be as long as the whole animal taken from the point of the nose at a, to the tail root d.

2. The circumference e to f, of the whole animal, must be as long as three times the length of the vertebra from the shoulders at c to the tail root d. When these dimensions so correspond, the animal may be considered perfect. The larger the whole circumference of the belly from g to h, and that of the thighs from i k, to l, especially when caused by a broad back, and wide spreading hip-bone, the more valuable is the auimal, because it yields more wool of the finer qualities.

Very important are a barrel shaped belly, the length of the vertebra from the shoulder c, to the tail root d, and also the width of the back, because here also grow highly fine qualities of wool. Short legs are considered a necessary quality of a merino sheep, because as on the legs grow the coarsel kind of wool, the shorter the legs are, the less coarse wool is produced. Short legged sheep, also feed better on short dry and poor pasture, they travel well and are particularly well suited to mountainous countries.

The ram should have a wide chest, a flat but strong back, short legs, strong knees, broad neck, a heavy folded skin; these various qualities indicate strength and great power in breeding.

The ewe should also possess a large, wide chest, broad shoulders, strong back and a long body, short legs, and resemble greatly the ram.

The following measures will furnish data by which to judge of the various breeds of merinos. They are selected from the valuable work of Petri, a highly celebrated writer on sheep, and an admitted authority in these matters in Germany.

NOTE.-An Austrian pound of 16 oz.=1.037 lb. avoirdupois. An Austrian foot of 12 inches=1.234 English foot.

XII.-Description of the apparatus used at Moegelin and Alcsúth, for washing Sheep.

(With drawings.)

Mode of washing sheep at Von Thäer's, Moegelin.-To the standard samples of merino wool, which I had the honor of sending to the Honorable Commissioner of Patents, one chart of which he intends to send each of the different state governments, I added some samples of washed wool from the flocks of Von Thäer, which I obtained from that very obliging gentleman, who endeavored to comply in every respect with the wishes of the Honorable Commissioner of the Patent Office, as expressed in his letters commendatory to facilitate me in the collection of information on agriculture, &c. The washed wool from the Moegelin estate has a beautiful whiteness, although the sheep of that country suffer greatly from the dust and sand blown about, which combines with the yolk and forms a thick black cover to the fleece. Von Thäer uses a mode of washing his sheep different from the common river and shower bath washing. At Moegelin the sheep are soaked in a small stream near by the farm; when the water has thoroughly penetrated the coat of wool, they are left in that state until the greasy, dirty

covering seems to yield to a second bath; then the sheep are brought under a kind of shower bath, where the water is of a soft nature, taken from a pond of collected rain water. Fig. 38, shows the simple arrange

ment. The pump a, is fed from a pond, and lifts the water into a vat b, placed sufficiently high to give the water the necessary fall and force to penetrate the fleece and clean the wool. Two pipes cc, or hose, communicate with the vat b, at the end of the hose is attached a strainer with a stop cock d.

When the sheep are ready to be washed, they are placed within a pen e, near by, which has a floor of boards to allow the water to run into a pond; one man holds the sheep while another sprinkles it by means of the hose and strainer, until the dirt is removed from the wool.

Description of the Building and Apparatus for Washing Sheep, at Alcsúth in Hungary.

The accompanying drawing, Fig. 35, represents the ground plan of the sheep-wash of Alcsúth, in Hungary. When the sheep have been soaked in the warm water vats at b, and sufficiently cooled down under the shelter d, they are brought into the space i, and from thence placed under the shower bath a a. When the fleece has acquired the necessary whiteness, the sheep is placed under the shelter k.

The water is heated near by in a small building e, and by means of a pipe f, conveyed to the trough b.

g.

The dirty water is let into a square tank h, by means of a small ditch The river, h, supplies the shower bath by means of two small conduits 1, m.

Fig. 36 is a section of the shelters c and d with the warm bath b. Fig. 37, is a section of the shower bath.

It is worthy of remark that the process of washing is done under the roof, and, accordingly, no sudden shower or rainy weather can interfere with it. Before the shower bath is administered to the sheep, their dirt and pitch has to be dissolved or loosened. For this purpose a soaking vat b is put up, which is covered and tightly fixed together of strong planks or boards. The soaking vat having been filled with hot water 23, 24 Reaumur equal to 84° Fahrenheit, the sheep are placed in two lines and constantly handled, until the yolk and dirt are dissolved, which ordinarily takes from fifteen to twenty min

The solvent effect of the hot water is considerably increased, in the first place by mixing with the water while boiling, some potash (say 5 to 6 lbs. to one solution,) and in the next place by the ley, arising from the natural oily matter of the wool. The sheep after being well soaked are placed under shelter, d, where they have to wait for their turn of the shower bath, in order that the animal, now too much heated, may not pass immediately from the hot soaking vat into the shower-bath, this being at 13° to 14° Reaumur equal to 61° to 63° Fahrenheit. It must be confessed that the sudden change of temperature, and the application of the vigorous Preisnitz method of sheep washing which is adopted here, presupposes a strong and vigorous constitution as found in the Alcsúth sheep. Not minding the involuntary cold shower bath, they come gaily out of the shower gutter, and in a manner as if boasting of the splendor of their snow white wool, they show themselves at the shelter c, which is assigned them and which is thickly strewn and covered with straw. On an average forty sheep are washed in one hour.

The fact, that in the vicinity of Alcsúth, the least wind will raise clouds of dust, and will fill the fleece of the grazing sheep with black sand to the skin, must add to the trouble and expense of the washing, and besides renders a correct estimate of the fineness as well as the other qualities of the wool extremely difficult. Those animals whose wool has not been well cleaned from this dust by the shower-bath, are wet with a ley which is kept in readiness, and which is made from Preiss' vegetable wool wash; and twenty-four hours after they are again put under the shower, which will then give to the fleece the brightest appearance.

Experiments have been made also with the Packner wool wash. The wool to which it had been applied, was exceedingly well purified indeed, and snow white; but then the fleece had become rough and been deprived nearly of all fat. The ingredients of this fluid have never been made known by its inventor.