On Rural Economy Abroad. 



127 



genous swamp plants into luxuriance, and two crops of coarse hay 

 are generally obtained. It cannot be expected that dairy cows, 

 even in cases where they get the addition of some sheaf oats for 

 some weeks in spring, can yield a great quantity of milk after 

 being kept for six months entirely on dry food, but they are 

 necessary, even if not very remunerative, to convert the straw and 

 hay into manure, and are generally let to a dairy-man at about 

 21. lOs. per head. 



The Saxon or Merino Sheep, however, is the animal which best 

 remunerates the Mecklenburger, and forms the especial object of 

 his care and attention. They were brought to these countries 

 from Saxony, about the year 1811, and are now universal. The 

 greatest pains are taken to produce fleeces as nearly equal as pos- 

 sible over the whole flock. The nature of this sort of sheep is 

 so little known in England, although an object of such vital im- 

 portance to the British Australian Colonies, that I venture to hope 

 a description of it may be acceptable. 



The Merino is a long-legged, narrow-bodied, ugly animal with 

 a fleece varying in weight, in proportion to its coarseness, (although 

 fine Avool is specifically heavier than coarse) from 2 to 31bs. The 

 staple is very close and thick growing, greasy or oily to the feel, 

 elastic and soft, very tenacious, and formed differently from any 

 other wools, with a number of regular, minute bends, or curls, in 

 each hair. There are always different sorts of wool upon the same 

 sheep, and that animal is of course the most esteemed which pro- 

 duces the highest qualities in the greatest proportion. Breeding 

 successfully with this view is a most difficult science, requiring 

 years of pains-taking intelligence to attain. I was present at the ex- 

 hibition of 22 rams at the cattle show of Giistrow in Mecklenburg, 

 in May 1837. The specimens, to an inexperienced eye, appeared 

 much alike; they were carefully washed and shorn, the fleeces num- 

 bered and sent to the most eminent wool- staplers at Leipsic, where 

 they were submitted to accurate assortment and valuation. I annex 

 a translation of the published document, by which it Vvill be seen 

 how enormous the difference in value, between one flock and 

 another, of nominally the same animal, may be. The Merino is 

 supposed to be indigenous to Spain, and known to have been first 

 introduced into Germany in 1765 by the then Elector of Saxony. 

 Shortly after (about 1775) another small flock was brought to 

 Austria, and subsequently in 1786, and 1802, to the imperial 

 domains of Holditch in Hungary^ and Mannersdorf in Austria. 

 From these small begimiings 1ms this valuable animal been spread 

 over these immense countries. But there are two distinct breeds, 

 which differ materially in shape, and the quality of their wool. 



1st. — The Infantado, or Negretti, distinguishable by shorter 



