The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-02-24
(CoNcLtDEp.

My.own experience has convinced me, os far
as trials upon a small scale can to 81, that the
Mrtiuo is at least as hardy as our sheep. In the
year 1902, i purchased from the national flock,
at the ve,cnerary school. at Gibbons. two Young
rams and two ewes. They cost me, delivered ri
Paris, Tive miles distant) 1902. Charges, in
getting them tn a sea port, maintenance till the
ship was ready, and on board, (though the pa,ri-
otisni efihe captain woutI not perr,it him to take
any frctght) brought them to almost double that
price by the time they arrived at my farm. One
OF the rams Ispared to my brsther; the otter,
with two ewes, were treated cxaclly as my o.
ther sheep; they were fed on hay, and had no
shelter. They broughtme twoiambs, Sc shear
ed eleven pounds of washed wool, nearjf each.
Tx next year tie lambs came in January, were
neglected. and died. The wool was not weigh.
ed. Last year one of The ewes was sick, and
brought no lamb the other drspt a eve lamb ::
the i've feeces (from the three old sheep & two
shearlingsl when washed, weighed ISlb besides
the tags and waste wool. The two bred here,
are, IN every respect, as fine sheep rs the impo--
ted rams, without the smallest difference bet ween
2 the wool of one Or the other. Upwards of 5 alb.
wool viii be thought n considerable Weld from
smaiisherp kept upon hay, in u Reck with 90 O.
thor shcep. 1t equals the fock at Rsmhouiilet,
and exceeds, BY a pound, the average OF the Spa
Jis, travelling flocks. My present ticci, consists.
of two fall bred rams, and three full bred ewes,
including the lamb of this year; eight three
quarter bred ewes, whose form and wool is al
ready so like that ofthe imported sheep, that it's
difficult TO distinguish them. If any difference
exists, it is mereiyin the wool, on the extremity
of,the thigh, whichislonge aad L .hink not ST.
fine as that on the full bloods. l have also 18
half blood ewes and w~eathers, and about 90 coun-
try ewes that have run with the Spanish rams
All these sheep are kept together; they have a
shed t~hattliev can go into, which is open on eve
Wy side but the north and northwest they have
hitherto been fed with hay only, though l shall,
met hafn,a fLenla,rb G,om., 90 o;,.a tl,o,o I,u, e.
OATS having no green fodder. If any difference
is discerAable in the flock, il is IN favor of the
Merinos. One circumstance is re,nafkablei it is
that the half bred lambs have not only thicker,
kut3oagcr ieeces than the coRmon lambs, tho
these have naturally much longer wo3i than the
Spanish Mcrino. This is an important circum-
stance, as i, shows how necessary it is to cross
the breed of sheep with these of a better stock.
Should il be objected that the object here is to
procure a great quantity OF wool without regard
to+ie quality, / would observe, that this might
be true, If our landholdePs were an INDECENT pea.
santrv, who sought only to be sheltered from the
cold, instead Of being what they ,te, and, thrust,
Siwaps will he, men ~ such easy circumstance
as, TO look beyond the mere pecessaries, to the
conveniencies and comforts Of life. Such men
will take q pride and pleasure in being dressed in
clothes whose ~sottness and piiancy save warmth
to the badly, pleasure TO the touch, and grace TO
The wearer and they Will be doubly proud of
this, If tits the product OF their OWE farms, and
Of TIE industry tf their wives and daughters
~Thattiis is the fact, wemay infer from lhe guam
't'ty offoreign clothes that are worn by farmers,
whose owaaocks might F'pplyt them abundantly
with cloth of inferior quality, If they looked only
to. warmth in their dress and froui the attention
that those among them, whom economy or patri-
ot,s1n induce to weer their own wool, pay to rev
dering lhc cloth IS tihr Us the materials viii adj
init. II, however, it should be thought, that cloth
Hnerthan the tl6rt quality ofBritish cloth, which
ccs in cur country, would be unnecessary, this
may be procured by crossing our breed with the
Merino, 50 as to have hail, or even quarter bred
Spanish sheep. This would add to The quantity
rs we'll as to the ~fneuess of the hecce, and by
sorting it we would have wool sufficiently fine
for the master Of the family AND for his children,
with 4 coarser sort tor the dcmestics. In fact,
the inlrcductiono of this breed of sheep, will en-
able every nan to have that quality OF cloth that
he likes best, without any additional expense.
except that which arises from the spinning finer,
,,i:iuh, beng a domestic operation in most farm
houses, vii not be much regarded. In order to
give sT,us idea Of the fncacss and duc:ilIty of
tsiis wool, Icam,ot .selp mentiohing, hat Sir TO-
seph Banks, in q letterto Arthur Young, informs
him, that the fleece ofI,is Spanish sheep was
spun into ysen 1856, 800 yards (abcut 90, milcs) to
$ the pound. Cotton. in machines, could only be
spun into thread Of 92,400 yards, and in iennies
$4,000 which is much finer than can be spun
by IiaIlO IN ELlStdnuy tiOuSn II Is some Wli2t eX-
ceeded in France.
Though the climate of England, from It's too
great moisture, is not calculated for these sheep,
vet it appears from this circumstance, that they
do not soon degenerate even there and l should
suppose, from what am going to mention, that
Ahel are turning their attention to the improve.
rpsisi IS .itzi- -i,saP- by 4 mixture with the Me-
Tinos. About 20 rams, from the king of Eng.
lands flock, (tof he is hinscifs con siderable far
rnef) were scUi last yesr'at auction they fetch
cd from thirty tor forty guin6as a piece. II
voail then be objectionable in us, in our coun-
ty, where they thrive so well, TO neglect the pro.
7bgstiOn OF them. ] have hitherto viewed this
question, with an eye TO the domestic maBufac-
ttres tiiat we now carry on. But what prevents
MIR notwithstanding not only what is necessary for
CTR families, but for the general CONSUMPTION of
cur country Why Should not our city beaux,
who look beyond convenience ~ elegance, find
the qualification Of tier taste in the product OF
cur own, rather than Of f~dreign looms ! The
price of labor is Tie general objection. This is
already diminished BY carding mills, which do
the wolis Better, andleave more woner 10 en-.
pIoyjn SPINNING, and of course must reduce the
price OF their wages. Nils have also BEEN late.
u erected for spinning wool and certainly il a.
NJ wool esi be spun fine IN mills, it Will be that
which, from is %softness and the evenness of ia
texture, most resembles cotton. l. IL possible.
that the price Of labor can operate in an equal
degree with The various charges that enhance the
value OF a piece Of superfnc British broadcloth.
before itcomes to The hand ofthe American con.
.HAAAa