Merinos in England.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 16 May 1890, Page 2

Merinos in England.

Three years ago in July, 1887, Mr L. A. Macpherson, a landowner in Staffordshire, imported to England from New Zealand a small Hock of merino sheep. The experiment did not attract much attention at the Lime, the majority of Briti-h flock tno>ters concluding that the failure of a similar experiment with Spanish merinos a century ago land finally esUblMied the impos.-ib lity of acclimatising fine-woo ed sheep However Mr Macpherson quietly pc-rsevoi'i.'d and the result is a pro nounced success. The flock just before he lust lambing season, had increased tt forty-five, and they were bearing the English climate wonderfully wel . They crossed we 1 not only with Lincoln and Leicester ewes, but with Hirops, Herdwicks, ('h viots, and Scutch black frees, and several young rams were let for the reason a f . £'10 each. The ewes exhibited at the Koya l Winlsor show alttr cfed con ideraMe nofic ■ and everyone was surprised to find wool of such fine quality grown in KnJand. Mr M;icpherson has a flock of c>ov->lnvds at Corrimony in l'uvernesshire. where he I'eeps four of his young merino rams for cross ing with Scotch black'faced ewes. This cross he finds a most profitable one for high country, as they are very hardy, and stand the climate an well, if not b tter, than the native sheep, while they clip fully one

pound more wool, which ia worth much more than pure black faced wool. Tho introduction of the nieriuo promises to have an impor. tant bearing on the lutuie opsrations of the sheopbreeders of Great Bi itain. — Exchange.