The Red Cloud chief., 1884-04-04
Merin0 Wrinkles.

There are too many attempts in our
country to get up certain fashions in
breeding all sorts of domestic animals.
Some resort to this for no other reason
than because they happen to possess
animals distinctively marked. and from
the produce of these they trust by ere
ating a fashion for them to be able to
sell more rapidly and at considerably
higher price. This has been more par
ticularly the case for a few years past
with pure red Shorthorn cattle, and
soIid-colored Jerseys with black points.
How absurd to prefer such. merely for
a single color alone, when others OF
varied cOlors may be far superior for
thrift and economy of rearing, and es-
pecially for beef and the dairy. Every
sensible breeder should scout such folly
and set himself decidedly against it.
This would soon compel q wiser course.
So of the mania for wrinkles or folds
on MerinO sheep. 1t is admitted by
those who favor them that in what they
call the old-fashiOned, less improved
merinos, wrinkles are injurious to the
fleece, and that with them the staple or
fiber of the wool is shorter, coarser. and
Astounding more or less in hair. This
renders the fleece quite uneven, and
materially lessons its value
But they contend that with the latest
improved sheep all these Obje ctions are
Obviated, and that nothing of other de-
sirable qualities is sacrificed by the in
crease of wrinkles. This, however, so
far As l know. is merely a matter of
opinion with these so-called improvers,
and not based on careful. extended ex-
periments. The only way to test the
question would be to take a distinct
flock of well-bred smooth-skinned. and
another of wrinkled sheep, aid keep
them lear each other precisely alike
for a number of years. During this
time make a careful record of the cost
of their food. their increase, and the
value of the wool and mutton sold. l
am of opinion that the smooth-skinned
would show a greater profit than the
wrinkled, although the breeders of the
latter claim a considerable advantage
in the percentage of the yield of weight
in wool over that of the carcass. Yet
suppose it to be the case that two
wrinkled sheep shear as much wool as
three smooth ones. | think the cost of
it from the former would be quite as
much Ms from the latter, and l doubt
whether it can ever be grown of SO
even a length Of staple. In addition to
this, the SmoOth-Skinned sheep can be
shearcd in one-third or One-fOurth the
time of the grossly wrinkled, and their
skins are painfully and badly
cut, As is unavoidable with huge folds.
Although the ~cOntenders for these
mOnstrous folds or wrinkles assert that
the sheep bearing them are rs hardy,
prolific. thrifty and make as good NUT
ton As others, it is not in the nature of
things that they should. They will en-
dure cold perhaps - we'll, but when it
comes TO hot weather how can it be the
case with such numerous thick folds of
skin and wool covering their bodies?
The extra growth of these must con
sumo the most food. and necessarily
draw from the ~juicineSs of the flesh and
leave it comparatively dry and uEsav-
DRY. I can not Conceive how the car
cass of such sheep a properly fatten,
and abound with tender, lean, nicely
marbled Savory mutton. rs it is said the
smOOth-skinned make.
MANY of the MerinO flOck-maSters are
opposed to these huge folds
or wrinkles. and only cultivate those Of
moderate form. They say that the mo-
tive of the breeders Of the monstrOsities
is to enable them to boast the superior
of their tieeceS. and thus give
this sort of sheep the fashion and a
at 4 much higher prices in
the sale of sheep.
This same game was played in
France by some breeders of MerinOs,
half a century ago or mOre: but | IN
icrstood it had only Il short run. and
those who INDUCED in it were soon dis
with the plan. and glad to get
back to the cd fashion of less wrinkled.
The prize sheep ] saw in the French
at Paris in 1861, We're mag
.niiicent animals with few small wrink-
les. and fine. thick. ever ~f1ecces. which
could be rapidly sheared. These had
no hair in them. and the staple or fiber
being of equal length, they commanded
a higher price from the manufacturer
Of wooden goods than they otherwise
would: for in no system of sorting.
and carding. can these hairs be
easily got rid of. and the finer and more
valuable sorts of cloth be fabricated from
such wool. These monstrouS folds car
not be found in the Silesian sheep,
which produce a kind Of wool so supe.
rior as to make it preferred to all
by the German manu- acturers
Of the highest quality of brOadcloth.
DR.. Randall -first-rate general author
ity. a long and extensive breeder OF
MerinOs on his farm in Cortland Coun-
his very able work On American
sheep husbandry. stigmatizeS numerous
wrinkles as "a mOnstrOsity." and
confesseS that he agrees to a consider
extent with Mr.. Joshua Kirby
Trimmer "a British writer on the i'm
of fine wools), that this idea
IS as wild as that which some of GU
theorists have entertained, that by lay |
ing lands in high ridges and low fur.
the surface of the earth and its
produce is increased" Nothing could
be more opposite than this simile, but
TO perceive its full force one should have
in Great Britain and seen how
much Of itS very soft clay soil has for