The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-10-06
farm aud Garden.
For the Central Presbyterian.
The International Exhibition of Sheep,
Wool, and Wool Products"

This exhibition was recently held IN
Philadelphia and having been appointed
on the cooperative Committee to rep
resent Virginia, it was the writer's good
fortune to be able to attend and witness
an almost unrivalled display Of sheep.
The exhibition of wool was small and of
wool products nothing. The premiums
offered were large, and between four and
five hundred sheep were shown. One
exhibitor, Mr. a. Strawn, of Illinois, re-
ceived in premiums 1856 for his Cots
wolds.
The estimation in which the import
ance of this exhibition was held, may be
deduced from the facts that the Congress
of the United States directed its Commits
sioner of Agriculture, General LIE Due, to
attend it, and report on every thing he
MIGHT deem of interest connected with it,
that the Treasury Department will pub
4 lish its statistics, and that representative
sheep-breeders and wool-producers were
in attendance from most of the sheep
breeding States of the Union. Unfortu-
nately the Southern States were sparsely
represented, we believe only Texas and
Virginia having representatives. Califor-
MIA was represented by one of the largest
sheep breeders in the world, Mr.. Bergimer
Flint; he, and company of six others
owning an island off the coast Of Mexico,
which is stocked with 10000 sheep (Me-
rinos)
The growing Importance of this great
interest in relation to wool production
and the clothing of so much of the popu-
lation of the globe, to the growth of NUT
ton, by which so many are fed with the
healthiest meat in the world, and its re-
lation to an improved system of agri-
culture, combined to give interest to
this exhibition In relation to the
latter, the improvement of lands by sheep,
its congener the goat, which does not
cause land to deteriorate they actually
improve it by consuming the coarsest
heritage and grasses, and converting them
into manure, and by gently trampling it,
Whatever may be the explanation, obser-
walton seems to confirm the old adage
that to the land the foot of the sheep is
golden" A famous English farmer es-
Inmates that 1900 sheep folded on one
acre of ground for "a hours, or 100 sheep
for Is days, would manure the land suf-
fciently to carry it through four years
rotation. Besides this they are great
cleaners of land, by destroying briars,
bushes, weeds, and coarse grasses. An
other thing which gives interest to all eff
forts to advance sheep-breedihg is the
fact that the United States has to import
100000 pounds of wool annually
Most of the Northern and Western States
had their representatives, while the ex-
hibitors of sheep were principally from
Pennsylvania Illinois, New York, Yer
mont, Kentucky, West Virginia, Della
ware, and Ohio. When we appealed to
our sheep-breeders in Virginia, as we did
by letters to all the prominent ones, to
exhibitin this international Exhibition,
they generally replied that their sheep
had not been fattened and. prepared for
such a purpose, and therefore that they
could not compete with those who had
done so, and that the expense of shipping
and getting their stock attended to would
be more than they cared to incur.
The first sheep that attracted our at
tention in the exhibition were the Meyl-
nos, which for fneness of wool excel all
other sheep, and thoughin general appear
ance it is the least attractive, none is
more valuable and none are so much
raised in the world The first importa-
tons into this country were from Spain.
between 1900 and 1918; then they were
very small and light-feeced, but now
they have been much improved in this
country by breeding and good manage
ment, and to-day the American Merino
is considered superior to those imported.
With their dark and greasy appearance,
with neck and bodies covered in folds,
with dropping heads and twisted horns,
they have little to attract the inexpe-
rienced, and no doubt many pass them by
with a feeling of contempt. But these
points are characteristic Of this valuable
breed. The oil oozing through the fibre
giving the dirty dark color, is one of the
strongest points of good quality, and with
out the folds, we would not have the true
Merino. Excessive folding, however, is
not desirable, and by good breeding and
feeding they have been diminished. The
large, wide, deep folds on the neck, wool
OF long, firm, fine texture, the short, thick
head, face, free from wool, small ears.
straight hind legs, and broad loins mark
the well-bred Merino.
The largest collection of Merinos was
that of Messrs. Kelley, and E. Peck g.
Sons Of Illinois. Mr. Kelly is the Oldest
r Il