108 FINE WOOL SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 
grels, simply “ improved halfblood.” They found 
that their original coarse sheep had 5,500 fibres of 
wool on a square inch; grades of the third or fourth 
Merino cross produced about 8,000; the twentieth 
cross 27,000 ; the perfect pure blood 40 to 48,000.* 
Whether it is proper and expedient to cross between 
varieties of the same breed, in the expectation of form- 
ing an intermediate variety, and enproving on both 
of the originals, ishardly yet asettled question. The 
Spaniards thought not, and carefully guarded against 
any mixtures between their cabanas; and they bred 
in-and-in for ages. 
The French plunged into the opposite extreme, by 
selecting from and intermixing the blood of all the 
different cabanas indiscriminately—-wherever a choice 
animal could be found. And, Mr. Gilbert to the 
contrary notwithstanding, they never have “ melted 
into each other” by forming one closely homogeneous 
variety, or even a group of such varieties. They are 
‘sf all sizes, sorts and descriptions. Col. Rotch’s let- 
ver can be reread with profit in this connection. 
Mr. Jarvis did not carry this system so far, for he 
blended much fewer cabanas, and it was an aggrega- 
tion of masses instead of mere individuals; but I 
have reason to suspect that even in this he did not 
follow his own better judgment, but was influenced 
by the inducements held out by leading manutfac- 
turers, who wished to obtain a wool resembling the 
Saxon.t 
* Fleichmann’s Report. 
+ Charles Jarvis, Esq, of Weathersfield, Vermont, son of Hon. 
William Jarvis, wiites me (Jan. 14th, 1862): “He also mentioned 
there was more gum in the fleeces [of the imported sheep], and they 
