THE CULTIVATOR. 
49 
the wool may average seven inches,—the weight of the fleece is 
seven to twelve pounds, and sometimes more. 
The late Christopher Dunn, of this city, was among the first to 
introduce among us the New Leicester or Bakewell sheep, and they 
yet maintain their purity and value upon the farm of his son. Nu¬ 
merous importations have been since made, and the New Leicesters 
are now found in almost every section of our country. Their mut¬ 
ton is exhibited every spring in our market, and surpasses all others 
for fatness. 
The Cotswold breed has recently been sensibly improved by mix 
ing with the new Leicester—the carcass is less, but better formed, 
and the weight of fleece is somewhat diminished. The quarters of 
the improved Cotswold weigh from 20 to 40 pounds, and the fleece 
7 to 8 pounds. We have not heard of but few of these sheep reach¬ 
ing our country. 
The Lincolnshire, like the Cotswold, have undergone recent im¬ 
provements by a cross with the new Leicesters. These sheep are 
particularly adapted to fenny or marshy lands, where they attain a 
heavier carcass and fleece than they do on uplands. Their average 
fleece is 8 or 9 lbs. and the staple is from 9 to 12 inches in length. 
Two of these killed at Lincoln market in 1827, gave fleeces that 
weighed 12 lbs. each ; each of the fore quarters weighed 73 pounds, 
and the hind quarters 571 pounds. An importation of Lincolns was 
noticed in a late Cultivator, by Mr. Clift, of Carmel, Putnam coun¬ 
ty- 
Besides the sorts we have noticed, there are various crosses 
among us, of the Saxon, Merino and Leicesters with our common 
flocks. 
We think, that however the preference may be given, near our 
large market towns, to mutton sheep, the fleece is likely to become 
the great object with the sheep farmer in the remote inland districts, 
because this marketable product will better bear the expense of long 
transportation than the carcass, and is likely to command a more 
regular price. The relative value of the different kinds must be a 
matter of calculation with the farmer. The weight of fleece ordi¬ 
narily diminishes as it improves in fineness, while the latter is the 
general criterion of value. 
A microscope has recently been constructed by Powell, of Lon¬ 
don, of such extraordinary power, as to show the serratures in the 
fibres of wool, which are found to increase in number much in the 
proportion to fineness. The writer on sheep husbandry, in the 
Farmers’ Series of Useful Knowledge, thus describes the appearance 
of wool under this new microscopic power. 
“ The fibre thus looked at assumed a flattened riband-like form. Il 
was of a pearly grey colour, darker towards the centre and with 
faint lines across it. The edges were evidently hooked, or more 
properly serrated—they resembled the teeth of a fine saw. These 
were somewhat irregular in the different parts of the field of view, 
both as to size and number. The area of the field was now ascer¬ 
tained ; it was one-fortieth of an inch in diameter. By means of the 
micrometer we divided this into four, and we then counted the num¬ 
ber of serrations in each division. Three of us counted all four di¬ 
visions. The number was set down privately, and it was found that 
we had all estimated it at fifteen in each division, making 2,400 ser¬ 
ratures in the space of an inch, all of which projected in the same 
direction, viz. from the root to the point. Then we endeavored to 
ascertain its actual diameter, and proved it to be 1-750 of an inch.” 
The fibre was from a Merino fleece. 
“We next endeavored to explore the cause of this serrated ap¬ 
pearance, and the nature of the irregularities on the surface, which 
might possibly account for these tooth-like projections; we there¬ 
fore took another fibre, and mounted it as an opaque object. It pre¬ 
sented a beautiful glittering column, with lines of division across it, in 
number and distance seemingly corresponding with the serrations. 
These examinations afforded a satisfactory solution of the felting 
principle. The fibres can move readily in a direction from root to 
point, the projections of the cups [or serratures] offering little or no 
impediment, but when they have been once involved in a mass, and 
a mass that has been pressed powerfully togther, as in some part of 
the manufactory of all felting wool, the retraction of the fibre must 
be difficult, and in most cases impossible.” 
With the above instrument, an examination was instituted, of the 
relative fineness and felting properties of the wool of different kinds 
of sheep, the felting properties being indicated by the number of its 
serratures. The following are some of the results : 
Fibres to an inch. Serratures to do. 
Saxon,. 840 2,720 
Merino pick-lock,. 750 2,560 
Common Merino......... 750 2,400 
South Down... 660 2,080 
Leicester,. 500 1,860 
Lincoln,. 480 1,280 
Wool of the rabbit,. 1,000 2,880 
do. of the seal,.1,250 480 
There can be no doubt, continues our author, that wool consists 
of a central stem or stock, probably hollow,, or at least porous, and 
possessing a semi-transparency not found in the fibre of hair. From 
this central stalk there springs, at different distances, in different 
breeds of sheep, a circlet of leave-shaped projections, resembling 
leaves, or scales, which give to the wool the power of felting, and 
regulate the degree in which that power is possessed. 
We annex cuts below, showing the appearance of the fibres of 
wool, when subjected to this new microscopic power, both in its 
transparent and opaque forms. 
Fig. 8. Fig. 10. 
8. 
A fibre of Saxon wool as a 
transparent object. 9. do. opaque. 
10. 
do. 
of picklock Merino. 
11. do. opaque. 
12. 
do. 
of common Merino. 
13. do. opaque. 
14. 
do. 
of South Dawn. 
15. do. opaque. 
16. 
do. 
of Leicester. 
17. do. opaque. 
18. 
do. 
of Lincoln. 
19. do. opaque. 
EXPERIMENTS IN RAISING LUCERN. 
We find in the Transactions of the Society for the Promotion of 
Agriculture, &c. two communications from Chancellor Livingston, 
giving the details and results of fourteen experiments made in the 
culture of lucern, upon various soils, and in connexion with various 
crops. The results were various. In some cases the produce was 
estimated as high as six tons four cwt. the acre, in cured forage; 
and five crops were taken in a season, two to feed green, and three 
as hay. In other cases, upon stiff or wet soils, or with grain that 
lodged, the results were unfavorable. These experiments enabled 
that intelligent gentleman to lay down some definite rules for our 
guidance in the culture of this valuable crop, and among them the 
following: 
“1. Never to sow on ground that is not perfectly pulverized. 
“ 2. Not to sow till the earth has acquired a degree of warmth 
friendly to rapid vegetation, that is, not earlier than the month of 
May. 
“ 3. To sow with no crop that will probably lodge. 
“ 4. If sown with buckwheat, to apply no gypsum or other manure 
till the buckwheat is off.” 
The first course of experiments was made in 1793. The Chan¬ 
cellor closes this communication with expressing his opinion, that lu¬ 
cern is better adapted to our climate than clover; that it exacts no 
more labor; that it leaves the soil much better than it found it; and 
that it is perennial in its duration—having remarked two plants in a 
common pasture which had defied the bite of cattle for upwards of 
twenty years. 
