Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1903-02-27
BLACK SHEEP.
Their Wool rs Especially Valuable.
klncl. o. NJ -. ;. NJ.


Their Wool rs Esaecicsiv Valuable
FLOCK OF Mr.. So,sn 3. Wins.
lis Il com'aoa saying that there's
black sheep In every ioc.S. and in a iy-
nrative sense no doubt this assertion ia
true That there are decks OF sheep en-
urely composed OF black Individuals
may not be gen0r;lly known. says W.
J. Clarke In Wool -. ats ard Sheen.
One OF the most valr a.. II not the
most valuable. is e. wh.ch was
left by the late Hon. A.,a or Bracside.
Queensland. Australia. This flock is
composed entirely OF Mcrinos aud was
established more than twenty years
ago by the deceased gentleman and
numbers 625 ewes and TWENTY-FIVE
rams. 1t is said. that there is i'm our
own country flock of black Shrop-
shires. but as we have no data at hand
concerning this flock we offer no COM
ment thereon other than that of sayin:.
that cases where Shropshires produce
black lambs must be extremely rare
except 1t be in the case OF poorly bred
hocks, for in our experience OF years
Of handling large fiocks of this breed.
both on their native heath and i'm this
country, we have never yet had an owe
bring forth a black lamb. Further
more, we would not care TO invest i'm n
ram from flock that we knew had
produced one. 1t is said that the i'm
mortal Blackwell kept black ram for
use In his work of improving the
Leicester. We have REASONS for be
neving rather than doubling this con-
tention. In Quebec tue common stock
of the country appears to all intents
and purposes to be of the pure Leicester
blood, and no doubt il is. as the founda-
ton OF that stock is said TO he from an
early Importation of that 81 ccd. The
locks are very uniform I'm type. but one
thing which drew eur attention while
there was the large number of black
individuals found in every flock. In
quite number of cases - per cent of
the flock was made up OF black sheep.
In one case we noticed that no less
than 90 per cent were black or of n
very dark gray color. Whether or not
they had been selected and bred with
- ~ NH''ib'ASAAah- HoNh VI Dtdtk
sheep we could not learn.
The only black flock coming under
our notice that has been bred with a
view OF establishing pure bred flock
of black sheep is that OF Mr. John II.
Wing, Millbrook. y. Y. While In this
flock there are individuals that are as
black as the ace of spades. there are
others that are not black on the sur
face. but rather OF very dark gray.
1t should be mentioned however. that
the under color of the fleece is almost
perfectly black. Mr.. Wing is to be com
plimented OH the progress he has made
in regard 10 the establishment OF his
flock. and there is but i.ttlc doubt that
he will in the course OF Il few years bc
the owner OF verg valuable flock not
only from Il curiO point Of view. but for
the reason that black wool is worth con
sideraOly more than the ordinary white
fleece. This value accrues from the
great Demand for that class of wool In
Great Britain and certain countries Of
continental Europe. where il is used i'm
the manufacture or gowns for certain
religious orders. which by their vows
are compelled to use undyed wooden
clothing