eben glrittyte i ae ae Ritts aes S ed i nh i hoey oath a i ishacst std | aii i ih Py Hi ba ia ee on if See rat SESS bat SSeS setae} ied roe ae CTA A A eel Be Sie aa hcl tak a frets biter if Wr We BMA age if nh ei fet Bai H iy ie ts ya Caled a ; uy ae Sica ave fan ee tan 3 rie Wearetar ane oa Oceana eae shah ia pane Bite 4 Ty cy 9 } H eed |! New York State College of A griculture At Cornell University Ithaca, N.Y. Library Cornell University Library ini 64 9 r es ii 40 mann Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924001164940 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. ‘ SPECIAL REPORT ON THE HISTORY AND PRESENT CONDITION OF THE SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES, PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF DR. D. E. SALMON, CHIEF OF THE BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY, BY (Fh EzRA A. CARMAN, H. A. HEATH, AND JOHN MINTO, 4 : = LETC! f sere oe ee PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE, | ee 4k - 14 ee % Go eh J * p a % an 3% . ae a wey \ RY Late. af - , oy ; WASHINGTON: _ fa tt ot GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, 0' gs ‘a3 ee . eo 1892, = Hn \ sen \ gee Ny an x TABLE OF CONTENTS. MOU GOT OL EPATSTNT GCA fo os0cei ace oie, wi cot oie ecerwndsnuecans a pveh Loses eraser cispaiosa austeveieiaisonneeteueianrners Part I.—TuE SHrer INDUSTRY IN STATES EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. By Ezra A. CARMAN: Chapter I. II. JIE. TV. Ve VI. VII. Vill. The Wild Sheep of America, and earliest introduction of Domesticated Breeds ..........2...20--- 2-2 ee eee cee ee The Household Woolen Industry—1607-1800........... fs Introduction of the Spanish Merino Sheep..........-.-.-.- The Dissemination of the Spanish Merino throughout New England. Progress of the fine-wool SHNESEY: and its Introduction of the Fine-Wooled Sheep into the Middle and South Atlantic seaboard States, and the subsequent progress of Sheep Husbandry ..........-+-----------+++ The Sheep Husbandry of Western Pennsylvania and the Pan-Handle of West Virginia......-...------.-----++-- The Sheep Husbandry of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and WISCONSIN, -/.......ciceteeenuveeeetcs seer cameos RRS The Sheep Husbandry of Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida ........---.--+---0- 2-02 cece cere Part II].—CoNDITION OF THE SHEEP INDUSTRY WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI By H. Chapter I. Il. II. IV. RIVER. A. HEATH AND JOHN MINTO: The Sheep Industry in Montana and North and South Da- The Sheep Industry in Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah Sacks The Sheep Industry in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Mis- souri, and Kansas....--....2---.-- weowue eee The Sheep Industry in | Arkansas, Texas, Now Mexico, and ATiZONA 2.222222 eee cee ee eee eee renee tenes V. The Sheep Industry in California, Oregon, and Washing- LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Part I.—CuHaptTer I. Mountain Sheep or Big Horn (Ovis Montana, Desm.) ..........2.22 2... .e0e00 ME REIS NES Pir cicss sale icisheun cytiatersenandya sae vine anaes renee abeislars slelecdeereeeeete mea eyeed Gian "THE -Old Wiltshire: SHED ccc ecrsierin cores cancenanenes «ears Pe Kentish or Romney Marsh sheep ...........22-2.0ee0c0eeeeeeeeeecc sees eee ee Bisivositiilanilse MOS eas croancmerenniouteeauet aameaen ls ete MOEA le Sint cas tage wisest d caeree erserseaercerg stesratcetavod me nendioin oes, ae Tunisian Mountain (flat-tailed) sheep .........2--.02..2.02-.02-2 0022 mas Wicklow Mountain sheep: sss aiaccercciemsairoonip ateee neta cnsecieiietbre cfftaselaycle 4-4 The New Leicester iam csscciccinwcsaunisnvennivsaweis saan xed pecieegaeeeeee cect ‘The New Leicester eye wxniiciiaciecmatsereenncls gas 5 oy eeis aeeieeteeeieine csncled oo Tees water sheep) sess s2p+ sosineemacepedcese renee’ os eR Ea terete owew nde neae Somthd OwiePa Disa cpcracee 5 cies wenegieigneitalow agin’ ey pial & geelalraolejasameee meds ccc ‘The Southdown-sheeps «= sosmaceccvenasenepaesee neers cis seen setae menos 24 sce “Hie Old in Colty bie Cd 2ciseeyaararaesesttensovaestoyareereene eielaralsidra Ree Si eueiehiie seeders ewes estes CHAPTER III. Spanish Merino ram, Don, of 1790 .... 02.2. --- 22 cee eee eee eee eee eee ee Merino ram; Don Pedro cc. sasacieresiceswning eee vo san seni srieennaies eae ooeiecae @VERMONG in.5 ook ees ese evs ie lceineies atinsirewnete eevee sie weiss iie atetelAtgloteeetineN eetere Ram bouilet:..:J.scees oo ance eaewimaee ter sees wasmiee eesee mena ee aise Spanish Merino ram (imported at beginning of the present century) ......... CHAPTER IV. Saxony Merino ram... ... 2.222 eee eee eee ee eee cee eee cree ewww eee Electoral Es¢utitl TAM. ......ssseeeceecaiesmes memes: oe h seaccanea Sesinewe ee oe Electoral Msceurial vee... ce cccccwasceescins seed eee ccm eee es tees Infantado Negrettiram...... 2-20-22. eee ee cee eee eee ee eee cee eee eee Merino ram, Sweepstakes ......---- 2-222 ee eee ee eee ee cee eee renee Ram bouille tram VIBE cccccn cose ccseiee. Gochieercanrseis Geieineaunie Fe Se SS SORE EEE Ranibouillet-ram: OF IRTS ssuveccowseeoucsaesdidscadicen gece Pimeencenseeres Horned Dorset .-...--. 22-25-2202 e ee eee ee ree eee ce ee eee eee ce eee Merino ram, Cousu)...-...----- 0-2 22-2 eee ee ee re cee teen tee eee eens Merino ram,Golden Fleece 2.2... 222. eee eee ee ee eee eee cee eee eee Spanish Patilax Merino wait DOr tne sescarase ecacoseee ares wie Seore ease join nusinuese eae vatesee Tsp DVCey 9 OOS eh 606) | eee a nc RR ae ON Oe a nfo eter Eee mene SDT AVOUT Kec esc och cys vagal fay ea g tenis nig Sod Syd oss eceaa dee hae aucune ue TN BOTTA se it si arses asics ovens ie elamnceesybsacoaessub wits S os0 oe cyepa. ne Geyestesdd haben alcneabrntee 6 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. CHAPTER V. Page Registered Cotswold ram.... 2.2.2.2 02. cece ene eee cee cee cee eee ee teens 368 French Merino ram, Louis Phillippe.........-......22.. 0-22-0222 ee eee ee eee 380 French Merino ewe, Marquese de Rouge....-.-.-. 222-2222. ee cece eee eee ee 380 Silesian, Merino: ew ewe csececsun soeeedneeescanuussiges ieee eae ieee aa keeews 386 Merino. ram; Osceol discus c.certe oie sate arnt eee hemes cae eE REN Eeoee oes Nees 392 Beacon Down fam ¢..¢ 0-222 o- sas scesmeanseip yes es eeceed cae eee ee oe ee 402 Merino ram, Addisons ccc ciionwcasncwns ces orpeasessgucee eer stuaneeteeees 404 M6rinoTam,, HO p efit neice. joa nammwne ese ating ten eee eee epee Ree 404 MerinosraMm,, Gen 68566 2:60. -con can niiigo ete eetaiun eens eaanigtarepadeer aera errs 404 M6TINO.TAM, ROD YS: BOS i 2825 hicpres ate nieleerrenectowsearocreratetetets eerieebond eae 408 Méritio; PAM, OHONMAGS wn: ice Aleta asc ce diadcekeeann ceo aeineeeee aa See teen 408 Merino ram, Ran Zui occ. canescens teacinnacaws sonenchines age eeu coms 410 Merino ram, Longfellow -.... va tinreps Gran aec ea tnatetaare cateparet orzicianaglina orate penhaaeea deals 410 Merino ewe 141 410 Yearling’ Merino: we-0L, 1800. 22.25 cccecisccceaicsen naive wines pee oaleeeneee 410 Nearling Mering CWS:0f 1800 antics ecminet cata sainowecintauwcacgeaaaeromelees ce 410 Hampshire Tam) Baron 2...cccci neuer taste Mek eece hae amvcaeyeeeeseeesiog 416 PS ETE OUI DU soya ain lovEss in Sen Bit BY ROBT. R. LIVINGSTON, LL.D., DRAWN 8 FROM ‘‘ ESSAY ON SHEEP, 1810. EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 143 Chancellor Livingston gave these figures to the public through Dr. Bard, president of the Agricultural Society of Dutchess County, N. Y., and commented upon them; built up an argument, in fact, why the farmers of the country should substitute the Merino for the com- mon sheep. The average proportion of the Merino ewe fleeces to their weight being one to ten and a halt, while that of the common ewes was one to twenty; and, the consumption of food in animals of the same species being in proportion to the carcass, it followed that 1 pound of common wool worth 3s. cost as much hay and grass as 2 pounds of wool from a three-quarter Merino, worth $2.50. It was observed that the proportion of wool to the carcass was not the same in the males as in the females, probably because of their great weight of bone and horns. Thus the tup Clermont weighed without his coat 126 pounds, his fleece 9 pounds 6 ounces. His wool, therefore, was to his carcass, when shorn, as one to twelve and a half. Rambouillet weighed 140 pounds, includ- ing his coat, and his fleece 9 pounds, the general average being, then, as one to fourteen, while in common wethers it was as one to twenty-seven. He found the weight or his Merino, or, rather, three-fourths blood wethers, to be about 128 pounds, the average of their wool to be about 5 pounds if well kept, which indicated that it was much less profitable to keep wethers than ewes. From 1807 to 1810 this Clermont flock was increased to the number of 645 sheep from full to half blood and 310 of the best American ewes and half or three-fourths wethers. At Livingston’s sheep-shearing at Clermont, June 15 and 16, 1810, the following results were obtained: Clermont stock rams— Pounds. Ounces. Rambouilleti.. . oo s-vo5 . eee ena eesd sevneen ceeeee ooeeees 9 0 Clermont x2 sens aces soe notes Seen euseweuconeeaseees 9 0 Jason; SHORTING ewe ween eesesinneers sent naeeree aes 11 11 Hornless;an old Tam 205-25 ee seven gree nese neces 7 0 One hundred and ninety-six ewes were sheared and gave as follows: Fleeces. Average | Greatest | Least weight. | weight. | weight. Lbs. Oz. | Lbs. Oz. | Lbs. Oz. Full-bred ewes generally ...-..-.--- 2.02002 sees cere cece eee eee eens 5 13 8 12 3.7 Seven-eighths-bred ewes generally -| 5 6 8 4 3 0 Three-fourths-bred ewes generally -| 5 3 He 19) 3.0 One-half-bred ewes generally..-.-.---.-----2.2 0022s. e cece eee eee eee eee & 1 8 9 28 This table is noticeable in that it shows the progressive improvement of the flock, and that the quantity as well as the quality of the fleece increases with the purity of the blood. The fleece from Jason sold for $2 per pound, realizing over $23. To the honorable Col. Barclay, of England, Livingston, under date 144 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES of July, 1810, gives the result of this shearing in more detail, which we quote: The circumstances worthy of note in my sheep-shearing are the following: First, thegeneral improvement of my flock since last year. The whole Merino and mixed sheep, when together, to wit, 200 ewes, gave an average of 6 ounces more than they did last year. The fall-blood ewes gave an average of 11 ounces more without any difference in their keeping. This I attribute to an improvement in the stock, since there was no change in the old ewes, but the whole gain was upon the young ewes. Had half-blood ewes been withdrawn and the average taken only on the other half, it would have amounted to about 7 pounds, free from tags, though all these ewes had lambs, and I have no doubt, therefore, that when my number shall be sufficient to enable me to select my ewes as I have my rams, that I shall make the general average of the flock at least 7 pounds and greatly improve the quality of the fleeces. ‘ Weight Stock rams. Weight. of fl ae 6B: Remarks. Pounds. | Lbs Oz. 146 9 One 6-year-Old......--- 2+ +. 0-2 eee e ee eee eee renee Imported from Rambouillet. oo One 2-year-old 146 9 Raised here. One 1-year-old 145) 11 11 Do. A r Ewes. weight se eis of fleece. eee COMMOI 268 oo.apa wiciaseinie malas a ssaininnicn win bieie a. cjviaje o\ciese/b osmssieseiss:d Dreiosa: Sree le He mee mlwiste Wier chelate ae a ete Oe Half-blood, or first cross.......- ae 5 a ae ere 9 Three-fourths, or second cross 5 3 8 0 Seven-eighths, or third cross 5 6 8 4 Full blood. .........--------- 5 18 8 12 Price at which the wool sold, Half-blood, or first cross ...... 22-222. 2-220 eee eee ee eee eee $0. 75 Three-fourths blood, or second cross.........22--0-2. ee eee eee 1. 25 Seven-eighths blood, or third cross .........--- 22.02.0222 eee ee 1.50 Pull blood) secsseeswsas seers huasidveie Se cxicinsenccine enherecis sie sian 2.00 All sold unwashed. That your friends may see that we are not totally void of the spirit of enterprise in the United States, I subjoin the price at which my lambs sold: 4 fall-bred ram lambs ........ 01-20. eee coon ee cen ee wwe eee e nee $4,000 14 fifteen-sixteenths ram lambs ....--.....-.. 02200. ecole eee eee 3.500 20 seven-eighths ram lambs....---... 2.222 -200..ee ee eee eee 2,000 30 three-fourths ram lambs..-..... 2... .22020 0000. cece eee eee "900 These were all I chose to sell, as I am extending my own flock, and, therefore parted with no ewes, and reserved nine full-blood rams for my own use. My half- bred lambs, having come late, were not yet exposed to sale; afew, however, have been since sold at $12.50 each. The ewe lambs of the low grades are considered as of twice the value of the rams. Had these lambs been a year old, so as to be fit for covering this season, they would have sold 50 per cent higher. Five hundred dol- lars was offered and refused for a fifteenth-sixteenths I sold last year at $125. M sheep-shearing was attended by upwards of 200 respectable gentlemen farmers Pee this and the neighboring States, and all the fleeces were weighed, as shorn, in their presence. From the ardor which my countrymen manifest in this pursuit, I doubt not that ae a re EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 145 fine wool will be a great article of export from the Northern States, if the injustice and mad policy of the manufacturing nations of Europe do not compel us to work it up at home. Iam, therefore, solicitous to hear at what price the several grades of wool herewith sent are valued in England. It is certain that none of the sheep which have been of late imported into the United States from Spain, of which there are many, bear any proportion to mine, either in weight or quality of the fleeces, besides being very inferior to them in the beauty of their forms, in which, indeed, none excel those of Rambouillet. Of this shearing a contemporary account says: “It was highly grat- ifying to observe many of the gentlemen clothed in elegaut suits of Merino wool.” They sat down to an elegant, sumptuous dinner; plenty and conviviality diffused a smile over every countenance, and then itis presumed the sale began. Many made selections from the stock, and it was observed that farmers who had never before listened to the reports in favor of the Merino breed were now convinced of their superior value, and immediately became purchasers, or gave orders for sheep to be delivered to them on a future day. By these annual sales Livingston’s Merinos were widely disseminated in the western counties of Massachusetts and Connecticut, and in the State of New York. In 1807 Elkanah Watson, a pioneer in the woolen manufacture, introduced into Berkshire County, Mass., since noted for its excellent cloth manufactures, the first pair of Merino sheep from the Livingston stock, and the sheep were shown by him at the fair at Pitts- field, October 1, 1810, one of the first agricultural fairs ever held in America. From the fleeces of these first sheep in 1808 William Scho- field made a piece of blue cloth, superior to any yet made in the coun- try. Samples were sent to different cities and accounts of it were pub- lished, with the cost of manufacture, and excited much interest through- out the country. He received at this time 50 to 60 cents per yard for weaving broadcloth. Mr. Watson calculated that there would be 1,500 full-blooded and mixed Merinos in Berkshire County in 1810, and inci- dentally remarked that Humphreys, of Connecticut, George Booth, of Dutchess County, N. Y., and George Upton, of Columbia, with others, were manufacturing cloths from Merino wool. We have no means of knowing how near Mr. Watson came to the sheep census of Berkshire in 1810, but we find it recorded that in 1815, within 1 mile of Pittsfield, in that county, there were over 8,000 sheep, mostly Merinos, as follows: Pull blOOd Mer NOS: | Disbon=2 o:|pecaces|s cane poems eenecsen eee Eyre & Massey. on. 29 | Norfolk-....... John and |....do..... MOD |. zicisedlaisag ake die Se cence «Mary. 31 | Savannah....- Florida --.}. 219 |. -| George Scott. 31 | Boston........| Samuel .- BP asics eial la Netra syed ----| Henry Paine. June 1, Providence ...| Charlotte DD Whe scainens Bulkley, Alcock | Brown & Ives. & Oxenford. 21 | Boston........ Venus ....}.... 54: |esrscsiee Eben Clapp ..... J. oe tlapp. 29 | Philadelphia..| Fair Amer-| Cadiz.....)...-..-|...22-[..--+-eeeeee ceeeee Brinton & Barton. ican. 29 | Boston........ Augusta. .| St. Ubes .. Dec Ae tee MS crating Jonathan Buffing: ton. duly 1 | New York. 2--) Felix...-..| Eisbon....|accnce-|sacauc|ecncsiomene ae omen J. & E. Lyman. 2 tied G ea ncdticn Eliza Bar-|....do..... 10} | exceeds emery eaein cake J. Barker and the ker. captain. Dl sise2AO cicsasidtarca Maria .-..|....do..... 220) losis |aeairass Zetesinvertintns N. L. & G. Gris- wold, KE. Leaven- worth, and A. Cranston & Co. 10 | Philadelphia..} Mars .....}.. 2600 woees 120) fascsassicasl ciaeinsciieianesiicicines James McMurtrie anl Jonathan Worth. 15 | Charleston. -.. Corpor al | Rivadeo .. DO) |) AGG El sac nrectecrerchaiemckaierarsie Joseph Winthrop. rim. 17 | Philadelphia..| Gen. Eaton} Lisbon..-. 5 BO: featagawrecemageeen: 18 | New York....| Calcutta..|..-.do..... DOF |) A BOF perecmeereyrensis spose a Jenkins & 0. 20 | Boston........ Morning | Farro..... 200 20 | Elisha Ayer ....| D. Nickerson, Star. Elisha Ayer. 23 | New Haven ..| Huldah | Lisbon.... Pe oe onset Levi Goodrich. ..| L. Goodrich and J. and Maria. M. Deforrest. Aug. 10 | Alexandria...) Sybil .. u 20 | Providence .... Mern.. B. & 'T. C. Hop- in. 27 | Philadelphia..! Reaper....|..-.do..... DTS! Pcowcneiel ienialniaiatdndn teheroe B 31 | Newport Paulina...} Cadiz..... 6 focerses Benjamin Gray -) Benjamin Gray of Little Compton, master of the vessel. 17, 693 |5, 924 EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 197 The inaccessibility of some of the custom-house records, the defective 2ondition and total destruction of others, prevents a complete his- tory of these shipments, but this schedule shows that various parties were shipping, and that the consignments were widely distributed. It will be observed that in most of the cases the loss on the passage is not given, which, as a general rule, was 5 per cent. Others exceeded this, for many of them loaded with sheep affected with claveau or sheep-pox lost heavily. The Broker lost 104 out of 194, the Factor 154 out of 356, the Lydia 149 out of 279, the Purse 140 out of 290, the Laura the same, the Otho 300 out of 480, the Sally 186 out of 200, the Gen. Colburn 191 out of 300, the Ann 244 out of 304, the Fow 93 out of 128, and so on in greater or lesser proqortion. The Sumner left Lisbon in the latter part of September with 200 sheep. Her arrival is nowhere recorded, yet that she did arrive is evi- dent from the fact that her loss is not meutioned, and that a letter com- ing by her, elsewhere given, arrived at its destination. The total number of vessels arriving from September 1, 1810, to Au- gust 31, 1811, as shown by this statement, was 180 vessels, 168 of which landed 17,693 sheep, and lost 5,924 on the passage. These are the fig- ures as given, but it must be borne in mind that in some cases the total number given as landed is too high, including, as it does, the number lost, the report making no allowance for the latter and stating the en- tire number shipped. Twelve vessels are without the number shipped. Allowing that these landed the average number carried by the 168, which was 105, would add 1,260 to the total landed, making an aggre- gate of 18,953 sheep. Add to this number the 698 given in the preced- ing totals as arriving in 1810, prior to September 1, and we have 19,651 Merino sheep arriving in the United States from April 1, 1810, to Au- gust 31,1811. The number shipped from Spain and Portugal probably reached 26,000. Number of vessels arriving at different ports in the United States from Spain and Portugai from September 1, 1810, to August 31, 1811, with Merino sheep, and the number of sheep. Port. Vessels.| Sheep. | Port. Vessels. Sheep. th, Me...-..----- 1 *105 | New York’ 2xcssrencesan ees 67; 18,695 oon pes Nene 28 | 2,033 |) Philadelphia --....22020.2222.. 22} +2°569 New Bedford. - 1 85 || Baltimore ...- = 12] §1,379 Gloucester ...-. 2 65 || Alexandria... 9 §423 Newburyport - 2 310 || Georgetown. . 2 139 Marblehead ...-. 2 186 || Norfolk ...... 10 1, 049 Newport .-.-.-- 3 109 || Charleston 5 563 Providence. .-- 4 315 || Savannah . 2 244 Warren ......- 1 59 || Unknown .... 1 200 ; fee 1 u11 New Hee: csbdiipieaieeateesetie aes 4} 284 Totally, eerewaenssmereesn 180 | 18,953 Sag Harbor. .....-.--------+-++-- 1 30 * Estimated. + Five cargues estimated. t Four cargoes estimated. § One cargo estimated. The one vessel arriving at North Yarmouth, Me., January 31, 1811, has left no record of the number of sheep she landed, nor does it appear 198 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES to whom they were consigned. Neither does it appear that any other vessel of our list cleared for a Maine port, all the consignments being entered at Boston. The America, which landed at Boston September 24,1810, had 141 sheep. Twenty-seven of these were delivered to J. F. Wood, at Wiscasset, and 31 to Messrs. Newall & Watson, at Port- land. Those sent to Mr. Wood were sold late in the season, and brought low prices, Mr. Wood being the principal purchaser. Some of those sent to Newall & Watson died shortly after being put ashore, and none were sold until the next spring, at which time only 17 of them remained alive, but 6 lambs had come meanwhile. They were moved elsewhere, and probably added to the flock that Mr. Jarvis finally took to Weath- ersfield, Vt. ji Either from the small number sold by Mr. Wood and those brought by the Orient, or by purchases made in Boston, Governor Hunton, John Davis, Dr. Hubbard, Gen. Chandler, and Judge Lincoln, all of Maine, were supplied with the Merino sheep in 1810 and 1811, most of them in 1810. These were the first Merino sheep introduced into Maine. Twenty-eight vessels, with 2,033 sheep, landed at Boston. Most of these were consigned to those who sold them at private sale or reserved them for their own use. The earliest public sales were by C. Coolidge & Co., who offered 200 at auction on September 27,1810. These were Paulars, shipped by Jarvis on the Ontario and Belisarius, and the aver- age price received was about $124 each. Another sale by the same party of 107 realized $13,671, an average of $128 each. Coolidge & Co. made many complaints to Mr. Jarvis that his consignment of sheep to different parties prevented them from keeping up the prices, which they could do if they were given a monopoly. Private sales made early in September realized $110 for each sheep. These low prices, compared to those of March and April, when $500 to $1,500 was given for a single sheep, are attributed to the great increase in the number arriving, nearly every seaport from Boston to Charleston having its arrivai of Merino imnigrants. On October 4 John Clark sold 30 sheep imported by him in the Amelia, 9 Negretti rams and 21 Paular ewes, and on the 10th W. & T. N. Wood offered at private sale “25 Merino rams, all that remain of 92 Paulars in the Henry, landed only sixteen days since.” On the 11th Coolidge & Co. sold 10 rams and 30 ewes, Paulars shipped by Jar- vis, and on the 21st C. Hayward, auctioneer, offered 65 Merino sheep— 26 rams, 24 ewes, and 15 lambs—“ purchased of the monks of the Con- vent of St. Carlos in Estremadura.” The same auctioneer advertised on the 10th, 13 black Merino rams, “selected from the best flocks in Spain.” The prices realized in these October sales were a little higher than those of September. The purchasers were farmers of Massachu- setts and Vermont, and the sheep found their way into nearly every county of Massachusetts and into many of those of Vermont and New Hampshire. From a purchase made by a gentleman at these sales in September, 1810, we have this information. His purchase consisted of 5 EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 199 full-blood ewes and 1 ram (Paular) just landed from Spain. In 1812 the fleeces of the 5 ewes weighed 25 pounds 4 ounces; in 1813 the 5 fleeces weighed 29 pounds 12 ounces, and in 1814 they weighed 32 pounds 2 ounces, or over 25 per cent improvement in two years, one of the most striking cases of the early records. Of the arrivals at Boston from November 1, 1810, until September, 1811, not much is known of note. The sheep as they came in were soon disposed of and transported to various parts of New England; and they were of all kinds, Paulars, Montarcos, Negrettis, and Aguirres, Thecargo of the Henry, landed September 22,1810, and of the Sumner, of the 15th, were Paulars purchased of Col. Downie by Goold Bros. & Co.; 40 of those imported by Jonathan Allen, October 20, 1810, were sold to go to Pittsfield, Mass. The 85 Paulars landed at New Bedford September 5, 1810, found slow sale at that place. A few small lots were disposed of and the resi- due sent elsewhere, 7 rams and 33 ewes being sold at auction in New York, November 3. The 65 sheep landed at Gloucester, 27 for Fitz W. Sargent, owner of the vessel on which they came, and shipped by Elias Davis from Lisbon, and the 39 shipped by John Corliss to Robert Elwell, were all disposed of to farmers in the vicinity of Gloucester. Of the 310 sheep arriving at Newburyport, shipped by Jarvis and con- signed to Jacob Little, 13 were sold by Mr. Little for $2,312.50, an average of $177.85 each; 4 were disposed of at lower prices, and 274 were delivered to the agents of Mr. Jarvis; some of them were sent to New York and sold, 22 Paular ewes and 2 Paular rams by James Seton on October 17, and by P. H. Schenck, who, on October 29, offered 1 Paular buck and 7 Paular and Aguirres ewes just reshipped from New- buryport. But few died, an evidence that they were healthier sheep than others arriving at that time, or that they had better care; perhaps the latter, for with one of the vessels came a shepherd, also his dog, which gave the newspapers of the day an opportunity to announce the arrival of a full-blooded Spanish Merino shepherd! Of the 182 sheep landed at Marblehead for William Gray, a large commission and shipping merchant of Boston, and the 4 for Robert Hooper, we have no record beyond the facts already presented in the shipping schedule. Between September 1, 1810, and August 31, 1811, but three vessels are on record as arriving at Newport, R.1., with sheep, the Hliza, from Cadiz, with 29 Infantados, shipped by Richard W. Meade to Blodget & Power, and the Paulina, with 6 Infantados brought from Cadiz by the captain, Benjamin Gray, and taken to his home, Little Compton. We have no further record of these two importations. On September 7, 1810, Capt. Paul Cuffe aud Isaac Cory inserted an advertisement in the Newport and Providence papers offering for sale at auction, on September 21, 1810, at the farm of David Buftum, in Newport, R. L, “74 Merino rams and ewes, warranted of the pure 200 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES Merino breed, shipped by William Jarvis, American consul at Lisbon.” As these sheep were shipped from Lisbon before Jarvis purchased any Aguirres, it may be assumed that all, or nearly all, were Paulars. It is barely possible, though not probable, that a few may have been Via- dillos, or the unknown variety purchased in connection with Gilman, O'Neill, and Coolidge & Co. Capt. Cuffe was master of a vessel, one of those to whom Jarvis sold sheep, and of whom Coolidge & Co. com- plained that they were carrying so many sheep that they depressed the prices, Chapman says: “Some of the older citizens of Newport remember Capt. Cuffe as a sea captain of tall, commanding appearance, who came to the meeting of the Friends when in port; and they also remember that he was generally accredited with importing into New- port from Spain Merino sheep, from which the flocks of David Buffum, William Bailey, and others, principally sprung, though there is a proba- bility that blood from the Humphreys importation may have been also introduced into some of the flocks at Newport.” October 18, 1810, David Buffum offered for sale 60 full-blooded Merino sheep. Of the four arrivals at Providence, aggregating 315 sheep, but little can be added to the facts already given in the table. On January 21, 1811, Messrs. Blodget & Power advertised for sale 65 rams and ewes, full-blooded Transhumantes, shipped by William Jarvis from Lisbon, and notice was given that as the original cost, expenses, and average loss on the passage, exceeded the price then obtainable, of course the importations must cease or the price enhance. Nothing is known as to the cargo arriving November 24, 1810, at Warren, R. I. The111 sheep by the Orion from Cadiz, which arrived at New London, Conn., Sep- tember 10, 1810, were undoubtedly part of those purchased by Mr. Hall from the Duke de Infantado, and it is believed that they were sent to Mr. Hall’s home at Pomfret. During the period under consideration four vessels, carrying 284 Merino sheep, landed their cargoes at New Haven, Conn. The first was the schooner Elizabeth Little, sailing by way of Turks Island and New York. The sheep were noted on their arrival, about the middle of November, 1810, as “60 genuine Merino sheep, selected from the best flocks in Spain,” and they were offered for sale by Prescott & Sherman and Norton & Bush, to whom they were consigned. They were sold at auction November 30, but we have no record of the pur- chasers and prices. The next arrival was the brig Ceres, Capt. William Fairchild, from Villa Real, Spain, in forty-five days, with 150 Merino sheep consigned to I’. Woodward, C. Peck, and the captain. Upon the day of their arrival, December 27, 1810, 78 of these sheep were advertised to be sold at auction January 9, 1811, by Joel Atwater, auctioneer. The advertisement reads: These sheep were selected from the Duke Infantado’s flock of 1,500 by @ person who went from this country for the purpose, and are said by judges to be superior to any that have been imported. EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 201 The issues of the Connecticut Journal of January 10, 17, 24, and lebruary 7, 1811, contain an advertisement by Capt. William Fairchild of “60 full-blooded Merino sheep selected from the Duke Infantado’s flock, imported in the brig Ceres, Capt. William Fairchild, direct from Spain, to be sold at private sale. Inquire of the subscriber, in Wooster street.” These sheep were undoubtedly a part of the purchase made by Charles Henry Hall of the Duke de Infantado, of