The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-01-31
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FROM THE pA1.Aossl
NJ Z RI NO ST e E p.

I beg leave, through The medium of your pa
per, to solicit of my brother lsnduoiders q more
particular attention to the raising of Merno
Sheep The objections which l have heard
made to 1t AMONG acquaintances, are, 1st That
the sheep will probably degenerate aad the
wool, in process of time become little or nothing
superior to orr own, either in quantity or quail.
ty. ID. That should that not be the case, yet,
as the wool increased in quantity, the price
would be reduced.
AS to the first objection, the Merinos are a
race of Sheep altogether distinct from ours, and
cannot be reduced to the same kind II they
be neglected they become smaller, the wool be-
comes shorter, less in quantity. but not coarser.
They have besn in Sweden eighty years, and, it
is said, have not degenersted. They have been
in France about twenty years the size of the
| sheep and the quantity of wool, are very much
increased the quality of the wool continues
the same Similar observations have been
made in this country, and it is fact that the
cold of cur climate is favorable to the fineness of
the wool
In answer to the second objection, let us at
tend to few facts. Super6ne broadcoth, and
some other articles. cannot be made without
MerAo wool. Britain usually imported 5000.
600 pounds of it annually from Spain. The war
prevented this importation, and Mcrno wool
rose to six dollars per pound. In consequence
OF the present intercourse, the importation has
been rene wed, and the wool has fallen 20 three
dollars per pound. Britain IS now supposed 10
have stock on hand sufficient for two years
when this shall have been expended, from
whence can a supply be procured /. Britain, al.
though her land is excellent for tiliage, pur.
chases part of her grain she cannot, therefore,
afford to make any considerable addition to her
sheep
In Spain the system of raising sheep is at an
end and as she purchases the greater part of
her grain it ought not to be, and probably will
not be, revived. This country is the only one,
that know OF, which affords any prospect of a
considerable supply. Let us consider what we
to increase our present stock of Merino Sheep
to 100 600. l presume, however, that it viii
not be done. 10000 sheep will Weld about
100000 pounds of unwashed wool. / hope ha,.
in ten years, we shall manufacture this QUANTITY
ourselves; but If should not use single
pound, this is only fifteenth or twentieth part
Of what would be wanted in ENGLAND alone. We
may, therefore, safely infer that for long peri
cd, in the ordinary course of things, the price of
Me rno wool there, will not be less than from 8
to dollars per pound.
The following table was formed to show the
progress that may be made in raising Merino
Sheep in eight years. 1t supposes man to be-
gin with a Merino Ram and hundred common
Sheep--that he will rear annually eighty lambs
that, not wishing to enlarge his flock, he will
annually sell the increase, that is forty ram lambs
and forty of the most ordinary Sheppard that
lamb of the fourth generation 10 TO be considered
full blooded. Sheep of the fourth generation,
propagated in this way, may be said to have fif
teen sixteenths IF Merno blood and, compared
with full blooded Meruos are superior both as to
their size and quantity of wool.