/Swa 
OL. XXXV. No. 14.) 
WHOLE No. 1119. ) 
•.NEW YORK CITY, APRIL 7, 1877, _ 
|„ ww, «' '>« ««<* or comm™ . t w«j,ii.mon l 
[PRICE SIX CENTS 
t * 2.50 PER \EAR. 
every now generation of their female descend¬ 
ant* persistently to pure-blood Merino rams, 
the coarse breed is rapidly merged entirely into 
the Merino. 
usually fetch the highest price in the market. 
Originally the Merinos were never allowed arti¬ 
ficial shelter, but were pastured among the moun¬ 
tains in the north of Spain in the summer, and 
MERINOS AND COTSWOLDS. 
Although of the four or five distinct species 
of sheep generally recognized by naturalists, the 
Rocky Mountain sheep (Oois Montana) is indig¬ 
enous to this Continent, still there is none of our 
domesticated breeds which lias originated on this 
side of the Atlantic. Tlio first of these were in¬ 
troduced from England into the American Col¬ 
onies in 1609, at Jamestown. Va.. and were fol¬ 
lowed by importations into New Aork and Massa¬ 
chusetts, in 1625. These were of the common 
sort, and from such importations are descended a 
vast majority of the thirty-five million sheep 
now to be found in this country. 
Of the choice breeds the Merinos were the first 
introduced, in 1802, although it was not until 
eight years later, in 1810. that they were import¬ 
ed in considerable numbers. From this time may 
be dated the improvement of our domestic vari¬ 
eties, by crossing them with various superior 
breeds of imported stock. Of these probably 
the two most serviceable have been the Merinos 
and the Cotswolds, illustrations of which are 
here given. 
Like tho genealogy of a Scottish Chief, the 
origin of the Merinos is lost in the mists of re¬ 
mote antiquity. Some credulous souls claim that 
they are the identical breed that ouriched the 
Patriarchs of old, in the plains of Canaan, and 
which the wily Jacob skillfully bred so much to 
bis own gain and the loss of his covetous lathor- 
in-law, away in Padan-aram. Certain it is that 
about the commencement of the Christian era 
they hod already won a high reputation in Spain, 
were greatly prized bv the practical Roman con¬ 
querors of the country, aud were distinguished 
by a speciGc national appellation (Ocix Ilhpnn- 
ica), which they still return. Through the neg¬ 
lect and despoliations, incident to wav and in¬ 
ternal discord, a few of the several families into 
which they wero divided, were either dispersed 
or entirely destroyed about, the beginning of this 
century, while the remainder wero allowed to de¬ 
generate to a lamentable degree. 
Before the occurrence of this calamity, how¬ 
ever, different exportations of choice Btock had 
been made, notably to England, Franco, Saxony, 
Silesia, aud finally to this country. Great skill 
and care have, in all these cases, 
been lavished on the- improve¬ 
ment of the different importa- 
tions, both by in-and-in breeding -•• 
and the bestowal of special at¬ 
tention and nourishment. These -- • p 
efforts have been amply rewarded A'J-, 
by the establishment, in each in- j- 
stance, of a distinct variety, with W£${ 
distinctive characteristics, and the ~ MMo 
production of breeds superior, I 
probably, to any that ever flour- 
ished in Spain. _ if** 
Besides being the ancestors of 
the present fine-wool varieties, all -=--7 
the world over, the Merinos have . w 
also temporarily improved the 7 $ 
qualities of the fleeces of other 
breeds by intercrossing. An al- r " _ 
most impassable barrier, however, - 7 „ 
to any permanent improvement in 
this direction, lies in tho force and 
tenacity with which they transmit 
their distinctive qualities. This is ' 
due to the extreme purity and vast —- 
antiquity of their blood, begetting ~ 
an irrepressible tendency to breed . 
back. Of this peculiarity the flock- - - 
masters in many sections profita- 
bly avail themselves. By puttiug 
the ewes sprung from a cross of 
a Merino and coarse breed, and 
merino ram. 
