Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1863-05-19

- ! ohlnln ! Good stoek 0fshsep.

The best variety Of sheep for profit will
depend upon the location and circumstan-
ces OF the breeder. Those contiguous to
: good market will doubtless rightly pre-
fer the gotswold, Leicester, Downs, or
some other Of the mutton sheep. For
those who make the fleece the primary OBJ
;iect, my preference are in favor Of the
Spanish Merino. But to obtain these Of
,undisputed purity IF blood requires ar ex-
pehditurs which very few ere able to meet.
The writer Inspected pen Of bucks
and one of ewes at the State Fair ofOhio,
last fall, the property Of George Camp
bel Esqr.. of Vermont. HIS buck was
held at $4,000, and the ewes ut 800 per
head. These were undoubtedly pure bred
Spanish sheep Those having the means
aud willing 10 pay such prices, viii save
much time by commencing a flock exclu-
sively With bidh-bre,l animals. To Others
whose pockets admonish frugality, ! would
suggest the following method. lake
iudicious selection of ewes from ,ch as
can be found in almost every = ghbor-
hood at moderate prices. Then procure
a stout, wei built, oily, and heavy heeced
Spanish buck. If the ewes arelight fleeced
and have dry wool, this defect mist be
counter balanced By using buck possess
ING the opposite extreme. Even the FIRST
cross from buck of this description pro-
duces an excellent sheep both for wool
and the shambes. 1t is true, the wool
will lack eyenness over the body, but it
will be essentially thickened, it is made to
extend over the belly, the fleece is iucreas-
ed in weight, the sheep is rendered more
compact, stocky, and nearer the ground,
and the improvement is marked. The
fock-master has now found the key which
opens the door, ana he is invited onward
in the highway of future success. When
ewes of this cross mature, d ther btc
must be procured, as with intelligent flock
masters close iu-and-in breeding is mad
Missile. If practibIe, let this second buck
be the superior of his predecessor in all
good points; and at the same time reject
all ewes which inherit any serious defect
The fock-master must bear in mind that
to grade up flock by this method to
high standard OF excellence, is work of
time; ard patience must have its perfect
work. But good bucks must be obtained,
and this will necessarily involve some ex-
pense. Fancy bucks and fancy prices are
for fancy breeders and plethoric pockets;
let them exclusively enjoy them. know
that good bucks can be bad at from $50
TO 800, and prices within this range
should be satisfactory to both seller and
buyer. But viii this system Of grading
up a flock from mongrel ewes produce a
flock Of pure blooded Merino sheep?
There may be incompatibility in varieties
arising from physiological differences,
which time and amalgamation could hard
ly neutralize and overcome; but in skilfull
hands, every succeeding cross encourages
tbe hope that sheep possessing all the
points Of superior animol will be attained.
This point think is fully illustrated and
realized by the improvements which have
been accomplished in our own country, by
discriminating breeders during the last 80
or 40 years. Our American Merinos are
il every respect superior animals to those
imported from Spain by Col. Humphreys
and Consul Jarvis, and it is equally OBJ
tious the excellences of our present i'm
proved stock are due to the Spanish blood,
and we must look to this as the base or
starting point Of all future improvement.
But in grading up flock of sheep few
cardinal points must ever be kept in mind
s'Like begets ike" IF The parents approx
innate perfection in any one point, the off
spring wiz generally inherit that good
point, but if the parents are both defective
in the same point, the offspring is likely to
be more than either of its parents. The
confluence of two muddy risuleis will Vi
tiate still more the purity of the stream.
The whole secret Of grading up flock to
high standard of excellence is system
Of c6uuterbalaiicingi that isl breeding out
the Objectionable points Of one parent by
the excellenceof the other, and thus stamp
ing upon the offspring the type and char
acteristics we seek to obtain and perpetu-
kte.-Americrn Agriculturdiist. : G.
Aoore's Salt Works, O.; March 1868.