The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-09-14
WrinklY MerinOs.

Mr.. John p. Ray ofNew York, whose
article in favor of wrinkly Merinos we
recently copied REPLIES as follows in the
Breeders Gazette to criticisms of his
views as therein set forth:
l see, by the last number of a live
stock paper, that a correspondent,
CO." does not take kindly to my criti-
cism of his views in relation to wrink-
w sheep, and as usual with such writ
ers, he quotes from the late Henry 5.
Randall as the great authority upon
such matters. | readily coDcede that
DIR. Randall was a good judge Of Mer-
inc sheep, and the ablest writer upon
that subject that this country has ever
produced; yet, if he were living today,
he would not set up the claim oflnfall-
Utility, but reserve the right to change
his views to harmonic with the taach-
ings of experience and the logic OF
events.
TO those who were privileged to en-
JOY his acquaintance and confidence
during tie last half dozen years of his
life, aud who were acquainted with the
course of breeding pursued in his flock
such reference to his earlier writings
is quite amusing. No man in those
days more fully appreciated the skill
of the breeder who had produced II
OF these exaggerated types OF wrinkly
sheep, or was more generous in his ad-
miration of them. than he.
Speaking of two of the wrinkliest
rams in New York at that time, he
said s'They rank among the best rams
| have ever seem" He bred TO n of
them, and afterwards to a son of each.
On one occasion the writer OF this
quoted from some of his published
views in relation to wrinkly sheep that
they were an unmitigated nuisance,
ETC., and the sharp reply l shall never
forget. Said he: 81 have heard
enough of that. Those things were
written for woOl-growers and ranch
men, and not for the breeders OF the
country" A friend of mine, who has
always believed in wrinkly sheep and
been very successful in breeding them,
received ONE samples of long, silky
wool from a gentleman in the West,
who, like "G.," believed that such wool
was the kind TO furnish our manufac.
turers. These samples We reforwarded
to Doctor Randall, with the ques'
ton, "Shall 1 change the type OF my
sheep and raise this kind of wool?'
His reply was: "Such sheep and WOO
can be found in every Merino flock il
the land. Yours are an improved lypt
that is needed 10 cross upon such sheep
Keep right along in your line of breed
ing" | have Just returned from near
ly a two weeks visit among the breed
ers of Vermont, and saw and Learned
many things of great interest TO me
One fact i'll particular, which has
bearing upon the subject under consid
Grafton, viz, how very generally tn
leading breeders were using heavy
folded, fashionable rams.
Mr.. III. &. Burwell, Bridport, Vt,
who will always rank among the grea
breeders of the country, is using a
stock ran his two-year-old ram Glad
stone 760, No. (195) 761 and No. O57
ISL. G.. Z. Crane, of the same town
has two rams by Rip Van Wrinkle 7G
that are sure to make their mark anon
stock rams. H.. K. Sanford, Yves
Cornwall, is breeding from Magnet 2
6l5; Edgar Sanford from Prince 2
S05, sou of Bismarck 307; while Mr.. X
N. Bissell, East Shoreham, has resery
ed some half doz III yearling rams fo
his own breeding, including Darb,
7S2, Crown Point 1873, T~iconderoga 7S4
Director 1855, Waldo 1856, Romulus "a
and Pat Maloy 78S. L. E. Stickne,
of the same town, is breeding froI
Hopeful 100 and j. II. Stickney frol
Wall Street 791, and although f. ]
Barton, Vergennes, has lost his RAJ
Standard, he has some four ran lamt
which he thinks will make his plaC
good. The late l.. V. Clark, of Add
son, who has always been a conserv
tive breeder, had reserved The DeacoI
who is one of the wrinkliest rams |
ever bred, for service in his own foe
But | will not multiply names; enoue
have been mentioned to show at lea
what the fashion is among leading We
mont breeders.