MOORE’S BUBAL NEW-YORKER 
APRIL 27 
whole number of students last year was 
142, with a graduating class of 12, thus 
showing, most conclusively, that the state¬ 
ments in a Pennsylvania report on the 
organization of Agricultural Coll egos in 
Governor Andrew’s message to the Massa¬ 
chusetts Legislature, and in Appleton s 
New American Cyclopedia, that this insti¬ 
tution, for some cause, is suspended and not 
in operation—ure false and without founda¬ 
tion. 
It has graduated sixty-eight Btudents. Of 
these one is superintendent of the Model 
Farm in Japan; one is Professor of Botany 
in Cornell University; one is Professor of 
Agriculture ami Analytical Chemistry in 
Wisconsin State University; one is In¬ 
structor of Uotany and Superintendent of 
the Gardens in the Iowa State Agricultural 
College; oue has been holding a like posi¬ 
tion in the Maine State Agricultural Col¬ 
lege; while the College itself retains four of 
its graduates as officers—one as Professor of 
Horticulture ami Superintendent of the 
Gai'deus; one as Professor of Eutomology 
and Zoology; one as Assistant Professor of 
Chemistry, and oue as Secretary of the 
State Board of Agriculture. More than 
one-half of all the graduates are either 
farmers or horticult urists, and st ill others 
are engaged in pursuits supposed to be in 
keeping with the objects of t he Institution. 
The character of the students is different 
from those usually in attendance at col¬ 
leges; they are mostly sons of farmers and 
largely dependent on their own efforts for 
the securing of an education. 
The experiment of having lady students 
was made in 1870 and has worked well—so 
successfully Indeed that there would be no 
hesitation in admitting them il there wero 
ample accommodations for them. 
The teaching force of the College consists 
of the President, Professors of Agriculture, 
Chemistry, English Literature, Entomolo¬ 
gy, Botany, aud a Superintendent of the 
Horticultural Department. The College is 
under the control of no religious denomina¬ 
tion or sectarian influence, yet it is, and al¬ 
ways has been, iu the hands of men who 
recognize the claims of a common (Christian¬ 
ity, whicli they recommend by both precept 
and example. , , 
The College buildings now on the grounds 
afford ample and convenient accommoda¬ 
tions for nearly 150 students The facilities 
for giving instruction, and the means for il¬ 
lustrating the branches taught, are excelled 
by no institution of its kind. It lias a good 
library, commodious aud well furnished 
reading rooms, and a large and valuable 
museum, including oue of tho largest herba¬ 
riums in tlie West—a collection of about 
30,000 sped mens from all parts of the world. 
The facilities for affording instruction in 
chemistry are unsurpassed. Thu laboratory 
erected last year combines all the modern 
improvements, iucluding the Umm Solf- 
Vout‘dating Evaporating Hoods, and Is tit¬ 
led up with work tables, embracing every 
convenience for 48 students in Analytical 
Chemistry, aud 75 students iu Elementary 
Chemistry, with aocommodations fort4io.su 
who wish to make researches iu 11 igk Uhoai- 
istry. . 
Ample means for illustration arc fur¬ 
nished by line orchards or commodious 
green-house, botanical and vegetable gar¬ 
dens, philosophical apparatus, models of 
agricultural implements from the Patent 
Olllce, and a flue collection of stock. The 
grounds have been skillfully laid out aud 
tastefullv adorned by art. 
The objects or the institution, briefly 
stated, are, 1st. To impart a knowledge ol' 
Science, especially of those sciences which 
relate to Agriculture aud kindred art s, and 
its application to the arts of life; 2d. To 
afl’ord its students the bandits of manual 
labor, the benefits being educat ional, pReser¬ 
vation of health, and the cultivation of a 
taste for the pursuit of Agriculture; 3d. 
