Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-06-21
LENGTH OF STAPLE.

obliged TO shear Twice year II seems
desirable TO have long wool. You can't
ret a compact fleece with great length.
long, open fleece is not as good a pro.
ection against cold and wet as thick
compact one.
The average length OF staple of the
Vermont fleeces taken TO the Paris expo
Iition was 81 inches. Some of them |
measured and At inches.
At the recent public sheep shearing at
of the sheep shorn meas
1red in length 8 inches; IL St inches; 10
u inches; Q 81 inches; inches; At
inches; 2 Al inches. and Al inches Th'
IS averaged a little over 2 inches Tn
average increase In length of -taple dur
not less than SO per cent.
Tho different 6ocks and families are
gradually becoming more uniform Mosl
rrceders differ but little as to the mos
desirable type and points Of excellence A
are breeding heavy flceces, less care or
coarse hair on the wrinkles, a more uni
form fleece of finer quality, a vigorou,
constitution, strong and marked charac
teristics.
The great improvements that have been
made have been mostly due 10 close atten
tion to selecting rams and mating them
with ewes with the view of rcmedying
defects where they exist, and by care and
by feeding properly.
What are the conditions Of success in
breeding fine wool Sheep First, we must
select the best male and females, and
more especially must we select the best
male, which is the most difficult thing to
do. We can completely remould and
remodel our flocks bya .judicious selection
Of rams. Whatever be our course OF
breeding, whether we cross, engage in by
breeding, or breed in and in, we need no,
look for success without proper selection
Of rams. This is what some breeders
have too much neglected in the past. The
ram is more than half OF the flock. Take
II flock of 100 sheep-99 ewes and one
! ram-the one ram in the sense of breed
ing is good deal more than half of the
flock. Some breeders realize this, we
Judge, from the prices paid for stock rams
There have been sold and purchased II
Vermont the past year several stock ramt
at $1,000 each, and much larger sums re
| fused for others. These purchases have
been made by breeders of wisdom an(
foresight, and have no doubt will prove
profitable investments.
| We must not only look to the pedigret
II the ram, seeing that he is all right OF
the dam side and on the sire sile, but mus
| ,e sure he has merits of himself and is
getter Of good stock. The ram is tn,
fountain-head of improvement or degen
tracy, just as his real merits may be
| You may have inferior blood In wei
formed and apparently promising ram
Be sure that you do not introduce infero
blood in this way; and for this reason it i
safe to select rams from hocks which hav
been bred pure. BY in. breeding or by
breeding you do not 60 out of the family
| Both parents can trace their pedigree t,
he same original source. When pur
flooded Merinos are bred to pure bloode,
Merinos there is no going out of the fam
ly. 1t is really or essentially in.breedng
though not perhaps to that degree mean
when we speak of breeding inland in
The more incestuous the in breeding tn
closer it is and the more likely TO intensif
and FIX the type. Some of the most sue
Ecessfnl breeders have been of this kind
Some of the greatest improvements il
breeds have been made by this course O
,rceding, but where one breeder will sue
eed by n-and-in- breeding ninety and min
will fail. A generation and a breed hardl
yer furnish more than ono such breeder
Elammond's name goes down in history q
| IN improver of the breed.
! Whatever be our breeding, there mus
be a iudicious selection and coupling c
individuals, for however true the type
here is an individual difference that mu,
be so adjusted as TO breed up and nc
reed down. If strong points do nc
'nmo together, at least the weak points o
ne side must be offset by correspond
ngly strong point on the other. No ma
r how thoroughly bred nor how valuab
ne breed, there must be proper sell.
on and coupling Of individuals if in
rovenent is to be secured or degenerate
) to be avoided.
81 Has there been an American breed
arm animals, either of cattle, horses {
E hecp established in this country exec
he Merino breed of sheep? Look at tt
reed of cattle in this country. We ma
have and undoubtedly have as good Shor
norns as England, but our best breeder
by yearly importations are still infusin
resh blood into their herds. The same
rue with all other breeds Of cattle. wi,
all our importations and breeding we hay
not rs yet bred II dairy adapted to OF
needs, breed that has been establishes
fixed in their characteristics; that can
called an American breed. If any OF
should claim this, the 1000 animals expor
ed yearly from the Jersey Islands, lars
proportion of them to this country I,
the improvement of our butter cow
the yearly importations of Holsteins ar
Ayrshires for the improvement of our mi
and cheese dairies would be denial
this claim. How long this will continl
before we have established truly Amer
can breed of butter cows, breed Of chez
COWS and breed of milk cows time wi
only tell.
The same is true with the differe
breeds of horses. Last season the feats
Iroquois and Fauxhall enabled us to poll
with pride to our race horses, hut Il
Engishman's retort was, 1--WE furnish,
you with the blood to beat us with" I'll
different breeds Of draft horses, the Clyde
dale and Gray Norman; the dlfere
breeds of mutton sheep, the Cotswol
Leicester and Southdown are constant
being improved by an infusion of import
blood. The Merino sheep Of Vermont ha
had no new blood brought in from out t
state for forty years. There is no flock
breed outside of Vermont in This count
or Europe that are equal to our oy
focks. or from which improvements cou
be sought for. The Vermont Merino
an established American breed, bett
fine wool breed than Europe can furnis
The best Spanish sheep ever import
would be discarded ut the present time
any good breeder. think the breeders
Merinos in Vermont have the right
claim what the breeders Of any other XII
or breed cannot justly claim. that is, II
1 they have established truly an Americ
I breed.
| THE EFFECTS or FOOD AND SURRoUNDIS
| ON A BREED.
| A breeder Of any kind Of farm stock
| be successful must observe certain prin
| pies of breeding; but there are also cort
| principles OF feeding that are just as n
| essary for him TO follow. A very impc
| ant factor in the problem OF improvem
| is the surroundings. The conditions m
| be kept at least as good as those un,