts have at prefent to export in 

 exchange for Britifli manufaftured goods. 



Tie Improvement of Wool depends primarily on attention 

 to the breed of flieep, but there are various circumftances of 

 foil, climate, and food, which are important to be regarded. 

 The experiments that have been made in various parts of 

 Europe within the laft half century, have fufSciently re- 

 moved the prejudice that long prevailed, refpefting the im- 

 poflibihty of growing the fineft clothing-wool in almoft 

 every part of the globe where fheep will fubfiil and thrive. 

 It is diflerent with the long combing-wools, to grow which 

 in perfeftion, luxuriant paftures feem abfolutely requifite, 

 and thefe cannot be obtained under a parching fun, nor 

 could the animal fubfift in tropical cHmates, covered with 

 fuch a load of wool as is grown on our fheep in Lincoln- 

 fliire. Under fuch circumftances, an entire change feems to 

 take place in the animal fyftem ; the long-woolled fheep 

 become difeafed and feverifh, and only recover by cafting 

 the fleece, which is replaced by a coat of fhort hair. The 

 rich pafture in England, and the oppofite coafts of Flanders, 

 feem more favourable to the growth of heavy combing 



II 



fleeces, than any other country in the known world j and the 

 Leicefterfhire and Lincolnfhire fheep feem every way well 

 fuited to thefe paftures, and the prices of the wool ob- 

 tained at prefent are fufficient to fecure attention to 

 its cultivation. At one period, indeed, during the Ameri- 

 can revolution, the price of long combing-wool not being 

 more than about three-pence /ifr pound, the growers turned 

 their attention principally to the improvement of the car- 

 cafe, and neglefted the weight of the fleece. At prefent 

 the price is about eighteen-pence, and the average weight 

 being about eight pounds, the wool forms an important ob- 

 jeft, and the growers are endeavouring to increafe the weight 

 of their fleeces. For the common purpofes of the worfted ma- 

 nufaftures, this wool is fo well fuited as to leave nothing fur- 

 ther to be defired ; and it is this kind which foreign manufac- 

 turers are fo defirous to obtain from us. In many fituations, 

 however, where heavy long-woolled fheep are introduced, 

 and where the foil is not fufficiently rich to grow it in per- 

 feftion, it would be poflible to grow a fleece weighing five or 

 fix pounds of very fine combing-wool, by crofTing the long- 

 woolled ewes with the Anglo-Merino rams. The increafing 

 demand for finer goods, and the great improvement made in 

 the fpinning of combing-wool by machinery, make fuch a 

 change defirable where the paftures are not fufficiently rich 

 to bear the heavy long-woolled breeds of Leicefter and 

 Lincoln. 



In many cold and expofed fituations it would be defirable 

 to provide better fhelter for the flocks ; and the praftice of 

 greaftng, hereafter defcribed, might be introdueed with great 

 advantage, and would tend to preferve the fheep and im- 

 prove the quahty of the wool. 



The experiments made on the fine-woolled fheep on a 

 large fcale in different parts of Europe, prove that the pe- 

 culiarities of food and climate have comparatively fmall in- 

 fluence on the quality of clothing-wool, and that it may be 

 grown equally fine in fituations where the fheep are confined 

 and kept on dry meat a great part of the year, as in Saxony, 

 Sweden, and Denmark. It may alfo be grown in the i 

 richeft paftures, provided the paftures be over-ftocked, to 

 keep the herbage bare. There cannot, however, be a doubt, \ 

 that a dry light foil, particularly in the moift climate of ' 

 England, is moft favourable to the health of the fheep, and 

 to the quality of the wool. 



The experiments that have been made in England on 

 the Merino flieep have not been fo fuccefsful as in other 

 countries, principally arifing from two caufes. 



In the firft place, the demand for meat in England will 

 always make the wool but a fecondary objeft with the gra- 

 zier, and no crofs of the Merino fheep with the Enghfh has 

 yet produced a race that equal in fymmetry of form the 

 South Down fheep, or that will produce the fame quantity of 

 meat to the butcher in the fame fpace of time, and with the 

 fame food. In the fecond place, the mode of wafhing the 

 Merino and Anglo-Merino wool in England will, fo long 

 as it is praftifed, prevent the wool from obtaining its proper 

 value in the market. From the great quantity of natural 

 yolk or greafe in the Merino fleece, it is impoflible to wafh 

 the wool on the fheep's back by mere immerfion in water. 

 In Spain no attempts are made to wafli the wool upon 

 the fheep's back, but all the fleeces of a pile are regu- 

 larly forted, and the different forts fcoured and dried be- 

 fore the wool is packed. But where the quantity of 

 wool which any one grower pofTeffes is fmall, as in Eng- 

 land, it would not anfwer to fend for wool-forters from a 

 diftance ; and to wafh the wool before it is forted, would fo 

 intermingle the fine with the coarfe locks, as to render 

 the regular forting extremely difficult and expenfive. In 



Saxony 



I 