To prosecute experiments for the promo¬ 
tion of Agriculture and Horticulture, fertile 
bonetit of practical farmers; and 4th, To 
afford tin- menus Of a general education to 
the farming class. All the departments of 
the College are arranged with the view of 
accomplishing those objects, with the intent 
of satisfying all t he demands of the farmer. 
To this cud the course is both scioiitillc and 
practical, embracing thorough instruction 
in Mathematics, PUvsioa, Metaphysics, and 
in all of the sciences pertaiuiugto Agricul¬ 
ture and Horticulture. 
The Michigan State Agricultural College, 
so far from being for any cause, “sus¬ 
pended, and not In operation,” has been 
in continual operation since its first or¬ 
ganization on the 13th of May, 1858, up to 
the present time, though for ton years its 
existence was precarious, aud its continu¬ 
ance uncertain. But for t he past four years 
it has gained continually in the good will of 
the funner* of this State. It. is no longer 
an experiment—its permanence is estab¬ 
lished. While other colleges of its kiud 
have abandoned the labor system entirely, 
or substituted boat-racing in its stead, aud 
ohanged their course of study' from an ag¬ 
ricultural to a classical one, or made the 
study of agricultural sciences optional, this 
Institution has kept constantly in view, and 
carefully carried out, the original design of 
its founders—to make this pre-eminently 
an Agricultural School — aud as such it is 
successfully accomplishing its mission. 
Lansing, Mich. E. b. f. 
^htcjj Husbandry 
COMBING AND DELAINE WOOLS. 
Letter from Hon. J. Wiley Edmands, President or 
National Association of Wool Manufacturers. 
Boston, March It, 1872. 
Dear 8nt: — 1 acknowledged receipt of 
your letter soliciting information regarding 
Certain wools, but f have not had the time 
at my command, before now, to attend to 
furnishing tho samples- 
You wish sent “ prime and medium sam¬ 
ples of the principal style* of delaine wools 
now iu demand, naming the fabrics into 
which they respectively enter—specifying 
the indispensable and the desirable char¬ 
acteristics of each of those styles. In respect 
to length, fineness, luster, and in other par¬ 
ticulars—stating what is understood to be 
the blood of the sheep which now furnish 
those styles of wool— also, the aggregate 
amount of these wools required for annual 
consumption, and relative amount required 
of each.” 
1 have prepared and now send five sam¬ 
ples, numbered 1 to 5, each representing 
different styles of wool. I liuve had no ref¬ 
erence to clothing wools, as they are beyond 
your Inquiry', nor have I confined myself to 
“ delaine ” wools iu selection of samples. 
Thev include also the strictly combing 
wools, which, in length and character of 
staple differ from those wools formerly 
sought for in the manufacture of American 
delaines, and which were in limited demand 
before the recent extension of our worsted 
manufactures. 
No. 1 is Canada combing fleece of Leices¬ 
ter and Cots wold breed of sheep. This 
sample represents a class of wool which is 
required in the manufacture of all hard 
worsteds, and may be considered tbe type 
for our farmers in producing long combing 
wool. 
No. 2 is American combing wool grown 
iu Ohio aud Pennsylvania. It comes from 
a cross of our native sheep with Leicester 
orCotswold runm from Canada. 
No. 8 iB Merino wool V to % blood—grown 
in Ohio and Pennsylvania. It is from sheep 
crossed with Leicester and Southdown. 
This wool is in general use for worsted aud 
delaine fabrics, hosiery, fringes for shawls, 
and for yarns. 
No. 4 ih the )/. blood or medium wools of 
Ohio and Pennsylvania. This wool is in de- 
numd for delaines, and for an extensive 
range of worsted goods up to the finer de¬ 
scriptions. It is also in demand for hosiery 
and shawls, and is highly estimated by our 
fancy Cassimcre manufacturers, particu¬ 
larly for warps. - 1 
No. 5 is Vi blood, Ohio and Pennsylvania, 
delaine wool. Our common native sheep 
crossed with a Leicest er ram, produces this 
character and quality of wool. It is a most 
desirable description, and will flml a ready 
demand at all times by the delaine manu¬ 
facturers. 
