Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1847-06-17


;s determined by close and critical ex-
animation. No stapler can come within
five cents per pound of the true value Of
fine wool, unless he examines it under
favorable circumstances. At all events
he cannot do it in the dark garret or
gloomy wool loft of the farmer. He
must then, when prizing fine wool in
those places, guard against error, and he
will SO guard as to make the wool cost
no more, at any rate, than it is WORTH
Can you blame him ? How much better
then is it for you to sell your wool when
its value can be accurately determined,
without the chance of error, as if exam
ined at the stapler's bench.
Some facts very interesting to the
breeders of fine wool has been elected
by the liberal and enlightened agency of
the manufacturers who have patronizcd
this establishment. will not go into
detail, but state one or two differences
which have drawn from them.
First, no man should buy fine wooded
sheep without consulting the stapler !;
none but him can determine the precise
relative value of clips of wool. A far
mer may approximate to it, but cannot
arrive at it exactly, nor can il be settled
even by the examinations of the micro
scope.
A lot of grade wool, which if Judged
of by a specimen selected from the
shoulder would have been pronounced
to be of the finest quality, showed, on
stapling, conclusively, that the fleece of
the full blood sheep is by far the best.
Nor can any one carry on, under
standingly, the breeding of fine wooded
sheep without having their feeces sta
pied. A lot of wool was sold from the
depot upon condition that if the stapling
would warrant it, an addition would be
made to the price. Each lot was sepa-
rately stapled, one supposed by the own
err, and by every one else, to be equal
to the best, was found, on stapling, I'M
expectedly to run into the lower num-
bers Of the stapler's scale, showing to
the owner that he had bred in and in too
much. Every one knows that this will
affect the hardihood and constitution of
the sheep, but who supposes it would
affect the curl and sofmess of the fleece.
A farmer having very superior clip
of wool, was induced last year to cross
his ewes with buck having a heavy
fleece. One was procured valued as
high as 800. But when the animal
was shorn and the fleece brought to the
stapler, although the wool looked fine
and soft, and was well washed, it was
found tibet a large share of the eight
pounds which it weighed was animal oil
or gum. He has received the informa-
ton in time TO prevent a serious calam-
ity. Allowing him to be perfectly cor
rect in his plan, the animal in question
was not the proper one to be used.
Another farmers clip which was be.
lieved to be as good a any, proved, on
stapling to be relatvel y far better than
either he or those who claim 10 be judg.
es imagined.
This man will have to take wide
range in making an exam ,ination of bucks
to cross with his flock. He cannot use
any of his neighbors' without endanger-
ing the character of his fleece.
We can now unders tand, probably,
how it was that the 'celel orated focks of
Ohio, which were raised at Steubenville
in that State, were so raj oidly improved.
The breeder was ma nufacturer, and
his staples made him a cquainted with
The character Of the feec re of every buck
and eve he bred, and of course every
one he purchased. lie could thus breed
ntelligibly and thake the precise crosses
required to give his wo, d that exquisite
character for fineness an d softness which
it ultimately obtained.
Much is said about the comparative
value of sheep with light and those with
fine feeccs, without the subject being
understood by the advot sates of either.
| have in my eye two clips, each of
which were we'll washed and clean, and
weighed not quite l-2 lbs. the fine
ness of each was nearly the same, but
the value of the one was several cents
per pound more than the other. The
one was close compact wool, free from
that animal oil and gum with which the
other abounded. The advocate there
fore of sheep with heavy tleeces must
discriminate between flee ices which,
though equally heavy, do OF yield the
same weight of available wool to the
manufacturer. TO some extent this may
be Judged of by the hand and eye, but
the securing liquor will tell the truth ex-
actly, and every breeder Of sheep should
become acquainted with its effects upon
the feeces Of the bucks ne intends using
in his crosses.
have seen statement of the rela-
tive shrinkage of several clips of wool,
all well washed and in good condition.
Some shrunk 40 per cent, others only
80 Ia. The bucks | have alluded to
above would probably overgo even 40
per cent. reducing his 8 pounds of fleece
to a AS pounds.
In word, every shepherd who would
act Understandings in so important a
matter as the improvement OF wool.
must call i'm the aid IF that ;nco.: .