Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-03-20
Sheep Jnterest.
MERlNOs FOR SOUTH AFRICA.
fFiom American Wool and Cotton Reporter I
NEW YORK, March 10, 1896.

from American Wool and Cotton Reporter.l
New YORK, March 10, 1896.
There we're shipped from this port
today, per steamship Alberta to
Port Elizabeth, South Africa, ~ Spanish
Nerino sheep, 25 ewes and ~ rams. They
were the pick of the flocks OF leading
breeders In this country, many of them
prize winners, and all of them the
choicest specimens of the breed which
money could buy. The sheep are owned
by Messrs. Mason and Witherell of Yer
mont, who, for two or three years, have
been engaged in exporting Merinos to
South Africa, this being their sixth or
seventh shipment. Mr.. Chas. II. With
erell, of the firm, is at present in South
Africa, and has been for some time, Mr..
G. w. Mason experimenting the pur-
chasing and shipping Of the animals.
A representative of the Reporter paid
visit to the Atlantic docks in South
Brooklyn on Saturday last, and inspected
the sheep before they were put aboard
ship, and had lengthy Interview with
Mr.. Meson. The sheep were purchased
by this gentleman in Michigan, Illinois,
western New York and Vermont. Two
rams, collected from the flock of A. A.
Wood, Saline, Mich, were successful in
the show ring at the Worlds fair, and
in fact nearly every sheep In the lot was
show animal. Their characteristics
were dense, heavy tleeces, heavy folds
or wrinkles about the neck and tail, and
some were wrinkled about the body.
The rams will shear all the way from Is
to %, and even 30, pounds of unwashed
wool, and the ewes from 10 to % pounds.
The rams will weigh from 100 to 10
pounds and the ewes from 100 to l25
pounds. Every sheep in the lot is re-
markably we'll wooded all over, every
portion being covered even to within a
short distance of the tip of the nose.
Every sheep is purely bred, registered
In either the Vermont, New York or
Michigan flock record, direct descend
ant of a heavy shearing ancestry, and
not to exceed three year old.
Among the flocks represented in the
shipment are the following widely known
breeders: Capt. David Cossitt, Ononda-
ga Hill, n. Y; j. HOratlo Earl, Skan-
eateles, n. Y; S. B. Lusk, Batavia, n.
Y; A. A. Wood, Saline. Mich. +. Peck
& Sons, Geneva, Ill; Mrs. l.. p. Clark,
Addison, VT, and others. 1t was the
original intention of Messrs. Mason &
Witherell to ship these sheep for ex-
hibit and sale at the annual April show
of live stock at Port Elizabeth, but the
animals will scarcely reach there In
time, owing to the delay of the steamer.
Mr.. Mason tells us that these sheep were
difficult to obtain. since such a large
number of breeders have allowed their
flocks to sadly deteriorate during the
past five years, until. at present, only a
comparatively few breeders are able to
supply the requirements of the South
African market, which demands a
wrinkly, dense wooded, greasy, heavy
shearing animal to assist in preserving
the density of the tleeces of the native
sheep, which, owing to the midness of
the climate, and peculiar climatic con-
dltions, are constantly losing density.
He thinks the South African market Of
fers excellent possibilities Tor the sale of
American Mernoes for stud purposes,
and recommends our Merino breeders to
take better care of their flocks.
We hear that the veteran breeder of
Vermont Merinoes, f. y. Bissell, con-
templates sailing this spring for Ar
gentine Republic with small shipment
of Mernoes and that Mr.. f. S Haskell
of West Cornwall, VT, is in California,
selecting another party of rams from
the celebrated Blacow flock of French
Rambouilets for shipment to the same
country. This foreign demand for our
choice bred sheep ought to stimulate the
fine wool breeders to the exercise of
more care and attention In breeding.