1877.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
253 
The Improved Kentucky Sheep. 
It is a matter of experience with sheep-breeders 
and farmers, that the most profitable sheep are 
those of cross-bred races. 
By judicious, or what is 
greatly more probable, 
fortuitous or lucky cross- 
ing, the most profitable 
European sheep have been 
produced. The O.xford- 
downs, the Hampshire- 
downs, the Leicesters, and 
even the supposed purely 
bred Cotswolds and South- 
downs of England, as they 
exist at the present time, 
have all been more or less 
crossed with one or an- 
other of these breeds. The 
first three named are truly 
cross-breds, having been 
produced from the union 
of dififerent races. The 
last two have been " re- 
fined" by mixtures of 
other blood, and have 
doubtless been wonder- 
fully improved thereby. 
In France the Leicester- 
Merino is a very success- 
ful cross-bred sheep. In 
Germany, the Cotswold- 
Merino, and the South- 
down-Merino are also suc- 
cessful instances of the 
crossing of breeds. In 
Australia, the crossing of 
established breeds is a matter of promising experi- 
ment, and there is a probability, that ere long a 
breed may be produced, that will be more per- 
manently suited to the peculiar necessities of the 
countr}' and climate, than any old established, but 
foreign breed. It is equally true with regard to the 
origin of the American-Merino, and all these in- 
stances go to show, that it is easier and more profita- 
ble to procure a satisfactory race of sheep by cross- 
ing breeds, than by a course of acclimatizing a 
single race by close breed- 
ing. The fact is, that "'^ 
sdmost every established 
breed, has gained its valu- 
able qualities in a compa- 
ratively narrow and close- 
ly bounded locality. The 
quality of soil and water, 
and peculiarities of cli- 
mate, have had much to 
do with forming the char- 
acter of the breed, and 
when by emigration, differ- 
ences in these necessari- 
ly occur, the established 
character cannot be main- 
tained, hut almost xmiver- 
eally rapidly deteriorates. 
There are isolated in- 
stances, in which the result 
of the change has been 
favorable, and the char- 
acter of the breed has im- 
proved in the change ; as 
for instance, in the case 
of the American-Merino 
among sheep, and the Jer- 
sey and Short-horn among 
cattle. In these instances, 
the inlhiciiccs of our cli- 
mate and soils have been 
remarkably favorable, and 
the descendants of im- 
ported animals have great- 
ly surpassed their an- 
cestors in valuable (|ualitiC3. It is no derogation 
to the skill of American breeders to say this ; on 
the contrary, it is by their skillful management that 
these iulluences have been made to tell so favorably. 
There are amply sufBcient examples of failure, 
that could be pointed out, to show that it is not 
every breeder here who succeeds, and that, although 
our cUmate may be a help, yet it is not alone suffi- 
cient for success. With regard to sheep, there is 
IMPKOVED KENTUCKY SHEEl', BKED A^D OWNED BY KOBEKT SCOTT, IKA^KEOKT, KT. 
yet ah extensive field for enterprise, in the way of 
breeding what may come, in time, to be American 
races. We have a wonderful diversity of soil, cli- 
mate, locality, and pasturage. We have the hills and 
mountains of Wales and Scotland ; the rich meadows, 
the seaside pastures and " downs " of England ; the 
plains of Hungary ; the Steppes of Russia ; the dry 
pastures,both hill and plain, of Spain; the arid plains 
of Australia. All these are withla our territory, 
and within our borders every race of sheep, noted 
JEBSb^ KOsM.EE ' lUL PKOrERTY 01 S t LIVLBMOKE CED Ut EAlIUo IOWA — (tye paje 25'i ) 
for its valuable Hecce, or acceptable mutton, can 
flud a counterpart, if time and skill arc turned 
towards the busiuess of breeding such as may be 
suited to each locality. As an iustaucc of a worthy 
attempt at the production of a native race, suited 
to a very peculiar locality, viz. , the rich Blue-grass 
region of Kentucky, we notice the Improved Ken- 
tucky Sheep, which have been bred by Mr. Eobert 
Sjott, of Frankfort, Ky., since 1S33, or during 45 
years, and we here give a 
portrait of one of them. In 
a communication, for the 
whole of which we regret 
we have not space, Jlr. 
Scott writes as follows. 
" The grand desidera- 
tmn for the West and the 
South, is a sheep of large 
size, heavy fleece of me- 
dium wool, early maturity, 
active habit, and with 
a constitution strong 
enough to subsist, in the 
large pastures and open 
woodlands and prairies, 
both during summer and 
winter, without shelter or 
stall feeding, which last 
will always be reserved 
for other animals of 
greater value, and which 
require greater care. 
"WTiileall the various 
and excellent English 
breeds have their peculiar 
merits of form, and flesh, 
and fleece, and will al- 
ways be in demand for 
them, yet any breed, 
which will possess the 
above qualities in the 
highest degree, can not 
fail to stand the highest 
in the estimation of practical sheep-raisers. These 
qualities may he largely, if not fully, combined in 
the same animal, by blending the different breeds 
which possess them in the highest degree. In 
breeding my flock I have, in turn, used all of the 
most popular English breeds, at difierent times; 
procuring new rams every two years, selecting such 
as possessed, in the highest degree, the qualities 
which I wished to transplant, and choosing for each 
male the females which were most in need of those 
qualities, or others which 
would develop them most 
highly. Since the early 
Saxony cross, I have bred 
to no homed sheep ; and 
I have always used the 
rams of the purest blood 
which I could obtain, as, 
in them, the qualities 
which I wished to trans- 
plant, were most deeply 
imbedded, and would 
therefore most likely be 
transmitted to theu- off- 
spring. Thus it appears 
that the ' Improved Ken- 
tucky' are about as pure- 
bred as other popular 
breeds ; aud the more 
especially, as they have in 
them but one (the ori- 
ginal) crop of native or 
common sheep, all other 
blood in Ihcm being called 
pure. To produce the 
greatest uniformity, and 
to obliterate all differ- 
ences of form, fleece, or 
flesh, I have several times 
bred to my own 'Im- 
proved Kentucky ' rams, 
Belecluig them for the 
ewes so as to most euc- 
cesstuUy accomplish the 
desired object ; aud the 
flock is as uniform as the flock of any other breed. 
" Besides many other premiums awarded to them 
in Kcutucky, .lud four iu other Western and South- 
ern States, a premium was awarded to them by the 
