. Our domestic animals, their habits, intelligence and usefulness;. .•\ Welsh Ram l82 OUR DOMESTIC ANIMALS Before the reign of Alexander Severus silkand cotton were unknown, and the Romanswore nothing but woolen garments; they likedthem fine and were ready to pay highprices for them. In order to iprove the wool of the Taranto sheep they imporanimals from Africa,which they crossedwith their own, thusobtaining a veryfine, soft wool. Tothese they addedsheep from Anda-lusia and Cordovain Spain, and fromPolenta in Italy,which were alreadyfamous for the finetexture of their blackor dark brown fleece
. Our domestic animals, their habits, intelligence and usefulness;. .•\ Welsh Ram l82 OUR DOMESTIC ANIMALS Before the reign of Alexander Severus silkand cotton were unknown, and the Romanswore nothing but woolen garments; they likedthem fine and were ready to pay highprices for them. In order to iprove the wool of the Taranto sheep they imporanimals from Africa,which they crossedwith their own, thusobtaining a veryfine, soft wool. Tothese they addedsheep from Anda-lusia and Cordovain Spain, and fromPolenta in Italy,which were alreadyfamous for the finetexture of their blackor dark brown fleece Ovid, who devotes to sheep certain verses full of gratitude tells us how they were valued not onlv , ,, ■ . ^ A Merin for their wool but also for their milk and flesh. Nevertheless the Merinos and their ancestors have always been sheep for wool rather than for butchering. Ancient breeders. paid little attention to the conformation of theirbodies for butchers meat; the production offine wool was the only thing they really caredabout. Italy has never been a mutton-eating country ; even to this daythe servants of a householdobiect to it as food. he origin of the name Merino bears a re-lation to the originof the sheep them-selves. They cameby sea {met) toSpain, but nothingdefinite is knownabout their coming., Their ancestors- probably came, inpart at least, fromAfrica, Spain havingalways held active inter-course with that continent, asis shown by the settlement of theMoors in the south of Spain, with theirindustries, their agriculture, and theirknowledge of breeding, in which they attainedgreat proficiency. On the other hand, thereare some reasons that allow us to think that the
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidourdomesticanima01voog