As regards Combing Wools, the more lus- 
tvous they are, the more valuable. 1 he 
staple must bo uniform throughout, its 
length, and sound, it must not be harsh or 
brasliy. Its staple must not be loss than 5 
inches in length, from 5 to 9 inches. 
DelaUie Wools should have a staple of 3 to 
5 inches hi length- It must bo strong, 
sound, and mellow, whicli qualities are 
found only when the sheep arc well cared 
for. Luster is not wanted, Imt the staple 
must be uniform in quality throughout it 
length, which is the desideratum in delaine 
wools. If weak in any part of tho staple, 
the wool is lit only for tho cards of the cloth 
manufacturer. A cross of % merino with 
Southdown, would produce a good delaine 
wool, aud would be in demand for other 
fabrics. 
The blood of Canada combing wool sheep 
is Leicester, Lincoln, Bakowcll, and Cots- 
wold, find their crosses. Of these, tho Lei¬ 
cester is the most desirable for crossing 
with our native sheep, as < he wool is a lit t le 
finer than most of the others, and it lias tho 
advantage of being anioro hardy sheep, and, 
therefore, more profitable for our American 
farmers. 
Our present consumption of Combing and 
Delaine wools ia about fifteen millions for 
the year, and about one-half of this is long 
combing. Tbe production of Combing may 
bo stated at 2ki millions leaving about th e 
millions to be imported from England and 
Camilla, the greater part of which, about 
three millions, conies from Canada. The 
production of delaine wool in tho United 
States is about six million pounds for the 
y |_*Jl,r • 
If our farmers raised sheep for mutton, 
they would supply the manufacturer of 
Combing wool with all the good qualities 
that, he desires—length, strength, luster, 
elasticity, and uniformity of staple—as their 
sheep then would be well fed and well cared 
for, without which wo may not expect the 
best wool, or the best mutton. 
Very truly Yours, 
J. Wiley Edmands. 
Hon. Henry S. Randall. 
We have, during the past year, received 
a number of inquiries in regard to the kinds 
of wool known iu market as Delaine Wools, 
and the blood of the sheep producing them. 
8o great a change has occurred in both of 
these respects, within a comparatively re¬ 
cent period, that we have felt unwilling to 
attempt to give the desired information 
without some new examination of the sub¬ 
ject. For this purpose we, for a time, con¬ 
templated a trip among some of the princi¬ 
pal manufactories of Delaine Wools; but 
finding no opportuity and but a diminish¬ 
ing prospect of a future opportunity for ac¬ 
complishing this, we at length determined 
to seek that Information from some manu¬ 
facturer whose extensive practical experi¬ 
ence, and general knowledge of ull the sur¬ 
roundings of the subject, would afford the 
strongest guaranty of tho correctness of 
his opinions. All will concede that Mr. Ed¬ 
mands —the head of the great Pacific Mills 
—possesses those qualifications to a degree 
unexcelled, if not unequalled, in the Uni¬ 
ted States. 
The questions put by us to Mr. Edmands 
appear iu his letter. Each of the samples 
of wool forwarded by him, weighs from 
three to four pounds, and consists of parts 
of three or more fleeces,— each snob part 
adhering together and being in tho same 
condition In other respects as when shorn 
from the sheep. This is, to our thinking, a 
much more satisfactory mode of exhibit ing 
tho general appearance and characteristics 
of a particular style or grade of wool, thuu 
by small detached samples, however nu¬ 
merous. 
Mr. Edmands’ samples were not intend¬ 
ed, we take it, for a fancy collection, exbib- 
iting exceptional excellence in all or any of 
the grades in each class — but rather as 
specimens of those grades of wool as they ( 
are found, and are ranked in tho market . 