which, as he says, be sent a part to New York and Philadelphia. Mr, Hall’s letter regarding this purchase was published in 1844, and is here partially given: The Duke del Infantado, it is true, joined the patriot cause, and went ambassa- dor to England from the Cortes at the time Ferdinand was detained in France, and returned to Cadiz, when that city was in a state of siege. There I was introduced to the duke by the United States ambassador, Mr. Erving. His flocks, he informed me, were in positions of safety from the contending armies in various parts of Spain, some of them in Andalusia. The result of my interview was a purchase from the duke of a flock of 400 sheep by myself and associates, which were shipped to Vir- ginia, consigned to Messrs. Brown & Rives, at Richmond. Subsequently there were obtained from the duke 2,000 more sheep having this mark (a brand of Y upon the side of the face of the sheep) which were shipped to New York and Philadelphia for account of Commodore Charles Stewart, Consul Richard Hackley, myself, and others. Of one of the cargoes Chancellor Livingston had a large lot of my Infan- tado sheep which he purchased of my agent, Mr. Henry Ward, and I think in some of his writings he speaks of the high estimation in which he held the flocks of the above-named duke. In noting the large importation of Infantado sheep from Spain during 1810 and 1811, and commenting upon this letter of Mr. Hall’s, Albert Chapman makes these remarks: Some things in this letter are corroborated by other circumstances. H. Ward is given as one of the consigners of Merino sheep that arrived at New York on board the Maria Theresa from Cadiz and ‘thirty-eight days from Villa Real, Spain. She arrived October 19, 1810. ‘The brand on the face of the sheep is the same as was upon the sheep imported into New Haven in 1810, as described by Jacob N. Blakeslee, a more full account of which we shall publish hereafter. Another coincidence is that both vessels sailed from Villa Real, not from Lisbon, where most of the con- fiscated flocks—perhaps all—were shipped. And Mr. Chapman concludes by admitting that there are several reasons for believing that the importation by the Ceres was from the Infantado stock, and probably a part of the purchase described by Mr. Hall. The account as given by Mr. Blakeslee, referred to by Mr. Chap- man, may here be produced, as stated by Prof. W. H. Brewer, of New Haven, in 1868 or 1870: There were two importations into New Haven. In 1810 an importation by Peck & Atwater, of New Haven. In 1811 another by Abraham Heaton & Co., John De Forrest supercargo. Merino sheep fell in price about that time. These were sold at auction, at least some of them were. I saw all the sheep of both these impor- tations. Both had the same brand on the nose, a V or Y, fork upwards; no hair where the mark was put on. I was then told that this was the Infantado brand. Capt. Peck told me that they were the best flock in Spain, and were called the Infan- 202 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES tados. When the Heaton importation was sold there was one particular ram that I wanted. He was unlike the others; he had a peculiar fleece. Several wanted him. He was sold when some of us were away getting something to eat. Daniel Bacon, of Woodbury, got him. I afterwards got two rains of his get, but I never owned that identical ram. We have introduced this statement of Mr. Blakeslee to show, by cumulative facts, that the sheep imported by the Ceres were Infanta- dos, but Mr. Blakeslee was in error in that part ofhis statement where he said that the Heaton importation had also the Infantado brand, for that importation was from Lisbon and consisted of Guadaloupes and Neyrettis. The Heaton importation here spoken of consisted of 30 Guadaloupes and 12 Negrettis shipped from Lisbon by one of Heaton’sagents. Mr. Heaton says that the sheep were smuggled into Portugal, and that he knew that one-half of them were of the Guadaloupe breed, “ considered in Spain superior to any other breed of sheep raised there,” and, con- tinues Mr. Heaton, “there has not been any breed of sheep imported that compared with the Guadaloupe breed.” The sheep came on the Bellona and arrived at New York December 31, 1810, forty-two days from Lisbon, consigned to J. & E. Townsend, and thence the vessel sailed to New Haven, where it arrived January 3, 1811. At New York the number of sheep reported was 50; at New Haven, 42, consigned to Abraham Heaton and others. The following advertisement will explain from whence they came and some other particulars. Itis from the Con- necticut Journal of January 10, 1811: To be sold at auction, in this city (New Haven), on the 17th instant, Jannary 1811), 42 Merino sheep, imported in the brig Bellona, from Lisbon. Thirty of these sheep are the improved breed; the most unquestionable documents accompany them, proving them to be of unmixed race of Leonese Merinos, of the flock termed Guada- loupe. They were purchased of the prior of the royal monastery of Guadaloupe, in Spain, and warranted genuine. * * * The remaining 12 are of the Negretti breed, with certificates attesting their genuineness. The sale was well attended and much anxiety was shown for the possession of a remarkable ram, so remarkable, indeed, that Mr. Hea- ton, writing in 1864, said of him: “His size and form were so superior T almost see him standing before me now. His fleece was uncommonly large, and admitted to be finer than any other wool that had been seen in this country.” This Guadaloupe ram was sold to Daniel Bacon for $350 or $275, after a sharp competition. In Mr. Bacon’s hands he became celebrated as a very superior stock ram, and afterwards obtained a wide notoriety as the improver of many flocks. Subse- quently Mr. Bacon sold this ram to W. R. Lampson for $1,300, and he added his blood to the Atwood strain of Merinos. From the Infantado importation by the Ceres and the Guadaloupe and Negretti importation by the Bellona sprung the flock of Jacob N. Blakeslee, and some others in Connecticut. Some of both importa- tions he took upon. shares, some from Mr. Peck and Mr, Woodward, EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 203 consignees of the Ceres, and some from Joel Atwater, the auctioneer of both lots. Peck & Atwater bought a part of the cargo of the Bellona, but never imported any sheep. The 24 sheep bought by Levi Goodrich in Lisbon and landed at New Haven by the Huldah and Maria, on July 23, 1811, must have been disposed of at private sale, of which no record has appeared. Sixty-seven vessels, carrying nearly one half of the Merinos imported into the country, about this time, landed their cargoes at the port of New York. As far as can be ascertained the number landed was 8,695. This varies but little, if any, from the exact number. Many of ‘age sheep were consigned to private parties, by whom they had been ordered before shipment, and no knowledge of them is attainable beyond the time when they cleared thevessel’s deck, but of some we have indistinct traces which we will follow. The first vessel to arrive in September, 1810, was the Sally, with 6 sheep, consigned to 8S. Hathaway. These linen were from Lisbon, said to have been purchased of Jarvis, and were sold at auction September 21 as Segovian sheep, “young and handsome, and belonging to the flock of the Bishop de Castro.” On the 22d of September the cargoes of the Rockland and the Caliope were sold at the country seat of Francis B. Winthrop, at Horne’s Neck, N.Y. James Seton was the auctioneer, and he disposed of 215 Paulars, Negrettis, and Aguirres. Many were present, and the whole flock was sold for $57,000, averaging $265 each. One ram brought $910. Among the purchasers were Chancellor Livingston, John B. Church, the Crugers, Morgan Lewis, Mr. Johnson, and many other gentlemen of wealth and spirit. On October 1 James Seton sold 2 full-blooded Merino rams imported in the Wanderer, and on the 3d Tripler, Shotwell & Co. sold at auction, at Brooklyn, 35 Paulars and Aguirres. This was succeeded by a sale at Brooklyn, on the 5th, of the cargo of the Fortitude, Paulars and Negrettis. These sheep were advertised as full-blooded, “in great health and good order, imported in the ship Fortitude, Capt. Griffith, from Lisbon.” One hundred and fifty sheep were sold at these prices: 52 rams .....----------+ -- ee ee eee eee J haAse peewee $18, 324. 80 98 CWES....--- 2-2 ne eee eee eee ee ee eee eee 22, 104. 88 150 total of the flock ....-....--.------- 022-22 eee ee eee eee 40, 429. 68 Highest ram ..----.-.--------- 0+ +222 eee eee eee eee 820. 00 Lowest ram....-. ---.---- 22 eee eee eee ee eee renee 100. 00 Highest ewe ...-...----------- 2-2 eee eee ee ene eee renee 325. 00 Lowest @We....-------- 220 eee ee eee eee re ee eee tees 60. 00 Average price of rams.--.-.-..---..-----+---- e222 errr eee 352. 40 Average price of ewes....---.-------------- ee eee rt ere c es 225.56 Average price of whole flock .-..-.....-------++-+++++-++--- 269. 52 On October 9 another sale took place at Brooklyn of 70 Paulars, arrived on the Julia Ann from Lisbon; and on the same day and place, by the same auctioneer, there were sold ‘55 rams from Estramadura in 204 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES finest order and good wool, from Cadiz, and equal to the Merino breed.” The prices realized at these sales were but a shade lower than those of the 5th, above given. Of the cargo of the Factor, consigned to W. & S. Craig, these gentlemen offered at auction, October 15, 180 rams of the Negretti and ewes of Paular flocks. The prices were well main- tained, and the sheep were spoken of as being in good condition and equal, if not superior, to any in the market. Two hundred and fifty sheep were put up at auction on October 31, by Mr. Dunham, but 35 rams and 6 ewes only were sold; the highest. priced ram was $250; the lowest, $90; the highest priced ewe was $140; the lowest was $60. The average price of the rams was $121 each, that of the ewes $128.65 each. Of the sheep brought by the Cincinnati, Hoofman & Glass, on Novem- ber 2, “offered at the seat of Gen. Depeyster, at Harlem Heights, 8 miles from New York, 90 real Transhumante ewes and rams from the flock of Count de Montarco, just from Lisbon. They are the property of ahouse of first respectability in Lisbon, and who have been concerned in the purchase and sale of a very great proportion of the real Merinos imported into the United States from Portugal.” Eighty sheep of the same flock were sold at the seat of Peter Stuyvesant the next day, and two days thereafter 80 Paulars, belonging to Mr. Jarvis, reshipped from Newburyport, were offered for sale at Stuyvesant’s place. We have no record of the sales beyond the advertisements. On November 13 Wetmore & Jackson sold for G. Haven 80 Paular and Negrettisheep “from the flock of the Marshal Beresford, well known in Europe.” These were sold in front of the New York custom-house. They were a part of the cargo of the Laura. On tie 17th John Jubel offered for sale 130 Negrettis and Paulars, by the Purse, from St. Sebas- tians, and on the same day E. & A. Townsend offered 27 sheep, by the Laura, from Lisbon; also 17 sacks of Merino wool. The cargo of the Concord from Gibraltar—16 rams and 43 ewes—was offered at private sale on the day of arrival. That of the Canton from Lisbon, owned by different parties, was sold on different days. Wet- more & Jackson offered 75 on December 5, W. R. Vigers offered 170 on the 6th, and again on 15th Wetmore & Jackson offered 70, the property of A. G. Thompson. On the 12th, James Seton sold 9 Infantados imported in the ship Otho. — Another arrival of Infantados was that of the Maria Theresa, October 19, 1810, with 200 consigned to Isaac Clason, owner of the vessel, and to H. Ward, the agent of Charles Henry Hall, by whom they were shipped. This was a part of the purchase from the Duke de Infantado. There were nine arrivals during the month of January, 1811, but only three recorded sales. James Seton on the 12th offered 90 Merino ewes just from Lisbon, pure Guadaloupe sheep; on the 13th offered 40 by the James Wells; and again on the 16th offered 60 rams and ewes from the flock of the Count del Campo. The prices realized were low and dis- couraging. Seven of the nine vessels arriving this month had their EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 205 cargoes, wholly or in part, consigned to John Murray & Sons. These gentlemen refrained from forcing the market and kept the sheep con- signed to them until spring. There were no sales in February. On March 22, James Seton offered 11 rams and 51 ewes, imported from Lisbon in the Thomas, and on the 28th 40 Merino rams imported on the Atlantic. The largest sale in New York was that of John Murray & Sons. Over 1,700 sheep were consigned to them, and they began to come in when prices were low, and unfortunately many of them were diseased. They were not forced on the market but kept over winter, notice being given on February 13, 1811, that sales at auction would commence on March 4of several flocks of the best breeds in Spain. The sale continued for some days, but the prices did not rule high. The cargo of the Traveller, which arrived on October 16, 1810, con- signed to Richard Crowningshield, consisted of Montarcos which were ottered for sale March 30, 1811, and at the same time there was offered the cargo of the Pocahontas, which arrived March 11. These sheep were described as young, “of large frame, very handsomely marked, fine close fleece, and of the Guadaloupe flocks which are much admired for the closeness of their fleece.” Some of the first importations into New York early found their way to Albany, where, in September, 1810, there was a sale of 1 ram for $900, another at $450, 1 ram and 2 ewes at $1,400, and 1 ram and 3 ewes at $1,100. Not all the sheep advertised from November to March were sold on the stated days, and small lots were constantly disposed of at private sale, or in the custom-house yard, at auction. March was a clearing up month, no less than fourteen entire cargoes being disposed of with remnants of other importations. On April 5 James Seton offered for sale 400 Merino sheep of the Montarco flock, imported by the Mount Hope in the preceding Novem. ber. This cargo of 1,060 sheep was purchased by Gen. KE. H. Derby, of Charles O'Neill, at Lisbon. Four hundred and fifty died on the pas- sage and many more after being landed. The sale was but partially successful. Some of the sheep were sold at low prices, and the remain- der taken to Connecticut and Massachusetts. The 70 Merino sheep by the Gideon, consigned to Miles Smith, were taken to that gentleman’s place on the Raritan River, opposite New Brunswick, N.J. Mr. Smith was a neighbor of Capt. Farmer, the breeder of Leicester sheep, men- tioned in a preceding chapter, and with whom Mr. Smith divided his purchase. Both gentlemen bred from the importation many years and disposed of the product in the central counties of New Jersey. The Montarcos, arriving by the Harriett on April 2, were sold at Bull’s Head by James Seton on the 11th, On the 15th Wetmore & Jackson sold 24 rains and 90 ewes imported on the Amazon from Villa Real, by Smith & Hubbell. On the 26th James Seton offered for sale at P. Stuy- 206 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES vesant’s, 2 miles from New York, 100 ewes and 100 bucks, Negretti, Guadaloupe, and Montarcos, from Lisbon in the ship Cornelia. Of the twenty-two arrivals at Philadelphia, with about 2,500, the first was the Transit from Ayamonte, near Cadiz, carrying 200 Infan- tado sheep. Capt. Edward Meade was master of the vessel and Capt. Charles Stewart, U. S. Navy, was a passenger and part owner of the sheep. The sheep were part of the purchase made by Charles Henry Hall of the Duke de Infantado, elsewhere noted. They were offered at privatesale and were advertised as having been “selected with the great- est care from the Duke de Infantado’s flock of 30,000 on the mountains of Sierra Morena, the best in Spain.” Failing to dispose of them at private sale, Freeman & Passmore offered 150 at auction, on September 20. This sale was unsuccessful; was postponed from time to time, and again the sheep were on private sale, but few being disposed of at the close of the year. On September 7, Freeman & Passmore advertised that 57 full-blooded Merinos had just landed (by the James Murdoch, probably), selected from one of the finest flocks in Spain, and that they would be offered for sale on the 12th. They were not all sold, and on the 19th 50, including some of another lot, were again offered without reserve and sold at very low figures. Asa commentary on the slow sales and low prices at this time it may be stated that a Philadelphia paper asserts, at a later day, that when the Merinos were first offered for sale near Philadelphia their merits were so unknown or overlooked that their lambs were sold to the butchers for lack of other purchasers, though the sheep were then offered at moderate prices. The Jarvis shipments to Philadelphia were consigned to Levi Hol- lingsworth & Sons. The first arrival was the Sally and Mary, Septem- ber 12, with -00 sheep. The largest purchaser was James Caldwell, of New Jersey, for his farm at Haddonfield. At this sale he bought 190 sheep for $28,500, or $150 each, and at another sale made purchases amounting to $3,000. Of these sheep we find notice the following year. The first meeting of the “Merino Society of the United States,” of which Mr. Caldwell was president, was held at his farm at Haddonfield, on October 5, 1811, and was largely attended by members, farmers, pro- prietors, and manufacturers. Between 200 and 300 full-blooded Merinos in the finest order, both of fleece and flesh, were shown, “their appear- ance proving, beyond all controversy, that the soil, climate, and food of Jersey are congenial with the health and excellence of this inestimable animal. A large number of those examined were, when purchased from the importers, feeble, pining, and more or less diseased, but the whole flock was completely recruited.” The account then goes on to a comparison with the descendants of the Muller ram and the Humphrey ewes: And it is certain that Mr. Caldwell, in all his enterprising purchases from the late importations of Spanish sheep, has never met with any equal in appearance, fineness EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 207: of fleece, and length of pile to those of his own raising from his original flock. About 100 lambs have been the produce of this year, nearly all of which have been so far reared without accident or distemper. It is not probable that Mr. Caldwell took the whole of his purchase to his farm, for on September 22 he advertised for sale 70 Merino rams and ewes, “ fine-wooled, full-blooded Transhumantes, of the Paular and Aguirres breed. They were of the flocks of the Prince of Peace and purchased at the sales ordered by the Junta of Estremadura, by Wil- liam Jarvis, at Lisbon, whence they have just arrived by the bark Sally and Mary.” These sbeep did not go off at private sale, and on October 4 they were offered at auction, and the following incentive held out to those who still hesitated : From the last accounts from Lisbon the prospects of further importation of full- blooded Merinos are at an end, consequently this appears likely to be the only opportunity of procuring such as are deemed of importance, there being a part only of the TZransii’s cargo remaining in this State, and which are held by judges of Merinos to be the only two original full-blooded lately imported accompanied by proper vouchers. Jarvis said that he sent about 350 sheep to Philadelphia, and Chap- map, who had access to his papers, thinks that nearly or quite that number were consigned to Hollingsworth & Sons, the last cargo arriv. ing September 20, 1810, and in consequence of large arrivals found a low market. As we find no record of any such arrival we accept Mr. Chapman’s account: There were 140 shipped, but a number died on the passage and more soon after. December 24, following, only 118 were left. They were in bad condition and diseased when they arrived. In January, 1811, Michael Kippley offered $50 each for the whole flock. May 13 they were offered Judge Griffith, of New Jersey, for $60 each. May 14 they were offered at $45 each for the entire lot. May 20 Messrs. Young, Dupont, and Warner offered to take the lot on shares. We have been unable to ascertain the final disposition of these sheep. ‘The last letters discuss the question of sending them to New York by sea or overiand, as was ordered or proposed by Mr. Jarvis, but there is no light upon the final disposition of them. Mr. Chapman also notes that in addition to the large sale made to Mr. Caldwell, that gentleman, Mr. Warner, and others bought $5,960 worth with no numbers given, and that at another sale 14 were disposed of at $75 each. On October 26, 1810, James Yard, commission merchant, offered for sale “120 Merino sheep just landed from the ship Hope from Lisbon, from the noted flocks of Paular, Negretti, and Aguirres.” They were not immediately sold and were put up at auction by Peter Kuhn & Son on November 14 following. The arrivals at this port now fell off, but 13 sheep arriving in Novem- ber and but 7 or lessin December. The latter came in the Litile Cherub, of which the New York Gazette, December 11, 1810, says: Arrived, the brig Little Cherub, fifty-four days from Villa Real, with 7 out of 120. 208 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES Merino sheep bound to Philadelphia, in distress, owned by Thomas Ketland. Novem- ber 24, while lying in the Gulph, shipped a sea which swept her waistboards, stan- cheons, both Loats, and cleared her decks. Whether she reached Philadelphia from New York with the 7 sheep we do not know. The next cargo of sheep arriving at Philadelphia was in the Cum- berland, from Lisbon. She arrived January 1, 1811, with 120 sheep con- signed to T. B. Freeman, and on the 3d they were offered at private sale, accompanied by documents showing that they were from the royal flock, from the prior of the royal monastery of Guadaloupe. But few were disposed of at private sale, and on the 23d Freeman & Passmore announced that 60 would be put up at auction on the 29th. On the 13th of April Freeman & Passmore offered for sale 170 full- blooded Merinos, just landed from the Thomas Ketland, then to be seen on the Jersey shore, at Bispham’s Ferry. They were sold at auction on the 20th. They were from Cadiz. A consort of the Thomas Ketland was not so fortunate as to land her cargo. The Amiable, owned by Thomas Ketland, after landing a cargo of flour and meat at Cadiz, took on board as part of her return cargo 200 Merino sheep. She sailed from Cadiz for Philadelphia, was overtaken by a storm, lost her 200 sheep, put in at St. Bartholomew in distress, whence she made her way to Philadel- phia, arriving April 5. On April 11 Joseph S. Lewis & Co. and Benjamin B Howell & Co. offered for sale the cargo of the ship Bramin, Capt. Singleton, from Ayamonte, consisting of 500 Merino sheep, selected by a competent judge from the best flocks of Spain. Only 4 were lost by death on the pas- sage, which fact was adduced as proof of their condition; whereas in many cases one-half and three fourths had died on the passage. The flock was on the farm of Samuel L. Howell, near Cooper’s Ferry, New Jersey, and as sales were slow it was brought up to Philadelphia, and on May 11 put up at public sale, without reserve, on very liberal terms as to time of payment. No record of the purchasers of these sheep or the prices paid for them is preserved; the papers of the day abounded in political discussions, heavy explanations of public and semi-public men, and column atter coluinn of European news, but very little of domestic interest of any kind, and they ended their interest in Merino sheep when the advertisement was inserted and paid for. We learn, however, from these same advertising columns that hay in bales, suita- ble for Merino sheep, was on the market; that persons of experience in sheep shearing offered to shear the Merinos on reasonable terms, and that the domestic wool from the Merino was offered to manufacturers, also 10,000 pounds of Merino wool from Lisbon, brought over with sheep, salt, corks, and wine. One glimpse, however, we get in a letter from a farmer to the Luzerne Agricultural Society: These animals, though so little known in Pennsyivania, have maintained a price far beyond what was expected by their most sanguine advocates, insomuch that it is evident a desire to possess them has even preceded a knowledge of their valuc. EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 209 From the first of May to the last of August, 1811, there were five arrivals at Philadelphia of vessels carrying sheep, but of only one of which have we any information, except the record of arrival. This was of the Reaper, which arrived August 27, with a recorded cargo of 273 sheep. On August 31 Freeman & Passmore advertised for sale on September 18, 280 full-blooded Merino rams and ewes, with documents to prove that they were from the best flocks of Spain. This is the last reported sale in Philadelphia for that year. The sheep imported into Philadelphia brought diseases with them; some became diseased after their arrival. Especially was this the case with many that had not received proper care during the winter of 181011. They were attacked with what the doctors of that day called sheep- pneumonia, and were treated as were human beings, by bleeding and purging, which was pronounced very successful. They purged the sheep with molasses and yeast, and bled the animal by opening a vein near the articulation of the lower jaw. Among the many purchasers of Jarvis’ sheep at the Philadelphia and Baltimore sales was John Warner, of Wilmington, Del., whose flock was sold soon after his death in 1814. It then consisted of nearly 400 full bloods and half-bloods selected from the best importations. Of the 220 shipped by Jarvis to Gen. Smith, of Baltimore, 35 rams apd 170 ewes, 205 in all, were sold at auction on October 8, 1810, at Montebello, the country seat of Gen. Smith, near Baltimore. The net proceeds of the sale was $22,159.69, or an average of $108 each. They were Paulars and Aguirres, and were advertised as ‘being part of the flocks of the Prince of Peace, purchased by him of the Carthusian friars.” Two days before this, on October 6, another sale took place at Canton, near Baltimore, of “a choice parcel of fine Leonesa Paular race of Merino sheep, 60 rams and 140 ewes, imported from Lisbon in the Sachem, Capt. Stevens.” These were guaranteed by a chain of documents by Marquis Romana, Col. Downie, and Consul Jarvis. They were a part of those purchased from Col. Downie by Goold Bros. & Co., and consigned to Hall & Barry. All were not disposed of at this sale, and Mr. John Barry offered the residue at private sale. On November 16, ©. O. Muller advertised for sale at the seat of the late Capt. William Robinson, about 1 mile from Baltimore, 28 rams and 12 ewes, full-blooded Merinos, from the upper part of Estremadura. We know nothing of the previous history of these sheep, but believe them to have been imported directly by their former owner, Capt. Rob- inson. The shipments of 40 by the Caroline to William Patterson & Sons, and of 31 Infantados by Richard W. Meade to ©. and C. Wirgman seem to have been absorbed by private demands, for there is no further note of them, nor of the unknown shipment to Appleton & Company. On April 17, 1811, Thomas Tennant offered at public sale 6 rams, 52 ewes, 2299014 210 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES and 9 lambs, part of the cargo of the Industry, selected by a gentleman of Lisbon from the best flocks of Spain. The sale was not successful, but 12 being disposed of. He then offered them at private sale in lots of 1 ram and 8 ewes each. On the same day and at the same place, Gilman & Sons offered at auction a part of the cargo of the London Packet, arriving three months before. The sheep were described as ‘‘a choice parcel of true and un- mixed breed of Leonesa Guadaloupe.” They were disposed of at low prices and in small lots, mostly to farmers of the adjacent country. On April 13, Thomas Chase sold 2 rams and 30 ewes, being part of the cargo of the Nimrod, which arrived from Lisbon in March. They were shipped by Goold Bros. & Co., and advertised as Guadaloupes. Of the cargoes arriving from Cadiz by the Madeira and Hannah, 9 rams, 80 ewes, and 8 lambs were sold at auction by Henry Thompson on April 9, 1811, who represented them as genuine Merino sheep selected by R. S. Hackley. They were undoubtedly of the Infantado purchase. The 32 sheep arriving by the Scioto, March 10, 1811, were Montarcos. Nine vessels landed 318 sheep at Alexandria, the cargo of one of them being unknown. The greater part of these were consigned to James H. Hooe, a commission and shipping merchant. The cargo of the Adeline (14 rams and 42 ewes) was sold October 8. They were from Jarvis and advertised as selected by him from his true “Leonesa Paulars,” and were accompanied by the certificates of the Marquis of Romaia and others, who conducted the sale on the part of the Spanish Junta. The next sale made by Mr. Hooe, and his largest une, was at his farm, Burgundy, near Alexandria, on November 3, when he sold to George Fitch, for $10,864.11, 18 rams and 83 ewes shipped by Jarvis and others on the Citizen. These sheep were advertised as Paulars, and were, when sold, reshipped to New York, where they arrived November 13, consigned to Kelso & Crump. Two of the sheep by the Citizen, shipped by and consigned to K. Sebastian, were taken to the eastern shore of Maryland. The sale of November 3 was succeeded one week later by one of 8 large Merinos, purchased by Capt. Luckett, at Lisbon, and brought by him on his vessel, the Brazilian, early in October. These were fine selected Paulars and brought: good prices. The next sale was on January 12, 1811, when Mr. Hooe offered 6 rams and 14 ewes, being the cargo of the Diana, which arrived December 4, 1810, They were advertised as of the Paular, Negretti, and Escurial breeds, just received from Mr. Jaryis at Lisbon. Seventeen were sold for $1,250, and later the other 3, 1 ram and 2 ewes, were sold for $300. The Ziriah, with 50 sheep purchased by Edward Grant, of Goold Bros. & Co., arrived early in January, 1811, and on the 7th of the month John G. Ladd advertised 1 ram and 2 ewes of the cargo, and on January 26 Lawrenson & Fowle inserted an advertisement in the Alexandria Gazette that on February 9 2 rams and 30 ewes, selected by a gentleman at Lisbon from a flock of 800 Transhumantes, would EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 211 be sold at auction at Broomlawn. The sale was not very successful, for many of the sheep were diseased. The next sale at Alexandria was apart of the cargo of the Hunter, which arrived February 6, 1811, bringing 47 Infantados from Cadiz. John Mason and Thompson Mason reserved some of these for their own farms, and the disposition of the remainder is told in this adver- tisement of Robert Patton, jr., auctioneer, in the Alexandria Gazette of February 14, 1811: For sale, on the 20th of this month, 11 rams and 13 ewes, with 6 young lambs, of the real Merino breed, imported in the brig Hunter, Capt. Johnston, from Cadiz, being part of the flock of his excellency the Duke d’ Infantado, as certified by Don Antoni Maino, corregidor of Gibraltar; and which sheep were obtained from the interior by Richard 8. Hackley, esq., American consul at Cadiz, and particularly selected, being part of the flock imported by Gen. John and Thompson Mason in the brig Hunter. , We have no further record of these sheep, unless it be in the adver- tisement of Jacob Morgan, of Alexandria, April 25,1811, who offered for sale 5 rams and 15 ewes shipped by Richard 8. Hackley, American consul at Cadiz, Spain. As no arrivals are reported from Cadiz suc- ceeding that of the Hunter, it is presumed that these sheep are a part of her shipment. It is also probable that of this importation Dr. Increase Matthews, of Putnam, Ohio, bought an Infantado ram and 2 ewes June 13, 1811, and had them taken in a wagon from Alexandria to his farm in Ohio, where he kept up a pure flock until about 1850. On June 5, 1811, Mr. Hooe offered at public sale 60 to 70 Merino sheep, principally ewes of the best breeds in Spain, Paulars and Aguirres, shipped some months ago by Jarvis, “and are now in good order, and their fleeces remarkably fine.” A few of these were sheep that had been diseased and kept over winter; some of them were brought from Richmond the latter part of March, which Myers & Co. had been unable to dispose of at that place. They were not sold on June 5, and the sale was postponed to the 24th, at which time we lose trace of them. The Merinos (Infantados) imported by the Masons, as also those offered for sale by Mr. Morgan, both lots shipped by Richard 8. Hack- ley, American consul at Cadiz, were undoubtedly a part of those spoken of by Charles Henry Hall in his letter already quoted, as being purchased of the Duke de Infantado. There were two arrivals at Georgetown, D..C., the Henry and Cler- mont, carrying 19 sheep, and the Ann with 120, both from Lisbon. The Henry and Clermont arrived early in January, 1811, and on the 19th Robert Parrott offered 14 ewes, 1 ram, and 4 lambs, “selected out of a flock of some thousands bought by one of the houses of Goold Bros. & Co,, of the prior of the royal monastery of Guadaloupe and conducted to Lisbon by Manuel Larin, their mayoral or chief shepherd.” The Anns cargo consisted of Montarcos shipped by Charles O'Neil. On 212 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES April 13, 1811, Robert Ober, of Georgetown, advertised for sale at auction, “at the sheep shearing in this town, 20 to 30 full-blooded Merino rams arrived from Lisbon, exported by Torlades & Co., of the Count de Morlaires’ flock; among them are Royal Exscurial and Paular.” It is impossible to give accurately the number of sheep arriving at Norfolk, the customs records for the period having been destroyed during the war of the rebellion. Ten vessels are reported as having entered there, seven of which landed 734 sheep. Allowing the other three to have carried on an average the same as the seven whose num- bers are given (105), the total number would foot up about1,050. For the reason just given, it is impossible to give in all cases the parties shipping the sheep or to whom consigned. Of the 94 arriving by the Woodrep Sims, September 4, 1810, 70—19 rams and 51 ewes—were advertised on the 5th, and quite freely after- wards, but the sales were slow, and they were offered at auction on October 2. The sale was unsuccessful, and again they were held at private sale. One ram and 5 ewes were sold to a gentleman in South Carolina for $750, and on October 10 $100 each was offered for 40. Many died, and sales stopped. The shipment was made by Jarvis and con- signed to Moses Myers & Son. All subsequent shipments to Norfolk were equally unfortunate. The large number arriving, their poor con- dition, falling prices, no sales, and the need of great care, with poor results from their best efforts, were very depressing, and Myers & Son wrote to Mr. Jarvis January 20, 1811, that they could “see no prospect of success, more having arrived, and we look for a ship which has more on board to our address. Heaven knows what will become of them.” Late in January 32 were sent to J. Roddey & Co., Charleston, 8. C., arriving February 1. In February the weather was such as had not been experienced for years. Sixteen died, and the remainder were put into a house where a fire protected them from the cold. In March there were 78 survivors, but during that month the dogs destroyed 18 in one night. On March 12 20 were shipped to Messrs. Smith & Buchanan at Baltimore. April 19 only 35 sheep and 4 lambs survived. “Never,” said Myers & Son to Jarvis, “have we had a more unpleasant consign- ment. We were never more anxious than for your order to ship the residue; they perplex us much.” Of the sheep consigned to Myers & Son at Norfolk, some were seut to M. & B. Myers, at Richmond. The first were those arriving by the Greyhound, Capt. Baxter, September 11, 1810. These were advertised by Samuel Myers on the 20th, as “114 Merino sheep shipped by Javr- vis,” Negretti, Paulars, and Aguirres. They had no sale and were put up at auction October 3, and for want of bidders the sale was indefi- nitely postponed. They were placed on the farm of Robert Temple, near Richmond, and on January 17,1811, were again put up at auction “at Ampthill, seat of Robert Temple.” There were 5 Paular, 3 Negretti, and 2 Aguirres rams, and 15 Paular and 58 Aguirres ewes, EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 213 together with their lambs, 12 in number. The purity of the sheep was guaranteed by Jarvis. The sale was not successful, only 18 being dis- posed of—a Paular ram, 3 Paular and 2 Aguirres ewes being sold to A. B. Venable, president of the Virginia Bank, for $1,200, and 2 rams, 8 ewes, and 2 lambs to other parties for $862. The Merinos did not seem to be appreciated and the business was dull, the sheep badly dis- eased upon their arrival, and the consignees apparently ignorant of the care and management of them. Of the remainder of these Richmond sheep, 1 Paular and 1 Negretti ram, 2 Paular and 14 Negretti ewes were shipped to New York, March 22,1811; and 5 rams, 43 ewes, and 14 lambs to Mr. Hooe, at Alexandria, where they were offered for sale June 5, and again on June 24. We have given the number of arrivals at Charleston as five vessels, with 563 sheep. The first was a brig, which arrived September 25, 1810, with 150 sheep from Cadiz. As the records of the Charleston custom- house were destroyed during the war of the rebellion we are unable to say to whom they were consigned. The papers of that day are silent on the subject, nor do they contain any advertisement concerning them. The Corporal Trim, arriving January 1, 1811, brought 80 sheep from Lisbon consigned to Joseph Winthrop. Several of these were killed by dogs a few days after their arrival, and the others were sold at pri- vate sale. Of the 125 by the Susan and William, from Cadiz, we have no record, and our knowledge of the cargo of the Fidelia is fragment- ary. All that is certain is, that on March 6, 1811, the Fidelia, bound to Charleston, putin at Philadelphiain distress, having on board 118 sheep; she had lost 104. Why she should have put in at an inland port is strange, unless she was owned there. There is no subsequent record of her cargo. It is possible that the sheep were unloaded and disposed of at Philadelphia, although there is no evidence of that fact. The Cor- poral Trim arrived on July 15, 1811, with 90 consigned to Joseph Win- throp, which were disposed of at private sale. Anarrival not included in the schedule as given was that of 32 sheep from Norfolk on Febru- ary 1, 1811, consigned to J. Roddey & Co. The first recorded arrival of the Merinos at any point south of Charles- ton was on November 15, 1810, when Marquand, Paulding & Co., of Sa- vannah, Ga., offered for sale ‘four Merino rams of first breeds (any trifling reports to the contrary notwithstanding) just arrived from Es- tremadura, via New York.” The prices realized were low. Inthe Sa- vannah Republican of January 31, 1811, appears the following: New York, January 21, 1811. The ship Ann, late from Lisbon, brought out, consigned to Lawrence & Whitney, 3 Merino rams of extraordinary beauty, size, and fine fleece. They are of the Escu- rial breed, and were selected from a very large flock at an expense of six times the extraordinary price of Merino sheep. We understand they are pronounced by persons well acquainted with the animals to be the most valuable Merino rams ever imported into this country. 214 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES A few days after this, February 11,1 ram and 1 ewe, described as Escurials and warranted full-blooded, were advertised at Savannah as just received from New York and for sale. There is no further record of them, but it is scarcely probable that they were Escurials. The sheep consigned to James Johnson, Oliver Sturgess, and A. Richards & Co., arriving at Savannah by the Hagle on May 16, 1811, were advertised in the Savannah papers for some time and sold slowly. Two hundred and nineteen, consigned to George Scott, arrived on May 31, and on June 4 Mr. Scott advertised for sale 40 rams and 100 ewes of the Escurial and Negretti breeds, and added that if not sold by July 1 they would be sent northward. Some were sold at very low prices, and on June 14 10 rams and 30 ewes were put up at auction. Mr. Scott did not dispose of all his sheep, and late in July shipped the remainder to Adams & Wood, Boston, Mass. The importations of 1810 and 1811 gave the United States nearly 20,000 Merino sheep, some of the choicest of Spain, in addition to those descended from the previous importations of Dupont, Adams, Living- ston, Humphreys, Mease, and Muller, and it is reasonable to believe that with few exceptions they were pure-blooded, for as stated else- where all restrictions on their exportation had been removed. There was no great difficulty in obtaining them; the best breeds could be purchased by any one so choosing as readily as those of inferior quality, and as thousands were being slaughtered and eaten by the armies oper- ating in Spain and Portugal it is reasonable to suppose that they could be bought cheap from those who were compelled to withdraw into the restricted military lines around Lisbon and Cadiz. There were, however, reasons personal and political why certain parties and some men of commanding influence discouraged the importation of these sheep and sought to give them a bad name, coinciding very nearly in expression with some English papers of 1809 and 1810, in deriding our infant man- ufactures and our Merino sheep. The hostile attitude of England in 1811, and the breaking out of hos- tilities in 1812, checked further importation, and but few Merinos were imported from Spain to the United States. Some there were, but not of sufficient importance to note. Two, however, from the variety of the cargo in one vessel and the prices realized for the sheep in the other we give. On April 19, 1814, a Portuguese ship arrived at Boston with an assorted cargo of Merino wool, salt, raisins, currants, hardware, teas, Jesuit’s bark, etc., and 44 Merino sheep—36 had been lost on the passage. At a sale of Merino sheep at Boston, May 26, 1814, just imported in the Don Quixote from Lisbon, 30 full-blooded Escurial rams and 200 full- blooded Escurial ewes and 4 ram lambs brought not less than $100 each and most of them $150 each. There was but little or no incentive to make importations after 1814, and the close of the war with England, the collapse of the manufactur- ing interest, and the low prices to which the Merinos fell, and the fact EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 215 that the descendants of the earlier importations were better than any then to be had in Spain, forbidding it. From Maine to Georgia on the Atlantic coast, and into all the inte- rior States and Territories east of the Mississippi, with the possible ex- ception of Alabama, Indiana, and Illinois, the Merino sheep had been carried by the beginning of 1815, and beyond the Mississippi it had made its appearance as early as August, 1811, a St. Louis paper of that time announcing that “this valuable animal is already introduced into upper Louisiana, where it promises to flourish in great perfection. ” And from Maine to Georgia and in all the interior States advertise- ments of full-bloods, halt-bloods, and all degrees of purity, evinced their general dissemination and the active trade in them. CHAPTER IV. THE DISSEMINATION OF THE SPANISH MERINO THROUGHOUT NEW ENGLAND—THE PROGRESS OF THE FINE-WOOL INDUSTRY AND ITS DECLINE. The dissemination of the Merino sheep throughout the United States was not uniform in its character, nor was it universally encouraged. There was, at first, a very general prejudice against them. The first importations of Seth Adams, Dupont, Chancellor Livingston, and Col. Humphreys attracted but little attention, and that mostly of an un- favorable character. It was only when the necessity of our infant manu- factures required fine wool that Merino sheep began to be appreciated, and then in different degree by different sections of the country. New England was given up to commerce; the Middle States to commerce and agriculture; the South solely to agriculture. When the East saw its commerce destroyed by foreign powers and the indifference, if not hostility, of its own General Government, it turned its attention to manu- factures, and from sheer necessity to the improvement of its wool, hence it welcomed the advent of the Merino sheep. The Middle States saw in these sheep the improvement of their agriculture and an aid to manu- factures. The South was not committed to the improved sheep; cotton was its great staple and manufactures but slightly favored. We pro- pose to note the introduction of these sheep into the various States east of the Mississippi River, the formation and history of some of the early and most noted breeding flocks, and the progress of the fine wool in- dustry, beginning with the New England States. MASSACHUSETTS. The first flock of Merino sheep that was founded in the United States was by Seth Adams, at Dorchester, Mass., in 1801, the foundation be- ing a single pair imported from France in October of that year. Mr. Adams bred some pure bloods from this pair and some crosses on the common sheep. In 1807 he removed to Muskingum County, Ohio, tak- ing 20 to 30 sheep with him, and bred pure, selling to various parties in Ohio and Kentucky. No sheep of the State now trace a pedigree to his flock, and as far as known no flock of his blood was left in Mas- sachusetts after his removal, although half-blood and other grades were. 217 218 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES About 1803 or 1804 some of the Humphreys sheep were taken from Connecticut into Franklin County, Mass., and bred pure in direct blood, by Capt. David Dennison, of Colerain, as late as 1860, and these sheep preserved their excellence at least until 1857, for at that time five ewes were shown at the annual fair and were allowed “a gratuity of a vol- ume of the Report of the Commissioner of Patents.” A premium was withheld because the rules required a pen of six sheep to be shown, and Capt. Dennison paraded but five. Many flocks of the best sheep of Massachusetts derived their blood from the Dennison flock. In 1807 Elkanah Watson purchased some Merinos from Chancellor Livingston and began the formation of a flock at Pittsfield, Berkshire County, which he thought by 1810 would number 1,500, including crosses. He also made purchases ot' Humphreys and Livingston in 1808 and 1809, and formed a good, pure-blood flock, from which he dis- tributed rams and ewes over the entire county to improve the native sheep. Mr. Watson’s breeding was an incident of his woolen manu- facture. He embarked in the making of woolen goods and sought to grow and encourage the growth of the raw material at the doors of his factory. His breeding flock for this purpose was kept up until Berk- shire County was changed from a coarse-wool district to a fine-wool one, until her beautiful hills were covered with valuable flocks and the pop- ulation so completely absorbed in growing wool and manufacturing it that other branches of industry were practically abandoned. About the time that Mr. Watson began the foundation of his flock and the operations in his factory the Berkshire Reporter, in a leading article, called attention to the great importance of the Merino sheep, especially to the intimate and vital relation they bore to the manufac- turing interest and the prosperity of the country. Says the article: From this point of view and under a certainty that every pound of wool of the Spanish-mixed breed will bring into the country, direct or indirect, at least $1, and if manufactured into cloths or hats double that sum, it would be well for every thinking farmer to calculate how much his own interest and the substantial wealth of the country could be advanced in a few years should the increase of our flocks and the quality of our wool be universally pursued as a first object. An agricultural society was proposed for the county, represented by two members from each town, chosen in town meetings, to assemble once in each quarter, the object being the promotion of agriculture in general; and as a first object to procure, if possible, for each town one or two Spanish rams at the expense of the town and to prevent monopoly by individuals. As raising sheep would require fewer hands than the plow, an accession of hands would be gained for manufacturing, and all females and children would find abundant employment at all seasons, which would also have a good effect on the morals of the community by checking dissipation and inculeating habits of industry. These sug- gestions had their fruition in the Pittsfield cattle show, one of the most successful of its kind in the United States, and the model on which EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 219 most of them were subsequently formed, barring a few peculiarities exclusively New England in their character. The initial movement had for its foundation two Merino sheep. Mr. Watson, who had moved from Albany, N. Y., to Pittsfield in the spring of 1807, says: In the fall of 1807 I procured the first pair of Merino sheep that had appeared in Berkshire County, if not in the State. They were the first I had ever seen 3 although defective in the grade I was led to expect, yet, as all who examined their wool were delighted with its texture and fineness, I was induced to notify an exhibition under the great elm tree in the public square in Pittsfield of these two sheep on a certain day. Many farmers, and even women, were excited by curiosity to attend this first novel and humble exhibition. Itwas by this lucky accident I reasoned thus: If two animals are capable of exciting so much attention, what would be the effect on a larger scale with larger animals? The farmers present responded to my remarks with ap- probation. We became acquainted by this little incident, and from that moment to the present agricultural societies, cattle shows, and all in connection therewith have predominated in my mind, greatly to the injury of my private affairs. As early as 1807 the Shakers at Hancock raised Merino sheep from rams of Humphreys flock, and with one-third and one-half bloods made excellent blue broadcloth. A zealous and intelligent breeder of Merino sheep was Col. James Shepherd, of Northampton. In 1810 he bought 1 ram and 11 ewes of Col. Humphreys, which he bred pure for many years, forming an excel- lent flock. In 1822 he added to his flock a pair of Saxonies, the first of the kind imported into the United States. The earlier importations of Adams, Livingston, and Humphreys had well established the Merino in the State before the larger importations of 1810-11, but they did not attract much attention. The necessities of the country drew public attention to the later importations, and the Merino sheep was then welcomed as a great acquisition and had an early introduction into politics. The production of cotton in the South was shaping the politics of the country and its industrial system. The Merino sheep was hailed as the foundation of a manufacturing industry in the States and welcomed by some as an offset to the growing power of cotton. A few papers of the extreme type enlarged upon this sub- ject, but a quotation from one must suffice: The introduction of this most valuable animal promises great and permanent ben- efits to our country, especially to the Eastern States. The Middle and Southern States, from their more bounteous soil and climate, have sources of wealth which we do not possess. True patriotism and true wisdom, which always codperate together, dictate to us to place our competition with our sister States on means which nature and habit have put in our power, and to make the most of these means. Our hilly country is peculiarly adapted for sheep. The enterprise, frugality, and persevering industry of the inhabitants of New England constitute a complication of powerful machinery, competent, when well directed upon what it operates, to produce the greatest and most beneficial results. The providential acquisition of this inestima- ble animal, one of the greatest blessings which has grown out of the evils of the present times, is in every point of view worthy the attention of all classes of citi- zens, especially farmers. The golden fleece of the Merino sheep presents to every prudent and thrifty farmer a mine of wealth from which he may draw, in proportion 220 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES to his industry, economy, and the oxtent of his means. All hands, male and female, may participate in the honor and profit of the acquisition; and the independent farmers and planters of the eastern sections of the Union, if true to their own inter- est, in that liberal and enlightened competition which virtue and freedom most ap- prove, will find no occasion to envy the planter of the Southern States.* If other papers and many public men were more guarded in expres- sion they were not less zealous at heart, and gave public utterance to the thought that even had the character of the nation depreciated, as many thought it had, it had acquired in the years from 1806 to 1810 immense resources and wealth. To say nothing of the numerous manu- factures of woolen, cotton, and almost every fabric formerly imported from abroad, daily starting up in every part of the Union, but more particularly in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and Pennsyl- vania, the acquisition of the Merino sheep itself was an invaluable na- tional treasure, because, with the spirit then developing for improving the land and manufacturing wool, it would be the foundation of a valuable branch of agriculture, and the bond between the farmer and manufacturer by the pursuit of which both would prosper. In the introduction and distribution of the Merino throughout Mas- sachusetts no encouragement was received from the State. The legisla- ture, controlled in great measure by the mercantile interests, did not, take kindly to them, and were not favorable to the manufacturing in- terests then awakening in the State; so the credit for the propagation of this valuable animal belongs to private enterprise and the encour- agement of the Massachusetts Agricultural Society. This society had awarded premiums to Seth Adams and Col. Humphreys, had a stand- ing offer for the production of the greatest amount of wool to the carcass, and in 1809, offered “ to the person or persons who shall import into this Commonwealth, directly from the Kingdom of Spain, the first five rams of the Merino breed the sum of $50 each; and for the first 10 ewes of the same breed the sum of $25 each.” In the proceedings for 1809 were printed Lord Somerville’s history of the Merino sheep, and two letters of Col. Humphreys. The first ram brought into the State under the offer of the society was by Capt. Bartlett, of Plymouth, in the summer of 1809, the next four by Capt. Knap, of Newburyport, and the 10 ewes by Cornelius Coolidge. Importations followed in quick succession, among them one of Jon- athan Allen, of Pittsfield, who went to Lisbon and purchased 100 Mon- tarcos, which he took into Berkshire County during November, 1810. The dissemination of the Merino throughout the State was quite gen- eral, and many flocks were formed and increased in size until the fail- ure of manufactures in 1815 and 1816, when entire flocks were devoted to the knife, and apparently for no other reason than that they would persist in eating, even though their fleece was not readily saleable, Many seemed, to have embarked in the business of raising them with eae * Boston Patriot, October 3, 1810. EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 221 the idea that large flocks could be crowded into and maintained upon small fields, without turnips or other winter food, and then produce $8 or $10 worth of wooleach. But when peace came and prices fell and experience had shown that the Merino would eat, he was denounced for his destruction of grass lands and his voracity. His owner became disgusted with him because he did not know how to manage him, and sacrificed him as rasily as he had bought him. In reviewing this period of Merino sheep husbandry in Massachu- setts, Mr. J. Lowell, at the first annual meeting of the Brighton Cattle Show, in 1816, says: There probably never existed, in the history of nations, a people who were so liable to push their national or accidental advantages as far ag the people of the United States. The state of our commerce, restricted alike by other nations, and the policy now happily abandoned by our Government, favored the natural propensity of our citizens to extend their speculations in the fine-wooled sheep to an extreme which bordered on rashness, may we not say on delirium? The counteraction produced by recent political events unforeseen, by the absurd manner in which this admirable breed of sheep were attempted to be preternaturally forced into abundance, by the want of skill and experience, most obviously distinguished, has threatened the de- struction of one of the greatest blessings of this nature which our country ever en- joyed. Itis only necessary for sober and thinking men to recollect what was the state of our flocks prior to the introduction of the Merino race. That it was imprac- ticable for our manufacturers to rival any one nation in Europe in the finer fabrics, and it will soon be seen that this fine-wooled breed was absolutely necessary to our success as a manufacturing people. Great as the sacrifices have been, they are far below the real value to the nation, and we have the pleasure, the patriotic gratifica- tion on reflecting that the loss has not been a national one. It has been between ourselves; what one lost a more prudent citizen gained. In Massachusetts, as elsewhere, an argument urged by some against the Merino sheep was its inferiority as an article of food. This reason was combated by its supporters as being without foundation, its flesh being described, when properly treated, as very juicy and toothsome. However, this discussion was dropped when its superiority as a wool- producer was apparent. When its wool was unsalable the discussion was renewed, and among those who stepped forward to stem the tide that was rapidly consigning these sheep to destruction as absolutely worthless was Gorham Parsons. Mr. Parsons owned a fine flock of Merinos, and he began experiments upon some of them to discover how far they could be carried as a mutton sheep. A ram lamb was yeaned May 26, 1812, his sire and dam both being imported sheep. He was castrated June 8, 1812, and allowed to run with the flock without any extra feeding till December 19, 1815, and was then put by himself for fattening and fed on second-crop hay, corn, oats, barley, and meal, varied from time to time as best suited him. On April 23, 1816, he was killed, after showing 140 pounds live weight. The meat when dressed tor the butcher weighed 774 pounds, the rough tallow 13 pounds, the pelt with fleece 16 pounds; head, liver, heart, etc., 12 222 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES pounds; the feet, intestines, and other offal, 213 pounds. The total sum realized on this sheep is thus stated: June 3, 1813, he was shorn of 6} pounds of wool, which sold at 8s. 6d -.---..- $9.21 May 13, 1814, he was shorn of 8? pounds of wool, which sold at 128........... 17.50 May 24, 1815, he was shorn of 9} pounds of wool, which sold at 6s. 6d ......-. 10. 02 April 23, 1816, wool pulled from the pelt 9 pounds 13 ounces, sold at 6s ..... 9.81 Meat and tallow at price obtained for native sheep 9d ....-...--.- weetudeatecns 11.21 Total .......... Sethe Se ateccccyed aaemececetd laa cen end sseeueesnemavanes 57. 