Facts and Observations Relative to Sheep, Wool, Ploughs and Oxen: in Which the Importance of Improving the Short-Wooled Breeds of Sheep, by a Mixture of the Merino Blood, Is Demonstrated from Actual

Facts And Observations Relative To Sheep, Wool, Ploughs And Oxen: In Which The Importance Of Improving The Short-Wooled Breeds Of Sheep, By A Mixture Of The Merino Blood, Is Demonstrated From Actual Practice: Together With Some Remarks On The Advantages Which Have Been Derived To The Author's. John Lord Somerville. This work gathers Lord Somerville's practical essays on husbandry, focusing on the improvement of Britain’s short-woolled sheep through Merino blood and crossbreeding. It recounts cross-breeding experiments involving Ryeland and South Down stock, and discusses importing Spanish Merino flocks to improve both fleece and carcase. The text covers climate, pasture, shelter, feeding, and disease, and argues that wool and meat can be improved simultaneously. Beyond sheep, it surveys ploughs, oxen, salt as a sheep remedy, windmills, hoes, and farm accounts, framed as a national program to reduce dependence on foreign wool and enhance domestic production. The work reflects early 19th-century debates on national agriculture, production, and industrial self-sufficiency, aided by the Bath and West of England Society and prominent landowners.