The two combing samples present nothing 
which ia new to our long-wooled breeders, 
who have, by pretty widely extended im- ( 
pollutions from England and Canada, the ( 
same blood which produces “ Canada comb- _ 
ing” wool. Tho best specimens of the 
latter, however, ure more valuable than ’ 
most American wools of the same blood, be- ( 
cause t hey exhibit vnovo tustcr. Our breed- f 
ers have generally paid more attention to ^ 
carcass than fleece; and in respect to the 
latter have, until recently at least, rather 
sought weight than luster. The two Cana- ( 
dian specimens under consideration possess ( 
a beautiful luster, and are deeply curved, ( 
or, to use a Merino phrase, “crimped,” ( 
throughout their entire length. They pos¬ 
sess, at the same time, all the Other desira- j 
ble requisites of combing wools. The poor- 
eat specimen in same class is without luster, 
short, (four inches,) and about represents, 
wo should say, the lowest grade of Amori- • 
can full-blood combing wool. 
“American Combing Wool,” sample No. 
2, must not be confounded with American 
full blood combing. The best specimens ‘ 
appear to bo strong, mellow wool, but com¬ 
pared wit h best No. 1, are short (four to five 1 
Inches) and lusterlesa, and ure much less 
curved. Tho poorest specimen is but three 
inches long, and seems t o us to indicate a 
South Down cross. U looks like belly wool. 
From what Mr. Bdmands says of the proper 
length of combing wool, wo think it is pos¬ 
sible this specimen was Included by mis¬ 
take. 
Delaine, sample No. 3. One of the speci¬ 
mens is bright, highly crimped, beautiful 
wool; “strong, sound and mellow,’’ from 
four to live inches long, liner and softer 
than tho best Canada combing, but in gen¬ 
eral style unmistakably betraying its rela¬ 
tionship to the best quality of the latter. 
Tho next specimen is from three to three 
and a-half inches long; wool less curved, 
quite as flue, but. u litt lo less soft and bright; 
liber oven uml sound. Third specimen not 
unlike preceding, but a tritlo coarser and 
harsher. 
Delaine, sample No. 4. The specimens 
exhibit about the usual range of wools found 
hi ordinary farmers’ grade Merino flocks, 
which have not been bred to yolky (greasy) 
fleeced rams; nor do they vary from the 
ordinary length of suoh wools, being barely 
from two to three inches long. Though 
conventionally known in the trade as half- 
blood, or medium wools, some of them arc 
obviously of higher Merino grade. From 
the length and general appearance of the 
specimens, it is evident that the Merino 
cross was made on “native" stock. The 
wool, like all wool containing thus much of 
Merino blood, and grown under decent 
treatment, is strong and mellow. 
Delaine, sample N<>. 5. From two to 
three inches long; very dry, loose, open 
wool ; coarse, and most of it what ii'C should 
term harsh, and the fleece must be very 
light in weight in proportion to carcass. 
The fiber, however, appeal’s to be strong. 
"Wo liave not attempted any elaborate de¬ 
scription of above wools, because we have 
supposed it impossible in respect to many 
of the details, to make words supply the 
place of occular inspection. For the latter 
purpose, we will send samples (as long as 
ours last) to those who ask them and assure 
us they intend to embark in a specified 
branch of Delaine production. But most 
of our wool growers have seen all the kinds 1 
of sheep whose crosses produce Delaine 
wool, and can, even when they have not 
seen them, pretty correctly estimate the 
effects of those crosses. Breeding Delaine 
sheep involves no secret and requires no 
special skill. In fact, there are few persons 
who are growing sheep of any cross between 
the Merino and coarse wooled breeds, hav¬ 
ing wool three inches long and light fleeces, 
that arc not growing some class of Delaine 
wool. After a deliberate examination of 
the samples we are disposed to believe that 
lightness —freedom from yolk or grease—is 
one of tho chief recommendations of all 
these wools, and this not because they are 
better or even as good materials for the 
fabrics to which many of them are applied, 
but because they will lose much less In 
cleansing, aud are therefore cheaper mate¬ 
rial. Take, for example, “ delaines ” (the 
fabrics so designated) and “ worsted goods 
vp to the finer descriptions mentioned in 
No. 4. 
