fine wool Merinos
the _advantage as to weight of fleece_ is decidedly with the former; and
especially so when their respective fleeces are thoroughly cleansed and
scoured; for whilst the loss of the long wools very rarely reaches
_twenty per cent._, that of the Merinos generally much exceed _fifty per
cent._, and the fleeces of prize rams often more than _seventy per
cent._ Manufacturers are already beginning to make a discrimination
between wool that is clean and that which is not so. Suppose they buy
the South Down, Cotswold and Leicester wools, and their grades, from
which is lost by scouring twenty per cent. only, whilst upon the finest
Michigan wool there is lost _fifty_ per cent. and more--making the cost
of the latter, at ordinary prices, one-third more per pound than the
former, how long will it be before they will study to increase their
consumption of long wool when they can make from _thirty_ to _forty_ per
cent. more cloth with the same money? They will certainly seek to avoid,
in some way, the necessity of buying with their wool so very large a per
centage of grease and dirt, as they claim they are now doing in the
purchase of fine wools.

The South Downs, as I have already stated, as well as the long wool
sheep, have a decided advantage in the quantity and value of meat which
they yield for the shambles; for no one, I apprehend, will deny the fact
they not only yield more wool but very much more flesh to the live
weight than do the Merinos. And this is a fact worthy the serious
consideration of farmers, and certainly a strong argument in favor of
the more general breeding of long wool sheep. The war, and perhaps other
causes, have very seriously reduced our supply of meats, the waste of
which cannot soon be repaired. Many of our soldiers will not again
return to rural life, which will be quite too tame for them after the
long, protracted excitement of war. They will seek other occupations,
and be consumers rather than producers of meats. In addition to this a
tide of foreign immigration is setting in upon our shores, where they
will continue to swarm for years to come as never before, hungry for
meat; and it has been conclusively demonstrated that the ratio of our
ordinary increase of population far exceeds the production of cattle and
sheep, which deficiency in beef and mutton must hereafter be supplied in
some way. I will again quote from Mr. Randall's work. He says:

"I am strongly impressed with