FINE WOOL SHELP HUSBANDRY. 21 
would have yielded an average of about 91 Ibs., and 
the ewes’ fleeces, about 63 Ibs. 
Trimmer described only the Royal flock. It ap- 
pears that it was already beginning to be outstripped, 
in weight of fleece and size of carcass, by private 
ones. On this subject I prefer to quote the language 
of John A. Taintor, Esq., of Hartford, Connecticut, 
by far the’most extensive importer of French sheep 
into the United States, and a gentleman long fami- 
liar with all the National varieties of the Merino. 
It will add to the interest of his remarks on this 
subject to give his reasons for preferring the French, 
and his criticisms on other varieties. I should say, 
in justice to Mr. Taintor, that his letter to me, from 
which I quote, was written in haste, on the eve of 
a journey, and with no expectation that I would 
adopt its phraseology in making use of its facts. 
But its terse and careless off-handedness does not de- 
tract from its value. He writes (dated January 
2d, 1862 :) 
“Tn 1828 I imported a lot of Saxony sheep, and, at 
various times, have selected, in France, nearly one 
thousand of their best Merinos. In 1842 my friend, 
D. C. Collins, of this city (Hartford), bought, by my 
advice, fourteen ewes and two rams of the Royal flock 
at Rambouillet. About half of them were good sheep, 
but for want of care and attention the importation 
was of but little value to the owner or the country. 
x * “T earinot afford to keep any other 
sheep (for wool) but French Merinos. I call them 
best because they pay best, and that is the true test. 
Not the sheep that can crawl through the year with 
the least possible care and feed, but one generously 
fed and cared for, and bred with close attention and 
judgment, with always an eye for the most valuable 
