BLACK-WOOLED SHEEP.

North Otago Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2081, 3 January 1879, Page 2 (Supplement)

BLACK-WOOLED SHEEP.

: -On the above tubiect Chamber's Journal "has been favored jath^th© folfoiring. note*

from Mist Hope Johnstone, of Marohbank Wood, Moffat. She write* m follows :—: — Having read with interest the article in your Journal of July 27th upon Captain Mayne Reid'* two white-faced black- wooled sheep, I beg to offer yon a few particulars about a rather larger black flock which I possessed myself, in the zenith of my farming career of 20 yean— from 1850 to 1870. During that period I rose from small boundaries and limited stock to about 7000 acres imperial of land, and 5000 sheep of different kinds, from 60 to 1 00 cow*, and 28 to 40 horses, besides many pigs and a great variety of poultry. But I began with my black flock and I ended with it, and parted with it with regret. As my object in troubling you with any record of my farming concerns is merely to give you a few particulars of the once far-famed "Black Hock of Marchbank Wood Farm," I shall confine myself to that. When at Brighton in 1851, I one day observed a black, or nearly black, Southdown lamb ; and making a little inquiry about it, was told that a black Southdown lamb was a rara nv'ut, literally " a pariah of the flock," and hardly to be met with. I had some black Cheviot and half bred lambs at home, as although the exception and not the rule in every well-bred flock, still they are less rare in these breeds than in any of the Downs. Knowing the fineness of the Southdown wool, I determined to try how many black or darkcolored Southdown lambs I could ntanage to collect, and applied to a particularly civil and obliging butcher in the Western road at Brighton to be kind enough to help me in my endeavor. Mr Sharpe took no end of trouble, and succeeded after some time, by employing his friends in the length and breadth of England to enquire and hunt up these "pariahs," in getting for me nine ewe lambs— alt Downs, and all more or leu black or dark colored. To these I added enough of other black or brown lambs, of Cheviot •Aid half-breds, to complete the score j and with that I commenced a flock, which at the time of its perfection numbered twohnndred and fifty or more, of most picturesque and well-bred sheep, of every shade of black, vandyke and chocolate browns, dark gray, blue gray, brownish gray, pale lavendar gray, and pinkish gray • and every quality of wool from purest Southdown and Cheviot to crossbred of every quality and kind. I do not know whether it ' was faucy, or whether it was because great care was taken in the breeding of these dark sheep, but we used to fancy that they were more hardy and less liable to all kinds of disease than the white sheep. Certainly when we had got the flock to perfection, it was, as far as it went (two hundred and fifty about), a particular healthy, hardy lot of sheep. The wool was much admired and much sought after ; but most of it we used up in our family circle. It made admirable stout winseys for dresses ; and for men's clothes there was nothing; to compare with it for beauty or " everlasting wear." In fact, it used to be a joke that no amount of wear and tear would ever destroy it or even fade it. A dyed wool suit would* Tie threadbare and almost colorless before the inn and weather everjmadethe slightest approach to a weatherbeaten look upon the undyed brown, black, or gray wools. If I had tea thousand such sheep I could have found a market for all their fleeces at any price I liked to put on them ; and the same with the cloth when woven. I sent some very fine and pretty specimen"! of black, brown, and grey fleeces to the Great Exhibition of 18K2, London, and was told afterwards that some Frenchmen had wanted to buy them for the Emperor of the French, Louis Napoleon I did not hear of this till too late, or His Majesty would certainly have been made welcome to them. In conclusion to these few remarks, I may observe that I am certain that such darkoolored flock* might very well be begun, perfected, and kept with great benefit and profit both to the proprietor and to the manufacturer of those rough home-spun tweeds, so much liked for shooting clothes and ulsters for gentlemen as well as for garments for the working classes, who always were ready to give double the price for these dark shades of undyed wools, because experience proved them to wear and stand in color so very much better than the best of dyed wools. The working classes preferred the blacks and very dark brown shades ; gentlemen, the light toft lavender and pinkish grays, which certainly were very pretty and refined-looking. These undyed colored wools also made beautiful and comfortable plaids, either all of the natural color, or with stripes at the borders of white wools dyed scarlet, purple, or any color. Of all British wools, that of the small sheep of the (Shetland and Orkney Islands is the finest ; and whether by accident or design, a very large number imported to the mainland of these island sheep are dark, rich vandyke brown in color, and frequently have white or very spotted block and w hite faces. From the extremely fine quality of their wool aud certain pecularitica of shape, it has often occured to me that some time j or other some. merino strain must have got amongst the Shetland sheep especially ; possibly by some shipwreck, or from some traveller bringing foreign sheep to the islands.