PRINTED FOR RICHARD PHILLIPS, No. 6, NEW By whom Communications (Post-paid) are thankfully received. (Price Twelve Shillings half-bound.) Printed by J. ADLARD, Duke-street, West-Smithfield. On the 28th of January was published, the SUPPLEMENTARY NUMBER to our Twenty- THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE. No. 153.] FEBRUARY 1,1807. [1 of VOL. 23. As long as those who write are ambitious of making Converts, and of giving to their Opinions a Maximum of ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. H SIR, AVING lately read a very useful and interefting French work, on the fubject of fine-wooled Spanish theep, and being of opinion that its leading features ought to be generally known throughout this ifland, I take the liberty of requciting the publication of them through the medium of your valuable and widely circulated Mifcellany. I lament that, after the successful experiments and fatisfactory reports of fuch Ipirited and enlightened agriculturists as Lord Somerville, Mr. Tollet, and Dr. Parry, any further incitement to the adoption of a race so jutily esteemed should be neceffary; but it unfortunately happens that in this, as in every other country, ignorance and prejudice are continually thwarting the efforts of rational conviction. He, therefore, who attempts by perfuafion founded on just grounds, to difpel the mist, which clouds the faculties and prevents the exertions of British breeders, will not have the cenfure of candid and well-informed men. It is true that the Merino sheep is not likely to attract the approbation of any one by its beauty; till less so in the prefent age, when fymmetry of form has been fo clofely studied, and completely obtained; but to this it may be replied, first, that the defect in carcass should be principally afcribed to British supineness; be remedied. and fecondly, that it can To fubftantiare my charge, I need only remark that this nation has for many years, without even being at the trouble of an experiment, paid to Spain for her finest wool almost any price that the chofe to demand, The article was indispensable to our fuperfine manufactures; we contented ourselves with believing the affertion that the foil, climate, and other local circumstances, were the causes of wool being produced in Spain of an inimitable quality, and we continued to tranfmit our enormous orders to a country, which Was annually becoming more in alliance MONTHLY MAG. No. 153. the with, or rather in subjection to our deadly foe. The natural refult of our credulity and folly was, that the sheep-owners in Spain, perceiving the vast profits of the fleece, devoted their whole attention to its improvement, and left the carcass to take its chance of becoming better or worse. Hence, the latter ensued; but, as I have faid, the evil may be remedied. That intelligent and patriotic breeder, Mr. Tollet, of Staffordshire, (whose naime I have before mentioned, who has now & large flock of Merino, and Anglo-Merino sheep, and who is indefatigable in his endeavours to promote the adoption of this celebrated race,) states, that, in defiance of neglect, fome of the sheep, which have been brought to this country from Spain, have been far from deficient in those characteristics, which are generally confidered as combining excellence of form. It follows, therefore, that judicious selection from the offspring of thefe, and of others, might ere long tota remove abfence of fymmetry, fo much complained of. But after all, viewing thein in their present state, and supposing that their shape never can be improved, allow me to ask whether the rude Arab, like the enlightened Briton, would, while contemplating the deformity of his camel, lose sight of its utility. Is it not a farlicient incentive to the fauners of those districts, where the sheep is reared principally cipally for carding-wool, (and many of these flocks are far from exhibiting models of beauty) that a fiugle cross of the Merino race will double the value of each fleece; that the animal, thus yielding at once double profit as to wool, will live on the fame pasturage; and that a butcher, if withing to buy a score fat wethers of this cross, would value them according to his calculation of their weight, &c. without reference to their beauty; fo that one breed would in this refpect be exactly fituated like the other? Is it not fufficient, I fay, that the carcass should be worth no lefs, while the fleece by its increase, both in quantity and quality, C will be of double, then treble, and quadruple value, as the Merino blood continues to be introduced? That fuch is the abfolute fact we have abundant proof from the most refpectable