1880 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
139 
American Merino Sheep. 
Sheep-raising has formed an important part of 
the husbandry of most nations from the early his¬ 
torical times. Each country has had its peculiar 
breeds marked by characters, due in a great degree 
to the modifying influences of climate, and in part 
tc a rude selection. In some cases these breeds 
have reached a high degree of development, 
while in other countries the flocks have shown 
no improvement for centuries. This country, 
young as it is, has made its contribution to the 
list of useful breeds in the American Merino. 
of him that he is “hide bound the much esteemed 
wrinkles being large and sufficiently abundant to 
annoy the shearers, and to entirely meet the re¬ 
quirements of breeders, who regard this mark as 
important in an animal with which to improve the 
smooth-skinned native sheep. 
The sheep industry in the United States is vast 
and important, and in the consideration of which 
there are two partially distinct, and at the same 
time, interlocking interests. Sheep were in early 
times grown almost solely for their wool, and with 
the annual shearing came the year’s income ; but 
in later times, and never so prominently as now, 
tained that pays for itself in its wool of prime 
quality, and furnish a good quantity of mutton as 
a profit. Of such character are the crosses of the 
Merino with the Cots wold and the South down. 
But with the great mass of American sheep on the 
western plains, wool is the important product, and 
here the cross must be with the Merino upon the 
“ Native a race of sheep which has grown out 
of a variety of early importations to this country— 
an intercrossing of various breeds in which many 
of the good points have been lost. In this field the 
Merino has a great work to do to raise the yield of 
wool 1, 2, or more pounds per head, and give it a 
A GROUP OP AMERICAN MERINO SHEEP. 
Our climate and pastures have better satisfied the 
wants of this fine wool-bearing animal than those 
of its native country, and now the American Merino 
stands at the head of the fine-wool sheep of the 
world. This breed would seem to have reached 
that point in its development where it appears 
of but little use to try to further improve it. The 
first importations of Merino sheep into this coun¬ 
try were made early in the present century, and 
•consisted of very choice animals from the best 
families of Spain. The most extensive importations 
were those of Hon. Wm. Jarvis, the American Con¬ 
sul at Lisbon, in 1809 and 1810, who sent over near¬ 
ly 4,000 head. From these Spanish sheep as a basis, 
and by means of careful crossing, breeding, and 
Delecting from several distinct flocks, the present 
Merino has been produced, and is now so unlike 
other Merinos as to take rank as a distinct breed 
with the prefix “ American.” The accompanying 
engraving gives a group of these American Merino 
sheep. The ram, with his short, thick neck, 
straight and broad back, and general plumpness is 
an animal which unites a vigorous constitution with 
great beauty—as beauty is regarded in sheep—as 
seen in his fine head and pleasing outline. TIis 
wool is of medium length, thick and fine, and ex¬ 
tending well down to the toes. It can not be said 
the carcass is looked upon as an important item in 
sheep husbandry. Mutton as a cheap and accepta¬ 
ble meat has of late grown greatly in popularity, 
and mutton now stands as one of the two import¬ 
ant factors in the successful raising of sheep. In 
view of the fact that the Merino is essentially a 
wool-producing breed, with a fleece of the finest 
and best quality, it is evident that the pure-blood 
Merino, though it may supply our manufactories 
with the material for the finest of woollen goods, 
on the other hand it can not satisfy the butcher. 
The sheep having to both feed and clothe its keeper; 
it is an important question : What is the best breed 
of sheep to do this ? Evidently not the pure-blood 
Merino. Though the growing of pure-blooded 
Merinos has its place, and an important one, and 
the demand for their wool indicates the prosperity 
of manufacture of the finest - goods, it is in the 
crossing of them with other breeds in which the 
flesh-producing qualities predominate, that a sheep 
best for both meat and wool is produced. A cross¬ 
bred is the one that in most localities is to pay. 
The Merino is slow of growth and small of carcass 
when mature; but when crossed with a rapid 
grower, one that matures early, is a high feeder, 
and lays on flesh rapidly, but not remarkable for its 
wool either in quantity or quality, a sheep is ob- 
higher value. The opportunity for the Increase of 
our sheep interest is almost without limit, so far 
as favorable conditions of vast plains and healthful 
climate is concerned, and with our present large 
importations of woollen goods it is certain that no 
raw wool would lack for a market. There are 
many places where sheep may go dnd thrive that 
cattle and other life-stock dare not tread ; and it 
should be the ambition of sheep-raisers to fill all 
these places with sheep adapted to these conditions, 
in the production of which the pure-blood Merino 
must find its full share of work. The revival in 
the sheep interest that is now in progress is both 
healthy and permanent. The surplus of wool and 
woollen goods is exhausted, and the growing crop 
is in demand. The shipping of whole car loads of 
Merino rams to the flocks of the great West, with 
calls for more than the East can supply, is not in 
the nature of a “boom,” but founded upon the 
demands of the time and the merits of the breed. 
The rapid growth in our sheep industries is shown 
by the figures given by George Geddes in an article 
in the New York “Tribune” for February 26: 
“In 1836 our production of wool was 42,000,000 
pounds; in I860 it had increased to 60,000,000. In 
1867, the annual production had risen to 147,000,000 
pounds, and in 1877 to 208,000,000, that is from 
