90 WOOL AND WOOLLEN MANUFACTURE. 



About 1765 the Merino sheep was introduced into Saxony, and after 

 some years the Saxon fleece was found to be even superior to the 

 Spanish. At the present time but little Spanish wool comes into the 

 English market. 



The Merino sheep was introduced into Australia, Tasmania, New 

 Zealand, the Cape of Good Hope, America, and other countries, with 

 marked success, about the commencement of the present century. In 

 Australia, the Merino succeeded the Leicester and South Down, which 

 in their turn had supplanted the gaunt, hairy sheep imported by the 

 early colonists from Bengal. 



The fibre of Merino wool exceeds in fineness that which any other 

 breed of sheep produces, and North American Merino wool now sur- 

 passes most other wools for its felting properties. Samples have been 

 obtained from American flocks, which contain 2,552 serrations to the 

 inch, while the finest Saxony wool only contain about 2,400 serrations 

 to the inch. 



The increase of the sheep in some of our colonies is truly wonderful. 

 In 1788 Australia had no sheep. In 1796 the entire stock of sheep in 

 the colony of New South Wales was 1,531 ; in 1859 this number had 

 increased to 7,581,762 ; whilst in 1861 the quantity of sheep's wool im- 

 ported into the United Kingdom from our Australian colonies amounted 

 to 68,084,202 lbs. 



It must have struck every observer that man exercises a wonderful 

 influence over the members of the animal kingdom, no less than over 

 the members of the vegetable kingdom. Wherever attention has been 

 paid to sheep-breeding, there a marked improvement has been mani- 

 fested in the particular direction in which that improvement has been 

 sought — whether in the carcass or in the fleece. This may account for 

 the superiority of the breed of sheep around the ancient seats of civili- 

 sation. 



Climate greatly affects the quality of wool — in very hot countries 

 scarcely any wool is produced ; the animal is clothed with hair only. 

 Variations in the temperature are very injurious — any sudden check of 

 perspiration produces an irregularity in the staple of the wool (distinctly 

 seen under the microscope), and this of course greatly diminishes the 

 value of the fleece. 



The sheep produces the finest quality of wool in two of the isothermal 

 zones only — the warmer-temperate and the sub-tropical. Thus the most 

 celebrated breeds of ancient times were the Coraxic, the Milesian, the 

 Greek, the Tarentine, and the Spanish — all the spots upon which these 

 sheep pastured are within the sub-tropical zone ; England, the United 

 States, Buenos Ayres, the Cape of Good Hope, and South Australia are 

 in the warmer-temperate zone ; whilst Tasmania and New Zealand are 

 in the sub-tropical zone. It must, however, be remembered that eleva- 

 tion above the sea-level reduces the temperature, and that in ascending 

 a mountain range, a few hours will take you from the tropical scenery 