75 Mr. Parsons states that the wether was a small eater, and he was confident that he was fatted on two-thirds the quantity required for native sheep of the same frame. The mutton was pronounced by gen- tlemen who partook of it to be of much finer grain and better flavor than that of the common sheep of the country. The slaughter of the sheep continued; many had been destroyed and. others threatened with destruction when, in 1818, the Massachusetts Agricultural Society, through the pen of its secretary, besought the far- mers not to abandon them in despair, and protested against their en- tire destruction and neglect, as no other animal of their size was so valuable. Upon the revival of nanufactures, after 1820, more attention was paid to the Merino, and when increasing luxury and fashion demanded finer fabrics a finer wool was required, aud Col. Shepherd, an extensive manufacturer of Northampton, led the way in the importation of the Saxony Merino in 1822 and 1823, followed in succeeding years by large importations into Boston and other ports. The origin of the Saxony Merino from the Spanish flocks and its development must here be told. Spain guarded with jealous care her fine-wooled Merino flocks, and it does not appear that they found their way into any other European state until 1723, when Sweden procured a small flock. The native sheep of Sweden, such as existed at that time, unmixed with improved or superior sheep, were of avery inferior kind. They were of medium size, but with long and slender bodies, the legs also long and bare of wool. The tail was short, slim, and destitute of wool at its lower part. The head small, with horns short and slight and curving to the rear. The fleece open, coarse in quality, and of a medium length, in color usually white, although there were many flocks carrying black fleeces. These sheep were of a hardy constitution and not affected by the severity of the climate. Their flesh was good and not too fat; indeed, to English taste not fat enough. Ordinarily the ewes bore two lambs in the year, and the rams and old ewes were sheared two or three times yearly. Attempts were made to improve this native breed by crossing with the sheep of Germany; with the Leicester and Cheviot, of Great Britain; with the Flemish and Eidersteil sheep, and even with those of Iceland and the islands on the Norway coast, and upun the whole EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 223 the result was quite a success. Naturally the cross on those of the islands and Iceland endured better the rigor of the climate and lived on the coarsest food. Upon this foundation Sweden introduced the Spanish Merino. Mr. Alstroemer, a spirited and patriotic individual, who, as early as 1715, had made the attempt to improve the poor native breed, believed that improvement should not be limited to the partial success attained by the use of the German, English, Dutch, and Iceland breeds. With the view of progressing beyond this point and producing a fine-wooled sheep, he imported from Spain in 1723 a small flock of pure Merinos, and succeeded in acclimating, naturalizing, and propagating in a rigor- ous climate a breed which from appearances and tradition could be maintained only ina warm one. Thus Sweden becaine the first nation of Europe to take advantage of the superior fleeced sheep of Spain. For some years the attempt was met with discouragement of many kinds, until, in 1739, the Swedish Government, convinced that the ig- norance of the shepherds was a great obstacle to success in the propa- gation of the breed, instituted a shepherd’s school, the direction and charge of which was given to Mr. Alstroemer. In 1740 the State created a fund for the purpose of awarding premiums to individuals who bred rams of the Spanish breed; and from that time a bounty of 25 per cent was paid upon the value of fine wool, of good quality, to the grower, until 1781, when it was reduced to 15 per cent; and still further to 12 per cent from 1786 to 1792, at which latter date the bounty ceased. Sweden then possessed upwards of 100,000 full-bred Merinos, and nearly 1,000,000 mixed bloods, and was able to supply all her wants in wool without any importations from Spain, and the sheép had not degenerated in the space of more than seventy years, though Sweden, of all cultivated countries, is perhaps the least calculated for sheep; the length of the days during its short summer parches its barren fields, and for seven months it is buried in snow. The breeding of these fine sheep was almost exclusively undertaken by well-to-do farmers. The Swedish peasants, who had ordinarily only a very small number of sheep, and who were in the habit of manufac- turing the materials of their own clothing, were obliged to preserve their old breeds, which only produced long and coarse wool, that they knew not how to dispense with. The Merinos did not increase rapidly, for it happened here, as else- where, that there was a prejudice against them, some not willing to abandon the sheep of their fathers and grandfathers, others not believ- ing the breed could be successfully propagated. Some willingly under- took the experiment, and imagining the sheep of that breed could be left to shift for themselves and go without care subjected them to the same system that they were accustomed to follow with their hardy native sheep, by inclosing them in damp, badly cleaned, infectious stables, in which the air was foul by reason of too much heat. They 224 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES fed thei part of the year with an insufficient quantity of straw or poor fodder, made them graze in the forests, on the borders of swamps, ou wet and meagre pastures where the animals found neither the proper quantity nor quality of nourishment. It was noticeable, however, that the Merino subjected to this bad treatment imperceptibly degenerated, and that their wool deteriorated in quality. While such was the case with careless keeping by inattentive people, it was observed, on the other hand, that with carefal and attentive farmers and breeders the wool preserved its primitive quality. The same was observed in Hol- land and various parts of Germany, all of which went to show that the degeneracy of the Merino, on being taken from Spain to other countries, was caused more by poor treatment, ignorance, and carelessness than by the change of climate. This will be found to hold good everywhere and strictly so in Spain, where it has been found that the Merino de- generates unless given the necessary care. Lasteyrie, in his travels in Spain, found similar results of degeneration to those experienced in Sweden; good care gave good animals and fine wool; bad care, poor animals and coarse wool, upon which he remarks that ‘this difference proves that nature, in nearly all circumstances, complies with our needs only when we know how to consult her in her operations, follow her in her progress, and aid her with intelligence.” With the small farmer, poor and unprovided with sufficient fodder, the Merinos suffered some deterioration in size and fleece, but in the hands of the rich and careful landowners they increased in size and kept up the quality of the fleece. They preserved their primitive forms; their fleece was thick and the fibers very close. Their wool lost noth- ing of its fineness, length, or elasticity. The weight of the fleece was kept up, some rams producing 13 pounds (12 ounces to the pound). The naturalized animals were larger and stronger than those of Spain. Schulzenheim’s flock, in the province of Upland, were descended di- rectly from individuals imported from Spain, and at the end of fifty years preserved the quality of the wool perfectly, a comparison with the best Spanish Merino showing no deterioration. His experiments, extending through five generations, demonstrated by a comparison of the fleeces that the last descendants lost none of the qualities which made the breed commendable, going to prove conclusively that the Spanish Merino could be propagated and kept in cold countries with- out losing anything of the fineness and beauty of their wool. The suc- cess was to that degree that it resulted in diminishing the importation of short wool and in increasing the manufacture of the fine cloths; and after the lapse of more than a century the stranger race produced wool nearly as soft and fine as at its first importation. The course of this improvement in the sheep and wool of Sweden was not unobserved by the German States, whose sheep were generally in- ferior and whose wool was coarse. Efforts had been made to improve the few coarse sheep that had grown up in neglect during the intestine EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 225 wars, by the importation of Danish, English, and Turkish rams, and the effort was measurably successful, but it was reserved for the Span- ish Merino to insure complete success, and it was in Saxony, at the beginning of the present century, that naturalization had obtained the most marked success and produced the most beneficent results. The different varities of sheep indigenous to the country, some of which had a good quality of wool and others a very coarse wool, were equally improved by the Spanish animals introduced into Saxony in 1765 and again in 1778. In the former year Prince Xavier, administrator of the Electorate, during the minority of the elector, Frederick Christian, having before him the experience of Sweden, and seeking to repair the devastation caused by the “Seven years’ war,” obtained permission of his brother- in-law, the King of Spain, to take from Spain 300 Merinos and intro- duce them into Saxony. Two hundred and twenty-nine were selected from the best Spanish flocks—23 of them Escurials—and shipped from Cadiz in May, 1765, in charge of a Spanish mayoral or chief shepherd. Ninety-two rams and 128 ewes arrived safely in Saxony, and a commis- sion was appointed whose chief object was to distribute the rams to landholders, either by actual sale or letting at reasonable rates, so as to improve all the native sheep of Saxony and to make the culture of fine wool as general as that of inferior quality formerly had been. The zoological gardens at Stolpen, near Dresden, on the frontier of Bo- hemia, at first were prepared as a depot for the distribution of these sheep, where they were taken and entrusted to the care of the Spanish shepherd who had brought them from Spain. The domains of Milkel, Maxon, Klipphausen, Oberau, and Glauschnitz were the first to enjoy the benefits of the improvement. That part of the importation retained at Stolpen the shepherd kept unmixed, with the view to ascertain how far the pure Spanish breed could be naturalized in Saxony. In March, 1774, there remained at Stolpen 5 only of the original importation and 392 of their pure-blooded progeny. It was found after a lapse of ten years that the pure Spanish breeds had preserved their quality, that they had not degenerated, and that the product of the er9ss breeding had acquired a wool which yielded to those of Spain neither in fineness nor in beauty. When experience assured the commission that it was easy to accli- mate the Merino and to improve the native sheep by means of cross breeding it occupied itself with the general improvement of the flocks, after having castrated weak and defective rams. It sold in 1776 to farmers animals of the age of four years, but as the prejudice against everything new was as strong in Saxony as elsewhere, and the major- ity of sheepmasters still averse to the improvement, sales moved slowly and with difficulty. But the Elector, determined to accomplish his object, compelled the farmers and tenants occupying the Electoral lands to buy a certain number of Merino sheep. 22990-——15 226 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES The tenants and farmers, however, soon became alive to their true interests; prejudice was overthrown, and the Electoral sheepfold not proving adequate to the demands, now daily increasing, new importa- tions were made from Spain. Reasons for a new importation were the searcity of full-blooded animals remaining in Saxony, and the fact that the crossings and subsequent breedings had not been as properly conducted as they might have been. In March, 1777, the king of Spain consented that more sheep should be sold to Saxony, but it was exceedingly difficult to find in all Saxony a competent man to make the selection in Spain. A Mr. Vogel, who was in charge of the ducal possessions at Ehrenberg, was finally se- lected, and.being furnished with the proper papers, instructions, and references, and accompanied by a shepherd who had long been in charge of the fold at Stolpen, left Dresden late in 1777, arriving at Madrid early in March, 1778, and in the Estremaduras on the 18th of that month, where he made selections and purchases, as set forth in his report of the 5th of April, of 276 head, viz, 176 ewes and 100 rams. Ewes from the cabafia of the Marquis d’Yranda..._.....---....-+-- 156 Ewes from the cabafia of the Countess da Cuenta..............---- 20 176 Rams from the cabaiia of the Duke of Villa Paterna.......--.---.- 21 Rams from the cabafia of the Marquis d’Yranda.---.........-----.- 57 Rams from the cabaiia of the Duchess da Negretti.............-..- 17 Rams from the cabaiia of the Countess da Cuenta .........-...---- 106 201 On May 21, 1778, this flock reached Cadiz, from which place they were shipped to Hamburg, where they arrived August 1,1778. In consequence of internal commotions in the country they were detained on the road from Hamburg, and did not arrive at Stolpen until May 23, 1779, the flock then consisting of 55 rams and 169 ewes. After their arrival in Saxony there were no efforts made to keep the sheep from the various cabafias distinct, the idea then prevailing that one Spanish sheep was as good as another, without any regard from which cabatia it came. The progeny of this last importation compared not only favorably with that of the first, but really excelled it. The Saxons Soon discovered that half-blooded or quarter-blooded rams could not be relied upon to breed from the native sheep; that in a comparatively short time the Spanish blood was entirely bred out. They therefore retained rams and ewes of pure blood for breeders, and in many flocks all the native blood was bred out. It was thought advisable that the Stolpen flock, composed exclusively of full-blood Merinos, should be enlarged, to make more certain and prompt the propagation of the fine breeds. The increase took place gradually here, as well as in other flocks, so that the number of sheep EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 227 of pure breed belonging to the Elector in 1800 was 3,400, and 500 were sold annually at public sale, a number not sufficient to meet the demand, though in addition to those of the Electoral flock it was easy to procure good pure-bred sheep from private individuals. Lasteyrie, who visited Saxony in 1799, and to whom the world is in- debted for nearly all that is known about European sheep husbandry at the beginning of the present century, says that he observed several flocks belonging to private individuals and found that the pure breeds and also those formed by cross-breeding gave wool of the first quality. These animals were generally smaller and of bad shape. The dif- ferences depended on the quantity and quality of food given to the sheep in the different folds. There were, it is true, degenerate breeds, but that degeneration was from bad coupling, want of care, from the insufficiency and the bad quality of food, and from the unhealthfulness of the stables, where, following the customs of the country, the dung was left for a whole year. The Government, having given particular attention to the improve- ment of breed and learning by experience that flocks of the Spanish breed degenerated when they were too much neglected, applied itself to instructing the growers by forming schools for the shepherds and widely spreading writings for the guidance of the countrymen on the treatment of sheep. It wisely considered that it was its duty and its interest to give these helps to agriculture. It felt that these helps should be given every time that the people had neither the means, knowledge, nor force of will necessary in new and difficult enterprises, and the recompense was ample in the great improvement that followed. The course of breeding adopted by the Saxon sheep-masters tended to develop an extreme fineness of wool at a material sacrifice of other properties. The best were reserved for propagating the race, and by this means the characters which indicate the property of producing fine wool were maintained or increased in the progeny. The care with which this system was pursued was the main cause of that unrivaled excellence to which the fine-wooled sheep of Saxony attained; but, as just remarked, this course of breeding was at the expense of other qualities. Size of carcass, weight of fleece, and constitutional vigor were rapidly diminished. The loss of hardiness was met by an extreme care of the animal, extending to those minute and methodical arrange- ments so congenial to the spirit of German agriculture, and which were rendered economically practicable by the cheapness of labor. It is proper here to note the methods employed by those in charge of the Electoral farms, and by others, in raising these sheep to such a high degree of perfection as fine-wool producers. It was endeavored, as far as soil and climate permitted, to treat the Merino sheep just as they were treated in Spain. On one point, how- ever, a departure from the Spanish custom prevailed. It was generally believed in Saxony and other parts of Germany, as well as in Holland, 228 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES that the intermixture of sires and dams with their own progeny, or even that of animals derived from the same parentage, would occasion de- generation in fine-wooled sheep. Under this conviction the Saxon breeders often bought from other flocks rams which they substituted for those of their own, and land proprietors bound their tenants by a clause in their leases to renew every year a certain number of rams. The undistinguished mixture of the same flock, which took place in Sweden, France, and every part of Germany, demonstrated in a decisive measure that it was needless to procure other rams while any one pos- sessed those of good qualities. The facts observed coincided with those known of Spain, where the animals bred among each other for ages without distinction of parentage. The mode of feeding, care, and treat- ment is given from the observation of Lasteyrie. The usual food given the sheep during winter consisted of hay, after- math, trefoil, and oats or rye straw. The hay was distributed twice or three times in the course of the day, and in greater or smaller quan- tities, as it was more or less substantial. Those who had no hay sub- stituted for it peas haulm, vetches, or lentils. Care was taken to cut the latter kind of fodder before maturity, that it might be more nutri- tious and that the fall of leaf should be prevented, which would other- wise take place for want of moisture. Some farmers made amends for want of hay by the use of cakes from oleaginous grain, by bran and crushed corn, or sometimes meal. They mixed the cakes and meal in vessels filled with water, which were placed in the sheep-houses, and the residuum at the bottom of these vessels was given to the sheep. This method contributed to preserve them in good health at a season when it was difficult to procure fresh food. Grain given in this manner was found to be more nutritious, particularly if the meal had been mixed in hot water. This food was best adapted to the lambs; when given to sheep about 6 or 7 pounds of meal were allotted toa hundred. When there was a want of provender or the snow was of long continuance, corn was given to the sheep, but as this was expensive it was generally very soon replaced by roots of different kinds, such as beets, turnips, carrots, and more especially potatoes. This method, hardly adopted at all in France, was strongly recommended to owners of flocks. It was well known that the dry food on which sheep were obliged to live dur- ing a bad season often occasioned disorders, for which reason the Eng- lish farmer cultivated turnips largely as his winter resource. Thus he was enabled to keep a larger stock than he otherwise could, a provi- sion of roots being added to his ordinary fodder. The Saxon wethers and the ewes without lambs had no food but hay or other inferior sort, the best being reserved for the ewe mothers, the rams, and the lambs. During winter the flocks were taken into the fields or woods, when the season permitted. Breeders who had no winter pasturage kept their flocks in the sheep-houses from the beginning of November till April, but care was taken that they moved about in the courts every day and AFTER YOUATT. ea Ra va te ak SAXONY MERINO RAM. EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 229 remained in the open air three or four hours. The doors of the houses, too, were frequently opened, that the air might be incessantly changed. There were some Saxon flock-owners who had no pastures at all, and kept their sheep in their houses and yards throughout the year, nor did this treatment seem injurious either to their health or the fineness of their wool, as long as care was taken to supply them with proper food and to keep their houses dry and airy. The general custom, however, was to put them, during favorable weather, into pastures, where they found a sufficient quantity of food; and when these were not to be had they were driven to the hills and other dry places. They left the houses in the morning as soon as the dew entirely disappeared, and rested in the shade during the heat of the day. When rain fell heavily or the fogs were thick they were kept in their houses, nor were they suffered to go into the fields after a heavy shower of hail. In this re- spect the Saxons imitated the shepherds of Spain. It was customary on some Saxon farms to let the sheep drink in their stables during win- ter instead of taking them to the watering places. The Saxon breeders not only considered salt salutary to sheep, but were of opinion that it imparted a greater degree of fineness to the fleece. Upon the whole the different methods of management were varied and modified accord- ing to the nature of the soil and its products. Good farmers observed the principle without which no flock can prosper, that is, to keep a num- ber of animals only in proportion to the quantity of support grown on the land. Experience has proved that the quality of wool produced by a flock is always proportionate to the quality and extent of the nutri- ment which it has received. The shearing of the sheep in Saxony takes place at the beginning of May, after the fleece has been washed on the back of the animal. For- merly the wool was washed in warm water after being cut from the sheep, according to the Spanish plan; but this custom has been aban- doned in consequence of the wool felting into balls, by which its value was much reduced. The mode of washing generally pursued consists in driving the sheep through a brook or rivulet. The next morning they are again plunged into the stream, that every part of the fleece may be equally penetrated. After this the wool is pressed by the hand, beginning at the head and proceeding regularly to the extremi- ties. In the afternoon they are driven once more through the water, then two days are allowed for the ficeces to become dry, and on the next day they are shorn. Thus for many years the Saxon flock-masters took the greatest care of their flocks, breeding, feeding, and rearing them with but one object. Every other point was made secondary to the fineness of the fleece. This course pursued steadily through generations gave at length the perfect Saxon Merino. Originally springing from the hardy Spanish Merino, the same parent stock from which has sprung the hardy Ameri- can and French Merino, it was bred down to a badly formed, weak, 230 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES light-fleeced animal. But the sacrifice of physical points attained end in view—a wool of almost gossamer fineness, weighing only 1¢ 20 ounces to the fleece, but finding a market willing to pay a good pr for it. From the first period of its introduction until 1814, when Europe 0 :ce more began to enjoy the blessings of a general peace, Saxon wool ° as gradually, though surely, spreading itself over the surface of the king- dom of Saxony; but when the continental trade was thrown quite open by the events of the short campaign of 1815, and the minds of men were set at rest by the final overthrow of Napoleon, the Saxon wool-dealers began to open a regular trade in this article to England, and they soon discovered the real value of their new branch of German commerce. Pounds. In the first year (1814) there were imported into England.... 3,593,146 In 1819 there were imported into England. ......-...-------- 4,557,938 In 1824 there were imported into England.............--.-.- 15,432,657 In 1828 there were imported into England........-....--.... 23,110,882 The great increase in the demand for this wool naturally excited the emulation of the states lying contiguous to Saxony, and the flock- masters of the kingdom carried on, for a considerable period, a very prosperous trade in rams and ewes with the landowners of Silesia, Bohemia, Austria, and other parts, who were desirious of changing the nature of their flocks to this more profitable breed. All the superabun- dance of grain, which had no external market to absorb it, was given to the sheep in order to accelerate their approach to the maximum degree of fineness of which their wool was susceptible, thus actually creating a profitable consumption for their corn, through the eagerness of England to obtain a superior quality of wool. This eagerness for fine wool was not confined to the English manu- facturer. When the goods of great excellence fabricated from this fine Saxon wool were imported into the United States they challenged ad- miration and found quick sales. The American manufacturers began the importation of the wool, and finally introduced the Saxony Merino sheep into the United States. Dr. Henry 8. Randall says that these Saxony sheep, when introduced into the United States, lacked at least one-fifth and often more of the weight of the parent Spanish Merino as it then was; they were longer legged in proportion to size, slimmer, finer boned, and thinner in the neck and head. At every point they gave indications of a more deli- cate organization. Their fleeces averaged from 13 to 2 pounds of washed wool in ewes and from 2 to 3 pounds in rams. There was sufficient yolk in the fleece to give it pliancy and brilliancy, but the yolk was colorless, limpid, and easily liberated in washing. It never assumed a viscid, waxy consistency or became indurated into “ gum,” either within or on the outer extremity of the wool, and consequently having nothing on the surface to catch and retain dirt the fleece remained almost white externally. The staple was usually from an ELECTORAL ESCURIAL RAM, No. 177. OF VON THAER’S SHEEPFOLD AT MOEGLIN IN PRUSSIA. DRAWN FROM NATURE BY CH. L. FLEISCHMANN FOR U. S. PATENT OrFice, 1847. pene j ae, , Co New’ ELECTORAL ESCURIAL EWE. OF VON THAER’S SHEEPFOLD. NN For U. S. PATENT OFFICE, 1847. Drawn FROM NATURE BY CH. L. FLEIeCHMA' “LYBL ‘34IO LNALVg “S “[) YOd NNVWHOSIATS “| ‘HO AS UNLVN WOUs NMVEQ “VIAVEOW NI ZLILLHOSOH L¥ G104da3H6 3HL WOH4 “WVU ILLSYDAN OGVLNVANI EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 231 inch to an inch and a half in length on the back and sides, shorter on the belly, and formed a considerably less compact mass than that of the Spanish Merino. In the best sheep the surface of the fleece was smooth and even (as if it had been cut off at a uniform length), and it broke into masses of same size; but in inferior animals the wool grew in small disconnected tufts, which ended in points externally. These fell apart on the shoulder and along the back, and in some instances partly hung down like hair or Leicester wool, instead of standing at right angles to the surface. The last indicated extreme thinness of fleece. When to this were added a gauzy, half-peeled nose and ear—an ear as thin and almost as transparent as parchment—a pale skin, a carcass without depth and about 6 inches thick, a camel-shaped neck, and long spider legs, the “ lower deep” of debility and degeneracy was reached. But there was an atoning beauty about the wool of the Saxon which it was hard to resist. It flashed with such a gem-like luster; it was so beautifully fine and even; it had such an exquisite downiness of touch, that all other wool seemed base by the side of it. ‘It was so pliant,” says Randall, ‘that a lock of it held upright by the outer end, between a thumb and finger, and gently played up and down, would bend and dance like a plume.” According to Youatt’s measurements the fiber was about 54,5 of an inch in diameter, but he did not obtain fine specimens of the wool. Suchis the picture presented us of the Saxony Merino at the period of its importation into the United States— the period of its greatest physical degeneracy, for at that time began a reaction in the mode of breeding them. The first importation of Saxony Merino sheep into the United States was made, in 1822, by Mr. Samuel Henshaw, a merchant of Boston, and, as stated elsewhere, at the instance of Col. James Shephard, a woolen manufacturer of Northampton, Mass. The number imported was four. Two went to J. W. Miller, at Philadelphia, and two to Northamp- ton, to Col. Shephard and Isaac C. Bates.* The fleeces of the two sent to Philadelphia weighed, in the dirt, 173 pounds, and the animals were very superior. Mr. Miller states that the fleeces were covered with tar and dirt, having been two months on board ship, and when washed weighed: First quality, 2 pounds 2 ounces; second quality, 1 pound 8 ounces; third quality, 14 ounces; fourth and inferior quality, 2 pounds 8 ounces; a total of 7 pounds, or 34 pounds to each sheep. Mr. Miller, who had a fine flock of Spanish Merinos, near Philadelphia, crossed them with these Saxony rams and had eighty or ninety lambs the first season. From the cross of one ram, sent to Northampton with a Merino flock, there were offered for sale in October, 1824, fifty rams. In 1823 Henshaw and Bates made another importation of one ram and three ewes, and on July 5, of the same year, there arrived from Hamburg two *Tsaac C. Bates and Col. James Shephard, of Northampton, recently imported two Saxon bucks, which have arrived. They were purchased in Saxony more than a year since. (New England Farmer, November 23, 1822.) 