reticent even to his friends, and which he kept secret from other breeders, Mr. Bakewell totally changed the character of these sheep, and built up for himself a reputation as a successful breeder which is second to that of no other in the world. . . After his death Bakewell's system of close breeding was followed by his successors, but with the effect of reducing the value of the breed to the farmer." Thus it becomes apparent that the material which can be used successfully in the hands of a man of genius, may work out its own destruction by the injudicious or inexperienced person. Five years after Bakewell commenced his course of improvement he could let his rams for four dollars a year, but at the end of about thirty-five years one ram netted him $6,600 in a single season. In the present generation great

success has attended Mr. Hammond and other breeders of Merinos in this country, and fabulous prices have been obtained from both sales and rentals. While this temporary improvement has brought a reputation to the leading breeders engaged in it, and their stock has been a lever for raising the standard of large wool flocks on the Western plains, it is not the object of this paper to discuss their merits, but to call the attention of New Hampshire farmers to a history of sheep in a general way, and to mark out a course of breeding adapted to our present methods of mixed husbandry, and one that shall fill the demands likely to be made by our markets for meat and special grades of woolen manufacture at home.

In deciding how to breed it is advisable to inform ourselves regarding the kind of lamb that our butchers like to buy and are willing to pay for, and also to consider whether we can best produce it by our present methods or by others which we can profitably adopt. From the present standpoint everything indicates that wool must be made a secondary consideration, and its amount, in proportion to carcass, must vary somewhat in different parts of the State. The locality of our largest amount of summer boarding and travel, in the lake and mountain region, can on account of its abundant feed and favorable climate carry a breed having about three fourths of English blood, Leicester, or Cotswold, incorporated with their native or acclimated flocks. It may be that there is a slope bordering the Connecticut, running towards

the southwestern part of the State that can raise the same kind, finding a near market in the winter feeders of the Connecticut meadow farms, who have in past seasons found it quite profitable to buy lambs of that grade, with a little Shropshire or Southdown blood combined, for stalling. If the ticks can be kept from such sheep they take flesh rapidly in autumn when turned on the rowen or “shack" on those meadow farms.

The central portion of the State, including the Merrimack valley, with the drier plains and rocky ridges on either side, seems better adapted to support a middle breed, carrying a fleece about equal in weight to those Merinos kept in such large numbers in that section during the late war and high prices for wool. This kind of sheep reaches about the same weight on common pasture and fine hay in two thirds the time required for the Merino. We think we may say that such sheep will thrive in flocks as large as any of our farmers wish to keep; but if the contrary should prove to be the case, those farmers having large mountain pastures could introduce a trifle more of the Merino blood, using such rams as are from flocks that were bred through the war period without wrinkles, such flocks being preserved still in Merrimack county. The late Mr. Melvin, of Weare, bred such a sheep through a long lifetime without any perceptible admixture of the wrinkly Vermont Merinos.

· Several breeders in Merrimack county are making efforts to preserve this type of sheep, as those who continue to breed Merinos here are aiming for a Delaine Merino with mutton qualities. There has been Delaine blood lately introduced to the adjoining town of Warner from both Pennsylvania and Maine. Dea. H. F. Pearson, of Webster, has made a successful cross on the Melvin sheep by the use of a Dickenson Merino ram purchased of H. G. McDowell, Canton, Ohio. This celebrated flock of Delaine Merinos was established in 1831. Mr. McDowell sends an electrotype of a yearling ram of this breed. He claims, on their rich grasses, to raise rams to two hundred pounds' weight, combining mutton qualities with the best grade of Delaine wool.

We find such writers as Henry Stewart, F. D. Curtis, and others, are in favor with this class of Merinos where the breed is still kept. We have no doubt that this class of Merino rams could be used for crossing on the Down sheep or on the heavier class of native coarse-wooled sheep. Such neglected flocks might be refined somewhat without the danger of breeding coarse wool on the thighs, such as might result from the use of a very wrinkly ram. Of course in any breed it is an objection to have a fleece that is not of uniform grade, as all coarse locks or hairy wrinkles make bad sorting on the bench. Near the coast and the large manufacturing cities an early maturing sheep, one that will give a mature and fat lamb of medium size in good season, is desired.

The Southdown and possibly the Dorset blood may be largely employed in crossing on Merinos or common sheep to make up the third breed of New Hampshire sheep. In this breed the fleece would be secondary, and the early lamb the prime consideration. Such fleece as they would give would be sought by manufacturers for ordinary clothing, and the longer staples for worsteds. The medium sheep has a fleece which may be used for clothing, stockings, delaines, or sorted for combing, depending upon the particular breeding of the flock. The larger breed produces wool for combing or for carpet and blanket wool. At present considerable difference in price makes it an object to refine the fleece with Leicester blood and sell it for combing staple.

We have often heard it remarked, and as often read, that only a few coarse-wooled sheep could be kept together. If one wished to keep a flock of one hundred or more, it must be the Merino. To huddle one hundred coarse-wooled sheep into a small and warm pen, with little opportunity for exercise and insufficient ventilation, would be likely to result in disaster. While preparing this paper we visited the farm of E. F. Bowditch, Framingham, Mass., who is demonstrating that large numbers of coarse-wooled sheep can be thus kept. The superintendent preferred grade Southdowns, and would not object to a little Merino blood in flocks bought for crossing.

The practice at this farm is to buy such sheep as can be found, and breed them to a Hampshire Down ram, which, indeed,

makes a strong cross on the Southdown grades.

Here are nearly

two hundred pure Hampshires, bred from good stock, and sixteen Dorsets, lately imported. With regard to the latter it is too early to decide upon the weight of the fleece. It covers the body well, however, in good shape to resist the storms; its character otherwise seems inclined to be somewhat harsh and dry. These sheep are got up well and compactly, with more than average length of carcass, and apparently having good constitutions. Their principal fault is horns, which the females have as well as the males, only not as large. They have, to offset this, the ability to breed twice a year, which is not often done by any other sheep. The faces and legs of this breed are purely white. The keeping and management of this flock are on the liberal plan. In order to have lambs dropped in early winter it is necessary to give the ewes generous treatment. As soon as the lambs are large enough to slip out through some slats and eat their ration of grain, they are permitted to eat all they wish of corn meal and linseed, old process, two parts of corn meal to one of linseed. The Hampshire cross gives length and width of back, and the lambs are often made to weigh as many pounds at killing time as they are days old, the early ones selling for very high prices.

A letter from Mr. James Wood, a breeder of pure Hampshire Downs, at Mount Kisco, New York, in answer to some inquiries made by us says: "I have never crossed upon common ewes, but many others have with most satisfactory results, the Hampshire making a stronger cross than any other Down breed because they are more prepotent. Such a cross is particularly valuable for early market lambs."

He further says that the largest raiser of early lambs in New York State is a Mr. Woodward, secretary of the state agricultural society, who says: "The Hampshire crosses are beating everything else this year for early lambs. I have never seen any so strongly marked before, and never saw any do so well." This man keeps about five hundred sheep, and has crossed with Shropshires, Southdowns, and Hampshires for experiment. From these two flocks of five and six hundred sheep, all coarse wooled, we learn that such sheep can be kept, for a time at least,