. The first principles of agriculture [microform]. Agriculture; Agriculture. tHE BREEDS OF LIVE ^TOCk. ^^i Wool, others for producing mutton; others, again, seem equally suitable for the prixhu'tion of l)oih wool and nuitton. No one breed, however, unites in itself the highest excellences in respect to the production of both these products. Fine- Woolied Sheep, 481. The Merino.—The Merino is the chief of the fine- wool breeds. It now embraces many distinct strains, both in Spain, usually looked upon as its original home, and in Germany, France, Australia, the United States, and Canada. It has,
. The first principles of agriculture [microform]. Agriculture; Agriculture. tHE BREEDS OF LIVE ^TOCk. ^^i Wool, others for producing mutton; others, again, seem equally suitable for the prixhu'tion of l)oih wool and nuitton. No one breed, however, unites in itself the highest excellences in respect to the production of both these products. Fine- Woolied Sheep, 481. The Merino.—The Merino is the chief of the fine- wool breeds. It now embraces many distinct strains, both in Spain, usually looked upon as its original home, and in Germany, France, Australia, the United States, and Canada. It has, how- ever, been but sparingly introduced into Great Britain. The Merino breed has shown a remarkable power of adapting itself to variations of climate, and thus it has been largely instrumental. Fig. 55. Merino Ewe. Fig. 56. Merino Ram. in effecting improvements in other breeds; but in order that it may retain the extreme fineness of its wool, considerable dryness in the climate seems to be required. The chief excellences of the woolof the Merino, in addition to its remarkable fineness, are the weight and closeness of its fleece, the high degree of its "felting quality,"* and the luxuriance of its *';t Indeed, in felting , *By "felting" is meant the tendency which wool fibres possess, as distinguished from many other textile fibres, of clutching and holding fast 'ohe knother. As a rule, the shorter and finer the wool is, the greater is its felting quality, and the longer and coarser it is, the less is its felting quality. .' tBy "yolk" is meant the soapy secretion of potash salts and oil found in the fleeces of all sheep. It serves as a protection to the fleece, rendering it impervious to moisture, and preserving it more or less soft, pliant, and silky. It is almost entirely soluble in water, and can be easily washed Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for rea
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectagriculture, bookyear