232 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES Saxony rams atid three ewes for Hon. Joseph Strong, of South Hadley, Mass. In 1824, Messrs. G. & T. Searle, of Boston, imported seventy-seven Saxony sheep. They were selected and purchased by a Mr. Kretchman, a correspondent of the firm, residing at Leipsic, and were shipped at Bremen on the American schooner Velocity. Henry D. Grove, subse- quently an enthusiastic and honest breeder of the Saxons, in New York State, was engaged to take charge ot the sheep on the passage, and also shipped six sheep on his own account. Mr. Grove says that fully one-third of the sheep purchased by Mr. Kretchman (who shared profit and loss in the undertaking) were not full-blooded Saxons. The cargo was sold at auction as “pure-blooded Electoral Saxons,” and thus, un- fortunately, in the very outset the pure and impure became hopelessly mixed. The average price realized per head was $69.35. At this sale Samuel Hurlbert & Co., of Winchester, Conn., purchased seven rams, seven ewes, and a lamb, being the first to be introduced into that State. In the fall of 1824 Mr. Grove entered into an agreement with the Messrs. Searle to return to Saxony and purchase, in connection with Kretchman, from 160 to 200 Electoral sheep. He was detained at sea seven weeks, which gave rise to the belief that he had been shipwrecked and lost. When he finally arrived the sheep had already been bought b; Kretchman, and they were a shabby lot. On being informed of what the purchase consisted, Grove protested against taking them to America and insisted on a better selection, but to no purpose. Any- thing was good enough for an American. A quarrel ensued, and Kretchman went so far as to engage another to take charge of the sheep on this passage, but Mr. Grove’s friends interfering the trouble was ad- justed, and finally Mr. Grove was induced to take charge of the sheep across the water. The number shipped was 167; 15 of them perished on the passage. Eighty one rams, 57 ewes, and 20 lambs were sold at Brighton, near Boston, July 14, 1825, and the prices realized averaged $158.80 per head, excluding lambs. The highest price was $425, which was paid for a buck by Judge Pendleton, of Dutchess County, N. Y. Judge Effingham Lawrence, of Long Island, paid $235 for aewe. The whole cargo found ready purchasers from the New England States and New York. Says Mr. Grove: A portion of this importation consisted of grade sheep, which sold as high as the pure bloods, for the American purchasers could not know the difference. It may be readily imagined what an inducement the Brighton sale held out to speculation, both in this country and Saxony. The German newspapers teemed with advertisements of sheep for sale, headed ‘‘Good for the American Market,” and these sheep, in many instances, were actually bought up for the American market at $5, $8, or $10 a head, when the pure bloods could not be purchased at prices less than $30 to $40. In 1825 (exact date not known), a miserable lot of Saxony sheep ar- rived at Portsmouth, N. H. Fortunately, there were but 13 all told. In March, 1826, 191 Saxony sheep arrived in New York by the bri William, on German account. They were sold on the 26th of that EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 233 month, and the highest price realized was $350 for a ram, the purchaser being Mr. Hurd, of Dutchess County, N. Y. The lowest ram sold for $160. The ewes sold generally from $36 to $85. One of the Hurlberts, of Connecticut, who had bought fifteen Saxonies the year before, was present and made some purchases, and affirmed that such was the rage for those sheep in his State that within a few weeks he had sold a pair of twin lambs before they were a fortnight old for $430. These 191 sheep were for the most part well descended and valuable animals. A few of them were grade sheep. In June, 1826, the brig Louisa brought out 173 on German account. Not more than one-third of them had any pretentions to purity of blood. Then followed another shipment on German account of 158 from Bremen into New York. Some of these were diseased before they left Bremen, and 22 died before the arrival of the brig. The next cargo coming to New York was selected by Mr. Grove, 165 in number, and owned by Mr. Grove and Mr. F. Gebhard, of New York. They cost $65 per head landed at New York, and sold at an average of $50 per head, thus entailing a loss of over $2,400. They were of the best Saxony blood. 1866. vy MERINO RAM “GOLDEN FLEECE.” FROM HAINES, DEL. EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 295 tm Atwood, bred by Stephen Atwood in 1842, and elsewhere described. At the same time that he purchased the ram he also bought 2 ewes of Mr. C. B. Cook that were descended from ewes Mr. Cook had purchased e{ Mr. Atwood. Soon after more ewes were purchased of Mr. Cook, and in 1846 3 ewes were purchased of W. 8S. & E. Hammond that came from the flock of Stephen Atwood. In 1847 Mr. Elitharp and Mr. Cook made a purchase of ewes of Stephen Atwood and his son Chauncey, and upon his part of this purchase Mr. Elitharp used his ram Atwood until he died in 1850. In 1863 the portion of this flock that combined the blood of the Cock, Jarvis, and Humphreys flocks was sold. In 1873 Mr. Elitharp finally disposed of all his flock, selling the last 10 that he had reserved to Otis P. Lee, of Middlebury, Vt., and additions to Atwood blood have been made to it and the flock preserved to the present day. Mr. Elitharp was considered one of the very best judges of sheep of his time, a breeder of excellent judgment, and succeeded in making great improvements in his flock. Ewes of his breeding were in good demand and seldom disappointed the expectations of their ‘purchasers. He also produced some rams of note. Elitharp was bred by him in 1845; his sire was Atwood and his dam was sired by Black Hawk; second dam bred by William Jarvis, being thus of Atwood, Jarvis, and Cock blood. This ram was sold to Eras- tus R. Robinson, and used by him as a stock ram and was the sire of the famous old Robinson ram. From the Atwood blood of the flock he bred the Elitharp and Burwell ram, sired by Eureka, and bred in 1868, This ram was sold in 1871 to H. C. Burwell and by him in 1872 to Peet & Severance, and by them taken to California. This ram weighed in full fleece 160 pounds, and was well proportioned and very symmetri- cal in outline and finish. He was a straight level-topped sheep, run- ning out high and broad at rump and tail, his back and loin also good and strong. He was well arched in rib and had good depth of carcass ; neck short and long head, and nose well-shaped and attractive. He was well wrinkled at neck, hip, tail, flank, and at point of shoulder. He was very dark colored at tip of wool, and carried a very dense, attractive, even, and highly crimpled fleece of wool, which opened in flakes. He was well covered all around; especially good at head and legs. The weight of his fleece was 27 pounds; the staple was 24 inches long. Green Mountain, sired by Golden Fleece and bred in 1864, was sold by Mr. Elitharp to H. Hemmenway, Whitewater, Wis. Another Atwood flock was that of N. A.Saxton, Waltham, Vt. The foundation of this flock was commenced about 1847 by a small purchase of ewes from W.S. and E. Hammond. Mr. Saxton bred these and their produce to Hammond rams and those of W. R. Sanford, as well as those bred in his own flock, unti] 1872, when he used the stock rams of O. C. Bacon. Mr. Saxton died in 1874 and the flock was widely dis- persed. Two of his good stock rams may be mentioned—the Saxton 296 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES ram, bred in 1852 and sired by Wooster, and Prince, sired by America and sold to A. Barringer, of Ilinois. Victor Wright in 1847 began an Atwood flock by the purchase from L. C. Remele of one ewe that Mr. Remele had purchased of R. P. Hall. This ewe was bred by Stephen Atwood and purchased of him by Messrs. Hammond and Hall. In after years many ewes were purchased of the Hammonds and added to the flock. Nearly all the stock rams of the Hammonds were used and also those bred in the flock, among which have been many of great excellence. Mr. Wright died in 1867, after which his widow owned the flock for more than twenty years, when it passed into the hands of the present owner, A. B. Wright, Middlebury, Vt. Among the rams bred by Mr. V. Wright may be mentioned Wright’s California, sired by Hammond’s Long Wool, and sold in 1861 to Messrs. Hoyt, of California; Old Greasy, sired by Cali- fornia, and sold to R. Perrine, western Pennsylvania; Black Top, sired by Hammond’s Gold Drop; Long Wool, sired by Wright’s Old Greasy ; Don Pedro, sired by Long Wool, and Wrinkley, also sired by Ham- mond’s Gold Drop, and bred in 1863, all of the Atwood blood. There were many other Atwood sheep taken from Connecticut at an early day. Among the purchasers of them may be mentioned W. C. Wright, S. L. Bissell, and 8S. W. Jewett in 1844, and soon after Joseph Marsh, C. W. Brownell, and William Gage, each of whom bred pure Atwood sheep for many years. That of Judge Joseph Marsh was bred pure to about the time of his death in 1877. In 1846 Philo Jewett, of Weybridge, bought 8 or 10 Atwood ewes of the Atwoods, and soon after this A. A. Farnsworth, of New Haven, bought all the yearling ewes that Mr. Atwood raised in one year. In 1863 E.N. Bissell, of Shoreham, purchased 5 ewes and a ram of Stephen Atwood, 3 ewes of Chauncey Atwood, 29 ewes and 1 ram of George Atwood, and 6 Atwood ewes of Jerry Smith. These, with those heretofore mentioned, are all the Atwood sheep that Mr. Chapman in 1877 had been able to trace in Vermont. The purchases made from these various flocks and their subsequent dispersion over the State and the United States can not be followed at this time. It will be remembered that of the early shipments of William Jarvis were 24 Escurials to Richard Crowningshield, of New York. They arrived June 18,1810. Two of these were purchased by ae Cock, of Flushing, L. I., at $1,100 per head. They were ewes. . Cock then made another purchase of the Paular breed, at from es a $100 per head, and continued to add to his flock by purchases of the different npr OE until he ran his flock up to about 80, always selecting them with great care. He never purchased any but the best, was very attentive as a breeder, saw well to his business, and formed an unri- valed flock of sheep. 1n1823 Jehiel Beedle, Elijah Wright, and Charles Rich, of Shoreham, through Leonard Beedle, purchased this flock, con- sisting of about 100. On the arrival of the flock in Vermont it was EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 297 divided by the owners, Mr. Beedle receiving one-half, Charles Rich a fourth, and Mr. Wright a fourth. A few of the Beedle flock have descended to this day, unmixed with other than Merino blood. It is not known that the Wright flock has been bred pure, but from that portion of the Cock flock turned over to Charles Rich much of the pure Spanish blood of the present flocks has descended. Charles Rich died in 1824 and his flock descended to his two sons, Charles and J. Thurman Rich. Of these two sons Mr. Chapman says: The rich pecuniary recompense, and the meed of fame these men and their heirs have since received, is but a portion of what they deserve as a reward for the judg- ment and firmness exhibited by resisting the popular mania for Saxony fineness and. plood. When Jarvis, Atwood, Blakeslee and almost all gave way, John Thurman and Charles Rich stood firm. It is true that the first three named, with a few others, discovered their error in time to retrace their steps, and save to us much of the good old blood; but their judgments were fascinated and bewildered by the mania for fine wool that swept over the land between 1824 and 1836, vitiating the blood and constitutions of nearly all the flocks of fine-wooled sheep, depleting the pockets and destroying the hopes of their owners, The Charles Rich branch of this flock was bred pure and unmixed with other blood until 1836, when Charles Rich sold to Erastus R. Rob- inson 100 of his ewes, and to Tyler Stickney the few selected lambs that were reserved when the sale to Robinson was made, thus laying the foundation of two most justly celebrated flocks. Erastus R. Robinson continued to breed the Rich sheep in the same line or Cock family until 1845, when he introduced a strain of Atwood blood by the use of the Elitharp ram Atwood to 20 ewes, and by the purchase of the ram Elitharpa year later. An addition of 30 ewes was made to the flock in 1848 by a purchase of Mr. Prosper Elitharp. These ewes were mainly if not all bred by Mr. Elitharp and combined the blood of the Cock, Humphreys, and Jarvis flocks. The ram that was used more than any other, and the one that made the greatest improvement in the flock, was bred by Mr. Robinson. He is known as the old Robin- son ram, descended from Atwood ram Elitharp and a Rich ewe and was sold:to Tyler Stickney in 1853. He became celebrated as a stock ram, living to the age of 13 or 14 years. He weighed about 100 pounds, and sheared about 14 pounds. His horns were heavy and of the Paular pattern. Soon after the introduction of the French Merinos into Vermont in 1842 Mr. Robinson procured a ram of this blood, which he used to a third of his ewes one year. These ewes were selected so as to represent a fair average of the flock. The result of this cross was a large increase of the size of the carcass, but a decided decrease in the average weight of fleece, thus very largely decreasing the average of wool to live weight, and very materially increasing the cost of the wool, while the quality was not so good as that grown on the other portion of the flock. This cross, proving so unsatisfactory, was soon weeded out and sold from the flock. At the death of Mr. Erastus R. Robinson in 1854 298 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES the flock was divided, a portion falling to the share of his widow, Mrs. Sallie D. Robinson, and # portion to his sou, Darwin E. Robinson, and these were bred as they previously had been and contained a prepon- derance of Paular blood, and made the foundation of several superior flocks. E.R. Robinson was an excellent judge of sheep, a very judi- cious breeder, and made great improvements in the flock which he established and bred with so much credit and profit. Sheep of his breeding were in demand, and no better certificate could be given to prove a sheep meritorious and pure-blooded than one that certified it was a pure-bred Robinson sheep.* Tyler Stickney, to whom Charles Rich sold 12 ewe lambs in 1836, founded his flock in 1834, previous to which he had been in copartner- ship with Mr. Rich in breeding sheep, and when they divided, one ewe, that afterwards became celebrated as the dam of Hero and Fortune, fell to the share of Mr. Stickney. This, with the 12 ewes purchased in 1836, formed the basis of his flock, which has been kept together and the breeding directed by one person, for over forty years; and the flock has a longer continuous existence than any, save one. The same year that Mr. Stickney purchased the 12 ewes of Mr. Rich he selected from the flock of William Jarvis a ram Jamb, which Mr. Jarvis stated to be the first selection he had ever permitted from his rams of any year . before selecting for his own use; this ram Consul was used for eight years, and after this rams of Atwood, Hammond, Rich, and Robinson blood, great care being taken to use none but pure Spanish Merinos. The improvement of the flock is shown in the facts that whereas Con- sul, bred in 1835, sheared about 14 pounds unwashed wool at his best, Fremont, in 1868, sheared 24% pounds, the latter the heaviest shearing ram of his day, and for years not equaled in weight of fleece, also from an ewe shearing only 8 or 9 pounds unwashed wool to one shearing 20 pounds in 1878. The Stickney is one of the leading and generally recognized best lines of Merino blood. Tyler Stickney died in January, 1882, and the flock he bred from 1834 to the day of his death is still in existence. Hero, a noted ram, was bred by Tyler Stickney in1840. His sire was Consul, a Jarvis ram, and his dam a pure Cock ewe, bred by Charles Rich. He was sold when 2 or 3 years old to A. L. Bingham, Cornwall, Vt. His heaviest fleece weighed 13 pounds. Fortune, also bred by Mr. Stickney, had the same sire and dam as Hero. He was sold to L. C. Remele, by Mr. Remele to Jonathan Wilson, and by him to S. W. Jewett, in whose hands he attained great celebrity. He wei ghed about 160 pounds in full fleece, and gave at his third shearing 13 pounds 4 ounces of wool, imperfectly washed in the brook. General Fremont was bred in 1865, and was one of the most remarkable and heaviest shearing rams of his day, but was not as widely known as his merit deserved, on * Register of the Vermont Merino Sheep Breeders’ Association, Vol. 1. HAINES, DEL. SPANISH “‘PAULAR”*’ MERINO RAM “FORTUNE.” FROM a NATIONAL RECORD OF AMERICAN MERINO SHEEP REGISTER, VOL. Il, 1885. HAINES, DEL. ““@EN. FREMONT.” FROM ‘* REGISTER OF VERMONT MERINO SHEEP ASSOCIATION,” VOL. 1, 1879. £AST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 299 account of the great depression of the sheep industry in his time. He weighed in full fleece 165 pounds; was symmetrical in outline, and well proportioned. His fleece was very dense and covered him well at all points. It was about medium in quality, fairly crimped, and heavily charged throughout with a buff oil. Staple about 25 inches long. He had a finely shaped and well-covered head, and heavy and closely turned horns. His first fleece was 17 pounds; the third, his heaviest, was 34% pounds. Nine fleeces weighed 243 pounds, or an average of 27 pounds each. He was sold at 2 years ofage to J. L. Parker, Whiting, Vt., who took him to Samuel Griswold’s place, Corfu, N. Y., where he left some excellent heavy shearing stock. He was repurchased by Mr. Stickney, and died in 1875. Of the flocks of Charles Rich, Erastus B. Robinson, and Tyler Stick- ney, Mr. Albert Chapman says: It will readily be seen that they came finally to possess the same three bloods, the Atwood, Jarvis, and Cock. Although the proportions might differ somewhat, in the main and substantially they were the same. The individual tastes of each may have somewhat varied their practice as breeders, and consequently may have affected the characteristics of the individual sheep that were bred in their flocks, but when we calla sheep’s blood Rich, Stickney, and Robinson, we mean one bred from their flocks, and combining the bloods of the Atwood, Cock, and Jarvis flocks. John T. Rich, son of Charles Rich, came into possession of one-half his father’s flock in 1836, the flock founded in 1823. He sold none of his ewes until 1838, at which date he sold two, one to L. C. Remele and one to Judge Wright, and gave each of them one. He continued to breed in the Cock or Paular line by rams bred within the flock until 1841, when he introduced a ram bred by William Jarvis, and selected from his flock. At this date his flock consisted of about 150 breeding ewes, with a due proportion of young sheep. Mr. Rich also bred a Jarvis ram to some of his ewes in 1842, and soon after the Atwood blood was introduced by using Elitharp’s ram Atwood to a few ewes in 1845, and by other rams subsequently. In 1844 Mr. Rich sold 110 ewes to Joseph Sheldon, of Fairhaven, Vt. At the death of Mr. Rich, Octo- ber 12, 1846, the flock was inherited by his two sons, John T. and Vir- tulan Rich. The rams that were the get of the Jarvis ram were not used in the flock, and a part of the ewe lambs also were sold out and the flock continued to be bred in the Cock or Paular line, the rule with John T. Rich being to breed back, using rams that showed pedi- gree through the sires direct to the Cock flock. By a careful investi- gation it was ascertained that in 1874 the blood of the flock was about five-sixths Paular; the two-thirds of the remaining one-sixth Hum- phreys; and the remainder Jarvis blood, other than Paular. John T. Rich died September 27, 1876, and the flock became the property of Virtulan Rich, the present owner. Dr. Henry S. Randall, who visited this flock, says: These sheep in 1840 were heavy, short-legged, broad animals, full in the quarters, .strong-boned, with thick, short necks and thick coarse heads. The ewes had deep 300 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES and sometimes plaited dewlaps and folds of moderate size about the neck. The rams had larger ones. They were darker externally than the Jarvis sheep, but not so much so as the Atwood sheep, indicating that their wool contained more yolk than the former and less than the latter. The wool was longer than that of either of the other families, very thick, and covered them better on the belly, legs, and head. But it was inferior in fineness, evenness, and style. It was quite coarse on the thigh, and hairs were occasionally seen on the neck folds. The lambs were often covered with hair when yeaned, and their legs and ears were marked by patches of tan color which subsequently disappeared except on the ears, where it continued to show faintly. They were better nurses and hardier than either of the other families. I have remarked in a former publication that they were precisely the negligent farm- er’s sheep. They encountered short keep, careless treatment of all kinds, exposure to autumal storms and winter gales, with a degree of impunity which was unexam- pled. Their lambs came big, bony, and strong, and did not suffer much if they were dropped in a snow bank. In 1842 and 1843 this flock was bred to a Jarvis ram— peculiarly dark, thick, and heavy fleeced, and compact in form for one of his family— the object of Mr. Rich being to avoid breeding in-and-in and to improve the quality of his wool. For the same object and to increase the yolkiness of the wool, a dip or two of the Atwood blood has been since taken; but it has always been made a point to breed back after taking these crosses, so as essentially to preserve the blood and distinctive characteristics of the original family. The Messrs. Rich have succeeded in all these objects, and have kept up well with the rapid current of modern improve- ment. Their sheep are not as large, nor do they yield so much wool per head as the improved Infantados, but they possess symmetrical forms which are remarkable for compactness. The body is shortish, and very thick, with their ancient good fore and hind quarters; and their heads, though thick and short, have lost their coarse- ness. Their fleeces are even and good. But that merit which gives them their great popularity in Vermont and elsewhere is their adaptation to thin, scant herbage, and to their qualities as working flocks. They demand no extra care or keep to develop their qualities, are always iively and alert; and though gentle and perfectly free from restlessness of temperament, they are ready to rove far and near to obtain their food. And for all they consume they make the most ample returns. While they will pay for care they will thrive with but little care. In a word, they remain, par excellence, the negligent farmer’s sheep.” The Rich flock of sheep, founded in 1823, is the oldest flock of pure- bred Merinos now existing in the United States, without change ex- cept by regular family descent. It has been kept on the same farm, and owned in the same family, for sixty-eight years. From it have been sent sheep to all portions of the United States, and to other parts of the world. A branch of this flock, taken to Michigan, remains to be noted. In 1848 John W. Rich purchased three rams and a few ewes from the flocks of J. T. & V. Rich, Tyler Stickney, and D. & G. Cutting, and took them to Lapeer, Mich. These purchases were made partly on account of Hon. Charles Rich, formerly the owner of the part of the Rich flock sold E. R. Robinson and Tyler Stickney. The sheep subsequently became the common property of Charles and John W. Rich, and were bred en- tirely within the flock taken to Michigan until 1851, when a ram was purchased of J. T. & V. Rich and used a number of years. In 1853 an addition was made to the flock of 10 ewes from the flock of Tyler Stick- *The Practical Shepherd. Henry S. Randall, 1863. EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 301 ney, and in 1859 another addition was made of the flock of Thomas Slayton, who had a pure Stickney flock. After the purchase of the Slayton flock, rams bred within the joint flocks were used until 1863, when John W. Rich purchased two rams, one of T. Stickney, the other of David Cutting. These rams were used a number of years, or until they died, when rams sired by them were used. John W. Rich died in 1872, but previous to his death he purchased the interest of Charles Rich, except 10 ewes, a division of the best 20. With the exception of these 10 ewes the flock, in 1872, came into the possession of the present owner, John T. Rich, of Elba, Mich. Aram raised by John T. & V. Rich, which made a great improve- ment in the flock, was Mountaineer, bred in 1865, who weighed in full fleece 150 pounds, and was a strong-boned, well-formed, round-carcassed sheep. He had a well-shaped head, nose short and broad, and well wrinkled. He was well wooled to the hoof all around. He had a dense fleece throughout, and his head and belly were well covered. He had a mellow, pink skin. About the year 1835 Eben R. Murray, Augustus Munger, and a man named Bundy, purchased a flock of about 150 Merino sheep of breeders living at Newport, R. I., mainly, if not all, from the flock of Joseph I. Bailey, and took them to Whiting, Vt., where a portion of them went into the hands of 8. T. Baker, from his into those of James M. Orms- bee, and from his to David and German Cutting, where and when the foundation of the Cutting flock was laid. The evidence seems con- clusive that these sheep were pure descendants from the importation of Capt. Paul Cuffe into Newport, September, 1810, and known to have been purchased of William Jarvis at Lisbon. The Cuttings made their purchase of James M. Ormsbee—about.80 ewes—in 1841. Two rams of the same blood, of the first purchase of ewes, were purchased with them and were used at first, but in 1846 Atwood blood was introduced and for several years subsequently nearly or quite all the rams used in the flock were of this blood. The Atwood blood was also introduced by way of ewes purchased, until finally the flock became by this, and more by the rams used, largely composed of this blood, but no special efforts are known to have been made to keep this blood pure or distinct from the other. Cutting blood, then, stands for a combination of the Atwood and Rhode Island flocks.* Soon after this flock was commenced it was divided by the brothers David and German Cutting, but the blood and breeding of the two flocks were substantially the same. After the decease ef David Cut- ting his flock came into the possession of his nephews, G. A. Cutting and H. M. Perry, and the other part of the flock belonging to German Cut- ting, since his death has descended to his heirs. Both flocks are still kept up. The Rich branch of the Cock sheep, crossed to a ram bred by Wil- * Register of the Vermont Merino Sheep Breeders’ Association, Vol. 1. 302 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES liam Jarvis, and still later with the blood of the Atwood flock, the Cut- ting blood descended from the importations of Paul Cuffe and Richard Crowningshield, and some admixture of the Blakeslee blood constitute what is known as the American Paular. The most successful breeders of these sheep have aimed to secure type and quality in their flocks, and have placed this above any special line of descent from importation, or from any one of the earlier flocks. In pursuing their course of breeding they have made use of the best specimens of the breed, and as a rule have avoided too close in-and-in breeding, and have achieved results unattained elsewhere when measured by weight and quality of carcass or of fleece, either gross or scoured. The aim has been to pro- duce a well-formed and symmetrical animal, of constitutional vigor, carrying a dense, oily tleece of good quality throughout. Folds or wrinkles have been cultivated in a marked degree, and an amount of oil secured in the fleece that many have thought to be extravagant in the extreme; yet sheep of this class have made great improvement on the wool-growing flocks, the wrinkles contributing toward density of fleece and covering, and the oil proving interchangeable with wool product.* A good specimen of the American Paular is Prince Bis- marck, the property of John P. Ray, Hemlock Lake, N. Y. In full fleece he weighed 200 pounds, and yielded a fleece of one year’s growth of 35 pounds 93 ounces. The sheep purchased by Zebulon Frost, in 1816, of Andrew Cock and Effingham Lawrence, descended to his son Abraham Frost, from whom, in 1832, William Walker purchased 10 ewes to commence a flock. Soon after this Mr. Walker purchased of J. Thurman Rich 12 or 15 ewes of lhe Cock blood, and rams in the flock were used until it was managed by H. W. Walker, and it is believed that up to 1845 it was kept entirely pure from admixture with other blood. Since the latter date Atwood, Hammond, and Stickney blood have been introduced. The flock is still in existence. In 1835 Merrill Bingham, of Cornwall, Vt., purchased in the vicinity of Lanesboro, Mass., 110 Merino ewes, descendants from Col. Hum- phreys’ flock; 40 of them were 12 or 15 years old, the lambs of imported ewes. This was the foundation of a flock, which, in 1845, numbered over 600 large, well-shaped, pure Merino sheep. In June, 1844, in company with A. L. Bingham, he purchased of the Shakers at Enfield, N. H., 103 sheep, which, when sheared, turned off such very heavy fleeces of fine, clean wool, and gave such promise of being profitable to breed, that in September following another visit was made to Enfield and the remainder of the flock purchased, consisting of 58 ewes and 12 rams. The Enfield flock were descendants of Livingston sheep, or rather Gaudaloupes imported by Mr. Livingston. In 1845 this flock of Mr. Bingham averaged 5 pounds 3 ounces of wool from 587 fleeces. In 1838 A. L. Bingham, of Cornwall, bought of Messrs. Buck & * John P. Ray, secretary of New York Merino Sheep Breeders’ Association, EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 303 Atwater, of Connecticut, 20 ewes, which he added to a small number that he had already purchased of German Cutting. In 1841 he pur- chased of Jacob N. Blakeslee 16 ewes, and added them to his flock, with 8 that he had purchased of Chauncey Atwood, and 27 that he had: purchased of Joseph J. Bailey, of Newport, R. I. In 1842 Mr, Bingham purchased 42 ewes and 2 rams of Mr. Bailey, for which he paid $661, and in 1843 he purchased the remainder of Mr. Bailey’s flock, 51 sheep. This stock is said to have been imported by Capt. Paul Cuffe and J. D, Wolf. They were bought by Mr. Bailey’s father at the wharf and taken direct to his farm, where they were bred pure, always breeding from rams raised in the flock. Mr. Bingham’s flock was described in 1845 as being very uniform, remarkable for size, low on the leg, heavy boned, wide chested, large and thick necked, considerably ruffled; heavy fleeced and dark colored on the outside; the wool firm, thick, and long in the staple. On May 23, 1866, 45 yearling ewes and 1 two-year- old Atwood ram were sheared and yielded 503 pounds of wool, or an average of 11 pounds 3 ounces to the ewes, while the weight of carcass averaged a fraction less than 56 pounds. The ram’s fleece was 25 pounds 2 ounces, his weight when shorn 114 pounds 10 ounces. Parts of the flocks of Merrill and A. L. Bingham became the property of Rev. L. C. Bingham, Williston, Vt., his flock in 1845 numbering 200 full-blooded sheep. They were nearly equally divided between Guadaloupes and Paulars, so called. Thirty-three of them were, with their lambs, purchased of Joseph I. Bailey, and were considered by Mr. Bingham as pure Paulars, if there were any such in the country. The Guadaloupes came from Enfield and Lebanon, N.H. A part of his heaviest wooled sheep came from Merrill Bingham’s flock, a part from W. C. Wright’s and A. L. Bingham’s. One hundred and eighty-seven sheep of this flock in 1845 averaged 5 pounds 1 ounce of wool each, washed in a swiftly running stream. 