340 
FINE WOOL SHEEP. 
ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
FINE WOOL SHEEP. 
Buskirk's Bridge , October, 1843. 
I have read the article headed “ Sheep, Paular 
Merinos,” over the signature of Examiner, in the 
May number, page 52 of your paper, purporting 
to give us plain farmers an insight into sheep 
breeding, &c.; and what fine flocks used to be, 
when the “ old fashioned Merino sheep” were in 
their “glory.” What they were a quarter of a 
century ago, I cannot say, that was before I had 
any thing to do with sheep in this country; but 
I presume that fine flocks were then not so nu¬ 
merous as they are now. I can not agree with 
the writer, “ that the fine flocks of the United 
States are sadly deteriorated, indeed, nearly run 
out.” Since 1825, I have been acquainted with 
fine sheep in this country, and I venture to say, 
that there are three, four, or five, and in this section, 
ten , fine flocks, where there was but one 18 years 
ago. 
If Examiner will honor me with a visit, an in¬ 
vitation I herewith cordially tender to him, I will 
show him fine flocks, consisting of more than a 
few individuals—a dozen or two, or may be a few 
scores, of picked sheep together, and kept in the 
very highest possible condition; no, but flocks 
from 500 to 1,000—even more—which might alter 
his judgment, if that is not swayed by prejudice. 
Many of these large flocks shear on an average 3 
lbs. and over, of wool, well washed on the sheep’s 
back, the quality of which is superior to the 
“Paular,” and “ old-fashioned Merinos;” and I 
doubt not, should Examiner make a comparison 
between the two kinds himself, he would pro¬ 
nounce it superfine; and besides the quality, he 
would also discover a great difference in the con¬ 
dition and cleanliness of the wool. These flocks 
are high-grade Saxons, and show a result not 
quite so “ unfortunate” as Examiner would make 
us believe. My own flock of 240 ewes and lambs 
and a few bucks, pure, unmixed Saxons, whose 
pedigree can be traced back to the importations 
of the Elector of Saxony, from the royal flocks of 
Spain, sheared this year 2 lbs. 13 oz. per head; 
last year 2 lbs. 14 oz. clean wool. If I had had a 
proportionate number of weathers among them, 
the average would have been at least 3 lbs. I re¬ 
peat then, that the wool of the “Paular,” or “old 
fashioned Merinos,” does not compare with the 
Saxons and their crosses in quality and condition. 
If the fleeces from the former are heavier than 
from the latter, let it be borne in mind that they con¬ 
tain more gum, and yolk , dirt, &c,; are not so fine, 
and that the sheep consume a greater quantity of 
feed. These are facts well known to every good 
judge of wool, and to every experienced, practical 
shepherd. 
I would ask whether Examiner had his eyes 
closed against them when he was examining the 
fine-wooled flocks of the United States, and de¬ 
clared them “sadly deteriorated, indeed, nearly 
run out.” I do not pretend, Mr. Editor, that I am 
acquainted with ail “ the fine flocks of the United 
States, but allow me to say, that my acquaintance 
among the wool-growers is pretty extensive. I 
am a purchaser, as well as a grower of wool, and 
handle no inconsiderable quantities yearly. My 
purchases this year amount to over *130,000 lbs., 
and I have examined at least 300,000 lbs., and a 
great variety of flocks of different grades and char¬ 
acter, have come under my observation—sheep 
kept in the very lowest up to the very highest con¬ 
dition. I have always found, that where the blood 
of the “ old fashioned Merinos, Paulars,” or what¬ 
ever their possessors are pleased to call them, pre¬ 
dominated, there also I found gum, yolk, dirt, and 
other substances adhering to the wool, in great 
abundance, unfit to make cloth of, which goes far 
to make up the greater weight of fleece over the 
Saxony. Indeed, sir, when gentlemen talk of fine 
fleeces weighing 8, 9, or 10 lbs. they forget to 
mention “ including gum, yolk, dirt, and other 
substances adhering to the fieece .” 
Some years since, I saw a lot of “ old fashioned 
Merino” wool at a factory in Massachusetts, which 
the manufacturer assured me would lose 55 per 
cent, in cleansing. “Indeed,” said he, “we can 
never estimate the dirt in such wool correctly; it 
always exceeds our estimate, and we invariably 
suffer loss.” And recently, a gentleman, a dealer 
in wool, told me that he sent this season, a large 
quantity to Boston to be sold, and that on making 
sale of some 36,000 lbs., the manufacturer who 
bought it, rejected all gummy, dirty fleeces, de¬ 
claring that he would not have them, as such wool 
would lose more than 50 per cent, in cleansing. 
And to use the gentleman’s own words, “ there it 
lies, in a corner of the wool room, and I do not 
know what to do with it;” observing at the same 
time, that the manufacturers were “ getting more 
cunning.” There was a time when the supply 
fell short of the demand, and almost any wool, 
however gummy and dirty, found ready purcha¬ 
sers; for manufacturers were often compelled to 
buy it, in order to keep their machinery in opera¬ 
tion; but that time has gone by, and they are now 
more choice in their selections, and when they 
come across a lot of such wool they pass it by, 
with observations like these: “ I do not want it, it 
is too dirty, let him keep it for some body else”! 
In your July number, page 130 and 131, Mr. 
Editor, you have made a calculation of the number 
of sheep, and the quantity of wool obtained there¬ 
from. The census of 1840 shows, say 20,000,000 
in the United States. Of this number you esti¬ 
mate only 11,000,000 shorn sheep, yielding 24,500,- 
000 lbs. of wool, and the lambs’at 9,000,000.— 
With due deference to your superior opportuni¬ 
ties for information, I beg leave to say that you 
are over estimating the number of lambs, for every 
practical wool-grower knows, that that proportion 
is too large—if you had said one third, you would 
have come nearer the truth. I think you are mis¬ 
taken also that the census of 1840 included lambs, 
it was exclusive of lambs, (a) You are, however, 
perfectly safe in estimating the average weight of 
fleece in the United States at 2\ lbs. This is cer¬ 
tainly too low by one fourth of a pound. ( b) In 
this region it exceeds 2f lbs. Then you say, that 
by producing a superior quality of wool, its value 
