Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-08-30
FARM AND GARDEN.



and particularly of Vermont, writes John
II. Mead of Rutland county in the New
England Homestead. 1t Is now univer-
SALLY acknowledged that America has the
finest Merino sheep in the world. they
produce more secured fine wool than any
other breed Of sheep. The early i'm
norted Merinos were faulty in form,
with thin feeces. and those shearing
from three to seven pounds of wool were
considered fine sheep. By carefully Sc.
lecting the strongest animals, studying
all the points that would improve them
in build, fleece and covering, we now
have rams that clip from % to over 40
pounds to fleece. and many ewes shear
ing from II to % pounds. How this has
been done well may be asked. The early
imported Merino of a century ago was
long legged, had long, slim body, neck
and nose, thin on the shoulder and
through the hind quarters. The rams
would weigh scarcely 100 pounds and
the ewes 80 pounds. Today we have
ewes that will weigh from 125 to 40
pounds, and rams from $50 to over POO
pounds. Gradually the change in this
breed has been effected and brought
down through the last century by the
careful, untrng, persistent and contin-
ued efforts of the breeders, always select
ing for animals of strong bone, building
up form with stronger constitution,
until the fixed type of the Vermont Mer-
inc has little or no resemblance to its
early imported ancestors.
Now the Merino sheep Is shorter in the
leg. has much heavier bone. thick muscu-
lar shoulders, strong in the headquarters,
with a broad, level back and strong
across the loins. The head has been
changed from long, thin nose to
short, thick one, fancifully wrinkled
over the nose, covered with fine, silky
hair and free from the little spots discol-
orng the nose. Even the ear, which on
the imported sheep used to turn in the
sun and scab and peel. is now thick,
white and vevety. Every hoof Is bred
to a golden shade clear from all dark
streaks. The horns of the males that
used to be broad and ugly in shape must
now turn with a handsome, even coil
around the ear, close to the head. With
greater care being constantly bestowed
on these sheep, their hardness has been
increased as we'll as the weight of fleece.
Both have advanced together, and row
the ilocks are little smaller in numbers
and receiving still better care. The early
breeders noted that the effect of breeding
wrinkles or folds on the sheep was TO
give them dense fleece all over the body
and underneath. So gradually the folds
have been increased until many are
folded from the chop folds, heavy neck
folds, folds all over the bodies and hips
so tastefully arranged as TO give beauty
to the animal. These extremely folded
sheep are the ones which 60 to Australia,
The plain sheep of Australia crossed
with the wrinkled American-bred Merino
are found to produce more wool. The
South African market calls for the
palmer or smoother rams.
The breeders of the present take great
pains in growing their lambs well from
weaving time to maturity. Sugar beets,
sweet apples, oats, beans and little oil
meal are fed so as not to fatten. but to
keep them thrifty and constantly grow
ing. They are fed with great regularity.
We like to have some nice early cut al
sike clover hay. Peas sowed with oats,
moved oats cut little green and some
times corn fodder is put into racks for
them in field near the barn Cor change
of feed in winter, to give them an airing
and make them healthy and hardy. Salt
is kept constantly by them or they are
sailed a little every other day. The feet
are kept trimmed and the wool clipped
around the eyes, so they can see well and
not cause the eyes to weep. "The wool
grows plump down TO the ends of their
noses and toes"
Almost marvellous has been the increase
OF the fibres of wool to the square inch.
The late Or. Cutting found that some of
the best animals actually had from 40, 900
to 10000 wool hairs to the square inch of
hide. No doubt our cold climate has
also assisted in making the fleece more
dense and in keeping the firmness IF the
fiber. These sheep have great future
before them. No other breed can or does
produce so much wool. They are the
only breed that are hardy in great flocks
OF $1,000 or 10000 in a bunch. Their
defendants must largely furnish the
wool to clothe the worlds increasing
millions. The New England states are
peculiarly adapted to the breeding of
these sheep, and they should be bred
more extensively than they now are, in
view of the above facts.
In all warm countries the tendency is
to grow wool or hair of coarser text.
ure. To keep up the firmness of fiber
the breeder must constantly have sires
raised in colder sections. This affords
room for thought and action for young
men engaged in agricultural pursuits for
the 10Th century. The words of one OF
Vermonts old breeders, uttered long ago
that "the time will come when our Mer.
inc sheep will be shipped to the ends OF
the earth" seems now like prophecy
as it is being realized.
Very New Notion.