The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1846-10-06
AGRICULTURAL.
IMPORTATION OF PURE BRED ME-
RINO SHEEP.

will be recollected we mentioned in the
Agricuturist Of last year. that MIR. John A
Taintur. of Hartford, CT, had sailed for
England in the month of May. with view OF
making general tour in Europe; and thai
"A paramount object with him during his alb
sence. would be the inspection of the best
fine wooled focks of France, Germany, and
Spain, for the purpose of selecting some
choice animals from them for an importation
INTO the United States. We know no man
in America so well qualified to make these
selections as Mr.. Taintor for his father v as
largely Interested in the early importations
Of The Spanish Merinos, aud their subsequent
breeding; and The sou was with him in the
same occupation from boy hnod. followed up
ny extensive dealings in wool from that time
TO the present. la this way he had the best
o2por: unity of obtaining thorough know-
edge of the animals, and the best system Of
Gearing and breeding them. together with an
intimate Acquaintance with The wants OF the
manufacturers. AMI The quality and style Of
the wool mos: suitable for their general pnr
poses. Thus qualified 10 make selections,
Mr.. Taintor has spent about fifteen months
IN looking over the government and private
llocks in the north and south Of France, and
among the Py renees; in the mountains and
plains of Spain; and in Saxnny, Prussia
| and Austria, including Bohemia and Moravia
All this was done under peculiarly favorable
circumstances, aud such as are not soon likely
| to occur TO any one again. II c result is
from these focks, he has been permitted to
choose such sheep as he wanted. Four
Saxon bucks and four ewes, Of his selection
Il ON the Elec oral and the equally celebrated
Baron de Sprtcks flocks. came out in the
ship Atlantic, FROM Bremen, for Mr.. Scovillr
of Connecticut, notice of which we give al
page 1875 and 203 of our current volume /:
aud three Merino bucks and twenty three
ewes arrived with him in the ship Patrick
Henry, Capt. Delauo, from Liverpool, on the
LIST August last.
Although we had a good opportunity OF
seeing these sheep on board ship after their
arrival. and again when transferred 10 The
steamboat for Hartford, yet this was not
sufficient 10 satisfy us; accordingly, after
hey had been al home about fortnight. we
went on there to examine them more particn-
larly and see them shorn, they having come
out with their feeces on. The rams being
Young, we will dismiss them by saying, that
hey are the most promising animals Of their
breed we ever saw, and when full grown. will
weigh at least from 225 to $50 lbs. each
The sire of one was sold al the past season
for $500. He sheared % lbs. of UNIV ashed
wool,
To give an idea OF the ewes, we measured
them after they were shorn, and found they
varied fiom 25 l-2 TO 90 inches in height
over the withers and lest it may be thought
this superior height is attained by extra long
legs, we will add, that the height OF the IN
der side Of their bodies from the ground, was
from 9 2 to ~ inches; which according 10
our observation. is no greater in proportion
to their size. than that Of good American
Merino sheep. Their weight we took alter
being shorn. They varied from ia TO l53
lbs. Some of them were quite thin IN nesh'
the largest especially. which. if the tne con-
dit:on and hen fleece on, would weigh al least
200 lbs.
The following is the weight Of their fieeces
unwashed. We took them ourselves in the
presence OF several witnesses, and as fast as
sh0rn from the ewes backs. The scales we
used did not mark less than one quarter OF
pound, which will account for the absence Of
odd OUNCES: