Merinos for mutton. 
491 
fertile grain fields of these great valley states. Whatever force it 
may have when applied to the cramped agriculture of New England 
(and even then I deem it a mistake) is lost with the fading view of 
her rocky hills. The western farmer, inspired by the expansive¬ 
ness of his surroundings, feeds with an unsparing hand, and is sat¬ 
isfied with nothing short of grand results. The long wool sheep 
commend themselves to him because of their size and rotundity; 
and when the Merinos are bred to the point of development of car¬ 
cass that lies within the range of practical achievements, the only 
obstacle to their general popularity will have been removed. 
When the Merino ewes, in fair condition, kick the beam at 100 
to 120 pounds, and full grown wethers yield the butcher 20 to 25 
pounds per quarter of dressed meat, the term “ mutton breeds ” 
will lose its significance, and little will be heard of the superiority 
of those animals to which it is now applied. My faith in the intel¬ 
ligence and industry of Merino sheep breeders is such as to war¬ 
rant the prediction that they will be found equal to all the demands 
of the future, as they have been to meet the necessities, and even 
whims of the past. Such size and contour will be given their stock 
as to place it at no disadvantage when meeting its long wool cousins 
in the markets of the country. Let this be done, not to displace a 
single long or medium wool sheep from our farming economy; but 
rather to help all breeds to a more satisfactory future, by creating 
where it does not now exist, and fostering, where created, a broader 
and better market for their flesh — so important an item in the yield 
of profits. 
Increased size and improved outline must, however, be secured 
wdthout sacrifice of shearing qualities, unless the magnificent merino 
fleeces remain as dense, as fine, as even, and cover all parts of the 
body as completely as they are found on the best animals of to-day, 
any improvement of carcass will have been too dearly bought. The 
merino of the future will be, like its ancestry, the main source of 
the supply for the material that clothes the great mass of the peo¬ 
ple, and a heavier fleece, covering a larger carcass, must be found 
among its facilities for meeting the constantly augmenting demand. 
x\dmitting the necessity for increased carcass, and the possibility 
of securing it without oflsetting sacrifices, the one important ques¬ 
tion that remains is. How can it be accomplished? The answer is, 
by Judicious breeding and liberal feeding. Neither of these will 
