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

W." o"ecP' boot- Hrd W ooNen lhdr,Jdetn-cs, sheS
ing the advantage efinltyoving american Voob
1y the int,edne,'cr gfSpanish Sleep, &c. By Ro-
BERT X. LrvINcsToN, Ii. u President IF
the Soeiep for the promotion Of nseui hYts, IN
fhF state Of Nesr-1Ierk.
I have seen, with pleasure, that the agricni-
tnre or my native country has improved considc-
rsbly, inthe short space octour years, the time
OF my absence. Much, however, remains to he
done before it acquires that perfection to which
all nations should aspire, but which none that l
have seen in Europe, Lombardy and Sorth lIol
land excepted, have in any degree attained. En-
gland, though she boast with reason some of the
best farmers IN the world, is but partially impro.
we'd, many districts are i'll cultivated, and old ha.
bits are not yet rooted out. l shall, as time and
leisure admit, take occasion to lay before YOU
such practices ofthe old world as / think NAV be
advantageously adopted by the new at present,
i WISH to draw your attention to n subject which
our probable rupture, with soine of the European
powers, renders peculiarly interesting at this mo-
ment. Imean the Improvement in our breed of
sheeP. III upon this, that we must rely for our
independence of Europe, III an article of the first
necessity.
The sheep Of this state, taken collectively, are
shperlorts almost any native race that have seen
III France, Holland, Lonbardy or Italy, and very
much resemble the south down sheep of Eng
land. hi general, the sheep of those countries.
arc about the size of ours those upon the sea-
coast on the Channel and Lohbardy are larger
those IN Brittany much smaller. The wool of
most of these breeds is inferior to ours in fine
ness, 1t we except the sheep upon the borders of
Span, some travelling hocks in the Kingdom Of
Naples, and those in the small district of Berry.
Anderson says, that wool sent from New Ter.
sey sold at the rate of the finest wool i'm Eng.
land.
believe in cold or temperate climates the in.
feriorIty of qualityin the wool does not arise from
climate, but from ether accidental CAUSES, which
n Ghal nntnf ont In ..-~ II
TO a neglect ofthose breeds that bear fine wool,
and next, to the manner in which the sheep are
kept.-They are folded in close pens, during the
summer, all night, and part Of the day. In win
ter, they are crowded in small and Haired I,ou-
ses they are fed upon the commons, on the road
sides, and on the stubbles, always odhincd close
together by the shepherds dogs, who are CONT
nuaiiy running round U,em TO prevent their s,rag-
giing or touching the grain or meadows at the
sides OF tiicm, for there are no fences. In dry
seasons they are extremely pinched for food, and
IN the winter, no green fodder or clover is prepa-
RED tor them, and very seldom even hay they
are LETT 10 CLEAN in the fields when there is no
snow, and, when there is, to feed upon the coar-
sest hay, or the leaves and branches of trees.
wffichis frequently the only provender laid up for
them. 1t is held by the British agriculturists.
shat bad keeping makes bad WOOL. If the sheep
are alternately well fed and starved, the wool
will be OF different strength and thickness, and,
Of course, unequal and of a bad staple.
That he climate effects no change in them, I
infer from the great success that has attended the
of Spanish sheep, which, where they
have been treated with q little attention, have SO
greatly improved in their size, form and fleece,
without any change in the quality of the wool.
that full bred rams, imported directly from Spain,
may now be purchased in France at a much less
price than rams from the national flock at Ram
.bouiHeti a race that were introduced about 90
years sgolnto France. Superfine cloth can only
De made from Spanish wool, and that without
mixture with other sorts, from which it differs
so materially, that Anderson asserts, on the in
formation OF British manufacturers, that thcv
cannot be wrought together. The different .pe-
Sies OF broad cloth are not made by mixture with
British wool, but by Spanish wool of different
qualities. The coarse cloths only, are made of
British wool. France, as well as all the rest of
Europe, being dependent upon Spain fer the wool
used in their fabricks offne cloath, m dc various
attempts to introduce Spanish sheep. In T66.
n numbar were imported and distributed among
the people of different districts. But as the ge.
neral opinion was, that Spanish sheep could only
thrive in Spain, that The wool would degenerate
hthey did not travel from the plains to the noun.
tains, and from the mountains to the plains and,
above all, as the Peasailtry thought, that what
they received without price could be of little
worth, no attention was paid to keeping the race
distinct, and, o fcourse, little advantage resulted
from the measure, except to a few enlightened
Ddh lhN'' SApSi SuIlClentlY pro
we'd tie Practicability Of the project, and deter
miIIed the government to make the attempt again.
and to put the direction of the project into the
hands ola distinguished agriculturist.
Application was made to the king of Spain for
permission to draw from his dominions a number
of MeEnos. the lame by which the fine woolIed
sheep are distinguished. He not only permitted
this, but ordered that they should be chosen out
of the finest flocks in the kingdom. In the year
17s6, they arrived at Rarnbouilet, the rational
farm. Instead of giving away the increase, as
bad before been done, they were annually sold.
which, OF course, put them into the hands of the
richer and more intelligent farmers. At first,
they brought n very moderate price, but their SUI
periority over the other sheep of the country, the
great Improvement in the wool that resulted Fl ON
crossing the breed, were so manifest, and the G.
violence that experience afforded of their supper
ting the change Of climate and treatment without
any sensible change in the quality of their wool,
rendered the demand for them so great, that they
have considerably advanced in price. In 1895,
the average price was 30" franks, about Is &
the last sale (April, 1860 the average price for
q eve was 5 that is about so S ramsbrouCht
from 90 to 100 s. This is is the more remarka.
bic, rs by tue last treaty between France g Spain.
the former had a right to draw 5000 Mel mos
from the Hooks ofthe latter, 500 to be chosen an
nuaily Tor ten years. Skiltul shepherds were sent
10 select them, and France now possesses above
thirty thousand Of these sheep, by iraportation,
and by natural increase, and vet tLe pri-e of fbe