The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-05-16

the entire class of 81 rams, two years
old. His owner and friends say he was
sick during the time. This we grant,
but as his owner often, during the past
year, has complained that he had no APP
petite, and he could not make him eat
any grain. it is manifest that his want
of condition was caused by too much
forcing the first year. l. is hoped he
may recover from this, as he was very
promising the first year, and would un-
doubleday have proved valuable sheep
had he been developed more slowly.
The ram that led this year in the 2d
class, sheared Sc lbs. OF. gaining IS
lbs. OF. from his first to his second
fleece. His live weight was 10 lbs,
exhibiting three points worthy of no.
tice: LIST. Weight of fleece as two
year-old. ID. Great gain between first
and second fleeces, 3D.. Large pcrcen-
tage of fleece to live weight. His sire
was Broker, owned by V. Rich, Rich.
vile, Vt, who also bred his dam. The
percentage of fleece to carcass, it will
he seen. is 81 and 5-l0 per cent.
In the 1st, or class of rams three
wears old or over, the points worthy of
mention are, the very large average Of
the twenty five, % lbs. Bon the very
large average of the best fourteen, 81
lbs, 9oz. and the heaviest. 80 lbs. | | or. d,
being a gain over any Spanish Mcrino
ram ever shorn in public in Vermont;
and Il point in this last, is the fact that
the lead at the public shearings of the
association for three years has been
held by the same, Rip Van Wrinkle,
| bred and owned by II. :. BrOOkins,
| Richvile, VI. This ram Is also remark.
able in not only holding this position,
but in continuing to increase in weight
of fleece NJ to his seventh. His last
three fleeces, being his fifth, sixth and
seventh ,ihave weighed 80 lbs 10 on. 3S
| lbs. ) on. and 3S lbs. 1luz., or an aver
aye of 81 - lbs. for the three fleeces, a
remarkable Weld of wool tor IL RAIN of
that are, that has been heavily used in
the stud each ycar,an evidence of strong
and vigorous constitution. lie is also
the sire of many of the heavy shearing
rams in the first and second elias. Seven
of his get that appear III these classes
averaged 30 81 lbs each.
Another noticeable ram in the LIST
class was "a three-ycar-old ram, owned
by j. f. Aiusworth, Middlcbury, bred
by T.. n. Bissell, East Shoreham, sired
bv Rich's Banker. The ram weighed
10 lbs. after shcaring, and gave "A
fleece of 81 lbs. 2 o., or 32 2-lO per
cent of fleece to carcass.
In the 4th, or class of aged ewes,
while one eve, in 1882, gave on. more
than the best one i'll 1854, there has
been great gain in the If best, they
ahearing lbs. 9 OF. more, on an aver
age, that the same number two years
since; and it must be acknowle dyed
that the gain of 3d. of a pound on 5C
shorn in 1884, over the ii shOrn in
1882, is a very material one when we
consider the numbers are increasing
nearly four times. We can not torbeal
claiming that the results of these pub
lie shcarngs are very encouraging to
the improvers of Merino Sheep in Yer.
mont. and that we are more than win.
Dictated in what the Vermont MerinC
Sheep Breeders Association claimed
in 1873, when the article on "ImprOye.
: ments of Merinos in Vermont" was
written tor the first volume of its Reg.
lister. On page 67 of that volume, il
will be found that we gave the facts to
prove that nine Vermont rams had
sheared an average o. 20 lbs. per fleece
and mentioned that at least nine more
might have been found within the State
that would yield as high an average
, Taking the detailed list of the rams re
ported from this public shearing, we
find that Is rams, all shorn in one year
. gave 597 lbs. an average of 33 lbs. , o.
or 1 lbs. each more than we claimed
: for Is in 1873. The lightest fleece from
, the Is this year was 20 lbs. D OF.
} or more than we claimed for the average
of the Is in 1873. AT that time we die
, not coniine ourselves to one year or t
: one county, but the Is for this year ar,
all owned in one county. Anothe
L point that makes the case stronger il
relation TO improvements, is that in lS7
y we mentioned mature rams only, sucI
L, us had probably attained their maxi
mum weight of fleece and live weight
but among the Is given this year, are
I. that are but two years old, that viii
:; undoubtedly gain i'll size and weigh
8 of fleece. Another, and very mater
/ ial point of Improvement, is shown il
the live weights then given and now
the average then of the mature ram
| W as ~ - lDSs vi VIC 10 SlNCll VII
: year, although OF them are not matur
!, and have not attained their maximum
live weight, is ia - lbs. The aver
age of the 10 mature rams is l26 lbs.
1t is important to know whether thi
. increase of live weight has been attai
Il ed at the expense of the PERCENTAGE G
fleece, but we again find the answer I
This question shows AN Improvement
While increasing the size, we find
gain in percentage of fleece. Tie pre-
o centage in 1873 was given at n |, nov
. we find the PERCENTAGE to be 2G,G. jus
how long, or how far this increas
in size can 90 on, and the precentag
Of fleece be retained-we will not sa
increased is among the problems
be solved by breeders in the future
We venture the prediction, that it C,
# not be retail ,ed when the average liv
!. weight of mature rams is increased b,
-, You'd about l3j lbs. One fact tn,
Il -.