Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1902-01-31
BELIEVES IN MERlNOS.
T.. n. Bissell Tells Vermont Association tn


Il. n. Bissell Tells Vermont Association the
Reasons for His Faith.
At the meeting of the Vermont Merlno
Sheep Breeders association, held last
week at The Addison, K. n. Bissell of
Shoreham, who was not able to be
present, sent the the following letter
to be read to the members:
To the members of the Vermont
Merino Sheep Breeders Association !:
The outlook for the American Merino
sheep In the near future, in my opinion,
Is very bright. for these reasons: First.
The immense amount of wool and wool
ems that was imported previous to the
passage of the Dingey tariff act has
been used up, and from now on we
will receive the full benefit of that law.
The second reason is that the fashions
have changed from coarse to fine wool
goods at time when there Is a scarcity
of fine wool the world over. Thirdly.
After twelve years trial OF the American
Mernos in Australia. the wool from
the American and Australian Merino
cross has found favor with the manu-
facturers of fine woolens.
If you will continue to breed type of
sheep combining good form and constitu-
| ton, with dense fleece, of good quality
of wool all over, you will have no trouble
in selling them at as good prices in the
future as you have in the past. But II
you breed type making a speciality of
yellow oil and small whiplash wrinkles,
without any regard to form and constitu-
ton, you will find yourself In the same
hole that A. A. Wood Of Saline, Mich,
has found himself in. la the report of
the annual meeting of the Michigan
Merino Sheep Breeders Association, the
Breeders Gazette reports Mr.. Wood as
saying ~ believe we have made a mis-
take In breeding the American Merinos
as we have in the past, and by so doing
we have been brought into the hole we
now are in. We have no mutton sheep
in them. We want a big, plain sheep.
We want the sheep that will sell. have
had no home trade for American Merinos
since 1898, and but little foreign trade.
We have worked long enough with no
pay"
Most Of you are acquainted with Mr..
Wood and know the type of sheep that
he used to purchase in Vermont for the
Michigan trade. 1t must have been very
humiliating for Mr.. Wood to make this
confession before the Michigan wool
grove RS, who had paid him small for
tune in the aggregate for the type of
sheep he had been selling them. But he
has no one but himself to blame. In 1890
and 1891, when [ was looking for sheep
for the foreign trade, saw Mr.. Wood was
making great mistake in breeding and
advised him to pay more attention to
the form and constitution of his sheep
| did not visit his flock again till Jan
uary, 1897, and after inspecting his flock
did not ask him to price single sheep
AS | was about to leave, he asked me II
| was not going to purchase any sheer
of him. | said, "No; you have none
suitable for the Australian trade, as they
lack in constitution and their hind legs
are too crooked and come out of one
hole" From the look of disappointment
that came over his face l am convinced
that he for the first time realized that he
had bred a class of sheep he could not
sell, either to the foreign or domestic
trade. But it has taken him four year:
to acknowledge it to the public.
Beware of his failure. Don't be afraiG
of large, heavy folds or wrinkles, Il
accompanied by good form and constitu
ton, with dense fleece and white oil anG
good quality of wool. And don't, like
Mr.. Wood, 90 to the other extreme and
breed for plain sheep without any wool
If you want a mutton carcass with a:
much wool as the Ramboullets, 90 tC
some reliable breeder and purchase the
noble Southdowns or ShrOpshires. But
do not have to warn you against the
Rambouilets or the Franco-American
as you have had ample object lessons be-
fore you for the past ten years, both IL
breeding and selling of both breeds, ant
you know what they are.