Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-01-10

French Nerino ram brought into Yer
mont from the Taintor importation in
1916, and concluded the trade for, and
made the selection of, the next nine
sheep purchased of Mr.. Taintor by l..
G.. Bingham, which purchase was made
a few days before any were purchased
that were brought into Cornwall.
Among them were some sheep that were
very decidedly better in form and COW
erings than any French sheep that |
have seen of late years. also had per-
sonal knowledge and inspected those
that were imported by Messrs. Ham,
mond, Sanford and Jewett, and | was
witness to their failure either as pure
bred or when crossed to sustain them
selves for popularity or profit when
competing with our home bred Vermont
Mernos and there never was clearer
case of the survival of the fittest than
that of the Vermont MernC in that con-
test, and believe we will see just as
decided collapse of this whole French
cross business again at no very distant
day, though it is to be hoped that it
will not ruin so many men financially
as went down in the old craze for sheep
that measured ''four feet ten inches
long" and weighed 1880 pounds" or
more, or about double what Vermont
care and Vermont feed and climate will
ever probably sustain.
The Rambouilette sheep that | started
to drive to Kentucky in 1917 were larg-
er than the Vermont Merinos | drove
with them, but they did not stand the
journey as we'll, a much larger proper
ton falling out by the way.
am informed by breeder who has
during the last fall sold rams in num-
Der of sections of the West and South
west that he paid more for some of his
registered Vermont rams than he did
for any of his cross-bred French rams
and sold the former for higher prices
than he obtained for the latter. He also
states that in most sections he visited
they were not satisfied with the cross
bred French rams they had tried, but
wanted harder rams that would yield
more wool, and the tendency was de-
cidedly back to the Spanish or Vermont
Merinos.
Those that cross their Vermont Meri-
nos with $50 pound French rams will
find they will be obliged to keep their
lambs much more literally than they
have their Vermont Merinos to grow
them to a profitable size, and then there
will be great lack of uniformity in size
and quality, the very natural result of
such an unnatural, ill-assorted and I'M
wise cross of large sire on smaller dam.
While no one that | know of advises
using rams that weigh only 100 pounds,
that size will be safer for some of our
breeders to use than such an one as Mr..
DimmOck very modestly asks our breed
ers to patronize because he owns him,
and it will put money into his pocket.
This seems to be about the quackiest
kind of a quack advertisement, nOtwitll-
standing Mr.. Dimmock's disclaimer. To
the average reader there would seem to
be about $50 quacks to the square inch.
to be sheared two years running at a
public shearing. but if Mr.. Dimmock
will have that wonderful 2S0-pound ram
brought before the public at an annual
lei, 81 Il, Al
the fleece cleansed by or under the di
rection of the officers of that associa
ton the second time shorn, we shall
kROW more about how much lcOOl he
does shear, and how long the staple i:
than we do or ever will from Mr.. Dim
mock's qudck statement. | had a con
versation within IA few days with {
breeder who wintered and sheared som,
of these cross-bred French rams las
winter for "A dealer who had purchased
them. He describes them as large, long
gaunt fellows, that he could never SAT
isfactorily fill up, and although the,
weighed over 100 pounds each. some D
them cut only five pounds of wool bu
he had one consolation, his son had beef
very anxious to cross some of his eve
that same way. but wintering and shear
ing these cured him. Mr.. Dimmocl
may quack as much as he chooses abou
,r0ol. breeders in Vermont as well a
the West will find long, tall, gaun
sheep that produce only per cent o
wool will not be as profitable as thos
that can and do return more ,cool an,
mutton for the space they occupy an,
for the food they consume, and thi
the Vermont registered Mernos ca
and will do if they have fair trial
When kept and cared for with Il reason
able liberality, they will furnish mutto
that will weigh 100 hounds and Well