THE WILD SHEER OF CALIFORNIA.

Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 79, 13 January 1876, Page 7

THE WILD SHEER OF CALIFORNIA.

:^ThWfiligr^^ is .& noble* animal, lweiffSin^*wheif'fiilly ;^rpwri .^_pjs s|o {p6unds^Wrid,.is r ;weil w6rt_y J of the^ttenri^ri di woof growers as a point iroinVw-llicn to make a new departure.^. '.That tit iwill breed with tke domestic --sheep 'l have not 'theViightest dpub.^;and r, l^cqrdiaity '■) Teßprnmend the expeririaerit to the various 'wool growers,' associations as.one oftgreat national importance, -"; .a7V'C.;.'-'-.v, .VV-vV:i , s , TJbe jclpfihirig; of; pur., .w^ld. fheep lis composed jpf fine ijwpbl!, ; andf^cbarse hair. The hair, are >frpm, about- two -to four •inches; lpn^,;;mostiy ; ofv a • dull grey color,; thpugh ; varying -somewhat with the seasons. :i : tn j general l characteristicsith_y,a^re;clbseiy>Telated to trie hairs of the' deer and antelope,/, being light,; spongy j-arid s^Jtojt^wjt^^'higlfly polished:, surface ; *, arid .though some.^ ; what ridged and spiraledjlike wool they do not "manifest the : slightest tendency to felt or becOmet taggy.l A hair two •and: a halfiriches'long, which, is perhaps near the: i average length, will ;Stretch,,"ahput ;;ppe-^ourth;;;pfj :an .inch'MthoUtvbreakingi;v,Th^' nurixbeir !of hairsgrow'irig upon "&; square inch !is about 10,000 ;!" the . ;rium^eF "of ! wool ; fibres! 'is about _5,p00,;,% jtwq r and a r hall .times that of. jthph^irs. ; ' The' wool .fibres are ,w!hife .and glossy, and beEiutii fully spiraled into .ringlets. ; Tfap ayerage length of the staple is about an inch and 'a" "'half. ; A "fibre' -of this length, .when .growing undisturbed -.. among, the hairs; measures about an inch ; hence the degree- of curliness, .may. be easily inferred. .- ;:;;.;." ~ - ' Wild wool is too :fine to stand ;by itselfj.the-fibres being. as.abput/Vap '"frail and inyisibleras ; the npatipg threads! of spiders, while the hair against which they, leari stand erect like hazel wands ; but ' notwithstanding their ' great dissimilarity in," size and,, appearance, !the wool- and hair .are!!forins of the sqme thing,: modified in? just that way and to 'just- tliat degree that render^ ithem most perfectly subservient to the' -weir* being -of the sheep!. !.vF,urth'erriiPre,Tit..wilis be j. observed that these. wild ;? mpdificatiPns are entirely; distinct from ? .those :which larebrougfit by chance- intPVexistence, through the accidents and" caprices! of culture. { . ,•, 7,TJ~Z r . r" . .;■ r [ It- !. is- -now! . „oni.e.V36t>oV.Vy.ears . .since VJacoh. kis_ed r i.hißr_npth.erjand set" jout across,. the .,p!lain^ f of Pandanaram; to begin' his expbVeirifipts upon the flocks of his uncle, Lab^n"; and notwithstanding the high Vdeg^.eei.ofD "excellence! he. attained as. 1 a r; *w:ppi grower, and 'the j innumerable, painstaking, efforts . suose- :- j ..quentiy.made.by^ j associations in ja]|| Jindsf pf^pgstures jand climates,; we still seen, to ,be -i-far-from* definite^ah^ ( w^. •.eVerJw^re;.!.- *l[|^fpn&;tr(^^%e!j^pp|[ is :-apt;rtofWithej^ on a sunj beaten hilb side;! In .another^; it is •lbdg._d|arid^att^^ j the J^hJa^l'led'g^ -merely -by^causing -them-tOTStare'a^ ob/^ jepts j !pf,the d¥sired f Jiuej and^possibly the Vra.rii.b-s "- u _iay*- have 'cai|^tj.the wnritie-ffbih-'the-perplexeU hroWs of '•theirlbaders.t.- .votes! S.li Lo::i» | . Feeding.— A correspondentnbf the C&liffrrh-aV his. hog| pn-clpv errand* thus gives"'thej : result ;bt his experiencev:rrfV*Pn\;the j.Btb ; of July, l&7J8j: .Ijpurchasedrjtbirep Berjs: 1: shire sow pigs, farrowed Apr-ni^th,!, }bVftingjust Tthfee, mpAth^oldT^PweigQW" 'thW when I v Teached v Vinton, jlSly 30, vafa Jtjiey ? ayjßr^ged, t ß^lbs s T" "'turned fnem into a lotVor aboulrtwo acres, on i which there was a iine'r'grQw.th tftj red cloyer, and fed-them with one pintieachl of soaked f 'night and morning, .rW^ic^.j^withTTwha^ water they „wa^ted, Vvva^aU;^ the .clover pasture.-- L On the 9 tli of Sep'tem- | L'blfau^li^ theng, and thejr average Y-was X25- lbs., showing a net gain of 45lbs., t e|ob- — 1. lb,, |)er r day. r .-.I alsop received one boar; on 'the I'ith day'bf" August, 4^^°b the r .arrie day^Vei'ghVßOlbs: On the*.a_ie i: tfeat'tn'erit''igiven the Others, { he 'Weighed^ r 6n , Septdrbber 9:th^l2a 'los.' ! - i_silbst,vprrj witjiin a r > fractions of^ \ albirpe^qday^^^QW. you will observe thatthe^aggreg^atftfgain.gf. the three was 135 lbs: ; amouiilßp^corn Wlbft of^bMf^rlrieJbfishel; : :ofrcprn.7. i The av.erageipiii.the boar .pig' wo^ldrbejHa r ]it|l§„ fetter. "Taking"' y ex^ periments -reported in stock journals? which 1 -^elie'vb^e^th^t'^SO^Qbs. Ik ! the highest averp e-e obtained ! 'frb_a a bushel otcorn, and? -iJßwj^^t; jh^Sl; bushels . of cprn„ithat Jr Xsjjfed: produced, that average, or 75 lb-w"por,k,. we| ;still ha*ye ; an)^^ _ddition<»k-6C l xlbs^sofc^airi iis a result of -the 5 cloyer p^Wufel^ti'eilQg a .g^-"-^«sgmgj^p^^^^ count q£ MtyMpyMfes^e^pr^n^produced. This.T insist, A&'a. strong argrimeht in w^'6£^mmi^&m§^^ v feu: ■'.. •■.-''"';' -"■'.'■-.''" - % . : ! "•'•^-^/■.■;£;^'l- 0.Q.1