3 ewes sheared each..--......-----------2---- ee eee 7 pounds and upwards. 12 ewes sheared each...--.---------- +202 eee eee eee 6 to 7 pounds. 46 ewes sheared each....-------. +--+ +++ +0222 eee eee 5 to 6 pounds. 88 ewes sheared each.......------------- ---- eee eee 4 to 5 pounds. 33 ewes sheared each...--...--.----------- eee eee eee 34 to 4 pounds. His stock rams sheared as follows: 1 yearling Paular....-.------------++ eee eee cee e ee 10 pounds 8 ounces, 1 yearling Paular..-...---..------------+-++--+-- 8 pounds 10 ounces. 1 yearling Guadaloupe ...--.-----.-----+++-+++++- Tpounds 4 ounces. 1 2-year old Guadaloupe....-...---------+ +--+ +e 8 pounds 8 ounces. 1 2-year old Paular ..-...--..---- 2-0-2222 ecco eee 8 pounds 8 ounces. In 1846 Mr. Bingham purchased a number of Jacob N. Blakeslee’s flock, and about the same time the Collins flock of Rambouillet sheep and the first ram of the John A. Taintor French importation. M. W. C. Wright commenced a flock by the purchase of W. R. San- ford of 10 ewes, warranted by Mr. Sanford to be pure Jarvis, the blood. 304 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES of which he purchased of Messrs. Grant & Jennison, Walpole, N. H., who certified to Mr. Sanford that the sheep were pure descendants of the Jarvis importations, and about the same time Mr. Wright purchased 1 ewe from Mr. Jarvis, and four or five years after 13 ewes of J. T. & V. Rich. Other blood has since been introduced, and the flock is still in existence, the property of D. J. Wright, Shore- ham, Vt. One of the noted stock rams of the day was bred by Mr. M. W. C. Wright, about 1846. His sire was Fortune, bred by Tyler Stickney in 1844, and his dam an excellent ewe, bred by William Jar- vis. The ram was Black Hawk, and weighed about 100 to 110 pounds. Dr. Randall, writing in 1862, speaks of this flock as uniting the three most distinguished families of American Merinos—the Jarvis Paulars, the mixed Leonese, and the Atwood Infantados. The rams from this flock were scattered widely through New York, and they and their descendants gave much satisfaction to purchasers wishing to breed for a high quality of wool. A noted flock was that of George Campbell, of Westminster, Vt., founded in 1839, by a purchase of 20 ewes of Humphreys blood, and 20 of Mark Crawford, of Jarvis and Humphreys blood. Inthe same year a pure Jarvis ram was purchased of Daniel Mason, and in 1842 another was purchased of William Jarvis. These rams and some bred from them were used until 1847, in which year 5 ewes of Atwood and Jarvis blood were purchased of Nathan Cushing, and a ram lamb of Ebenezer Bridge, of Atwood and Jarvis blood. This ram was used until his death, in 1861, when Young Wooster, a ram of Cutting or Rhode Island blood, was introduced into the flock, and in 1862 8 Atwood ewes and 15 of the Atwood, Rich, and Jarvis blood were added to the flock. In 1840 the average yield of wool per head of his flock did not exceed 34 pounds, Each successive year gave a largeryield; the clip of 1850 was 43 pounds per head, and that for 1851 was a fraction over 5 pounds of well-washed wool, aside from a quarter of a pound of taggings. During the whole time there was a gradual increase in fineness. In breeding, Mr. Camp- bell sought to establish a flock which would produce the largest growth of wool for the amount of hay consumed. Quantity and quality of wool, with a hardy constitution, were the leading objects he kept in view. The means employed to effect this were: First, the selection of such rams as possessed these characteristics in a high degree; second, discarding every ewe that produced either a light fleece or one not of a good grade of fineness; and third, feeding in such a manner as to develop and maintain in the animal a high degree of vigor. By these means he affected a gradual and highly satisfactory improvement in his flock. From Sweepstakes and his own stock Mr. Campbell bred the cele- brated 12 sheep which took the three prizes at the International Exhi- bition at Hamburg in 1863, and established the fame of the Vermont Merino in Europe. The number of sheep entered for premium was EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 305 1,771. Nine hundred and thirteen were of the Merino class and were from every part of Europe—France, Italy, Austria, Russia, and Ger- many being represented. The only sheep exhibited trom America were those of Mr. Campbell, and he took three premiums—two first and one second. One first premium was taken for length of staple, another for weight of fleece. The longest staple from these sheep measured 34 inches, others 34, 34, and 3 inches; the shortest was 23 inches. These prize sheep were subsequently sold to Count Shen Thors, of Silesia, for $5,000, strong confirmation of the fact that America was producing Merinos more valuable than any in Europe. Some of Mr. Campbell’s sheep were sold to go to Dunedin, in the southern part of New Zealand, and in 1884 their descendants retained many of their characteristics, good size, larger than the flock from which they descended, with fleeces of fair density and great length of staple. The first French Merinos taken into Vermont were the flock of D.C. Collins, of Connecticut, purchased by L. G. Bingham, of Williston, prior to April, 1846. In the fall of 1846 one ram of the Taintor importation was added to the flock, and in 1847 1 more ram and 8 ewes. Between 1847 and 1853 A. L. Bingham purchased of John A. Taintor 161 French Merinos, for which he paid $37,500. In 1853 Mr. Bingham had a public shearing of some of his French sheep at Sudbury, Vt. Eighty ewes were shorn, 15 of them having been imported that year. The heaviest fleece was 334 pounds, the lightest 11 pounds. The car- casses of the 80, after shearing, weighed 8,2403 pounds, an average of 103 pounds. The total weight of the wool was 1,3443 pounds, unwashed, an average of 162 pounds per ewe. The shrinkage in washing was 56 per cent. A 2-year-old ram weighing 216 pounds sheared 30} pounds of wool. In 1856 another shearing showed the following: Thirty-eight French Merino ewes; average weight of body, 764 pounds; fleece, 178 pounds. Nine French Merino rams; average weight of body, 944 pounds; fleece, 193 pounds. Fifteen half French and Spanish ewes; average weight of body, 56 pounds; fleece, 134 pounds. All of these were shearlings. In 1851 George Campbell purchased some French Merinos from the flock of Mr. Cugnot, principally, and after their arrival they were sheared, with this result: Average live weight of ewes, 103 pounds; average weight of fleece, 124 pounds, unwashed. The proportion of wool to live weight was 1 to 87;. Lambs 5 months old, although they suffered much from the voyage, gave an average of 34 pounds. The ram Matchless, when 5 years old, weighed 280 pounds, and gave a 25-pound fleece. Mr. Campbell made other impor- tations, and of some Silesians also, but all previous importations were 22990——20 306 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES eclipsed by those of S. W. Jewett, who imported from France a large number of Merinos at a cost of over $50,000. They sheared all the way from 12 to 26 pounds of wool. They did not find ready sale in the Kast and were taken to California, where they were better appreciated and better adapted to the climate. In 1883 a Western paper contained the following: “Large numbers of sheep were recently driven from California and across the Rocky Mountains to Texas, because sheep bred in California are usually of a larger size, which it is said they have obtained from the amenity of its climate and from across of French sheep derived from those imported into Vermont some thirty-five years ago.” In 1853 some of Mr. Jewett’s sheep were sent to Alabama and Mis- souri, and in 1857 some went from the Campbell flock (also 10 Spanish Merinos and 2 Silesians) to Buenos Ayres. Several Vermont breeders made experiments with the French Merinos by crossing the rams on Spanish ewes, but the result was not satisfac- tory. The increase in the size of carcass was great, but the average weight of the fleece decreased. It was thought, too, that they were less hardy than the Spanish Merino. They were soon condemned as unfitted to Vermont sheep husbandry, and generally disappeared. It was con- tended by those who were their advocates that they were not given a fair trial; that had they been treated as they should have been the result would have been different. Attention was called to the fact that these sheep, previous to their importation into the country, received liberal feeding, and had been under the watchful care of the shepherd and his dog, and were, consequently, less qualified than our naturalized breeds to seek their subsistence over a wide range of short pasturage. In May, 1851, George Campbell made an importation of some Silesian Merinos, and in June following William R. Sanford returned from Europe with 25 Silesians, mostly 1 year old, of good forms, uniform in appearance, and remarkably covered with wool on all parts of the body. The wool was oily, but not gummy. The average of the flock of 600 from which they were selected in wool was 4 pounds, well washed. These sheep were purely descended from the Infantado and Negretti families of Spain, from a selection taken thence to Silesia in 1811 and bred with great purity and care. The Silesian was but little extended in Vermont, and made no impression on the character of the sheep or the system of husbandry. From the known facts here presented and from the presence of other full-blooded and mixed flocks in various parts of the State, but of which no reliable dataare attainable, it is certain that Vermont took a generous advantage of all the importations and of the best flocks to supply her- self with Merino sheep, and laid solidly the foundation of that industry for which she is justly noted. There was a gradual and careful dis- semination of the best blood, and of the 798,800 sheep owned in the State in 1830 a good proportion were fine-wooled. In 1836 the State EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 307 had 1,099,011 sheep, yielding 3,571,786 pounds of wool. The great im- provement made by her breeders is well known and has been partially stated in the preceding pages. Consul Jarvis, said that his flock from 1811 to 1826 averaged 4 pounds washed wool, his best stock rams shear- ing 63 pounds, or equivalent to 92 pounds unwashed fleece. This may be taken as a starting point. In 1844 Mr. Jarvis stated that he had bucks in high condition that sheared as high as 73 pounds each, or 114 pounds of unwashed fleece. In 1846 an Atwood ram sheared a 15- pound fleece, which, when thoroughly cleansed, gave 6 pounds of scoured wool, and shortly after Mr. Atwood gave the average weight of fleeces in his flock as 5 pounds for his ewes, lambs the same, wethers 6 pounds, and rams 7to9 pounds. The heaviest ewe’s fleece was 6 pounds 6 ounces and the heaviest ram’s fleece 12 pounds 4 ounces—all washed as clean as possible in the river, and sheared in six or eight days after. In 1854, at a sheep-shearing in Addison County, 8 rams and 2 year- ling ewes, whose aggregate weight was 999 pounds, gave 109 pounds 14 ounces unwashed wool, or a trifle short of 11 pounds each. The live weight of the sheep and weights of the unwashed fleece were: Carcass. | Fleece. Pounds.| Lbs. oz. 71 7 8 115] 13 9 99} 10 15 127] 14 12 1385] 11 11 91] 9 4% 129] 138 2 125] 15 11 50] 5 OF 57 7 i These figures show a considerable advance on the weights as given in 1846. The improvement held good in the ordinary wool-growing flocks of the State. In Rutland County good flocks sheared 5 pounds per head, washed on the sheep; in Washington County, 4 to 44 pounds; in Orange County, 25 to 6 pounds, according to condition; flocks of 100, which it was estimated consumed 18 tons of hay, giving 600 pounds of wool and raising 85 to 90 lambs. At Springfield, Vt., flocks of 300 to 400 gave 34 to 4 pounds annually per head, and J. W. Colburn, in June, 1851, clipped 500 fleeces averaging a trifle over 4 pounds each, after a thorough cold-water wash on the sheep’s back. In 1866 Mr. A. L. Bingham sheared from 45 ewes 503 pounds of wool, or an average of 11 pounds 3 ounces each, unwashed; and 1 two-year-old ram gave 25 pounds 2 ounces. In the same year Rollin J. Jones, of West Cornwall, Vt., sheared 45 ewes of 508 pounds 10 ounces, or an average per fleece of 11 pounds 5 ounces. The gross weight of the ewes after being shorn was 2,515 pounds 3 ounces, or an average weight per head of 553 pounds. On May 1, 1867, about 1,000 of the sheep-breeders of Rutland County were present at the first annual shearing of their association at Rut- 308 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES land. The animal which produced the greatest weight of fleece in pro- portion to weight of carcass belonged to Mr. A. E. Smith, of Clarendon— live weight, 634 pounds; fieece, 144 pounds. Next came Matchless— live weight, 76 pounds; fleece, 153 pounds. On the same day there was a shearing at Shelburne, at which prizes were awarded for the best fleeces, and 16 sheep were sheared whose average weight of fleece was 13 pounds 8 ounces. The lightest fleece of the 16 weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces, from an animal which weighed 58 pounds, while the largest fleece weighed 20 pounds 10 ounces, from an animal whose weight was 120 pounds 3 ounces. One weighing 91 pounds yielded a fleece of 15 pounds 12 ounces, and another a fleece of 10 pounds 15 ounces from a carcass which weighed only 56 pounds. Still another carcass, weighing only 63 pounds, yielded 16 pounds 12 ounces of wool. O.C. Burton, of Windham, sheared a fleece of thirteen mouths’ growth that weighed 25 pounds 2 ounces from a ram four years old that weighed 133 pounds after being shorn. V.M. Hubbard, Rochester, sheared his ram Romeo of 214 pounds of wool, the growth of one year lacking seven days, and C. N. Hayward, of Bridport, sold to L. J. Wright 5 ewe tegs which sheared 764 pounds of wool, the heaviest fleece weighing 174 pounds. Charles Washburne, of Reading, sheared 23$ pounds of wool from a two-year-old buck which had only ordinary keeping, and D. T. Clough, of Thetford, sheared from a two-year-old buck 21 pounds of wool; the buck after shearing weighed 93 pounds. W. B. Denio, of East Rupert, from a ewe 224 months old, sheared a fleece the growth of 114 months which weighed 18 pounds, and she had a lamb by her side. Her first fleece was 124 pounds. At Springfield there were sheared 3 rams and 3 ewes with these results: One two-year-old ram; weight, 116 pounds; fleece, 17 pounds 8 ounces; cleaned, 7 pounds 8 ounces. One two-year-old ram; weight, 1203 pounds; fleece, 18 pounds 8 ounces; cleaned, 6 pounds 12 ounces. One four-year-old ram; weight, 123 pounds; fleece, 20 pounds 8 ounces; cleaned, 6 pounds. The 3 ewes washed fleeces of 5 pounds 14 ounces, 54 pounds, and 4 pounds illounces. The average shrinkage of the ram fleeces was 67.76 per cent, and of the ewe fleeces 51.32. An advance over any previous record was made in 1868, when Stowell’s ram Red Leg, at two years old, sheared a fleece of 28 pounds from a live weight of 110 pounds, a percentage of fleece to live weight of 25.4 per cent. This fleece when thoroughly scoured weighed 8 pounds 13 ounces, of which 3 pounds 15 ounces was No. 1 wool. Passing over an extended period from 1868 to 1882, we have a record, compiled for the Vermont Register, by which it appears that 36 rams, three years old or over, sheared 1,120 pounds, an average per head of 31 pounds 1 ounce, and an average per cent to carcass on these given of 25.2. The heaviest fleece weighed 37 pounds 8 ounces, from a ram bred by A. E. Perkins, of Pomfret, and owned by Brown & Hilton, EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 309 Anson, Me. The live weight of the animal was 132 pounds, and the fleece was 28.4 per cent of the live weight. The ram yielding the fleece holding the highest per cent to the live weight was of Vermont blood and owned by S. Jewett, Independence, Mo. He weighed 100 pounds and gave a fleece of 36 pounds 4 ounces, or 36.2 per cent of the live weight. Of the 36 rams of this class 19 sheared 30 pounds and over. Twenty-eight rams, two years old, sheared 867 pounds, an average per head of 28 pounds 14 ounces, and an average per cent of fleece to carcass on those given of 25 per cent. The heaviest fleece was 39 pounds from a ram bred by J. J. Crane, of Bridport, Vt., and owned by 8. G. Crites, New Philadelphia, Ohio. The highest per cent of fleece to live weight was reached by aram weighing 81 pounds8 ounces, who gave 26 pounds of wool, or 31.9 per cent. Twenty yearling rams sheared 410 pounds 5 ounces, an average of 20 pounds 8 ounces, and an average per cent of fleece to carcass on those given of 22.5. The greatest weight of fleece was 26.4 from aram of Vermont blood, bred and owned in Missouri. Fifty-four ewes, two years old and over, sheared 1,064 pounds 9 ounces, an average of 19 pounds 11 ounces, and an average per cent of fleece to carcass of 26. The greatest fleece weighed 25 pounds, shorn from an ewe of Atwood blood, owned in Missouri. The Vermont Register for 1887 shows a continued improvement. Notwithstanding the severe and discouraging depression for wool- growers and sheep breeders, well calculated to check improvement and stimulation, Vermont breeders generally kept up their flocks and aimed at a higher standard. The weights of 1882 were excelled. Of 52 rams three years old and over, bred in Vermont, shearing 30 pounds or more, 4 exceeded the highest weight of 1882, 1 reaching 39 pounds; 35 of the best sheared 1,221 pounds 13 ounces, averaging 34 pounds 14 ounces, or 3 pounds 13 ounces more on the average than those shorn in 1882, In the class of rams two years old, 29 bred in Vermont sheared 837 pounds 12 ounces, averaging 28 pounds 10 ounces, or 2 pounds 6 ounces more than the average of the best 29 of 1882. In 1882 forty-six ewes, bred in Vermont, averaged 19 pounds 6 ounces. A like number in 1887 sheared 980 pounds 8 ounces, averaging 21 pounds 5 ounces, or a gain of only 1 ounce less than 2 pounds each. The shearing of 4 ewes and 3 rams of the flock of I’. & L. E. Moore, Addison County, Vt., in 1884, in addition to weight of carcass and fleece, gives length of fiber and staple: Length of | Length of Sex. Age. | Carcass. | Fleece. fiber. staple. Years. | Pounds. | Pounds. Inches. Inches. 78.1 19.1 3h 25 2| 69.12| 16.6 38 oR 1 57.8 15. 14 3h 28 1 57 17.2 43 oF 3) 132.8 29.7 3h 23 2| 105.4 28.1 3h 24 1 81 20.3 3h oF 310 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES The Vermont Register for 1892 gives 17 rams, three years old and over, whose fleeces exceeded 30 pounds each. These, as will appear from the accompanying table, were not all Vermont-bred sheep, but de- scended from Vermont stock. Breeder. Age. eon Fleece. | Growth. Years. |Pounds.| Lbs. ozs.| Days: II. C. Burwell & Son, Bridport, Vt -.......-0-. 22.2 eee cece ee eee 3 115 37 3 358 DO inissciscarsarerege jars! otorsrarmiaieis aie rasetens sts So gral RE SNRIGERGER SIRE 3 182 39 365 E.N. Bissell, East Shoreham, Vt-. - a 3 171 31 364 D.B. Galusha, Williamstown, Mass............2.2--2.-.22.+200-5 3 98 32 9 360 S. B: dames, Hoosick, NY -wjeiic 2 see ceinnais cmsisinwinies secisiniieweesies 4 180 41 8].......... T.F. & C. P, McConnell, Ripon, Wis. -- es 6 209 33 369 C.P. Morrison & Son, Addison, Vt. 3 115 81 384 V. Rich, Richville, Vt............-. 6 161 35 364 E. E. Stickney, East Shoreham, Vt - 3 135 31 365 J.T. Stickney, Shoreham, Vt .... 4 138 30 10 365 D0 wrererainjnrarciz Aereiataca's stare ays els RatenERENe ae Ue NS eee ea 3 172 32 353 G. H. Smith, Addison, Vt........... zens onsets 3 144 31 13 375 L. E. Shattuck, Stanberry, Mo a 4 202 38 8 365 Uriah Wood, Brandon, wi 3 181 30 369 DO erisitivrae sence mieeseicieaisa 3 160 30 8 369 F.C. Wood, Saline, Mich. . a 3 130 32 364 MD O™ ssc jaisrssmiale foi into ciormoreinis estiacrarateyofetactate reiatolnratar bara enetatabasietercheranarai 3 170 30 364 Among the fleeces from rams two years old was one shorn at the annual shearing of the Vermont Sheep Shearing Association, from a ram bred by Byron Smith, of Addison, Vt., that sheared 44 pounds 3 ounces, this being 7 pounds 14 ounces heavier than any recorded in the Vermont Register, and, as far as authentically reported, the heaviest fleece taken from a ram two years old. Among the ewe fleeces recorded was one from an ewe bred by H. C. Burwen & Son, of Bridport, Vt., now owned by E. D. King, of Burlington, Kans., that sheared 32 pounds 8 ounces, being 4 pounds 4 ounces heavier than any ewe’s fleece heretofore re- corded, and the heaviest ewe’s fleece yet reported. The improvement in the per cent of wool to live weight since the introduction of the Merino into Vermont is wonderful. In 1812 the best rams produced but about 6 per cent; down to 1844 it had increased to 15 per cent, and in 1865 to 21 per cent. From this date the increase was rapid to 22, 24, 30, and even 36 per cent. There were forwarded from Vermont to the Paris Exposition in 1878 67 fleeces selected for fine style and quality of wool, as well as weight of fleece. The per cent of wool to live weight for the whole number was 22; of the best 30, 25.2; of the best 6, 30.1; of the best 1, 36.6. Twenty-one of the 67 were rams, 46 were ewes. At a public sheep-shearing at Middle- bury in April, 1882, 11 stock rams averaged 23 per cent; 14 two-year old rams, 23.4; 10 one-year old rams, 20.3; 7 two-year old ewes, 25.6; 12 one-year old ewes, 26.3. The whole 54 averaged 23.3. The gain is not as good in whole flocks, but the proportion of wool has been nearly or quite trebled. At the annual State shearing of Vermont for 1885 there was a slight retrogression, which is thus alluded to by Mr. Albert Chapman: “It will be remarked that there is a falling off in the weights attained by rams and ewes one year old, a very good indication that our breeders EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 311 are becoming convinced that the forcing system to attain large size and heavy fleeces the first year is neither desirable nor profitable, and the gains in the mature sheep show that slower development tends to much better and larger improvements in the end.” A table of averages by classes for 1882 and 1885, showing the gains or improvements in three years in all the classes except yearling rams, is here given: Weight, Weights,|| ... 1882. 1885. || Gains. Rams 3 years old and over: Lbs. oz. || Rams 3 years old and over: Lbs. oz. |} Lbs. oz. 14, all averaged..............-. 27 «6 22, all averaged............--- 30 9 3 3 14 best, averaged .. xt SEG 14 best, averaged gou| 32 JA 5 8 FIGAVIOSD cnuwccawnnumncawnaiwnd 35 10 Heaviest .....-...--...-+22-++ 38 13 3 3 : 13, mina 30 pounds or over, sity 5 ‘ averaged .....-..-.---.-0-+ 0 3, Seen 30 pounds or over, 32 «9 3 best, averaged - ---| 87 14 55 BOO Sas Seabees 1 beat best previ record.....- 2 Rams 2 years old: Rams 2 years old: 16, all averaged................ 23 12 28, all averaged 26 11 2 15 16 best, averaged .. ---| 28 12 16 best, averaged ..........--.| 28 15 5 3 Heaviest ....-.--...-..-..----- 29 «8 Heaviest ......-......---0.06- 36 8 1 sheared 28 pounds or over...| 29 3 10, ee 28 pounds or over, averaged .......-.-...------ 29 14 11 Rams 1 year old: Rams 1 year old: Loss. 17 7 17, all averaged.....--.....-.. 17 17 7 15 best, averaged .. ---| 17 6 24 «6 Heaviest 20 6 4 2, phearine 20 pounds or over, 22 «5 averaged ....-.------.---.-- 20 «5 2 Ewes, 2 years old and over Gains. 14, all averaged.... 17:=«4 84, all averaged... 18 1 13 14 best, averaged 17°«4 14 best, averaged. 21 6 4 1 Heaviest ...... areata 21 5 Heaviest --| 23 8 2 3 12, shearing 20 pounds or over, AVELALO «cco ee essence se 21 9 9 2, arpa ie 20 pounds or over, 2 best, averaged ... 22 12 2 averaged ...........--------- 20 12 50 best, averaged ......-....-- 19 4 7 beat best previous Vermont record. Ewes 1 year old: Ewes 1 year old: 15, all averaged.... 13 °«5 16, all averaged.............-.| 13 10 5 15 best, averaged : 5 15 best, averaged sexe gel 13) 11 6 Heaviest .....-.... ae 8 Heaviest assis wesc. shen 15 8 Mr. Chapman, who presents this table in the third volume of the Register of the Vermont Merino Sheep Breeders’ Association, remarks that the falling off in weight of fleece and highest average should not be attributed to any lack of real excellence in the young rains shorn in 1885, nor should it be judged from this result that those shorn would not ultimately shear as heavy or even heavier fleeces than those shorn the first year, but the cause must be found in the fact that too many valuable young rams have been lost, or improvement stopped in them individually by excessive forcing for a heavy fleece at 1 year old; a practice, however, which is now less fashionable among our breeders than it was a few years ago. But heavy fleeces do not always indicate a large product of wool such as is used at the card, the percentage of cleansed wool being sometimes ridiculously small and the shrinkage very great. The results of cleans- ing some Vermont and Michigan wools are shown in the following table, prepared for the Vermont Register. They were cleansed between 1882 and 1887, and the numbers attached to the sires refer to the number as given to the stock rams in that Register: SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 312 G9 ‘FE gg “g9 Ee Ph. |Rersses es Gly (Sip. [Soe Seert eae SA SSN SRR RAS IR EN | BEBE ER HITS ATE ORIN EAC AE DS eH Ses ale RSM RRS RT 9}es0182 8 8E 69°19 6 9 89T "Saad G 98 98 ¥8 ‘69 0 9 998 8 9t }0 09 Be eee (LOFT) 8h WOpTOyS "W | SS ROOMY, iy PTE Pees TTA ‘eure ‘poo “VV 8G "GE 8L°L9 rob 08g 8 3 0 8 ¢ (gg) eur UeA Ory |i t stone Tory ‘oaryres ‘poo, “WV |" TICMUIOD 7894 ‘109800 AA “DT 0S "6 0¢ ‘09 Ir L LS L 60 |0 #8 Ge) eee oerees (Tap) zayTEg AA HE |” 777 OUTTA MONE TONIC AA “AA “A OL “GP 0g "LG 8 ob OLE 6 LT 0 $6 & ~ (¢8%) pe YOM SES) cfr eee UWOSIPPY ‘UWS "HD 08 “ee 0L°L9 g¢ 9 89g 8 6I 0 ¢9 Sz “auyyty vould UOSIPPV ‘WOS F UOsILIOW ‘dO 6L FF Te "¢¢ & 6 Gog 9 03 0 eb rd ~- (Z0ST) Jopuyploy WOT ‘OurlEg ‘Poo “WW | yrodpizg ‘ouwsg "gO Ore 8S "9G &I 9 Lge II st |0 28 z “(geg) OTOL WBA diay [ort sr ttt ueuldeyD “V ~- Ainqoppug ‘weudeqD “vw OF "LE 09 ‘29 POL T9€ 9 61 8 88 z "7°" (801) COT ‘TeMINg "OD "H A (N‘ortrasaeq, ‘TOUT “fT “- grodprag * Teaang "9 “A OF 88 09 ‘T9 or 9 T9s y LT 0 2% Gel Pre (ceq) OTULM UBA Cry frosts ttre TPSSIG NO | WeYyeLOYS Ie TSstd “NW “SAME 60 '%E L6‘L9 §. igy seeerrsess OL. Pig. [Rats [acini | Rate neinestsccs SERS Reineieasa pairs Reiie seg asleep aesssksesihetie sce SIGNI | Siesersisneraisele Sins Ses RSeass [eq0T, *SUIUL 6G OF ‘TS $989 Go 1G PERSE Ore 0 6% 0 8IT rd ~" (18) 628 “MP ‘O |** ** AmqorppLy ‘MOSUIELTEAL 2% OUIqIEND |" ""*"" AanqeTpPun * (PICEA “CV L9 CE 68 'L9 g 8 gce L & 0 &sIT ¢ -7" (app) TeTAUE} HED, * AOUYONS “HT WRYeLOYS seq Souyorys ‘aa LL'88 £219 1 6 98 9) 88 [30 “eek ig | RSSG sakes eer (pgp) Toyorg “WORT A “mB YOIOYS Feva WONT “A PL Se 92 ‘99 el 6 BOE IT 68 0 LOT z a 777" (F09T) 902498 TEM. +77 DIBYITOYY ‘AOUWOyS 7 e100 + WB TOLOYS ‘OLOOM A "TL 29 “AL Tg "SB 6P FL o£ FOE Gg 13 0 LOT z ) opt ‘AOUMONS WLP [itt u174NO "VO “WUvYeLOYS FSV suyynO vo 86 "SE SL 'F9 & OL BLE tI 8% 0 LOL z 3 WOU ‘Wyuepsd x ‘ygMg “aL | wnt qaod pig, euBdp ‘dO 06 "Ts OL ‘89 0 6 998 G 8% 0 801 z 5 “7 "(Lug) gg ‘eyomngy o77 7 SUIPIM “WNGOO wy WMoIg |-- ses Sut UMOTg ‘OD “H TL "9% 68'eh | L 4 | ¥98 0 82 | 8 ssl |e |i777777 (ses) ePIUrAA UeA dry “£mge[PPHA ‘See C “WV “£8 “A 'O *- WIBYOIOYS ‘PIVYON “VY “A OL "ee $899 9 8 998 b oS 0 T&T id ““"BLOMO 2 UNUTe |=" -~ WRYILONS ‘S1OMOT 2 Unde *quao dag |*qua0 wag | ‘20 "sq ‘20 "8QT | ‘20 ‘8qT ‘SNYa 2 “Too 3 *JOOM ane pesuvelo | ‘YPMOI | ‘0904 JO] “QUSIOM |, 4 - “sIapood pesuea[y | -_uLIAg jo ‘ seq | aqstem | art osV OTS STOUMO jo Ssorppe voIyo-ysod pus ouTe NT FySto AA *sa0aayf painoos fo 2)QV], EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 313 These results are considered as very gratifying to Vermont breeders, as showing a large per cent of clean wool and a correspondingly small shrinkage from the unwashed fleeces in most of them. Some ot them are remarkable in that respect, notably those of C. P. Crane, Bridport, Albert Chapman, of Middlebury, and G. H. Smith, of Addison, cleans- ing respectively 44.79, 43.42, and 42.7 per cent. All were ewes. All the fleeces were cleansed by manufacturers and were as thoroughly done as they practice with the wool they usually manufacture into cloth fit for their cards. The great advantage of this wool after being cleansed, in consequence of its superior strength of staple and elasticity in comparison with the weaker staple of Australian wool, that shrinks so much more in the processes of manufacturing after the wool has passed through the cleansing process, was manifest in these fleeces and is becoming better appreciated by the manufacturers.* Along with the improvement in the fleece has followed an increase in the size of the sheep, an increase of 15 to 25 per cent, and with it an im- provement in their build, appearance, and beauty, accompanied with greater vigor of constitution. When the Spanish Merinos were first taken into the State, rams weighed from 100 to 110 pounds and ewes from 70 to 75 pounds. These weights have been increased on an aver- age slightly exceeding 20 per cent, in some cases 30 and 40 per cent. It has been found that the small sheep, with equal length and thickness of fleece, on account of greater proportionate surface, will produce the largest per cent of wool, and the tendency a few years ago was to sacrifice size to per cent of fleece. It was found that some small sheep were yielding a larger per cent of wool than their size and constitution would warrant their sustaining. Consequently breeders began to gradually increase their size, a feat which it was believed could be ac- complished without sacrificing any of the good qualities already attained. It is not believed that Vermont will ever be able to produce large Merinos. The conditions are unfavorable to this. It is found, how- ever, that when Vermont Merinos, after reaching mature age, are taken to any section of the United States outside of New England they will increase in size. This is claimed by sheep-breeders in all States South and West and admitted by Vermont breeders. While Vermont can produce a stocky, thick-set carcass, the South and West produce more length of body and legs, a more raugy and larger sheep. The same causes may produce the difference that is observed in the build of men raised in different sections of the country. Finally, as to size, the Ver- mont breeders prefer a medium-sized sheep, with a round, deep body, short, thick neck, broad, straight back, square buttock, straight from tail to the hoof, length from nose to tail 3 to 3 feet 8 inches, height to top of shoulder five-eighths of length, depth of body from two and one- half to four times the length of leg. The soil and climate favor the production of this build of Merino.t * Register of the Vermont Merino Sheep Breeders’ Association, Vol. II. t Henry Lane, in Vermont Agricultural Report, 1881-82. 