FINE WOOL SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 99 
sheep of Mr. Bakewell are not a more artificial variety, 
and all highly artificial varieties become comparatively 
delicate in constitution. 
The following frank and well considered opinions 
on this subject are from the pen of Colonel F. M. 
Roteh, of Morris, Otsego County, N. Y., who imported 
some of these sheep in conjunction with Mr. Taintor 
in 1851, and who, a few years since, had a most ad- 
mirable flock of them. He writes me: 
* * * * “France I visited two or three times 
with a view to importing Merinos, and sent out to 
Mr. Taintor quite a number of the French variety. 
“The French Merinos of the first class are certainly 
superb sheep, but they vary there as they do here—a 
few flocks, say half a dozen, being very superior, and 
then comes a number of medivere flocks where neither 
the care nor expense nor knowledge are bestowed, and 
where the sheep more closely resemble the old Spanish 
type. You ask me my opinion of the French, as 
suited to our rough farming. I don’t think them at 
all fitted to it. Though a vigorous, good constitu- 
tioned and hardy sheep, they are accustomed to too 
much care and watclifulness in their native land to be 
able to endure the rough-and-tuimble style of much of 
our farming. The north side of a barn and the lee ot 
a rail fence for animals that are housed every night 
in the year at home, is too sudden and great a change. 
With proper care they are able to endure even our 
vicissitudes of climate, and thrive and grow fat here 
as in France; but like all improved breeds of domestic 
animals, it is folly to expect them to do well without 
care or feeding. Any animal brought from a state of 
high cultivation and a mild temperature, to a colder 
climate and poorer soil, will deteriorate unless extra 
pains are taken to supply the loss of care and coun- 
teract the change of food. During the dozen years ] 
