c 86 3 
society, which wiil enable them to form their aw# 
judgment as to the quality. The inferiority in 
the size of the merino, to some other breeds, 
which some make as an objection, is in my opinion 
an important advantage, not only in sheep, but in 
every other stock not designed for the draft; be¬ 
cause they will fatten in pastures in which larger 
cattle would suffer from the fatigue they must un¬ 
dergo in order to procure the food that is necessary 
for their support. This reasoning applies more 
strongly to sheep than to any other stock. They 
are generally kept upon high and dry pastures, that 
are frequently parched in summer, when ffitigue is- 
mo^i irksome to them. To which we may add, 
that the fleece" is not proportioned, as the food is, to 
the bulk of the animal, but to his surface^ and a 
small sheep having more surface in proportion to 
Iiis bulk, must ^Iso have vrool in the same propor- 
sticn. That is, a sheep whose live weight shall be 
601b. and who of course will, require but one quarter 
of the food of a sheep that weighs 240 lb. will, not¬ 
withstanding, have half as much wool (if the fleeces 
are equally thick) as his gigantic brother. The 
merino has been found in France to be quite as 
hardy as the common sheep. At Rambouillet they 
have no winter feed but hay, and yet thrive very 
tvell; but what is more extraordinary, is, that in 
Sweden, where the native sheep are extremely 
coarse-woolled, the merino has been naturalized 
w^ithout having in any sort changed the nature or 
quality ©f the wool, in the term of about SO years. 