authorities above quoted. Yet are there many farmers who tell us, that they are content with the breed, by which their forefathers earned a livelihood, like a thepherd at Pearuddock, who, being asked, whence his iugularly rough-legged, ill-formed fheep had been obtained, gave as his anfwer: "Lord, Sir, they are fik as God fet upon the land; we never change any." After thete few preliminaries, which will, I trust, not be deemed uselefs, I proceed to M. Lafteyric's Account of the Introduction of fine-wooled Spanith Sheep, into the different States of Europe, and at the Cape of Good Hope: "SWEDEN. "There is, doubtless, just ground for furprise, that Sweden, which feemed to be a country the most unfavourable in Europe for rearing fine-wooled sheep, thould, nevertheless, have been the first to naturalize this valuable race; but what excites still greater aftonishment is, that there are men in France (to which may be added England) who still dispute the poffibdity of a naturalization established in Sweden, during nearly a century. M. Alstroemer imported a flock of Merino theep from Spain in 1723; and government, convinced that the ignorance of thepherds opposed serious obstacles to the prefervation and propagation of this new race, inftituted in 1739 a school for thepherds, the direction of which was confided to M. Alstroemer. Premiums were appointed, and various falutary regulations adopted. In 1764, Sweden poffefied 65,369 fheep of the pure, and 23,584 of the mixed breed; and although this fupply was not fufficient for the manufactures of the country, yet the importation of wool has been gradually diminithing from year to year, while the manufactures have been increafing; fo that, taking every thing fairly into into calculation, it may be afferted that the number of pure and mixed breeds is at present about 100,000, and this forms a 25th part of all the theep reared in that country; a very great proportion, if we confider the relative state of agriculture in that country, which it would here occupy too much space to defcribe. The Merino theep preferve, in Sweden, their pri • Beauties of England and Wales, vol. III, μ. 19. mitive form; their fleece is close and firm, lofing nothing in fineness, length, elasticity, or quantity. There are rams, which have produced thirteen pounds of wool. I observed too, that the race, bred in and inured to this climate, appeared stronger and larger than the sheep of Spam. I found on the farm of M. Schulzenheim, in the province of Upland, a flock confifting of animals bred from a Spanith inmportation tifty-five years before the time; and their wool, when compared with that of some Merinos recently procured from the fame country, yielded to it in no one defirable quality. There, and other facts, prove in a manner decitive and peremptory, that the Spanish sheep may be propagated and reared to advantage in fevere climates, by which it is certain that the fleece is not affected; a fact, incontestibly proved by the fpecimens which I procured on my journey through different countries; and which I afterwards fubmitted to the inspection of the Department of the Seine. "DENMARK AND NORWAY. "The Norwegian race has been imthe English, as well as the proved by Spanish breeds, but the most important amelioration in the fleece must be attributed to a Spanish ram, which was imported above fifty years ago on the western coast of Norway. This introduction was, however, but partial, and did not extend into other parts of the country, where the sheep in a wild state, and without inconvenience, bid defiance to the most intenfe cold. I have feen them living in the midst of snow, without ever receiving any portion of food from. the hand of man; and of fo untractable a nature are they, that they cannot be taken but by a chace on horfeback. This breed is so accustomed to the impreffions of the atmosphere, that it cannot fupport a sudden tranfition from a state of nature to a domeftic one. "The Danes, induced by the example of Sweden, imported Spanish theep from that kingdom about twenty-feven years fincé, and their defcendants exift to this day, though not in large numbers. Some of them have preferved their original quality of fleece, while others have degenerated, but palpably from neglect. At Efferuin, a royal domain, I faw a flock of Spanith theep imported from Sweden, Imany years before, which yielded wool of a fair quality. To that place, too,, which is eight leagues from Copenhagen, the Danith government hus fent three hundred Merino sheep, imported from Span Spam in 1797. This flock is compofed of the breeds, which are of all others the mott defirable to be obtained, viz. thote