The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-11-05
AGRICULTURAL.
From the American Agriculturalist for Nov.
A Talk on Sheep Breeding.

aim of the sheep keeper. Improve
ments of the carcasses Of sheep of par
ticular breeds have been attempted,
and resulted in distinguished success.
Efforts to cause flocks of sheep to
yield finer wool and heavier feeces,
have also been eminently happy in their
results. 1t seems as if sheep breeders
had, at least until lately, regarded
good mutton with well shaped car
cass as incompatible, or undesirable, in
the fine wool producing breeds. That
mutton is n less than secondary consid-
Grafton with fine woOl-grOwers is natural
enough, for while mutton sheep live
but few years ordinarily, and are best
kept in rather small focks and conven-
tiently near to market, fine-wool sheep
are allowed to live, and are fattened
and killed, often, only when their
teeth give ont. They may be kept too
in large flocks at great distance
from market, their product of wool be-
ing easily packed and safely transport
ed. Hence hardness, and vigor of con-
stitution, are of much more importance
than fitness of the carcass for the ta-
BILE. No small portion of the mutton
raiser's profits arises from the wool,
hence to him the latter is of more i'm
portance than is mutton to the wool
raiser. The kinds of wool too, which
are yielded by the mutton breeds of
sheep, meet an active and constant de-
mand in the market.
The attention of farmers has within a
few years past been called especially to
Improvements in the Spanish Merino
sheep. The sheep are larger, yield hea-
vier fieeces (and more wOoD, and being
thoroughly acclimated, are probably
harder than when first introduced.
Spanish sheep were taken not only to
America, but into France and SaxOny,
and from Saxony into this county, Sill
esia and Russia, and in each of these
countries were subject to peculiar treat
ment in accordance with the views OF
the sheep breeders in whose hands they
were; hence we have several quite dis
tinct breeds of Merino sheep, all depart
ing more OF less from the original type
of the best Spanish fiocks, which varied
also among themselves.
In all the great advances that have
been made in the breeding of cattle,
sheep, or other animals, it has been the
object of breeders to direct the vital
strength of the animal to the develop
ment of the most valuable portions, and
to do away with the useless or less val
liable portions,-tO "breed in" good
points, and to "breed out" bad ones. In
the short-horn cattle, for Instance, big
heads and horns, coarse flesh tails and
legs, and skinny necks, are bred out;
and fine bony heads, thin tails, small
bones, sinewy legs and thin necks, free
from dewlaps, are bred in. A similar
course was followed by Bakewell, in i'm
proving the long-wool sheep.
1t becomes tine-wOol sheep breeders to
inquire candidly whether the system
hitherto practiced by them is founded
upon as correct principles. We have
been painfully impressed with the fact
that many breeders OfAmerican Merinos,
at least in their conversation about
their sheep, and in indicating their
good points, talk more about the color
and abundance of the yolk, and the
number and position of the wrinkles,
than about the quantity. strength, and
| tiueness of their wool, their well-shaped
bodies and hardy constitutions.
| There is tendency i'll the MerinOs TO
wrinkle-that is for the skins to be very
loose and lie in folds or wrinkles over
the body. Now as no more wool grows
on wrinkly sheep than on a smooth
one, and rs wrinkles make fleece
harder to shear, and as the wool is not
so uniform and good on the wrinkles
and between them, as upon smooth
parts of the body, we say wrinktes are
useless, a nuisance, a deformity, and should
be bred out if possible. Yet some of
these breeders seem to pride themselves
in wrinkles, and show them off as if
they were one of the greatest merits
their sheep possessed.
Moreover there is also n natural ten
dency in all sheep, and especially in
fine wool sheep, to secrete an oily soap
in the wool, which is called grease or
yolk. This prevents the feeling of the
wool, and its getting dry and breaking;
it prevents also the moth attacking the
fleece, and may have other uses, but
maximum good effect is attained with
comparatively small portion of yOlk. 1t
seems to us that the greatest quantity
really needed, cannot be more than
twice the weight of the wool. Yet many
will wiring locks of fleece, and exhibit
with great glee the drops Of oil which
exude from them, and actually claim it
as a great merit. The production of 10,
10, or 20 pounds of this greasy soap,
| (Which is not uncOmmon,) containing
as it does about 80 per cent. of potash,
is serious tax upon the vital powers
of the sheep; it is moreover useless,
tax upon the land, and an unnecessary
weight to transport to market. Hence
ice condemn excessively greasy .feoces. The
Il, q %, for an
the actual weight of wool it contains.
Manufacturers know this, and avoid the
purchase of this greasy wool, or pay for
il only very safe prices.
The mutton sheep of the improved
breeds are hornless, both ewes and rams.
The rams of fine wool breeds all carry
heavy horns as general rule. These
are ornamental, it is true, and a wrink-
led head with its ponderous circumvo-
luted and gnarly horns, is very pictur-
esque upon q flock leader; but horns
are useless, great tax upon the vital
powers to produce, dangerous weapons
besides. Why not then breed out the
horns! 1t may be easily done. Years
ago an American sheep fancier ably ad-
vocated smooth, no-horned Merinos, and
actually bred them. And We must re-
cord our hope and anticipation that be-
fore long we shall have breed of har-
dy, good-bodied, short-legged, smooth,
fine-wool sheep, peculiarly American in
common sense fitness for their uses.
We are much gratified to learn that
the judges at the late New York State
Fair at Saratoga awarded first prize
to New York Merino ram nearly horn
less-having a single horn no bigger
than ones finger. A Vermont breeder
of fame, not less than Mr.. Hammond's,
shook his head and said: "That never
could have happened madison county"
We hope it may some day.
Mr.. Hammond and the other sheep
breeders of Vermont, who have made
such improvements upon the original
sheep, have certainly gained q much
better form for their sheep. They are
less leggy aud their bodies are more
compact and deeper, they are heavier