The introduction of the merino sheep into Australasia about the end of the i8th century and later into South America was an important move. It is probable that the marked improvement in the appearance of the first sheep taken out by the early colonists suggested the possibilities of Australia as a wool-growing country. As has been noted above, marked en deavours were being made at this time to extend the merino breed of sheep, so that it was but natural that this breed should be given the first chance. It should here be noted that the Australian fine wools were first shipped from Botany bay (near Sydney), hence the now universal term "botany" for fine wools. The colo nists were not to be repressed, however, and eventually, through the endeavours of Captain MacArthur, the Rev. Samuel Marsden and others, notwithstanding the opposition of Sir Joseph Banks, the president of the Royal Society, the merino breed became estab lished on a firm basis, and in a comparatively short time Australian wools were no longer a drug on the market. In the i9th century the possibilities of raising larger sheep on the better coastal pastur age was naturally suggested. Until about 1885 this tendency was largely repressed owing to the demand for merino as distinct from cross-bred wool. In other words wool was the dominating factor. But with the possibilities and the development of the frozen meat trade from 1880 to 1890 this condition was changed, and the tend ency to breed a large sheep of an early maturing type, with a valuable carcass and mediocre wool grew apace. New Zealand was specially adapted for this development ; thus New Zealand frozen mutton completely dominated New Zealand wool. In this manner it came about that cross-bred wool supplanted merino wool to a very considerable extent throughout Australasia.
The final results of these crossings are somewhat peculiar. The Lincoln crossed on to the Merino and in-bred for at least ten generations has produced the world renowned "Corriedale" sheep which on a large body carries a heavy fleece of 48'5/56's quality of wool. The half-bred Down cross Merino produces an early fattening lamb with a wool between the Down and the Merino. The Romney Marsh sheep has proved a wonderful sheep for New Zealand especially from the frozen mutton trade point of view. Its wool may be a useful demi-lustre but unfortunately has been allowed to deteriorate. This deterioration, however, is now being suppressed and wools at present being tested in the University of Leeds (1928) show a return to a useful quality. Any cross be tween an English breed and a Merino which has been crossed to wards the Merino again produces the fine "cross-bred" or "Come back" wools for which Australia is specially noted. The Corrie dale sheep crossed on to the Merino and in-bred for many genera tions form the Polworth sheep and wool.
A somewhat different evolution has taken place in later years with reference to the interior sheep stations. The merino sheep will thrive where a larger sheep would starve, hence its value for the stations where salt-bush and blue-bush dominate all vege tation. But the merino sheep is a "wool" sheep, not a "frozen mutton" sheep, hence all crossing here was carried out with the idea of simply developing the weight of fleece and if possible retaining the merino wool characteristics.
Hardly second in importance to Australia as a wool-growing country comes South America. In most years Australia has produced the greater bulk, but until recently occasionally S. America has come out top. To-day,
ever, although Patagonia and Chile have shown remarkable sheep developments, South America as a whole has relatively declined as a wool-growing continent. Cattle and cereals prove the better paying products. The history of the introduction of merino sheep into S. America may be briefly summed up as follows. In 1842 Henri Solanet, a Frenchman, began to shear the comparatively few sheep round Buenos Aires. His example was soon followed by Edouardo Olivera and Jose Planer. The idea almost at once came to these pioneers of importing well-bred rams, and as S. America is essentially a Latin country it was but natural that the French flocks of Rambouillet should be first drawn upon. With the development of the meat trade—just as in the case of Australia and New Zealand—a larger carcass was then sought after. This led to the introduction of the Lincoln ram and the development of cross-bred flocks about the year 1885. Perhaps this cross was favoured owing to the skill of the Bradford spinners, who made excellent use of the cross-bred wool produced. Flocks of sheep were first introduced into the Falkland islands in 1867. The pastur age here being limited, the flocks have probably attained their limit, but from the Falkland islands flocks have been passed on to Punta Arenas, where there is practically unlimited pasturage. The chief centres from which wool from S. America comes to Europe are Buenos Aires, which exports chiefly long and cross-bred wools, Montevideo, which exports chiefly merino wools, and the Falkland islands and Punta Arenas, which export mostly wools of the finer Cheviot type. The industry is largely in the hands of Englishmen. In Peru the weight of fleece carried and the number of sheep are being so increased that Peru may soon be exporting over ioo,000,000 lb. of wool annually in addition to its export of vicuna, alpaca, and llama markets.
Prior to the introduction of the merino sheep into Australia it had been introduced into S. Africa by the Dutch. There the climate was not so helpful as was that of Aus tralia. The newly acclimatized sheep appears to have cast its wool at about the fifth generation and to have generally deterior ated, necessitating the reintroduction of fresh blood from Europe. In this manner have been developed the Cape flocks and the con siderable Cape wool trade—largely centred at Port Elizabeth, East London, Cape Town, Mossel Bay and Port Natal. The coun try is evidently specially adapted for the rearing of the merino type of sheep, as cross-bred Cape wool is almost unknown. In 1907 some thousands of Australian merino sheep were introduced, and this has been followed up by more recent importations. Thus to-day Cape merinos rival those of Australia.