FINE WOOL SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 27 
As there have been recent American importations of 
them, I will present a brief view of the present prime 
sheep of Germany. 
That the former inferiority both in weight of 
fleece and carcass continues to exist in the flocks 
of Saxony, Silesia, and all parts of Germany 
where these sheep have become established, is 
certain. But such breeders as Baron Von Sternburg 
in Saxony, Prince Lichnowsky and Mr. Fischer in 
Silesia, and various large proprietors in Hungary, have 
bred. on the principle that good size and compactness 
of form and fleece are essential to profit. Von Stern- 
burg (Alexander Speck Von Sternburg, generally 
called Baron Speck by Americans) is now better 
known in this country than any other German breed- 
er. I think most if not all of our late Saxon im- 
portations have been made from his admirable flock. 
In a letter to Mr. Wright, the American Minister to 
Berlin, written in 1859,* the Baron gave the follow- 
ing as the average weights of his sheep: full grown 
rams, 110 lbs.; ewes, 82 lbs.; wethers when fat for 
the butcher, 110 Ibs. to 115 Ibs. The average weight 
of the washed fleeces of his ewes was 2 lbs. 7 oz.; of 
his wethers, 2 lbs. 8 oz.; of his yearlings, 2 Ibs. 5 
oz.: of his rams, 4 lbs. to 6 Ibs. 14 oz. The flock 
numbers 1,200. His best ewes undoubtedly produce 
as much as 3 lbs. a head, and kept in smaller flocks 
and pampered, would produce nearly or quite 3 lbs. 
4 OZ. 
Mr. Charles L. Fleichmann, formerly draughtsman 
* For lus sensible and practical letter contaming much information 
in respect to German sheep husbandry, see Patent Office Report, 1859, 
p 288, 