Unlike other breeds, the Merino has wool on I driven about 500 miles south, to tho plains of 
.... .. ' -n . 1 * _ r _a_. mi._ _ 
its forehead, extending to a little below the eyes, 
and on tho cheeks nearly to the mouth, leaving 
only the front face hare. On the body the wool 
stands extremely close, even, and at right-angles 
from the surface, and is fine, long, soft, twisted 
in silky ringlets, and naturally so oily that the 
fleece looks dingy from the dust and dirt it gath¬ 
ers on tho outside, though perfectly clean under¬ 
neath. The wool is only used for the liner class 
of fabrics, and though the fleeces weigh consid¬ 
erably less than those of some coarser-wooled 
breeds, and are also a trifle sborter, their fiber is 
so exceptionally fine and delicate that they 
Estremadura, in winter. They were an exceed¬ 
ingly hardy race, and in this qua’ity their Amer¬ 
ican descendants are very little behind them. 
These stand tho severe changes of weather bet¬ 
ter than any other class of valuable sheep, and 
will thrive excellently in any part of the temper¬ 
ate zone. Owing to the extreme severity of parts 
of our winter, however, it is always advisable to 
provide some shelter for them, during wet and 
tempestuous weather, especially in tho most 
northerly States. Taken all in all, tho Merino is 
generally considered the most profitable sheop 
reared in this country. 
imported cotwavold ewes. 
Wo owe the Cotawold breed to England, where 
the original large, coarse stock was much im¬ 
proved by an admixture of Leicester blood, be¬ 
fore its first importation into this country, forty- 
eight years ago. Thoy aro larger animals than 
the Merinos, and yield a much greater quantity 
of very excellent mutton. Thoy fatten readily, 
sometimes attaining a weight of even between 
200 and 300 pounds each. Tho wool is long, 
beavv, strong, of good color, but rather coarse. 
They aro quito hardy, very prolific, mature early, 
nnd tbo owes make capital nurses. Tho Cots- 
wold is emphatically a farmer's sheep, as it can 
well euduro the rough treatment, and partial neg¬ 
lect sheep generally meet with ori a farm. Its 
abundant fleece, largo size and prolific nature 
render it an excellent means of improving ordi¬ 
nary, scrub stock, by cross-breeding with them, 
especially as the grades show strongly the effects 
of the Cotswold blood- 
In England some shoop aro kept, with profit, 
on nearly every farm, and the practice would pay 
equally well here, if onco introduced. Even on 
the expensive lands of Now York, it has been 
closely calculated that their keop costs barely 
two dollars a year per bead, a pittance that on 
tho cheap Western farms dwindles dowu to a 
trifle loss than fifty cents for each- The manure 
is next to that of the hen In fertilizing richness, 
is dropped evenly all over the pasture, where, 
owing to tho smallness of the pellets, it readily 
sinks to tho roots of tho grass and is absorbed 
by tbo soil without losing any of its gases to tbo 
air, as cow-dung does. 
Physicians and hygienic writers have demon¬ 
strated that mutton is far healthier and more 
nutritious than pork, and fully equal to beef for 
strengthening purposes. Moreover, next to poul¬ 
try it is tho most convenient meat for the farm¬ 
er's larder. A bullock slaughtered in the coun¬ 
try, in hot weather, is not easily disposed of, but 
a sheep can, at any time, be killed without risk 
of wastage. The mutton alone would fully pay 
the cost of keeping a sheep, leaving the wool, 
pelt and manure for profit. These would bo 
i worth considerably more than tbo carcass of tbo 
1 animal, especially If tho breed wero a good one, 
I and such only should be kept. Thb expenses of 
l keeping pure-blood or good, grade sheep, and 
i miserable scrubs, are about tbo same, while tho 
i former are incomparably more profitable. What¬ 
ever might be tbo excess in tbo original cost of 
the animals, the difference in tho 
value, both of tho mutton and 
wool of the best, would return a 
generous interest on tho invest¬ 
ment. 
-♦♦♦- 
A BENEFACTOR TO HIS 
COUNTRY. 
iBP-? There is an old saying that he 
' I i a a benefactor to his country who 
makes two blades of grass grow 
where only one grew before, 
kx Such being tbo fact, what a bless- 
iug to his race would any mau bo 
r who would inaugurate a system of 
,jd sheep-husbandry on a scale of suf* 
j ? fleiont magnitude to awaken the 
\ 7 _^~ present generation to a sense of 
yW® , | the folly of a continued, overlast- 
ing P lowin S> cultivating, and ex- 
hansting of the soil, while at tho 
’.i same time the weary, worn frames 
of bones and skin work inces- 
~ ' santly more hours than any 
other class, for half the pay. 
Tho farmer would then, by the 
grazing of sheep, cause tbo 
blades of grass to thicken and 
fatten his mutton. Moreover he 
would wisely grow wool till nil 
“ land suitable for grass would pay 
double what it would by being 
