238 The Agricultural Features of the Paris Exhibition. 
faced breed and a thoroughly good Cotswold. Instead of the 
light, uneven bodied, coarse-boned, bare-fleshed Merino of old, 
there were at Paris Merinos handsome in frame, large in size, 
moderately fine in bone, and carrying a heavy, well-laid-on coat 
of flesh. Indeed, it is as evident as anything can be that in 
the better flocks of France the value of the Merino has been 
increased twofold by the improvement which it has undergone 
since its introduction into that country. That improvement has 
been brought about in the main, as already noticed, by careful 
selection in breeding and by better treatment of the flocks, but 
still in many cases infusion of strange blood has had something 
to do with it. It is significant that while pure-bred and half- 
bred Merinos were nearly equal in number, thirty-two premiums 
and commendation tickets were awarded to the former and only 
seventeen to the latter. The apportionment of the honours will 
be better understood when it is mentioned that in the four male 
classes two first, two second, two third, three fourth, and one 
fifth prizes, and three tickets of honourable mention were awarded 
to pure-bred Merinos : and two first, one second, and two third 
prizes to il/efis-Merinos. In ttie four female classes the pure- 
breds secured four first, three second, three third, three fourth, 
two fifth, one sixth, and one seventh prize, and two tickets of 
honourable mention ; while the Metis-M.erinos had to be content 
with one second, one third, one fourth, two fifth, two sixth, one 
seventh, and two eighth prizes, and two tickets of honourable 
mention. It would thus appear that in the eyes of the Jury the 
improvement effected b}^ selection had been the most successful. 
The breed was originally entered in four classes, without any 
distinction as to characteristics ; but in the awarding of the 
honours each of these four classes was divided into two, abund- 
ance and fineness of wool being the important or ruling points 
in the one, and development and conformation of the body in 
the other. It is interesting and important to note that the half- 
bred Merinos were more successful in the wool-classes than in 
what may be called the mutton-classes. Indeed, as will be seen, 
only two or three of the higher premiums in the " development 
and conformation " classes fell to their lot. The inference 
which might thus be drawn from the awards is that the Merinos 
are less likely to be satisfactorily improved in the respect in 
which they most need improvement, namely, their mutton-pro- 
ducing properties, by the infusion of blood from any of the 
French breeds than by careful selection within their own ranks, 
together with liberal feeding. With that inference our opinion 
fully coincides, for we do not think that any of the French 
breeds could be expected to produce such improvement as is 
required by the Merinos. Indeed, the I'Vench races themselves 