314 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES There has been and is yet much criticism directed against the Ver- mont Merino, or rather against the system of breeding, on account of the oil in the fleece and the folds or wrinkles in the skin. Vermont breeders are ready to answer such criticism by asserting their belief that a profitable fleece can not be raised without a large amount of oil, and that folds are indications of heavy fleeces. The per cent of oil, however, is no greater than it was years ago, and no breeder has ever been able to produce a heavy cleansed fleece without it. It promotes the growth of wool, and those who have tried to dispense with or materially reduce it have met with a serious loss of wool and a deteri- oration of strength, fineness, and evenness of fleece. A deficiency of oil causes the staple to be dry, harsh, and weak, and the tendency will be to gradually become thin and coarse. Breeders who have attempted to breed smooth sheep with wool free from oil have not only failed in weight of fleece, but have also failed in quantity and quality of cleansed wool. Wool owes much of its softness and brilliancy to the presence of a sufficiency of oil. Albert Chapman, the secretary of the Vermont Association, contrib- uted to the National Live Stock Journal a defense of the oil in the fleece, asserting that, while it is not desirable to run a flock too much to oil at the expense of the amount of cleansed wool, but given the large amount of cleansed wool already attained, it is very important that stock rams should be quite oily, even though their extra heavy fleeces should not represent a corresponding amount of scoured wool. It is a well-recognized fact with those breeders who have attracted the widest notice by the improvement accomplished in their flocks, that rams with dry, bulky fleeces are rarely good, even stock-getters, though their fleeces may shrink but little in the scouring tub; that those with a larger amount of oil will, as a rule, give us more even, excellent stock than those of the other class. This oil is characteristic of the breed of Merino sheep, and is of great value to preserve the health and strength of fiber while the fleece is growing. Though it may cause a greater loss in the scouring tub, when properly cleansed the wool is stronger and more valuable than the product from drier and lighter fleeces. A very important fact, which should not be lost sight of when considering this subject, is that the larger number of flocks, especially where the largest flocks of sheep are kept, are very deficient in the proper and desirable amount of oil to best preserve the health and strength of fiber, and if a few flocks possess an amount in excess of the most desirable quantity, stock from them is needed and should be in demand to impart a portion of that excess to those that are de- ficient. Mr. Chapman closes his defense of the oil in these words: If those who fear we are breeding too much grease in the fleeces of our full-blood Merinos will take the trouble to investigate the effects of the cross of these very oily rams upon the flocks of dry-fleeced sheep in all parts of our country, especially on EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 315 those of Texas, Colorado. Kansas, and New Mexico, they will find the great improve- ments there effected in all of the qualities which make the fleeces valuable to the ~ manufacturer, will be quite sufficient to convince them that we have no reasonable grounds to fear we are breeding too much oil in the fleeces of our pure-bred flocks of Merino sheep. in which the stock rams to improve those of the larger wool-growing flocks must be produced. As to the wrinkles or folds, their development over the whole car- cass is encouraged, as they are indicative of heavy fleeces. But some breeders carry them to excess. It is a fact that the heavy fleeces are the product of wrinkly sheep. But within the last year there has been achange. The folds are thicker, but not quite as large, with less coarse wool on them, the coarse hair on the wrinkles and thighs in the best bred flocks having measurably disappeared. The prevailing fashion is to have from “three to five heavy folds on the neck, not large on the upper side, but large on the under side; two or three short folds on and immediately back of each elbow or arm; fine, thick wrinkles running down the sides, but not extending over the back. Wrinkles across the hips, some times from the tail in the direction of the stifle, and some times at right angles with them, fold also around the tail to give ita wide appearance, and also folds across the thigh with a deep flank. These folds, except on the neck, unless too large, do not show when a year’s growth of wool is on the sheep. These folds are what please the eye of a breeder of taste.” The gentleman from whom we quote—an accomplished breeder—asserted his firm belief that “any breeder who attempts to breed from a ram without wrinkles and a certain amount of oil will fail to realize any improvement in the wool-producing capacity of his flock.” The pedigree committee of the Vermont Merino Sheep-Breeders’ Association in the first volume of the Register, say: If we admit that our best flocks of Merinos have oil and wrinkles in excess of the wants of the practical wool grower for his wool-bearing sheep as a class, we con- tend that we are not breeding altogether with a view of wool-growing in Vermont, but our most profitable product is blood that will produce improvements in the wool-bearing capacities of flocks in localities where it is hard to keep them up to the most profitable standard. Hence it is for our best interest, as it is for theirs, that we shall be able to furnish them with sheep having these qualities in a very marked degree, and greatly in excess of what may, perhaps, be their ideal. The same committee in the third volume of the Vermont Register (1887) held the same view and reported: In regard to the amount of oil and of folds or wrinkles that breeders are so gen- erally advised to discard, the committee believe that the natural amount of these peculiar to the Merino breed of sheep can not be dispensed with without a tendency to a thinner, lighter fleece, with a staple of less strength and health, and ultimately less profitable to both the producer and manufacturer. It is the general testimony of Vermont breeders that the increased weight of the Merino fleeces is due largely to the increased thickness of the fleece, or in other words, to the greater number of fibers on the same surface of pelt. There are no records of the actual thickness of 316 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES the average Merino fleece of fifty years ago by which that improve- ment can be measured, but it is evident in a marked degree. From measurements made with great care and unchallenged accuracy in 1878, it was ascertained that 1 square inch of surface of a pelt of a nice fleeced Merino ram contained 230,000 fibers. The pelt was at least one yard square, consequently contained 300,000,000 fibers, a number almost too vast to comprehend, but supposing each fiber to measure 24 inches in length and placed end to end, they would extend about 12,000 miles, or nearly half way round the globe. And this thickness is capable of still greater development, for the open spaces bear a large proportion to the space occupied; comparable, as has been stated, to the open space in thick-timbered woodland to that upon which the trees stand. These close, thick fleeces are not only profitable, but are necessary in cold climates such as Vermont and our northern tier of States. Dr. Cutting’s investigation also disclosed the fact that in fineness and evenness of wool the improvement was nearly equal to that made in other directions. English measurements showed that the size of Merino fibers was one seven-hundredth of an inch, and super-electa Saxon wool (which is the finest in the fleece) was one eight hundred and fortieth of aninch. Dr. Cutting’s measurements are those as given in the Vermont Register, volume 1: . Size of Size of . Age of| Weight | Live | staple in | Staple No. Variety of sheep. sheep. | of fleece. | weight. | millime- i trans ‘ ters, {tions of an inch. RAMS, Lbs. oz.| Pounds. BB gw mn ccna in ean alin mri 3 31 0 108 0215 rive 2 5 é 0235, i080 3 4 0255 ae 4 38 027 pin 5 |. 2 |. 027 pis 6 |. 5}. 0275 oat 7. t O24 yoke 8 5 0285 stt 9 2 024 Rs 10 1 018 Breed Average rams Highest or finest ... ae Lowest, or coarsest. str 1 025 ti 12 ‘ id a af) ae 14 |. 015 oe 15 |. 021 ae 16 |. 0205 | Taye 17 |. 0265 | "ahs 18 0245 ae 19 021 iid 20 "004 i Ee 21 “021 ay 22 02 al 23 0145 | et 1 24 ot) | 0225 | adhe Average Merino ewes ...........-.2--.-226 ray ANOS tot arate areratercreranncscncictctoluh erawtetya ieee perenne. lanier “7 ‘ r2bu CORTSON bison uzecnpemccare yarns mcuseamemenaemctt letecnqice) anes ryt OB Average of both rams and ewes ...........2--.0--/...00..0).002 2c ee elee cele i oe | abs EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 317 Subsequently Mr. Chapman procured samples of the finest Silesian wool, one from a ram and one from a ewe. These, with samples from a Merino ram and ewe, were placed iu the hands of Prof. William MecMuttrie, of the U. 8S. Department of Agriculture, who after careful measurement reported the results in fractions of an inch: Silesian ram, average of 120 measurements .............--..-.---- ras0 Improved Merino ram, average of 120 measurements ........--.... tirs Silesian ewe, average of 120 measurements.......-...-..-22...---- tals Improved Merino ewe, average of 120 measurements ....-..----.-- riz Each lock of the four had twenty-five crimps to the inch. As the Silesian sheep are generally considered as among the very finest in point of wool the close rivalry speaks volumes for the Vermont Merino. There has also been an improvement in the evenness and strength of the fiber. It was not many years ago that the outer end of the wool fiber was coarser than the rest of the fleece. Now this defect is bred out and the fiber has a uniform thickness throughout, and there is also a greater uniformity of fleece from all parts of the body even to the wool on the folds or wrinkles. The length of staple of the sheep shown by George Campbell at Hamburg in 1863, was from 34 to 28 inches. The average length of staple of the Vermont fleeces taken to the Paris Exposition in 1878 was 34 inches. Some of them measured 44 inches. At asheep-shearing at Middlebury, Vt., in 1882, 5of the sheep shorn measured in length 3 inches ; 17, 34 inches; 10, 34 inches; 9, 33 inches; 2, 4 inches; 1, 44 inches; 2, 44 inches, and 2, 42 inches. The 48 averaged a little over 34 inches. The average increase in length of staple during half a century of im- provement is estimated at not less than 35 per cent. Length of staple, however, is not compatible with weight and thick- ness of fleece, and it has been found that few of the rains or ewes yield- ing the heaviest fleeces have astaple of more than average length. The ram that has furnished the very heaviest fleece published is reported as growing the shortest staple of any of the heavy shearing rams recorded. The Vermont breeders do not encourage length of staple, believing that increased length is obtained at the expense of weight of fleece by a diminution of its thickness, and while not recommending breeding for a shorter staple they express an opinion that great weight of fleece can not be attained by breeding for excessive length of staple, and that breeding from rams of medium length and great density will increase the weight of fleece much faster than breeding from rams of longer staple but thinner wool. There was, at first, a breeding toward diversity in the flocks, but the tendency now is to uniformity, most breeders differing but little as to the most desirable type and points of excellence. All breed heavy fleeces, uniform and of fine quality, and a vigorous constitution. There is that about the soil and climate of Vermont that seems pecul- iarly favorable to the growth and rearing of Merino sheep, or, as happily 318 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES expressed on one occasion by the late Dr. George B. Loring, “her hills are the natural seed-bed of the Merino.” But certain sections are more favorable than others for their perfect growth, and Addison County, the leading Merino sheep county in the State, with her more than twenty towns, has but 6 or 8 peculiarly adapted to their perfect de- velopment; and it is remarked that it is sometimes the case that the locality that has all the conditions for the production of a superior breed may all be taken in with the naked eye from the top of some central hill. There is a subtle influence of climate and soil on wool which it is im- portant to know, and which can not be disregarded by those who desire to make a success of wool-growing. It has been observed that if a flock of New England Merinos be divided into four and one part placed east of the Connecticut River, at Walpole, N. H., another on the west side of the river, in Vermont, another on the western border of Vermont, and the fourth on the eastern border of New Hampshire, within three or four years there will be such a difference in the quality of the wool that an expert on being informed that the four kinds of wool were from these different points would be able to locate it, and tell which grewin each place. The introduction of the Merino into Vermont was for the purpose of wool-growing and the improvement of the common sheep. Now the breeding of the sheep is the principal pursuit, wool-growing being an accompaniment. In 1815 there were many full-blood flocks, and others of high grade, and their wool was generally worked up in the woolen factories recently established. By 1820 some had disappeared, but many still remained, some of them full-blood, which in 1825 or 1826 were crossed with the Saxon Merino. When the Saxons were intro- duced they were generally crossed with the Spanish Merino and their grades, and some pure-blood Saxon flocks were started. A few years’ experience demonstrated the fact that they were not adapted to the rigorous climate and system of sheep husbandry of the State; they were discarded and a return was made to the Spanish Merino. But meanwhile they had inflicted a grievous injury by ruining nearly all the old flocks. Very few had escaped the cross and these were mostly small ones. Consequently many persons sold out their fine sheep and grades, abandoned wool growing altogether, and turned their attention to breed- ing mutton sheep. O20 wo During this year 17 Merino fleeces were scoured. Before scouring they averaged each 16.89 pounds of wool. When scoured they aver- aged 5.61, showing a loss of 65.5 per cent. This was a heavier shrink- age than shown in New York, Michigan, and Indiana wools. Thecom- parison can be made by reference to this table: Scoured State. Fleeces. | Average. wool, 10 12. 40 4.70 14 12. 63 4,61 62.7 10 11.1 3.14 65.3 17 16, 89 5. 61 65.5 At the Ohio State Fair of 1866 prizes were given for the best fleece of wool. There were six entries, and the weight of fleece as sheared and then scoured are given: No. of Fleeces as entry. Name and sex. sheared. Scoured. Loss. Lbs. oz. Lbs. oz.) Lbs. oz. 1 | Thomas Aston, Elyria, ewe ......2....000cce+ceeeweceeseeees 11 5 7 5 0 2 | Thomas Aston, Elyria,ram ...-... 13 13 9 4 4 9 ; J. oe coe Zanesville, ram. 15 1, 4 0 ll Eee 1) ORR ee a as echt 15. 2 4 12 10 5 5 | I. F. Joy, Delaware, ram ......... 10 Be 7 9 3 : 6 | T.F. Joy, Delaware,ewe ......2. 2.00222 eee eee ence eee eee 7 14 4 15 2 15 Mr. Buckingham’s fleeces were Merinos; those of Messrs. Aston and Joy were long-wool, the former being Cotswold and the latter Leicester. The premium was awarded to Mr. Aston for the best ram and ewe fleece. The Ohio State shearing for 1866 took place at Wellington. Thirty. four ram fleeces averaged 1315 pounds; the weight of carcass averaged 98 pounds. The heaviest fleece was 2215 pounds from a 4-year-old 116 pounds sheep. Twenty-nine ewes whose average weight per head was 61 pounds sheared 94 pounds. Atthe Licking County shearing, May 17, 1866, five entries were made of 3-year-old rams. One fleece was not weighed. The four that were weighed turned the scales at 224,144, 263, and 19} pounds—an average EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 555 of 20} pounds. Three 2-year-old rams averaged 182 pounds, and 3 yearling rams 13 pounds. Spanish ewes at 3 years old gave 15 and 83 pounds; 2 years old 10, 11, and 123 pounds, and yearlings from 73 to 15 pounds, the average of 8 being 103 pounds. At the Wyandot County exhibition 74 sheep were on the ground, but only 34 were shorn. Four yearling rams, whose averdge weight was 82 pounds, sheared 12$ pounds of wool each. Five 2 years old and over, whose average weight was 1064 pounds, sheared 1814 pounds each. Ten yearling ewes averaged 58;% pounds of carcass and 10 pounds 32 ounces of wool. Fifteen ewes 2 years old and over averaged 76 pounds to the carcass and 11 pounds 142 ounces of wool. The general average of the 34 sheep was 763 pounds of carcass and 12 pounds 8, ounces of wool. The Geauga County shearing took place May 23. The Merinos receiv- ing the premiums are presented in this table: Weight.| Fleece. The yearling ewes receiving premiums weighed 483, 544, and 53 pounds and gave fleeces of 742, 812, and 742 pounds. The 2-years-old ewes weighed 634, 554, and 702 pounds and their fleeces 11, 9, 1034; pounds. Shearings were also held in the counties of Seneca, Portage, Lake, Lucas, Wood, Morrow, Clarke, Media, Warren, Cuyahoga, Huron, Ashtabula, Columbiana, Ashland, Trumbull, and Tuscarawas, and all bore witness to a great improvement in the Ohio Merinos. It was observed also that the climate and food of Ohio being different from that of Vermont caused a gradual change in the fleece—producing apti- tude of the Merinos brought from Vermont. Less knowledge of the laws of breeding, feeding, and less shelter caused the descendants of the Vermont sheep to fall below the original standard, except in some few cases where the Vermont practice was intelligently and closely followed. But a new era had dawned on Ohio sheep husbandry. The number of sheep increased from 1862 to 1868, but their value declined from $3.50 per head in 1865 to $1.90 per head in 1868. There were causes for this in the falling off in the demand for wool after the close of the war, and the substitution of the coarse-wooled mutton sheep for the fine-wooled Merino. This change began in 1862 and 1863. Previous to this the longest and most lustrous combing wool grown in the coun- try was used for the manufacture of carpets, and was compelled to 556 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES compete in the markets with the low priced foreign wools. The demand for coarse army woolens and the introduction of machinery for the man- ufacture of long wools into all the fabrics made from them in England, and the deficiency of these wools in our own markets, caused the prices of them to rule high and encouraged the wool-grower to discard his Merino and adopt the long-wooled as the most profitable sheep. The movement in that direction was emphasized by the action of some prominent members of the Wool-growers’ Association, who called attention to the fact in 1866 that not more than 1,000,000 pounds of first-class combing wool was annually produced in the United States, while more than 10,000,000 pounds were used, and twice the amount manufactured was imported in the form of worsted goods. There was also suggested the propriety of changing from growing wool to raising mutton, not with the understanding that fine-wool sheep-growing was to be entirely abandoned, but every flockmaster who was properly sit- uated should dispose of some of his fine wools and replace with long- wools or mutton sheep. The suggestion was followed where it was not anticipated. In 1865 and 1866 there was scarcely a county in Ohio that could not lay claim to the possession of a $1,000 Merinoram. But wool fell from $1 to 60 cents and so on down to 40 cents in 1867, and a great change came over the sheep husbandry of the State and the whole country. Many Western farmers and wool-growers gave up wool-raising and sent their sheep to be slaughtered for pelts and tallow. In Ohio many slaughtering establishments were put up with a capacity for 20,000 to 50,000 sheep, and thousands of good Merinos were sold them at $1 to $2 per head that had ready sale twelve months before at ten times the amount. They even sold as low as 60 cents; their pelts were removed, their carcasses thrown into rendering vats, aud the refuse fed to the hogs. The slaughter continued, and during the autumn of 1867 and early winter of 1868 many more thousands were disposed of for their pelts alone and their carcasses thrown to the hogs. Referring to this disposition of so many sheep a paper of February, 1869, remarked: . It seemed at the time a great waste of sheep life, but when we recollect that there was scarcely a single flock with Vermont blood in it that was not at the same time affected with foot-rot, we may be glad to know that there are thousands if not mil- lions less to disseminate this plague. In 1868 the number of sheep in the State was 7,688,845, nearly all Merinos of various grades. The great depression in wool and its fabrics still continued, and thousands of sheep went to the rendering establish- ments, and during the year there was a reduction in the number of nearly 20 per cent, and in 1869 of nearly 25 per cent, being 4,928,635 in 1870 against 7,688,845 in 1868. Every one seemed ready to abandon sheep. Huge flocks were undergoing depletion and many flock-owners were crossing their Merino ewes by long-wooled rams to engage in growing combing wool instead of the carding and cloth wool. Particularly was this the case in the vicinity of the cities of Cleveland, Toledo Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati, where Southdowns and Leicesters ais well a8 Cotswolds and their crosses, mostly imported from Canada, were bred more especi- ally for mutton than wool. Still, of the less than 5,000,000 sheep in 1870 the Merinos EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 557 were largely in the majority, but from the failure to breed them for three years back there were but few ewes under 4 years old, a state of things which, if continued much longer, would cause the final extinction of the fine-wooled sheep. But the summer of 1871 brought a revival in the wool market just in time to check the general disposition to discard the Merino altogether in favor of long-wooled sheep. The wool-growers of Ohio are an intelligent and influential body of men, and have among them some astute politicians. In the depressed condition of their industry they were not slow in divining the cause— in fact they had anticipated it. For a long series of years the tariff system of the country had been in the interest of the manufacturer and not that of the producer and consumer. The woolen manufacturer had protection on his manufactured goods, but the wool-grower had none against the cheap wools of Asia, Europe, and South America. In 1861 a duty of 5 per cent ad valorem was placed on all wools costing less than 18 cents per pound at place of export. This duty was less than 1 cent a pound upon Mestiza or Buenos Ayres wools. Thewarof 1861~65, with the resulting scarcity of cotton, vastly increased the use of wool in the North and stimulated its production. Theincrease of production was not confined to the North, but extended in other portions of the world. Under our nominal tariff duties the influx of foreign wools into the country was greatly increased. The annual imports of the Mestiza wools of Buenos Ayres increased from less than 6,000,000 pounds in 1862 to over 17,000,000 pounds in 1868 and 24,000,000 pounds in 1864. In 1866 the importation from Buenos Ayres was 36,915,794 pounds. In 1862 we imported about 4,500,000 pounds of wool from Africa; in 1864 the importation was over 16,000,000 pounds. Before the year 1861 these wools had averaged at place of export but 13 cents per pound, and the highest average of cost of the Buenos Ayres wools was in 1864, when it was 15.1 cents per pound. Thus when these wools were 15 cents at Buenos Ayres they could be delivered at New York or Phila- delphia, all freight charges and tariff paid, at about 21 cents a pound. But there were some disadvantages in the use of this wool. It was imported in the dirt, often filled with burrs, and, owing to the weakness: of its fiber, lost much in the processes of manufacture; so that 2 pounds as imported made only as much as 1,, pounds of American clothing wool in average condition. When putin the same condition with the American wool it cost the manufacturer about 38 cents a pound, Let the cost of wool in the United States markets be compared with this. From 1827 to 1861 the average price was 50.3 cents per pound for fine, 42.8 cents for medium, and 35.5 cents for coarse, The fineand medium qualities, corresponding to Buenos Ayres or Mestiza wools, averaged 464 cents, In 1864 a wool and woolen tariff was framed which imposed a duty of 3 cents a pound on wools costing 12 cents and under at place of export, and 6 cents per pound on those costing more than 12 cents and not exceeding 24 cents. This tariff would not bring the price of imported wools up to the average American wool by at least 2 cents a pound 558 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES even when honestly administered. But it was not honestly adminis- tered, or, perhaps, to speak more properly, fraudulent practices brought most of the wool in under the 3-cent duty, when it should have paid 6 cents. This, of course, was a great gain to the manufacturer, but of no benefit to the farmer. It was the first time since 1828 that duties were put on manufactured wool over and above the amount of protec- tion required by the manufacturer, sufficient to compensate for the duty upon the raw material. The total amount of imports of raw wool from 1861 to 1864, both years inclusive, is shown in this table: Pounds. TMUSBY cist co pee e scales eo eee, Ho hae ete eae sae 31, 638, 533 A860 eile Slee scereee Gee eos teatro ae an va eane 43, 698, 138 AM A868 eaeeise oe 2d 2 be remnc et mie 2 2 eee ers ad eee eee tates 74, 412, 878 | EripiL:1 17 age nei nee ee Caen BRAILLE Rey ee eee te 91, 026, 639 Notwithstanding this large importation of wool, three times as much in 1864 as it was in 1861, and a continued large importation of manu- factured woolens, the number of sheep and the product of wool increased very rapidly, sheep advanced in price and everything looked prosperous: From 1861 to 1865 Ohio fleeced wool averaged at New York, in currency 664 cents per pound, 23.64 cents higher than the average of the thirty- five preceding years. The large importations of raw wool did not dis- turb the wool-grower whose receipts were so bountiful, and the increas- ing demand for wool, and the flourishing condition and rapid extension of manufactures excited his mind to a degree beyond any former period. It was believed that the consumption of wool would be permanent, and that woolen goods would supersede those of cotton. There were others who looked further into the future. These were perfectly aware that wool had practically no protection, but anticipated that the war debt would demand for years an amount of revenue whieh would, under the adopted theory of discrimination, insure the speedy and adequate pro- tection of wool. Nowhere was the mania for fine-wool growing so prev- alent as in Ohio, and nowhere are wool-growers so mercurial and prone to run from one extreme to the other. The Ohio growers saw, when peace was about to come upon the war- ring sections, that the great demand for wool would measurably cease, and that with the overproduction of our manufactories and heavy im- portations of raw wool under a low tariff, wool-growing would receive a deadly blow. They joined in a movement looking to the union of the wool-grower and the woolen manufacturer in the demand for a tariff that would protect both interests. The result was a convention of the wool-growers and the wool manufacturers at Syracuse, N. Y., December 13, 1865. One of the prominent members of the convention, in a report some years later, says of it: The convention of 1865 is memorable among other things for the conflicting senti- ment in the woolen industry which preceded and was the cause for invoking it. A difference of opinion, amounting to actual hostility between the two interests sup- EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 559 plying and manipulating the raw material of our woolen-mills, had been gaining strength for fifty years, and had assumed the phase of sectional animosity between the East and West. On the one hand, the West, representing the wool-growing interest, exaggerated the profits of the Eastern manufacturers; claimed that it bore without compensation the burdens of the duties which promoted their profits; ig- nored the fact that the specific duties on foreign goods competing with our own were put the equivalents for duties on the raw material which the wool-grower received ; and demanded the miscalled equality, so obnoxious to the manufacturing interest, under the horizontal tariff of 1846. The manufacturers, on the other hand, repre- senting a growing sentiment in the East, were becoming more and more disposed to look abroad for the chief supply of raw material. They were not unwilling to avail themselves of such commercial practices as would diminish the duties intended to be given for the protection of the American wool-grower, and were inclined to advo- cate the British policy of free trade in raw material, including wool, as the wisest system of protection to