FINE WOOL SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 121 
pounds. They and their descendants were bred 
steadily to heavy but fine fleeced American Merino 
rams. In the year 1860 the flock was 284, and yield- 
ed an average of five pounds of thoroughly washed 
wool (with an excess of 11 pounds on the whole 
flock) ; and such was its condition on the sorter’s table, 
that it lost but 53 pounds out of 1,431 pounds, inelu- 
ding strings and every thing else rejected. It sorted 
as follows: No.1, 71 Ibs.; No. 2, 331 lbs.; No. 3, 
493 lbs.; No. 4, 195 lbs.; fribs, 189 lbs.; No. 5, 102 
Ibs.; No. 6, 29 lbs.; No. 7,12 Ibs.; No. 8, 384 Ibs. 
The wool of this flock, from its beautiful quality, style 
and condition, has sold for 50 cents a pound for five 
years past—within half a cent of the average price 
of the best wool during that period in the Boston 
market. It thus gives on the average $2.50 net to 
the fleece. ILow many unpampered flocks of Ameri- 
can Merinos will equal this? This is the fruit of a 
true cross. These sheep belong to James Geddes, 
Esq., of Fairmount, Onondaga Co., N. Y.* 
In attempting thus to change the character of a 
flock, violent crosses are to be avoided so far as ma- 
terials will allow. First, the inferior variety should 
approach the characteristics of the superior as far as 
practicable ; second, even the superior variety should 
avoid the greatest extremes in certain particulars, and 
unquestionably so in size. In breeding up a Saxon 
flock to the American Merino standard, that cross 
should not be commenced with an overgrown ram of 
the latter. Wow far this rule applies in respect te 
* There are other excellent flocks of a similar cross, and a number 
of excellent American Mermo flocks m the samo county, but I am im 
possession of no definite statistics in relation to them. 
6 
