The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-02-23
THE SHEEP INTEREST,".
A Cosmopolitan Type Of sheep.

During the recent meeting OF the lndi-
ana WoOl-Growers' Association. among
the several other good speeches by which
those In attendance were favored. was
one by Gov Porter, who seems to have
given the subject OF sheep husbaHdry
some thought. in which lac gave such
conclusions as he had reached. The
telegraph reports the governor as com
uniting himself to the desirablity and
practicablity of fixing an intermediate
or combination type of sheep-in word,
"a breed that will unite great weight
and fine qualify of flesh with increased
weight and excellence of fleece" This,
he thinks, Is to be secured by having
what is best IN the Merino, the Cots
void aud Southdown combined in a sin
gle stock" In the opinion of the speak
er "exerti0n will not stop until such
breed is produced; chance or intelli-
gence will yet give us the breed OF sheep
wanted"
The high position occupied by Gov.
Porter. and his general recognition as a
clear-headed business man, will natural
ly attract to his utterances greater atten-
ton than would be accorded to those OF
more obscure men who may have ar.
rived at the same conclusions; and
though the ideas are by no means new.
the force with which they have just been
repeated gives warrant for mor
thorough consideration OF the subject
than seems to have been accorded to it
at the indianapolis meeting.
The premises of Gov. Porter. and those
who before him have reached similar
conclusions, assumes affirmative answer.
to several very practical questions.
lst. Is it practicable to produce a
sheep combining within itself what is
IT,, In. Mn,.i,n IN Int k.f,lH mi
the Southdown!
I'd. Is it desirable that the flesh and
fleece of the sheep of this country be OF
the same quality and texture?
Sd. Would IL be possible to preserve
such uniformity. under the varied and
ffuctuating conditions to which the live
stock husbandry possessing less beauty
and utility? Is the ideal mutton of the
future to approach most nearly the
standard OF the Southdown. or the
heavier and grosser flesh Of the Cots
void! or will the blood OF the Merino
be used, and perfection secured in the
blended triality:
The third inquiry is one having especial
interest for sheep breeders, no matter
where located. or what their preferences
may be. The influence OF climate, alti-
tude, vegetation, water, are recognized
by intelligent breeders every where ar
second In Importance only to the blood
Of breeding animals. Experiments with
certain existing types Of sheep have dem-
onstrated that, under certain conditions.
an advanced standard cannot be main
tanned without frequent infusions OF
blood drawn from localities where that
particular type has attained its highest
perfection. This fact Of itself is sutti-
Gent argument for maintaining div, rsi-
ty Of types, rather than their unitication: .
but If still further confirmation is requir-
ed, it is to be found in the history o1
sheep husbandry in England, whert
sheep have been so completely adapted
to their ply steal surroundings that flocks
of almost every shire show some varia-
ton from animals in contiguous territory
differing in topography and character OF
soil and vegetation. What practical ex-
perience for two centuries has demon
strated as true of sheep husbandry in
England, is likely to be found equally
true of every other country where SINH
lar care and intelligence are devoted to
the prosecution of flock culture and de-
velopment. There the effort has been
not to combine the best points of several
types into one, but rather to create, OF
select, such type as seems best suited to
the locality that is to be the future home
Of itself and progeny, and thereafter to
still further intensity its peculiar char
acteristics, so as to insure the maximum
profit. This policy has been observed
not alone by fiock-managers, but by the
men who have taken front rank in de-
veloping domestic animals of every class.
The Short-horn, the Devon, the Jersey
among cattle; the Thoroughbred, the
Perchsron-N orman and the Shetland
among horses, are ever-present illustra-
tions OF the wisdom of striving for tn,
hig hest excellence of varieties ia each
breed, instead of devoting the same
amount of labor and expense in attempts
at developing an intermediate type com
bining the better araCteristics of all
and the foibles of none.
The very satisfactory progress that
has been made in the sheep husbandry OF
America seems to warrant the advice to
the average fiock-manager to attempt no
new departures. These can more safely
be left to the few who have plenty Of
time to spare and who can meet the cha
grin and expense OF failure without EN-
barrassment OF inconvenience. While
neither Of the recognized breeds, nor
their several varieties, are adapted. or by
their most enthusiastic admirers claimed
to be adapted. to every locality OF cOndi-
ton of agriculture, some of them will be
found to tit exactly and probably into the
surroundings of every farmer who seeks
to add flock income to his annual re-
ceipts. A iudicious selection of some Of
these, supplemented by intelligent man
sgement, offers more profitable future
to the farmers of the country than seems
attainable through efforts, however per-
sistently prosecuted, to combine and re-
tain in any single type all those pecu-
liarities that give value to the several
breeds of Sheep Breeders Gazette.