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22 INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION, 1876. The culture of Merinos in the southern regions of the Empire is favored by the mildness of climate, the sheep requiring shelter and fodder only about six weeks. The greater part of the flocks is com posed of a great number of head, single flocks reaching to fifty, seventy-five, a hundred, and even four hundred thousand head. Mr. Falz Feru, one of the exhibitors of excellent wool of the Govern ment of Tanride, in the Crimea, has 230,000 sheep, all of Spanish blood, occupying 340,000 acres of land. These flocks consist of Negrettis, which appear to have attained in Russia an unusual hardi ness, which favors their culture in immense flocks, requiring but little of that care so indispensable for the Electorals. The great masses of the common sheep are found in the countries of Central Asia, in the Governments of the south coast of Russia in Europe, in the Caucasus, and in Siberia. They consist of four races, Tchoundki, or the fat-tailed sheep, belonging to the nomadic people, the Kalmucks and Kurds. The Valaque, or the Walladean or Zakel sheep, which also abound in Hungary and Moldavia, of a large size, with coarse, lustrous wool. They are found in the Caucasus, or region of the Don, and probably furnish the wool known as Donskoi. The Tsijai, commonly spelt Zijah, meaning Gipsey, or mongrel, with an exterior resembling Merinos, but with longer wool. The Russian race, of a small size with coarse wool, and a sub-race, Retchelof, found at the south of the Government of Poltava, which furnishes the black and white fleeces commonly called Astrakan. The production of the Merino wool of Russia in the grease is esti mated at 1,569,000 poods, equal to 56,484,000 pounds; of common wool at 9,245,000 poods, equal to 332,820,000 pounds, or 6fV pounds to a sheep, the total having an estimated value of 46,357,000 roubles, or 3 2 >449>°°° dollars. The exports of wool are of a value of 13,999,534 roubles, supposed to be about 30,000,000 washed, equal to 50,000,000 pounds unwashed. There is a vast domestic consumption of common wools in the household for clothing, for carpets or mats, and for mat tresses, while the sheepskins are largely used for clothing. The enormous production of common wools, most of which, such as those from the broad-tailed and Valaque races, are admirably adapted for the carpet-manufacture, shows that this country will be one of the most important sources for the supply of the raw material for this industry. FRANCE. The wools of France had no representation at the Exhibition, except in fabrics and in the products of other countries which have been so largely influenced by an infusion of the blood of the French Merino. zm • I-