South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1875-04-23

The California species ioris snonta1a
is noble. animal weighing when fully
grown some $50 pounds. and ia well
worthy the attention of wool growers as
point from which to make new de
parturc That it will bresi with the
domestic sheep 1 have not the slightes,
doubt, aud / cordially recommend the
experiment to the various wool growers
associations rs one of great national
1 Importance.
The clothing of our wild sheep is
composed OF fine wool and coarse hair
The hairs are from about two to -four
inches long. mostly Of dull bluish-gray
color, though varying somewhat with
the seasons. In general characteristics
they are closely related to the hairs oil
the deer and antelope, being light, spon
gy, and elastic. with highly polished
surface; and though somewhat ridged
and spiraled, like wool they do not man,
ifest the slightest tendency to felt or be.
come taggy. A hair two and a hall
inches long. which is perhaps near the
average length, will stretch about one
fourth of an inch without breaking. The
number Of hairs growing upon a square
inch is about 10000; the number OF
wool fibers is about $4,000, or two and
a half times that Of the hairs. The wool
fibers are white and glossy, and beauti.
fully spiraled into ringlets. The aver.
age length of the staple is about an inch
and half. A fiber of this length, when
growing undisturbea among the hairs,
measures about an inch; hence the de-
gree ofcurliness may easily be inferred
Wild wool is too fine to stand by itself
the fibres being about rs frail and inyis
IDLE as the floating threads Of spiders
while the hairs against which they lean
stand erect like hazel wands; but not
outstanding their great dissimilarity in
size and appearance, the wool and hair
are forms Of the same thing, modified in
just that way and Just that degree that
renders them most perfectly subservient
TO the well-being OF the sheep. Further.
more, it will be observed that these wild
notifications are entirely distinct from
those which are brought by chance into
existence, through the accidents and
caprices OF culture.
1t Is now some 800 years since Jacob
kissed his mother and set out across the
plains OF Padan-aram to begin his ex-
| periments upon the floclls Of his uncle,
Laban; and, notwithstanding the high
degree of excellence he attained as a
wool grower, and the innumerable pains
taking efforts subsequently made by in
dividuals and associations in all kinds
| of pastures and climates, we still seem
to be rs far from definite and satisfacto.
ry results as weeyer were. In one breed
the wool is apt to wither aud crinklc like
hay on sun-beaten hillside. In ano-
thcr, it IS lodged and matted together
like the lush-tangled grass Of a manfred
meadow. In one the staple is deficient
in length, in another in fincness; while
III all there is q constant tendency to-
ward disease, rendering various wash
ings and clippings indispensable to pre-.
veat its falling out. The problem OF
the quality and quantity of the carcass
seems to be "a doubtful and as far re.
moved from satisfactory solution az
that OF the wool.
The source or source, whence the
various breeds were derived ia not posi-
lively known, but there can be hardly
any doubt of their being descendants OF
the four or five wild species 80 general
ly distributed throu "a out the m 1untain.
Gus portions of the globe. the marked
differences between the wild and domes.
tic species being readily accounted for
by the known variability of the animal.
No other animal seems to yield 80 sub.
missiyely to the manipulations of cult
IRE. jacob controlled the color of his
fiocks merely by causing them to stare
ut objects Of the desired hue; AMI posi-.
bly, merinoes may have caught their
wrinkles from the porplexel brows OF
their leaders.-John Mar in the Over.
land Monthly.