The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-02-21

tinest) absgt S. the pound. The market OF En-
gland would always be open to it, and, such is
Her deuisnd, that ii we could supply her con.
at 5000. 0o0,b. il would restore to our
mutual advantage the balance of be-
tween us.
The Merinos are rather smaller than the lar
gest sheep we raise on the the north of the High
lands. Those bred 1T Eambouiliet are better
made than those imported directly from Spain.
Fie belly, cheeks, forehead and hind legs, are
covered with wool that is short, curied and thick,
and though extremely white when washed, vet
brown at the eXtremities when on the sheen.
particularly 'tiolacd or kept on airy but the clea-
nest pasture. This is owing t. the extreme
thickness of the wool, which increases the pers.
piration of the aniinad, or rather perhaps to the
grsNer quantity ot grease that the wool contains,
Tor in tins circums, ,nce it greatly differs from
common wool, aud II is never found harsh or dry.
The wool -, the thigh, which on our sheep is
harsh and intermixed with hairs, in the SPANISH
sheep Is spit and hne.-From the thickness and
evemess OF the fleece the sbeep is guarded a.
gainSt the. wet and cold more etiectuaiiv than our
sheep, whose fsecces are iooser, and whose bel
lies, after the second or third wear, are only
covered with hairs instead of wool. Mr..
Macro observes, that the most thrifty sheep
throughout the winter, are those that have the
thicSeSt and most avsn coats. The fleece is en-
tirely free from hair, which renders Other wool
Marsh, and which never takes the dye perfectly.
having procured samples OF all the wool that
could be obtained IN France, together with the
Improvement made IN each by crossing the differ
ent breeds OF sheep with Spanish rams, | snail
lay them before the society, which will enubl,
them to form their own Judgement as to the dual.
ity. The inferiJrity IN the size vi the M.rino to
some other breeds, w.iicii some make as an oh.
Jecton, rs NJ my opinion AN important advantage.
not on IN sheep, but IN every other STOCK no; dc.
si%ned Tor the draft because they will ;lltrn in
pastures NJ winch larger cattle would suffer from
ohe fatigue they must undergo in order 10 pro
cure the food that is necessary for their suonor,
ms reasoning applies more strongly to sheep
than to any other stock. They are generally kept
upon high an! dry pastures, that are Frequently
Parched in summer, when fatigue is most ;rk-
some to them To which we may add. that the
fleece is not Proportioned, rs tie food is, 10 the
eur OF the animal, but to his surface, and a small
sheep having more surface in proportion to his
ouiS, must also have wool in the same pronort,
on that IS, 4 sheep whose live weight shall he
ooio. and VINO or Course will reqairc bat one quar-
ter ofthe food OF sheep that weighs 24O!b. will.
notwithstanding. have half as much wool (if,he
nceces are SqnsAy thick rs his gigantic brother.
Ihe Mcrino mas been found in France TO be ouite
as hardy as the common sheep. At Ranboi,Iet
they have no winter feed but hay, and vet tbriv.
very well but what IS more extraordinary is
that IN Sweden, where the native sheen are cx.
tremeiy coarse wooiied, the NJ erino has been ma.
turaiized without having in any sort changed the
nature or quality ofthe wool, in the term of about
thirty years since they were introduced. Tbey
nave also been So we'll cultivated there. thar
though the consumption of fine wool has increas.
&c IN Sweden, yet the importation of Spanish
wool has greatly diminished.
(IoS be continued