The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-10-05

THE NECESSITY OF PURITY OF BLOOD -
BREEDING FOR TYPE.
While passing through neighbours
field, and looking at his flock of sheep,
l noticed one the ends of whose little
ears just protruded through the wool.
In the flock of another nelghbor over
the way may be seen three black lambs,
or those that are nearly so. | have
been acquainted with the breeding of
the flock first named for twenty-five
years OF more, and during this time no
ram with short ears has been used.
Yet here is certainly descendant of
the one little-eared ram that appeared
as "A sport in one of the Saxon flOcks in
Germany, few of whose descendants
were imported to this country about
1925. While the other case named is
sure reminder that our MerinJs still
possess Gin small way, of cOurse) the
blood of the small per cent of black
fleeced sheep that were to be found
among the old Spanish flocks of nearly
three-quarters of a century ago, while
in the meantime every effort has been
made by sheep men to breed out this
blood by the use of white wooded rams.
Now these are striking instances of
reversion or "throwing back" in breed
ing, and teach two important lessons:
1st. The importance of absolute puri-
" of blood; I'd, The necessity of"type
breeding" our animals. In other words,
the excellence which we wish to secure
and perpetuate shall not only be found
in the animals from which we are
breeding, but shall exist as an inherent
quality among their ancestors; for it is
fixed principle III breeding that the
longer certain type or excellence has
been secured in a breed, the more pre-
potent and impressive il has become.
If | were breeding trottilg horses,
should look well to their pedigrees, to
see that there were no thoroughbred or
draft strains of blood close at hand, but
would select from the Hambletonian,
Clay, Mambrino Chief or Morgan fam.
lilies; and if were breeding for the
color line also, | would look to the get
of such horses as Volunteer. st. Ar
mand and Knickerbocker, or other stall
lions noted for producing bay or brown
colts almost regardless of the color of
the dam.
In the breeding of our fashionable
and highly-improved American Meri-
nos absolute purity of the old Spanish
blood, as improved by our American
breeders, is the first great essential,
while the character of the sheep and
the course pursued in its breeding is
scarcely of less importance. In these
days of registering sheep it should not
be forgotten, as the old saying goes,
there are "odds" in registered sheep as
well as in everything else. To asso-
ciate putty of blood with all that is ex-
cellent md desirable in the animal, or
to imagine that because an animal is
registered it is perfect in form and roy
al III all its make up, are absurd and
mistaken ideas, and will influence no
one but novice or an opponent to pur-
ity of blood and registration. All our
standard registers attempt to show is
that the sheep recorded are of pure
American Or Spanish Merino blood.
They may have been bred and owned
by men of the Rip Van Wrinkle order
who have not made a shadow of im-
provement during the last decade (and
i can name far too many such flocks) q;
or they may have been bred by such
men as Burwell, Barton, Clark, Rich
the Stickney Bros, Sanford IL Son, OF
Cornwall; the Cranes, of Bridport
Hammond of Middlebury, VT. the
Martins, Lusks, Townsend, Cossit OF
New York in fact list of names thai
are legion, whose homes are scattered
all over the country, from the Greer
Mountains on the east to far beyond the
Mississippi on the west men inspired
by the spirit of improvement that per
vades this age of the world, whose
flocks are an honor to the country and
monument to their genius and skill
as breeders.
Our American Merinos may be sub
divided into two general classes, &C
cording as their product of wool meets
the wants of our different kinds Of
wooden manufacturers; LIST. Amer
can Merino, yielding our heavy, strong
clothing woods, whose fashionable TYPE
and character were outlined in nv las
article. I'd. Delaine American Meri