of the Efcurial, of Guadaloupe, of Panlar, of the Duke del Infantado, of the Count de Monturer, and the Count de Negretti. "The Efcarial breed is looked upon as poffeting the finest fleece in all Spain, The Guadaloupe theep are remarkable for fametry of form, as well as for the quantity and quality of their wool. The Poular are equally gifted with the two latter perfections, but poffefs a greater fwell behind the ears, and a more palpable degree of throatiness. The lambs of this breed, and those of the Infantudo, are generally produced with a coarfe hairy appearance, which is fucceeded by wool of exquifite quality. The Negretti hreed is compofed of the largest theep in Spain. The Efferum flock, when Ikaw it, had been twenty months from Spain, and was very healthy. Only two theep had been lon by the long voyage, fevere winter, and heavy rains of spring, to which they had been expofed fuce their arrival in Denmark, "SAXONY. "Upper Saxony is the country into which, after Sweden, the Spanith vace of fheep is of most ancient introduction, and it is in Saxony that this naturalization has been marked with the completeli fuccefs, and produced the most tulvantagrous refults. The different indigenous breeds of that country, of which fome prodace tolerable and others very coarfe wool, have been equally improved by the crofs. The Flector of Saxony, withing to repair the devastations becationed in his dominions by a feven years' war, obtained from the King of Spain in 1765, a felection from the best Merino flocks, confifting of one hundred rams, and two Iundred ewes. Experience having proved that they were easily reconciled to the climate, attention was paid to the general unelioration of native breeds, after fubjecting those animals which appeared molt defective to caftration. In 1776, theep of four years old were difpaled of to individuals, but ws the best experiments always meet with oppolition, the fate was attended with fuch difficulties, that the government obliged those who rented the electoral farins, to purchafe a certain proportionate number of Spanith theep. The breeders foon difcovered what was most conducive to their intereft, and the Electocal fl eks not being able to fupply the danaals which? multiplied every day, soother importation took place in 1778, and feveral more face that time. At prefent the Flettor's flock amsonts to 3,400, and he annually difpofies of fire hundred by pahlie auction, which are not enough to meet the demands of the breeders. The Spawith mce preferte is Savony all their originat perfections; which is proved by the fpecimens of wool preferved for many years, aud alto by a comparifoss of new impostations with the offspring of homer oms. The Susan government has been amply recипресии for its attention, and mderanified for its advances by the immenfe adwaters, which the country has thereby protared Sheep-breeding is, indeed, the most ha crative purfuit of the Sason firmer; aud the manufacturers, fuding within their own limits the quantity and quality of wood neceftary for their parpole, me no longer obliged to import from Spain; and are thereby freed from alac difadva tages attendant on the chouces of comm merce. Saxony rears aboot 1,000,00 theep of all kinds; and of thew alont 50,000 are at prefent of the Spanity and mixed breeds. Thefe prochure tot maly the quantity of wool neceffary for the fine manufactures of the country, but even furnith a fuplus equal to the inte rior confumption, which fundes is fod at the Leipzig fairs "TRUSSIA. "Frederick the II. who was not lefs funed for the wiklom of his min tion, than for his martind glory, and to whom Pruflian agriculture is under grent obligations, introduced from Spain, in 3786, a flock of one hundred marus and two hundred ewes, defined to improve the various breeds of his kingdoma. Neveral Prullian fumers have, fiance that time, bought theep of the Sex Spauith kind; is confequence of which the conotry can now beat of many flocks eni tirely compofed of fine-wooled animals. Government has encouraged this evident advomitage, and has founded an inftitution for the purpose, which is directed be Mr. Fink, a celebrated agriculturist of Ger many. This gentleman had begun the improvement in his own frock by by the int troduction of theep from Silefia, remark able for the fineness of their fleece. He purfued his system further by purchases from Saxony in 1768, and from Spain in 1778. By these progretive meaus, Mr. Fank has fucceeded in imparting timehefs to the fleeces of Praftian sheep, which were originally of the coarfeft quality. Ile has been imitated, with a refult equally fatisfactory, by the Count van Maguis, A2 |