Every person acquainted with the subject 
must know that pure or high grade Merino 
wools, if long enough, are better materials 
for these goods than half-blood wools, be¬ 
cause they are all finer, stronger, and will 
wear better. The same is true of those 
wools respectively for some carding pur¬ 
poses for “fancy cassiuieres.” Yet im¬ 
proved machinery to a considerable extent 
obliterates the distinction to the eye; mid 
in some lines of goods, fashion actually gives 
preference to the coarser fabrics! Perhaps 
the wool grower is partly accountable for 
these results. During the last decade, he 
has gone into the opposite extreme and bred 
an unprecedented and wholly unnecessary 
amount of yollc in his wool, producing a 
“sogginess” but partly removed by his 
mode of washing; and then he has held on 
for tho prices of well washed wool until ho 
has found some buyer foolish enough to pay 
them. Or perhaps it would be more correct 
to say, as it has been customary until re¬ 
cently for buyers to pay the same price for 
the same (trade of wools throughout a 
neighborhood, unless in grossly had condi¬ 
tion, these heavy wools have received more 
and cleaner ones less than tlioir proportion¬ 
ate value, in order to make the average price 
satisfactory to the purchaser. 
There arc various considerations of inter¬ 
est. to the wool grower connected with this 
subject of Delaine wools, but, we have not 
space to discuss them on this occasion, and 
we will close with some brief practical views, 
on embarking in tho production of tliosa 
wools. First, in view of the proportion, 
able demand for their wool nowand pros, 
peotlvely, and of the comparative weight 
of their fleeces to carcass (or consumption), 
we should consider it rank folly to cross full 
blood Merinos with any other breed of 
sheep whatever, for the purpose of convert¬ 
ing them into Delaine wool sheep. Second, 
we should consider il. expedient, as things 
now stand, and under favorable circum¬ 
stances, to cross largo numbers of our grade. 
Merinos so as to produce the Delaine wools 
described by Mr. Edmands. No. 3 is pro¬ 
duced by about two crosses of English long 
wool rams ml Merino cwob. No. 4 is pro¬ 
duced by one or two crosses of Merino rams 
on “ nat ive ” ewes. No. 5 Is produced by a 
single cross of long wool rams on “ native ” 
owes. 
Tho greatest difficulty in breeding these 
wools after they have attained their desired 
character, is to preserve that character. 
The continued use of the full blood rams 
would constantly and essentially change it/ 
Mongrel rams of tho same blood would be 
likely to “breed back,” so ns to cause a 
great want of uniformity. Perhaps, how¬ 
ever, this would not prove very damaging. 
We have a st rong suspicion that any Amer¬ 
ican wool, sound and of proper lengt h—and 
sufficiently light —will go into tlm category 
of Delaine wools! 
—-- 444 - 
Water for Sheep.—It is believed by 
some that water, as a drink, is wholly or 
quite unnecessary for sheep. No one could 
make a greater mistake than to believe the 
idea stated above. If sheep are allowed 
access to water, they will be as regular, ill 
drinking, as other stock. A regular supply 
of water throughout the winter as well as 
summer, should be regarded as indispensa¬ 
ble for the welfare of our flocks. Every 
flock master is aware of the difference there 
will bo in the condition of sheep that have, 
and of those that have not been watered 
during a winter; although the latter may 
seem to be in fair condition, they are not in 
as good condition, as they would have been, 
had they been watered daily. Sheep that 
are yarded during the winter, and fed on 
dry feed, need much less water than those 
that are allowed to range over a large pas¬ 
ture, or fed on roots and other moist feed.— 
A. A. H. 
