The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-10-26
American Shccp--An Australians Views

The following is from the Sydney
Mail of July q, 1888:
The following interesting letter has
been received by the minister for mines
from Mr.. William Hay, the well-known
pastoralist of this colony, who writes
from London, under date May 16. 1t
is necessary to observe that the prohib-
ition against American sheep, of which
Mr.. Hay complains, has since his de-
parture been removed:-
"Sir-ln letter which did myself
the h nor to address you, dated about
the 1st of February last, drew your
attention to the absurd and vexatious
restriction to the introduction of stud
sheep from the United States of Ameri-
ca, owing to the existence of the pro-
hibvion under the Imported Stock
Act;' that this prohibition was put in
force on account. OF the prevalence of
foot aud mouth distaSe in England, and
was not originally intended to apply to
America, where that disease has rarely
appeared, and that only when it could
be traced to importations from Great
Britain.
think explained in that letter the
reason why | and other sheep owners
were DESTROYS of obtaining a selection
from the stud flocks of the United
States viz, on account of the greater
weight of fleece that these possess, as
the attention of American breeders has
been particularly directed to this OBJ
ject
| am now on my way to England,
after spending a month among the stud
and can speak with certain amount
OF authority as regards the absence of
disease, and the highly-improved char
acter of the American Merino. The
stud tlOcEs of Vermont and New York
States Ohc best in America) consist of
flom % to 800 breeding ewes on farms
of from 100 to 800 acres. These are
housed during at least six months in
the year, and fed on hay, with oats,
bran, ETC., twice a day. The English
thoroughbred horse is not cared for
better than these Merinos, and such is
their healthiness and strength of con-
stituliOn that ewes will rear lambs at
IL years old; one | saw, 81 years old,
the fleece OF which last year weighed
10 lbs of fine bright wool. Such dis
eases as are common among our flocks
80 viz, tluke to rams, anthrax, and foot
rot are utterly unknown; the generous
feeding and not being exposed to wet,
or allowed to go on wet ground, with a
daily allowance of salt, efiectually pre-
vent the possibility of such diseases,
many of which, such as worms and
fluke, arise from debiliated constitu.
tons, caused by imperfect nutrition.
AS for foot and mouth disease, it has
rarely appeared even in cattle, and then
only when it could be traced to impor.
tations of high-bred stock from Great
Britain.
1t may not be uninteresting to you a.
the head of department which EN-
braces in its administration the mos
important industry of New South
Wales, if give you some short history
of the introduction of the Spanish Mer
inc into America, and its subsequent
Improvement by American breeders
tie result of whose sound Judgment
and great perseverance will be more
apparent when give you full particu
lars of weights of carcass and fleece
of the Spanish Merino when introduced
and the same of the Merino as it now
exists among the best breeders.
About the beginning of the presen
century, the United States had the gOo(
fortune to be represented at the cour
of Spain by gentleman distinguished
for his patriotism and sagacity, at tn,
same time possessed of considerable,
private fortune. AT that time Spail
was Ovcrrun by the armies of Napole
on; some of the grandees had joined tn,
invader; the government confscatet
their llocks, and, pressed for money
sold some of their choicest to Colone
Humphrey, the United States minister
These sheep were landed safely il
America, and sent to Colonel Hum
phrey's estate in Connecticut, wher
they attracted the attention of Mr.
Stephen Atwood, who purchased a ew
from Colonel Humphrey, and borrow
ed the nse of ram at the same time
and such was his success as a breede
from this small beginning, that in
years he had Il flock so highly improve,
i'll frame, form, and wool-bearin
qualities that hencetOrth they wer
called the Atwood Merinos, and be
came the prOgenitors of all the mos
celebrated flocks in the United States
Some of these Atwood sheep came int
the possession of Mr.. T.. Hammond @
Vermont, who improved them sti
further in the same direction, and t
such degree that at the Internalions
Sheep show at Hamburg, in 1868, MI
Hammond's sheep, exhibited 10y MI
q. Campbell, carried off all the leadin
prizes for weight of fleece from tn
choicest Merinos of Germany all
France.
will now give the particulars c
weights of these sheep as importe
from Spain, and as improved by A
wood and Hammond. When thes
sheep were first introduced, the weight
were "a follows Ewes cut ID
grease; live weight, 30 ID to 20 II
Rams cut 10 in grease; live weigh
AZ Id to 100 Id.
At the present time small focks ave
aye 10 ID unwashed wool, while the
live weight runs from 80 Id to 100 ID