The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-03-24

by Col. b. y. So,oeii, Of Cornwall
(CosrISuED.)
ITO nothing" says Mr.. John L. Hayes,
Of the National Wcolen Manu-.
facturers' Association Of the United
States, in an address before convention
OF wooden manufacturers and wool grow.
ers, sis France so much indebted for the
beauty and brillancy Of her wooden fab.
RIGS as to the perfection Of her wool fibre,
secured by her skilled breeders Of meri.
nos under the protection Of discriminat.
ing government, believing in mutually
of interest between wool growers and
wooden manufacturer" l am not here
for the purpose Of promoting the interest
Of French sheep in this country, nc1e
meme tehel apharsin has been written on
the wall over against them in time past.
| believe them to have their exce!lcncies,
however, aud modification Of their char
scteristics by experience and skill, or
perhaps change in the American system
Of keeping, may serve to erase the YER
dict now against them.
Whist France lost by delay Germany
gained. In l7G4 the elector of Saxony
obtained by special negotiation a grant
for two hundred merinos to be taken out
of Spin. They were accompanied by
Spanish shepherds to instruct the Saxons
in theit care and management. A com.
mission was appointed to superintend and
direct The concerns of the sheep establish
ment, to spread all the information they
could obtain before the public. and by
every means in their power to induce the
sheep owners Of the country to improve
their focks, even to compelling the ten
ants of the government domain to pur.
chase yearly few fine bred merinos.
At first there was mu,h prejudice, and
Improvement was slow but "when the
commissioners had exercised their funo.
tious ten years the call for young rams
was so great that they resolved to petition
the government to make another mporta.
ton OF ewes and rams from Spain"
Morrell says. "the invaluable proper.
ties of pure Saxon wool, and the conse-
auent demand for its manufacture into
fabrics, the fneusss OF which the world
has never before produced, is the cause OF
the high value OF Saxon sheep, and their
spread over SO large portion Of Europe
and remote parts of the world. No other
breeds arc SO highly priced on the Conf.
neut, aud none which command such
enormous figures.
Individual rams Of uncontaminated
blood often bring frcm $40 to $3.50 a
flock was purchased. destined for Russia
few years since, for which the average
price paid exceeded $500; and latterly
rams have been sold at the almost incred
IDLE price of 100 to near 300 guineas pei
head The cause Of these extravaganza
prices has been stated and so long al
there exist grades in society. and the
highest Of these covet a wardrobe of the
finest texture, the breed will continue tC
be appreciated and sedulously cultivated.
1t would expand this paper too much
for me to detail the introduction of Span
ish merinos into other parts of Germany
Prussia, Austria, &c. Suffice it to say
that many districts rival SaxoDy; Prus
sic, especially, fosters her focks, not onl,
by premiums, bestowed through her agri
cultural societies, but by that enlightened
protection to domestic industry which 81
truly characterizes that government, eve
TO the prohibition of manufactured goods
imported. and the export Of their raw un
manufactured woods, and probably in n
one thing. Not even in arms, has Prus
sia advanced more during the last TWEEN,
years than in her wool and wooden inter
est, under the workings Of her prohibitor,
tariff.
But the high positions of the woole
industry of these countries has not bee
reached without mistakes, trials. an
struggles Fleischmanu divides the biz
tory of merinos in Prussion Silesia int
five periods. From 1885 to 1905 wa
the Introductory period, "when the woo
growers we're ignorant in the knowledg
of wool. and management Of msrinos.
From 1905 to 1915 was the period "whe
the difference between merino and con-
mon wool began 70 be understood, an
the wool growers travelled for informatio
and brought merinos from Saxony.
From 1915 to 1925 was the third stag
The great desire was extreme fineness
they overlooked many other valuabl
qualities, as size, shape and constitutio
Of the animals. With the highest degre
Of 6neness great soitness was required
The Saxon breed, called Electors, CON
bined these qualities. Such sheep WEI
employed in crossing, consequently tn
finest Silos;an consisted Of their fleece
delicate animals. which, besides a def
cheney in wool, were liable to all sorts {
diseases. The period from 1925 to 1873
may be called the test for German wo,
growers, and particularly for the Sill,
sian." In that period the price of wo'
sunk so low, und it appeared as if Eul
land had taken leave forever Of the Ge
man wool market, many were affrighte
and began to diminish their Hpcks, an
changed their whole system Of farminI
1t produced crisis, and their attentio
was principally directed to an increase
wool in the fleece, to compensate for Il
loss sustained in the prices. This cris
operated very benfcially upol the who
system Of breeding merinos; the wo
growers, instead Of aiming at the highe
degree of fneness. had now a great,
quantity of wool in view"
Finally came the fifth stage, which hi
for its object to produce not only the fl
est and softest wool, but in great quaint
IT," And for aught 1 know the Pru
SLAMS have themselves added in the six
stage. what their sheep when last heal
from lacked. to be practically GOO
sheep fer the American market, (wh,
our upper classes sustain their manufac
urers in wanting their fine woof) to vii
form and oil that would stand modera
degree of exposure, without vanishil
like the carly dew.
The first importation of sheep of al
importance into the United States we