Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1877-05-03
Ii Y { STOCK.
MERINOs AND CoTsWOLDs.

cics of sheep generally recognized BY nat'l
rllists. the Rocky Mountain sheep (Orlt
montana is indigenous to this Continent.
still there is none of our domesticated breeds
which has originated on this side OF the AT
lantic.. The first of these were introduced
from England into the American Colonies
in 1909. at jamestown. Va. and were fol
lowed by impoitations into New York and
Massachusetts. in 1925. These were OF the
common sort. and from such importatlons
are descended Il vast majority OF the thirty
five million sheep now to be found III thl,
country.
OF the choice breeds the Merinos were the
first introduced, in 1902, although it was
not until eight years later, i'll 1910, ina
they were imported in considerable mum
bers. From this time may be dated the inn
provemcnt OF our domestic varieties, by
crossing them with various superior breed
OF imported stock. OF tnese probably the
two most serviccable have been the Meri-
nos and the Cotswolds, illustrations of (which
are here given.
Like the genealogy Of q Scottish Chief,
the origin ofthe Merinos is lost in the waste
of remote antiquity. Some credilolls souls
claim that they are the Identical breed that
enriched The Patriarcis OF Old, iii the plains
Of Canaan. and which the willy Jacob skill
fully bred so much to his own gain and the
loss of Ills covctOus fathcI-il-iaW, away ~
Padan-aram. Certain il III that about tic
,,n ,oY,t NJ tlA ftryt .tinn nru Ylay
had already won a high reputation in Spain,
were greatly priced by the practical Roman
%conquerors OF The country. and were distin-
gu.shed by Il specific national appreciation
(Ocis HispnniSu), which they Still retain.
Through the neglect and dcspoliatI0aS, Ill
cident to war and internal dtscord, q few OF
the several families into Which they were
divided were either dispersed or entirely
destroyed about the beginning OF this CEN
tury, while the remainder were allowed to
degenerate to a lanentaLle degree.
Before the occurrence Of this calamity
however, different expectations Of choice
stock had been made, notably to England,
France, Saxony, Silcsia, and finally TO this
DLII =. SIIttO Nj tAifi 3tttI \ I4 Nl
these eases. been lavished on the improve
ment Of the different iMportations, both by
in-and-in breeding and the bestowal of spe-
cial attention and nourishment. These ef
forts have been amply rewarded by the es-
tablishment, in each instance, Of a distinct
variety, with distinctive characteristics, and
the production Of breeds superior, probably,
to any that ever fourished in Spain.
Besides being the ancestors Of the pres
ent fine-wool varieties, all the world over,
the Merinos have also temporarily improv-
ed the qualities of the fleeces of other breeds
by intercrossing. An almost impossible
barrier, however, to any permanent i'm
provement in this direction, lies in the force
and tenacity with which they transmit THEN
distinctive qualities. This is due to the ex-
IRENE purity and vast antiquity of their
blood, begetting an irrepressible tendency
to breed back. OF this popularity the flock
masters i'll many sections protitably avail
themselves. BY putting the eve sprung
from a cross of q Merino and coarse breed,
and every new generation Of their female
descendants, persistently to pure-blood Me
rino rams, the coarse breed is rapidly
merged entirely into the Merino.
Unlike other breeds, the Merino has wool
Oh its forehead, extending to a little below
the eyes, and on the cheeks nearly to the
mouth, leaving only the front face bare.
On the body the wool stands extremely
close, even, and at right-angles from the
surface, and is fine, long, soft, twisted in
silky ringlets, and naturally so oily that the
iIancn laais linnu from tho duct nnd dirt II