Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1864-07-08
Sheep and Wool.
sossING LARGE BREEDS OF SHEEP.

In looking over the columns Of an En-
glish journal of great merit, recently, my
attention was forcibly arrested by an ar
ticle from the able and familiar pen of S.
Ormsby, in which the author presents
some important facts in relation to the
crossing of sheep "For upwards Of 40
years." says Mr.. o., in bis peroration,
81 have seen a great deal of the crossing
of different kinds of sheep--Leicesters
with Observation-Disclosures with Cots
wolds-Leicester with SouthdowDs, and
Leicesters with many other kinds Of
sheep. have always found the Bake
well, or Leicester sheep, to improve ev-
cry kind they have been put to, by giving
them the Bakewell barrel form, small
bone, and to feed at early maturity. The
| first cross in most animals has been found
the best; the next cross generally pro-
duces size and weight, except you put a
gigantic animal to the first cross. When
| say gigantic, do not mean an animal
made a giant with fat flesh, with the
head and ears of dwarf upon him--I
mean giant in frame, when 10 lean
state, with bone in proportion to his boz
dy-a long thin head, and not gigantic
broad ons. Giants do not produce dwarfs,
neither do dwarfs produce giants, any
more than bulldogs produce hounds. 1t
has always been said that like produces
like. A fine bone denotes feeding
propensity, and long face and ears with
Roman nose, denotes a large breed
The breeders of Lincolnshire sheep say
that neither the Cots DIS nor the
Downs mix we'll with their heavy wool-
ed sheep, but dip of the Leicester does
wonders. Mr.. Bakewell always said
that extremes were bad, and that the
middle.sized animals answer the best for
profits. But, above all things, (said Mr..
b. let an animals make be proportion /;
not very large in one point and deficient
in another Size has nothing to do with
profit; it was not what an animal made
so much as what it cost making. The
Lincolnshire farmers are second to none
in the improvement Of waste lambs; the
Lincoln, Heath and Fens for instance -
the lower parts are now drained by
steam engines, and the breed of sheep
which they possess is unquestionably the
most profitable for the country.
The native sheep of the United States
present many excellent points, yet these
are undoubtedly susceptible Of great inn
provement. We have lands admirably
adapted to grazing, and in fact every ia
cility and every inducement to a vigor
GUS and intelligent prosecution of the
business that would seem to be essential,
yet it has heretofore languished, and our
sheep ranges have been either untenant-
ed, or tenanted by focks which were, as
a general thing, no honor TO our intelli-
gence and busbandry. Still this country
produces some fine wool, and the war
has already given, and will continue to
give a great impetus to the growing of
it. In all time to come it will occupy q
higher position in the agriculture of the
United States, as one of its profitable
branches of pursuit.
The consumption of wool in Great
Britain is vast and increasing. Last
year the manufactures of the kingdom
amounted to $200,000,000; and yet,
singular as it may seem, Great Britain
does not produce one pound of wool suit
able to be used in the fabrication Of the
best broadcloths. TIE Southdown sheep
produces the best article of wool raised
in the kingdom. The M erino o is not
adapted to the climate, and all attempts
to rear it have hitherto proved unsuc-
cessful. Spain formerly supplied the
fine wool for their manufactures Of the
superior class but lately Germany and
Australia have been the sources from
which wool for the finer fabrics have
been obtained. From Australia alone
there were brought, in one year, upwards
of 100000 pounds. Now the WOOL
growers and flock -raisers Of the United
States have only to exercise care in
forming their flocks from the best breeds
keeping them pure and permitting no
crossings of species--to secure for them
selves a golden harvest for so soon as
the English manufacturers ascertain that
they can supply wool equally as fine or
finer in texture than any other country
can produce, the demand for it win be
extensive and lasting. As it has been
with American cotton, so it will be with
American wool. Our farmers and those
interested in the wool-growing business
should prepare themselves early and