56 THE CULTIVATOR. Feb. 
SHEEP AND WOOL. 
ILLUSTRATED BY A GROUP OF MERINOS. 
The plate herewith given, represents a group of 
prize Merino sheep, belonging to Solomon W. Jew¬ 
ett, ofWeybridge, Vermont. The figure in the fore¬ 
ground is that of the noted buck Fortune , which re¬ 
ceived the first prize and gold medal of the American 
Institute at the exhibition in New-York city in October 
last. The other figures are those of ewes (with their 
lambs) which were among a lot of five that took the 
first premium at the exhibition of the Addison county 
Ag. Society, at Vergennes last season, where there 
were more than one thousand fine wooled ewes shown. 
The buildings in the back-ground represent Mr. Jew¬ 
ett's residence, with some of his barns, &c. 
When in Vermont last season, we had the pleasure of 
examining Mr. Jewett’s flock, including the fine ani¬ 
mals whose portraits are here given. He has upwards 
of seven hundred sheep, mostly descendants of the im¬ 
ported Merinos of Messrs. Humphrey, Jarvis, De Wolf, 
Cuff, and Cock, with some purchased of Wm. Davies, 
Esq., of Poughkeepsie. Fortune was the produce of an 
ewe of the Cock stock, by Consul , bred by Hon. Wm. 
Jarvis. [See Cultivator for 1844, p. 378, ’79.] He is 
a large-bodied, short-legged sheep, carrying an enor¬ 
mous fleece, which, though not the finest, is of good 
quality. He is seven years old—was not sheared last 
season, but the six fleeces which have been taken from 
him averaged eleven and a half pounds, well washed. He 
has been used for two hundred ewes annually; and his 
progeny, which are widely scattered over the country, 
have received numerous prizes, both of state and county 
agricultural societies, and are much esteemed for their 
hardy constitutions and heavy fleeces. 
The ewes are very handsome animals, bearing a large 
quantity of long, soft, strong wool. Mr. Jewett certain¬ 
ly deserves credit for the spirit he has shown in pur¬ 
chasing at liberal prices many of the best Merinos in 
the country; having in this manner formed a breeding- 
flock from which much valuable stock has been dissemi¬ 
nated. 
GENERAL ADVANTAGES OF SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 
Although sheep-husbandry in this country has been 
lately much extended, it is probable that it has not yet 
reached the limit within which it may be profitably 
pursued. There is an immense demand created for 
wool by the wants of our own population, which now 
numbers twenty millions, and is increasing at the rate 
of more than a million and a half annually. We regret 
however, to say that our farmers have not heretofore 
been allowed, to the extent they should have been, the 
supply of this demand. Wool has been brought into 
our markets from South America which has competed 
injuriously to the interests of our farmers, with that 
produced here. Of this fact there can be no doubt, but 
we do not intend in this article to tell how or why it 
has been done. It is sufficient for the present, to say, 
that we hope effectual measures will shortly be taken to 
remedy the evil, which has given just cause of com¬ 
plaint. 
It is an important and fortunate circumstance that the 
different fabrics for which wool is used, require wool 
of different qualities. Fine broad-cloths, strong ker¬ 
seys, and the various kinds of worsted goods, are 
made from materials produced by sheep of different 
characteristics. Hence the general market for wool is 
extended vastly beyond what it would be if only one 
kind was used. It is fortunate also, that the different 
kinds of sheep are adapted to different locations and 
soils. Those producing the finest wool, as the Saxons 
and the finer class of Merinos, require a moderate cli¬ 
mate, dry soil, sweet and nutritious herbage, with shel¬ 
ter from severe weather. For cold, exposed and unculti¬ 
vated situations, stronger constitutioned and more vigo¬ 
rous breeds are required, such as the Black-faced and 
Cheviot sheep of Scotland, whose wool, though not calcu¬ 
lated for the finer sorts of fabrics, is converted to many 
useful purposes. For a more mild climate, and the suc¬ 
culent herbage of rich meadows and highly cultivated 
grounds, the different heavy English long-wooled sheep, 
as the Leicester, Cotswold, Lincolnshire, and Romney - 
Marsh breeds, are adapted. 
The increasing demand for various descriptions of 
wool which has been created in this country by the es¬ 
tablishment of manufactories for almost every descrip¬ 
tion of woolen goods, together with the increasing de¬ 
mand for fine mutton in our large markets, has opened 
the way for an extensive dissemination of various 
breeds of sheep, and if they are judiciously adapted to 
soils and locations, good profits may undoubtedly be 
derived from all. 
A great quantity of wool is anually consumed in 
the manufacture of various descriptions of carpets and 
rugs. Much of this wool might be produced to good 
advantage in this country, though it is now principally 
imported. We visited an establishment in Connecticut 
last summer, the Thompsonville Carpet Factory, where 
upwards of eight hundred thousand pounds of wool is 
used yearly in this kind of manufactures. From one of 
the managers, Mr. Thompson, we obtained some inte¬ 
resting items in regard to the business. Most of the 
wool comes from Smyrna, and costs in the dirt, eleven 
to twelve cents per pound. It goes through a process 
of cleansing, at the factory, and when cleansed costs 
twenty-two to twenty-three cents per pound. Could 
long-wool of good quality, say Leicester and Cotswold, 
be obtained in this country, it would be preferred at an 
advance over that imported, of from three to six cents 
per pound—or twenty-five to twenty-eight cents per 
pound. It would even be desirable to procure the 
whole amount wanted, in this country, if it could be 
had, to the total exclusion of the foreign wool. 
The description of wool for which there is and will 
be the greatest demand in this country, is that which 
constitutes the cloth ordinarily worn by the principal 
part of our population, and as the mass of our citi¬ 
zens do not wear the finest nor the poorest cloth, the 
demand will chiefly be for wool which will make that 
of medium quality. The most hardy and heaviest- 
fleeced sort of Merinos are well adapted to producing 
wool of this description; and they are also better suited 
than most varieties to scanty or coarse fare and un¬ 
sheltered situations. There is some liability, however, 
that the market for this kind of wool may be over sup¬ 
plied—a liability which the adaptedness of this kind of 
sheep to common and poor treatment, rather increases, 
by encouraging their multiplication. A large por¬ 
tion of wool-growers, particularly in the western part 
of the country, do not provide themselves with suitable 
pasturage, shelter, aud winter food, for keeping the 
finest-wooled sheep, and are of course under the ne¬ 
cessity of adopting such as will stand their management. 
Hence it is obvious that for the present at least, there will 
be produced a full proportion of the medium sorts of 
wool. 
It is the opinion of many that the finest description 
of wool may be profitably produced in this country not 
only for our own wants, but for exportation also. In 
this kind of wool it is thought we need not fear com¬ 
petition, as we are supposed capable of producing it as 
cheaply as it can be done in other countries. A degree 
of care is requisite to produce this article, which pre¬ 
cludes the possibility of its being grown where sheep 
are left unprotected in a wild, uncultivated country. 
The finest-wooled sheep cannot live long in such a situ¬ 
ation; neither can wool which will command the high¬ 
est price be had where the sheep are forced to range 
for subsistence among bushes and forests, or over plains 
covered with pernicious weeds whose burrs and seeds 
fill and tangle the fleece till it is felted on the animal. 
On the other hand, such wool can be produced only 
where due care is bestowed, both in reference to the 
food and shelter of the sheep, and the protection and 
preparation of the fleece. 
The best locations for mutton sheep, are those con¬ 
venient to large markets; and the prices which good 
mutton and lamb bring at certain seasons of the year. 
