1852, 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
185 
Sheep Husbandry. 
Eds. Cultivator —In your February number, I no¬ 
tice a communication from “ W. M’C.,” of West Hebron, 
Washington county, N. Y.. on the subject of heavy and 
light wooled sheep, and I think his remarks on the sub¬ 
ject are well worthy the attention of all wool growers; 
though I think he makes the difference between the class¬ 
es he mentions, greater than generally exists; forty-four 
cents being a less price for wool that has any just preten¬ 
sions to a Saxony stamp, and four and one half pounds 
being a greater weight than many Merino flocks will 
average. I think that a wool-grower, that does not make 
a fine flock average more than two and three-fourth 
pounds, and worth only forty-four cents, will hardly 
make a Merino flock shear four pounds, worth forty 
cents; as I think much of the profit depends on breeding, 
selecting, feeding, and attention; and that the same care 
that would make the fine flock yield three pounds, worth 
from forty-five to forty-eight cents, would make a Merino 
flock produce four and one-quarter pounds, worth forty 
cents,* leaving the difference between the two, about 
thirty cents, and that is certainly of sufficient importance 
to claim the attention of all interested in growing wool. 
I have had considerable experience in growing wool, hav¬ 
ing been engaged in the business for thirty-five years, and 
having had the same flock without changing for twenty- 
five, which I bred for about ten years, with a view to 
make them fine; but finding their fleeces too light, and 
their constitution too tender for this climate, I determined 
to increase the weight of fleeces as fast as I could, with¬ 
out materially injuring the quality, and have succeeded 
so far as to make my flock, consisting of ewes and lambs, 
(as I keep no wethers,) shear three and three-fourth 
pounds, which sold at the depot in Kinderhook, in Janu¬ 
ary, for forty-seven cents a pounds, making one dollar 
and seventy-six a fleece, including commission. My sheep 
have long staples, thick wool, very free from yolk; have 
strong constitutions, and are perfectly healthy, not one in 
two hundred and fifty having been ailing in any way, to 
my knowledge, this winter; and when I can get them up 
to four pounds per head, with about the quality they now 
have, I shall have accomplished all I ever .expected to. 
I have no doubt my flock would have shorn some two 
ounces more per head by this time, if I had not, some 
four or five years ago, sold all of two stocks of young 
ewes, and though I obtained a large price, I think I lost 
by the operation, as in consequence of that sale I have 
not been able, till last year, to raise the average weight, 
over about three and one-half pounds. I have no ac¬ 
count of more than four sales, though mine has always 
been sold at the depot in Kinderhook since its establish¬ 
ment. Those sales have all been made in the winter. 
In 1848, it sold for forty cents, and for the three last 
years for forty-seven; showing that there has been no 
variation in the price of such wool; and I see by reference 
to my bills, that the assorting has been very uniform. 
The prices of low and medium wool, have been more 
fluctuating, and I understand that such wools are now 
dull, and that the prospect for another year is not flat¬ 
tering. 
As my object in writing this, is to induce wool-growers 
to take more pains inbreeding and managing their flocks, 
and as any knowledge I may have acquired, I am free to 
communicate, I shall briefly state how I have managed to 
make mine differ from most others. 
In the first place, I have kept few or no wethers; con¬ 
sequently have raised a large number of lambs in propor¬ 
tion to the number of my flock, and have been able to sell 
about the number I have raised; and always, (except in 
the instance mentioned above,) have selected such as were 
most imperfect; making such selection when I tag them. 
I have made but little use of bucks of my own raising, 
but have procured the heaviest fleeced, stoutest built, and 
strongest constitutioned ones I could, without much re¬ 
ference to trouble or expense; and when I have found 
one near right, have used him as long as he remained vi¬ 
gorous, on old ewes not related to him. I think a judi¬ 
cious selection of bucks for any desired improvement, the 
most difficult matter that falls to the lot of a shepherd; 
and for that reason I have practiced using a strange buck 
on a few sheep, so as not to suffer too much, if he should 
make a bad cross; and I never buy a buck out of a flock 
that has not been well bred for a long time, fearing their 
stock may run back on some defects of their progenitors. 
It is well understood by all who are conversant with the 
subject, that no important, desirable change in any breed 
of animals, has been made in a short time; but rather 
that it takes a long time, and much attention, to produce 
a breed that will generally have the particular qualities 
desired. If, then, we are negligent in this respect, we 
cannot expect to improve. The principal reason why we 
have so few good flocks, is, because sheep-owners are so 
frequently changing them. This beginning every few 
years anew, gives no opportunity to become acquainted 
with the desirable qualities of particular animals. Such 
exist in all flocks that have any pretensions to excellence; 
and families, or the descendants of particular sheep, may 
be traced by a discerning person, in any flock of long 
standing; thus a little attention to any particular defects, 
such as coarse flanks, thin wool, or short or long toes, 
may be extirpated from a flock by disposing of such as 
possess them. 
I think it important for every wool-grower to know how 
his wool assorts, to enable him to know whether he is 
going astray, or not, in his efforts to improve; and this is 
one important reason why I approve of the depot system 
of selling wool, and the more I see of its operation, the 
more I am convinced that it is for the interest of all who 
intend to have a good article, and in good order, to have 
it sold in a systematic way. Any excitement among spe¬ 
culators, which raises wool above its value to the manu¬ 
facturer, invariably creates a reaction, and a decline on 
the next clip, which will more than counterbalance the 
advance on the previous one. Daniel S. Cuutis. Ca¬ 
naan Center, N. Y., March 6, 1852. 
Eds. Cultivator —Noticing a communication in the 
last number of the Cultivator, in regard to heavy and 
light wooled sheep, by W. McC., in which he asked for 
information, “ where there are any of those fine Merinos, 
such as were common before the introduction of Saxony 
sheep, which cut heavy fleeces, with but little waste,” 
I thought it might be for the interest of others, as well as 
my own, to give a short description of my sheep, which 
I think would answer your correspondent’s description. 
