The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1844-03-06
IMPORTATION OF MERINo SHEEP
WEArHERsFIELD, Jan. 81, 1874.
Weybridge, Feb. %, 1871.

WEArHERsFIELD, Jan. 81, 1874.
l.. D. GREGORY, ESQ
Dear Sir: In reply TO your letter Of the
18th inst, requesting me TO give you an &C
count of the Merino sheep of Spain and their
introduction into this country, &c. &c, |
shall with pleasure do it so far as my memory
serves me, and believe that will be found to
be tolorably correct, as | long since gave
much attention TO the subject. from a convic-
ton ihat the wool growing business in the
United States would prove a source Of ma
tional prosperity. In Spain the fine wooded
sheep are divided into two classes; the trash
umantcs or travelling sheep and the cstanies
or stationary sheep. The wool of the trash
umanteS is very much superior to that Of the
estantes, owing, undoubtedly, to the superior
care and attention which is given TO them
The traShumantes are owned in focks from
5,0u0 TO 3O,OOO; the larger focks are placed
under the superintendent of mayoral, who
has the whole control over the flock & annually
accounts with the owner for the nett income.
Two shepherds, four dogs and pack horse
or mule are employed for every thousand
sheep. The travelling sheep are divided into
! three classes, which take their names from the
provinces where they are principally kept, viz:
the LeOnesa, which are by far the most nu-
merous and are universally esteemed the
| finest sheep in Spain; the Segovian, which
are considered next best, and the Sorian,
which are deemed little inferior to the lat
ter. never saw any Of the Segovian or So
rian sheep and therefore speak of them from
their general character derived from Span
iards the best informed on the subject. The
LeOnesa are pastured in the summer on the
mountains and billy country of Leon and the
two C5stlles, and in the fall are driven into
the plains of Spanish Estramadura TO be pas
tured through the winter.
Many of their flocks are driven two hun
drcd miles from the summer to the winter
pasture and rice rerSd. Some explanation
will be necessary for the better understanding
Of the cause of this management. The plains
of Spanish Estramadura are subjected TO an
almost invariabe drought from the latter
part April TO the autumnal equinox, but the
rains commence about the 2lst of September
and continue TO fall every two or three days
in very heavy showers till the latter part of
March, when they gradually fall off till the
end of April. In six or seven weeks from the
first rain, from an apparently arid waste,
those plains are covered with beautiful coat
thermometer rarely falls below 407 of Fab
renheit at sunrise. Whilst the plains are
thus parched up in summer by drought in the
mountains and billy regions they have Occa-
sionly refreshing rains, which there keep
their pastures good throughout the summer.
! Their flocks are usually started III the month
of April from the plains of Estramadura to
their summer pastures, and in October back
again. They sre generally sheared in the lat
ter part of May and the wool is sent to St.
Andero and Bilboa, tie two nearest sea-ports
| to their summer pastures, for sale. The pro-
| prietors of the fOcks always own lands in the
mountains and in the plains sufficient for both
their summer and winter pastures. From
the circumstance of their sheep being fed the
year round upon green fodder, ii was the gen.
eral opinion in Spain, that the Merino would
not succeed in any other country. But the
experiments made in Saxony, in 11G5, by
the Introduction in that year of the Spanish
Merlno, 1t has been proved beyond all ques-
ton that, with proper care and management,
wool may be grown quite as fine as the Span
ish, when fed upon dry fodder four or six
months IN the year. In fact they have sue
ceeded IN all countries where they have been
tried, except in England and there deteriora-
ton there must, undoubtedly, be owing to
the extreme humidity of that climate.
The origin OF the fine wooded sheep oil
Spain appears to be question of much
doubt. 1t is certain that Columella, Span
ish writer on agriculture in the days of Au-
gustus Caesar, speaks of fine wooded or COW
cred sheep. 1t is probable they were carried
into that country by the Carthagenians oil
Romans, as the name marenO, implies il
Spanish, from or beyond sea. But it is o
little consequence to those who want a soft
warm, handsome garment, whether thos'
sheep were natives of Spain, or whether thu
original stock was imported into it from an
other country.
shall now call your attention to the frs
Introduction of them into the United States
Soon after the accession of Mr.. Jefferson t.
the Presidency, Chancellor Livingston wa
appointed Minister to France. and, in ISOl
or 1902, he obtained from that Government
three or four merinos of the Rambouille
| Aock which ha sent N Neu Yoyk ond m, ..