manufacturers. They overlooked the fact, which they have since acknowledged with returning magnanimity, that it has been the experience of all nations that the domestic supply of raw material has been the first and always chief dependence of its manufacturers. They failed also to consider that, while aim- ing at the largest and cheapest supply of foreign wool, they would render American sheep husbandry unprofitable, and inevitably destroy domestic production, thus reducing themselves to a sole dependence upon sources liable to be cut off by foreign wars or political revolutions. The inevitable result of such diverging views must have been perpetual strife and legislative action, which, favoring each interest exclu- sively, as its influence might preponderate, must alternately ruin both. From this explanation of the old differences which formerly distracted the woolen industry, it can hardly be doubted that the disaffection toward the prevailing policy, exhibited by alimited number of the older manufacturers and wool-growers, is but the expres- sion of the traditional hostility in which they were nurtured. The convention of 1865 is chiefly memorable for its influence in reconciling this disastrous feud. This influence was the result of the simplest means—nothing more than bringing for the first time, face to face, the interests which had been prejudiced and hostile only because they misunderstood each other. A conference of but a day between the rival interests was sufficient to establish a basis of adjustment. This pasis was the recognition of mutuality of interest, and a right to equality of protec- tion. The principles upon which harmony might be established were expressed in the resolutions unanimously adopted by the convention, which have an historical value as the first joint expression of the two branches of the wool industry of the country. They are as follows: Resolved, That the mutuality of the interests of the wool producers and wool manu- facturers of the United States is established by the closest of commercial bonds, that of demand and supply; it having been demonstrated that the American grower sup- plies more than 70 per cent of all the wool consumed by American mills, and, with equal encouragement, would soon supply all which is properly adapted to production here; and, further, it is confirmed by the experience of halfa century that the periods of prosperity and depression in the two branches of woolen industry have been identical in time and induced by the same general causes. Resolved, That as the two branches of agricultural and manufacturing industry represented by the woolen interest involve largely the labor of the country, whose productiveness is the basis of national prosperity, sound policy requires such legis- lative action as shall place them on an equal footing, and give them equal encourage- ment and protection in competing with the accumulated capital and low wages of other countries. Upon this as a basis the committees appointed by the two interests after many conferences agreed upon the draft of a bill proposing the duties on wool and woolens, which was substantially adopted in the tariff law of 1867. In these conferences if 560 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES was conceded by the wool-growers that this business could not flourish unless the manufacturers were fully established and sustained; that capitalists would not invest adequate sums in buildings and materials without good prospects of profit and permanency in the business; that without permanency the needful skill and experi- ence in the operatives could not be maintained; that, taking into view the price of labor in Europe and the price of wool here, the manufacture of wovlens could not be established here in competition, unless some favor on public ground could be accorded to the manufacturer, and both parties insisted that the importance of the industry in every point of view, besides its magnitude, made claim for favorable legislation valid. It was shown by ample proof that wool could not be grown here unless the manufacturers of wool could be permanently established; and that the consumption of woolens could never reach the adequate figure of $10 per head of the increasing population, unless wool-growing and the manufacture of wool both take their place among the established and successful industries of the country. The manufacturers claimed that, until similar wools shall be supplied at home, a considerable proportion of the fine but inferior and very cheap wools of South Africa and other countries would be required to give variety, special qualities, and cheapness to certain descriptions of their woolen goods; but did not resist the claim of the wool-growers to have such a duty imposed on these wools as would encourage their growth, and in time supply their place, at least in part, by home-grown wool. The manufacturers, on their part, claimed as these cheap wools entered English ports free of duty, and as the cost of labor entering into the production of woolen goods in Europe was less than half the rates paid in this country, that such duties should be asked of our Government as would place them in fair competition with foregn manufacturers in our own market. The lesson learned by the wool-grower was that his market for wool was at home, and that in securing a duty upon his wool he must make some compensation to the manufacturer. The aim of the framers of the tariff of 1867 was, ‘‘while protecting the wool-grower, to place the manufacturer in the same position as if his raw mate- rials were free of duty. For this end a careful calculation was made of the sum which would be paid by the manufacturers for the duties on the wool, drugs, dye- stuffs, and other materials for each pound or square yard of fabric made by him, and a specific duty per pound or square yard was placed upon corresponding foreign fabrics. The specific duty on the foreign fabric was intended to exactly neutralize the duty imposed on the raw material. To this specific duty an ad valorem duty was added for revenue and the protection of the manufacturers. By the theory of the tariff, the only protection which the manufacturer received is this ad valorem duty. And it was intended that his protection should be equal to the full amount of fhe ad valorem duty. But the protective effect of the ad valorem duty is partially modified by the duties on other materials used in manufacturing processes, and by local taxes from which our foreign rivals are exempt, as well as by undervaluation of imported goods, The wool was classified into three kinds—clothing, combing, and car- pet and other similar wools. Clothing wool costing less than 32 cents per pound was charged with a duty of 10 cents per pound and 1 per cent ad valorem; if valued over 32 cents per pound, the duty was 12 cents and 10 per cent ad valorem. The same rates were applied to combing wools, hair of the alpaca, goat, or other like animals. On car- pet wools and other similar wools, valued at 12 cents or less per pound, the duty was fixed at 3 cents a pound, and 6 cents if the value was over 12 cents a pound. Sheepskins and Angora goatskins, raw or unmanufactured, imported with the wool on, washed or unwashed, 30 per cent ad valorem, EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 561 The woolen tariff act was passed March 3, 1867, and great results were promised and anticipated. There was a slight increase in the num- ber of Ohio sheep for 1868, but a fall in their value of 30 per cent, and from 1867 to 1877, a period of ten years, the number of sheep declined one-half, from 7,555,507 in 1867 to 3,724,040 in 1877. Ohio fleece wool declined from 1866 to 1871 as follows: Year Fine | Medium | Coarse: o wool. wool. se Average. Cents. Cents. Cents. Cents. 6 : i 63 53k 61.16 57R 503 464 51.57 48 46 404 44.75 49 49 414 48.41 47h 464 44 46.08 5B 54 584 54.08 The decline from 1866 to the summer of 1871 is attributed to over- production in our own country, the immense quantity of woolen goods thrown upon the markets at the close of the civil war, and excessive importations from abroad. The tariff bill failed to pass in the session of 1865-1866, and in anticipation of its passage the ensuing session, 71,000,000 pounds of wool, and woolens of the value of $57,115,000— almost equaling the entire imports of the four preceding years—were imported under the existing low duties. It was not until 1871 that there was a revival. It took the intervening time to work off the ex- cessive stock of 1865 and 1866. In 1872 Ohio wool averaged 694 cents a pound. Itis the belief of the Ohio wool-growers that the tariff of 1867 saved the woolen industry of the whole country from destruction, and that the revival of 1871 was just in time to save Ohio flocks. But the prospective protection on wool in 1865 and 1866 and the passage of the act of 1867 led to the extension of wool-growing beyond the Mis- sissippi on lands costing little or nothing, and the competition on these new fields was more severe than with foreign countries, and the imme- diate result was the removal of many flocks from the high-priced lands of Ohio and a steady diminution in the number of sheep until 1577, Number of | oe | Number of Year sheep. | Seats | sheep. 7, 688, B45 4, 596, 864 6, 272, 640 4, 333, 868 r| 4,928, 635 4, 100, 288 4, 302, 904 3, 854, 528 4, 464, 898 3, 724, 040 Ohio fleece wool touched its highest price in 1872, and then steadily declined until 1880, when it made a slight recovery and again declined. The market prices froin January, 1871, to December, 1890, are shown in the following table: 2299036 562 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES Prices of fine, medium, and coarse washed clothing Ohio fleece wool in the Eastern markets for the months of January, -tpril, July, and October of each year from 1571 to 1890, inclusive. January. April. July. October. Year. 5 ‘ , + . Medi- . Medi- . Medi- . ‘Medi Fine. aia Coarse. | Fine.\" iy. Coarse.| Fine. |i Coarse.| Fine. Gin Coarse. “ |Cents.|Cents., Cents. |Cents. Cents., Cents. |Cents. Cents. Cents. |Cents. Cents.) Cents. . 47 46 43 50 52 47 62 60 55 63 62 58 70 72 66 80 80 76 72 70 65 66 60 57 70 68 65 56 53 48 50 48 44 54 53 47 53 54 47 56 56 AT 53 53 46 64 54 47 55 56 47 54 52 46 52 49 46 48 50 42 48 52 42 46 49 40 38 35 31 45 40 33 46 43 36 45 40 33 50 44 37 48 44 36 44 45 38 40 43 35 36 36 32 35 37 32 34 35 32 34 34 31 37 38 34 4] 43 38 50 55 48 55 60 52 46 48 42 46 48 42 47 49 43 40 dd 37 42 44 36 43 46 36 44 46 47 42 45 84 42 45 34 42 45 34 40 43 33 44 44 37 39 41 33 39 40 34 40 40 34 38 38 34 35 34 30 35 34 30 34 33 29 32 32 28 32 31 28 33 35 32 35 36 32 33 34 30 33 33 29 35 38 34 33 38 34 33 37 33 34 37 34 32 36 34 31 35 33 31 34 33 29 33 31 31 34 31 B4 38 33 33 37 31 35 39 32 33 387 31 33 37 29 33 36 29 33 37 29 33 37 31 With the revival in prices in 1871~’72 came also publications of sheep- shearings and yield of fleeces. In 1871 Messrs. E. J. Hiatt & Co., of Morgan County, sheared 15 rams and 30 ewes of 6604 pounds of wool. Fifteen rams sheared 234 pounds, an average of 15%; pounds, unwashed wool. Twenty-three ewes sheared 322 pounds, an average of 14 pounds, unwashed wool. Seven ewes sheared 1043 pounds, an average of 141% pounds, unwashed wool. In 1872 the same parties sheared 20 rams and 60 ewes of 1,080 pounds of wool. The heaviest ram fleece was 244 pounds, the heaviest ewe fleece 213 pounds. The ram fleeces generally ran from 15 to 18 pounds and the ewe fleeces from12 to 17 pounds, Three rams showed an aver- age weight of carcass of 154 pounds each, and 17 ewes averaged 120} pounds each. The Hiatt Brothers, Chester Hill, Morgan County, laid the founda- tion of their flock in 1868, by the purchase of 4 ewes from J. T. and V. Rich; 4ewes of W. R. Sanford, and 3 ewes from ©. D. Lane, all of Ver- mont. Theram Old Grant, bred by Milo J. Ellsworth, Middlebury, Vt., was firstused. This ram was a descendant of the Humphreys, Cock, and Jarvis flocks. There were subsequent purchases of rams and ewes bred by the Messrs. Hammond, E. S. Stowell, F. D. Barton, and others, of the same blood, including 1 ram bred by W. R. Sanford, 1 bred by E. S. Stowell, and 1 bred by S. G. Holyoke. Rams of their own breeding were also used. In April, 1876, this flock consisted of 60 ewes and 21 rams, descendants of and bred to combine the blood of the Cock, Jarvis, and Humyhreys flocks, and of 14 ewes and 9 rams pure Humphreys sheep as bred by Atwood and Hammond. In 1875, Jacob H. Keller’s flock was shorn and 50 ewes yielded a total of 740}% pounds, an average of 1412 pounds each. The heaviest fleece EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 563 was 183 pounds, and the uniformity of the weights in the entire lot was very remarkable, the variation from the average being very slight.. Mr. J. H. Keller’s flock was laid in purchases of ewes from the estate of his father, Eli Keller, who had one of the best flocks of Licking County. At this time it consisted of 40 ewes and 9 rams, pure Atwood blood, and 27 ewes and 6 rams descendants of and bred to combine the blood of the Humphreys, Cock, and Jarvis flocks. Shearings in various parts of the State from 1871 to 1875 showed a marked advance on those from 1861 to 1865 in the weight of fleece, but the interest was a languishing one after prices of wool again declined in 1873, and there was a disposition to abandon the fine-wool sheep and raise the mutton sheep. From 1868 to 1872 a large number of flocks of good Merino sheep were allowed to run down by breeding to rams of unknown and inferior blood, and from 1873 there was a crossing with the long-wool rams, and in 1875 and 1876 there was a perceptible decline of pure-blood Merino flocks throughout the State, particularly in the southern and western parts and near the cities on the lakes. Many of the lake townships have almost ceased to raise sheep. The long-wools have fleeces too open and thin for the sudden and severe changes of the winters, and do not thrive in flocks of any considerable number. Nor are they needed to any large extent to supply the demand for combing wool, which was formerly in great demand. The improved machinery of the day combs a shorter staple than formerly. Wool 2} to 8 inches long can now be combed with ease, and there are many breeders in Ohio, West Virginia, and Washington County, Pa., as shown in preceding pages, that now grow fleeces from unhoused Merinos with a length of wool from 24 to 4inches. The Black-Tops produce a staple 4 to 5 inches long. The great change in the sheep husbandry of the State is attributed to the low prices of wool since 1872, Merino flocks are not now as large, and the mutton sheep have been more looked to, and in general have proven to be the most profitable. Fine Leicesters, Lincolns, Cotswolds, Oxfords, Hampshires, Southdowns, and Shropshires have found their way into all parts of the State, and are increasing, while the Merinos are decreasing. In 1865 90 per cent of the sheep of the State were Merinos and their grades, while in 1886 but 524 per cent were Merinos, and the remainder Shropshires, Oxfords, Cotswolds, and other mingled blood. The proportion of each is shown as follows: Per cent. 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8 19409 9000, eS *wodtaoseq *penurju0p—OOZVAVIVY LY ONIYVAHS AO CHOON ‘ponutyu0j—'oj9 ‘uounioossp suapaaig-doayy ourwayy unbryoryy ayz fo worigryxa Ourmays oRuuy Ypog EAST OF TIE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 625 The shearing at Saline for 1891 showed several rains that exceeded a fleece of 30 pounds and ewes that exceeded 18 pounds. Theage, weight of sheep, weight of fleece, and length of staple are here given: RAMS. Weight of | Weight of | Length of Age. sheep. fleece. staple. 7 Pounds. Lbs. Oz.) Inches. S156 Fear s7O lhe. cicipcajyass alerts ania de cst de tomcemencee semana 161 35 2h "Bhreoyearsiol drs cweisisisceecimanseeeemepewanceus sows eaeeaeeniet? 130 32 24 BU is. bes einai a Decent tbs A la 4 ans is ay atbiow Miah 164 30 2s POUT VOATS OL erncs cers tee tect ciieicisiciasaicio ciclnis cael sated auslelsslaials tieleine alah 181 36 4 2 Three years old 163 32 Qh Six years old. 171 34 3 Three years old 180 32 2 EWES. OUP YO APS OU 6 wyaraicserereiraieionererneinieleiaiosia teeters mois Bae leraers ciaencrewieta es 123 28 24 Six years old.. 2 105 24 2k Four years old 102 20 2 Three years old . 108 2p) 24 WOO wi-.ni5:-2 9.8) Boe 90 24 4 2 Two years O]d....... 2.0.2 22sec e cece renee ec cee nent cence ener eeeerees 105 20 12 STO Sd acter tysps evasive Aan Ne Ae oel Side acho curios cierto taaneeiars 92 20 2h Three years old. - 106 22 8 ‘Two years old 101 20 23 DO soe 105 20 28 One year old 98 20 24 Two years old. oie 86 19 4 2s Be Ce | ae ee ee ee ee eee eee ee 96 19 24 With the exception of three, all these fleeces were less than 365 days’ growth, many of them were 364 days. Most of the sheep belonged to the Wood flocks, and N. A. Wood, in a communication to the Michigan Farmer, claimed that the shearing demonstrated that he had the “ most heavy cwe fleeces of any flock in the United States of America.” He cites the fact that few, if any, were more than a year’s growth, and— The 62 sheared at the Saline public shearing were shorn there the last year one day later, so were less thana year. I have 22 that sheared 440 pounds; lightest 174 pounds; heaviest, 28 pounds. Ten of these sheared 225 pounds; an average of 22} pounds. The four heaviest were sheared at Saline, except one (she being heavy in lamb I could not take her) and cut 100} pounds, an average of 25 pounds 3 ounces. All but three of the 22 ewes have had lambs (mostly in March, 1891), and nearly all are raising their lambs. The three that I mentioned were 2-year-olds and have not bred. The improvement of the Merino sheep in Michigan attests the adap- tation of the soil, climateand herbage to them and the skill of the Mich- igan breeders. A comparison with the early Merinos of the country will show the improvement. In 1883 six fleeces of Michigan sheep (stock rams), whose average live weight was 1174 pounds, realized 4954, pounds scoured wool, or an average of 84; pounds per fleece. The least was 7 pounds, the heaviest 9 pounds 24 ounces. Compared with Chan- cellor Livingston’s sheep about 1810, their unwashed fleeces averaged 712 pounds, the best one at fourteen months 95%; pounds. The average live weight of the Livingston sheep was 125 pounds. The per cent of 22990-—_40 626 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES scoured wool of the Michigan fleece was 7.5, or a larger per cent of scoured wool than was shorn of unwashed wool from the Livingston fleeces. At the annual meeting of the Michigan Merino Sheep Breeders’ Asso- ciation in 1884, anew member from the north woods inquired the stand- ard weight of a Merino sheep. His question was greeted with a general laugh, but no one attempted to answer it. At the next annual meeting the subject was discussed, but no two breeders had precisely the same opinion either as to weight, form, fleece, and general characteristics. One desired a very large, heavy boned, well covered, heavy shearmg, plainly formed sheep. Another,a short-legged, heavy folded, short necked, thick fleeced, heavy shearing sheep. Still another preferred a sheep differing from either of those described. One breeder wanted in his flock a long fine fleece of white wool, and wethers that would bring the highest market price for mutton. Another cared more for weight of fleece and less for color, mutton, and other points. After some dis- cussion two experienced breeders were designated who should sever- ally present the ideal Michigan Merino ram and ewe at a future meeting. At the meeting in 1886 Mr. William Ball, who had been assigned to present the ideal Merino stock ram, said that in weight he should be from 140 to 160 pounds, in medium fleece, and that from considerable experience and long observation in carefully considering the produce of many flocks for a series of years in Vermont and elsewhere, he had found the best results to follow where rams of the above weight were used, other qualities being also good. In his judgment too many breed- ers were striving to secure large rams because the western demand seemed to be for such sheep. This was well enough for the West, where the sheep were bought and sold, but of doubtful expediency in the more eastern longitudes where thoroughbred Merinos were bred. The reason was found in the well-known law of sheep-breeding, that— Early maturity, easily fattening qualities, are produced by proper selections, care- ful handling, and generous feeding. It is also true that with this early growth and maturity, and easily fattening tendency, comes the converse, a tendency to premature decay; well enough in the mntton breeds of sheep, but extremely dangerous in breed- ing the long-lived Merino, which should shear a good heavy fleece of good wool and breed a lamb for a good inany years in succession. One of the strongest traits of the Merino breed as it should be is its longevity, with the capability of procreation and wool-bearing, and if we would successfully perpetuate this noble animal we must not lose sight of the intention of its originators. Changes to be lasting should necessarily be made slowly and with an idea of strengthening and perpetuating the good qualities of the Merino, rather than to satisfy or cater to the varying demands of fickle fashion and western trade. This is the description of Mr. Ball’s ideal ram: The form of the ram should be such as would denote a good constitution and plenty of vigor. He should stand firmly and squarely on a good strong boned, well covered, shortish set of legs, well set apart both forward and behind. The body should be EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 627 neither very long nor very short, but between the two extremes. It should be broad and straight behind, well let down, with a broad tail, with good hip folds and a deep flank. His back should be broad, especially over the loins and short between thecouplings. His chest deep and broad, his shoulders not too flat. His body should have plenty of folds, extending from the center of the belly (which should be covered with a thick, long staple of wool) to the middle of the body and still higher as they approach towards either end of the animal. The fleece should be of even quality, strong, not coarse in fiber, and well set over the entire body, with a sufficient amount of oil to avoid anything like the appearance of dryness or harshness. Upon the body and shoulders of the above-described ram should be placed « short, deep neck, with heavy folds, and dewlap, covered with plenty of good wool, carrying and supporting a finely formed, heavily covered, masculine head. The horns should be of fine texture, of moderate size, good shape, and as near the head as safety and good looks would warrant. The ears should be thick, free from stain, of velvety touch and appearance, and well covered with wool. The nose should be short, thick, free from stain, and free from anything like coarse hair, especially that resembling the coarser breeds. In short, he should be so formed that he combines strength, longevity, vigor, masculinity, vitality and beauty. Allof these traits should be prominent and easily discovered by the eye and the touch. Mr. D. P. Dewey, in discussing the proper weight and form of the Merino ewe, observed that had the Merino but one mission to fill it would be easy to picture the required sheep, but the double purpose of wool and mutton in the same sheep made many differences of opinion. A breeder who made wool and its products his principal study and aim would differ widely from another who had given more thought to the development of mutton, or from ‘another who had both about equally fortified in his ideal. When it was attempted to improve the size, form or mutton qualities of the Merinos, it could not be done by a resort to aram of the mutton breeds, but dependence must be placed on the qualities already within the flock and the more generous feeding of the stock for several generations, as well as careful selections. After these general ideas, here much condensed, Mr. Dewey said: For Michigan we want the ewes to average on the Ist day of January, in good breeding condition, 120 pounds; this will give usarange of from 100 as the smallest to 140 as the greatest weight, and from these we may produce rams for the market of from 130 to 180 pounds, and it would be well to reduce this range of sizes 10 pounds from either extreme, making them range from 140 to 170 pounds, if possible, within the flock, remembering that uniformity is a very desirable quality in a stud flock. The form of a breeding ewe was more difficult to determine, but was very important, as involving that groundwork of all improvement— constitution. First, the head should b« in proportion to the body; if the body be long the head should also be of the same character, otherwise it will look disproportionate. The legs may be an inch or two longer or shorter than these measurements, but should be of sufficient length to take exercise freely. Head measurements: Draw a line on top of the head from ear to ear in front; this should measure 54 inches; from this line to end of nose, 10 inches; width of nose, 3 inches. Body measurements: Height of ewe, 25 inches; whole length while standing in natural position, from nose to tail, 40 inches; from tail to brisket, 32 inches; leugth of fore legs from ground to 628 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES brisket, 10 inches. Fore legs, apart, inside, should be3 inches. Width through the shoulders, 11 inches; width through the thighs, 11 inches; width from hip to hip, 11 inches. These measurements taken with wool on, and wool 1} inches in length, with a body having the appearance of a straight line underside from foreleg to flank, with the folds and covering so often described, will give you a model American Merino of 130 pounds weight. A good wrinkle or two running across the nose, about 2 inches from the end, and those wrinkles running along the lower part of jaw, called cheek pieces, well wooled over, with solid blocky cap of wool an inch or two below the eyes and not too close to the same, but running out on the ear an inch or so, with a wide, thick ear, will finish up the head in good shape. The neck folds should be heavy, especially after leaving the head, as they come nearer the shoulder, and if they extend around the neck unbroken it is better than broken ones. It is not necessary to have many folds on the body, especially on the back and sides, but two back of the forelegs and two front of the hind legs, with good flank and folds extending up thigh to the setting on of the tail are almost indispensable, as well as those underside, especially one running lengthwise underside from udder to center of body, or, better, to the folds on either side of the brisket. You seldom meet with a sheep having this fold which will not shear off a good belly fleece. Then with a fold or two running around the tail, or on each side of it, you have the body finished off. The depression in the wool market after the tariff revision of 1883 was felt in Michigan, but not so severely as in some other States, and the enthusiastic breeders of that State did not as a general thing sit down and repine and sacrifice their Merino flocks, but they culled and im- proved them, and some who were favorably situated increased them. There was, on the whole, a reduction in the fine-wooled flocks which was nearly compensated for in the increase of English breeds of sheep. The immediate effect of the depression was to open the eyes of the breeder to the kind of sheep he had been raising, and to set him to thinking how he could improve his Merinos to meet a more general demand than that for the woolalone. Hisconclusion was generally to the effect that what was wanted was a larger, plainer sheep than he had been raising; ewes weighing from 100 to 120 pounds, and rams from 150 to 180 pounds, carrying less oil and wrinkle. Up to 1876 the bulk of the Merino trade was within the State, and all bred the style of sheep then in demand, a sheep of medium size, weighing from 100 to 125 pounds, heavily folded from the tip of the nose to the end of the hoof, the main thing to be desired in the fleece being the amount of oil. The best sheep of those days were so heavily wrinkled that it was almost impossible for a ewe to nurse her lamb, or, as expressed by Mr. A. A. Wood, “for a ram to do service without the aid of two men and a platform.” These heavily folded, short-legged, greasy, heavy-shearing sheep found favor with the best breeders, and were immediately the most successful prize winners at the fairs. At the annual meeting of the Michigan Sheep-Breeders’ and Wool-Growers’ Association, held at Lansing in 1886, Mr. A. A. Wood said substantially that while none could deny that these wrinkly, greasy shecp had done a vast amount of good to the flocks of Michigan, and when the people wanted them the breeders were all glad to furnish them, the question then presented itself whether they had not gone far enough in that direction. EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 629 While these small sheep had done well enough in the small flocks of Michigan, where they were housed and well cared for, whenever they were used in the large flocks of the West, they almost invariably proved ‘“‘a miserable failure, their heavy necks and fleeces preventing them from keeping up with the flock when turned on the range to graze, and rendering it almost impossible for them to do service; consequently they have failed to give satisfaction to their purchasers, who do not care to buy the same style of sheep again at any price.” The conclusion at which Mr. Wood arrived was that while the wrinkly, heavy sheep which the Michigan breeders had been growing for ten years and more, had undeniably added many pounds to the annual wool clip of the State, they had done almost nothing toward improving the sheep as far as mutton was concerned. In the raising of sheep it must be adinitted that those sheep are most profitable that give the greatest amount of wool and mutton combined, not wool alone, for in those large wool-growing States evidently the best markets for the Michigan Merino mutton was quite as important a consideration as the wool, and as the price of wool declined the price of mutton had advanced. From the experience of recent years it was apparent that the Michigan breeders would be compelled, like the breeders of Vermont, to look to the West for a market for their surplus stock instead of depending upon their own State for a market. It was certain that for many reasons they could not compete with the West in raising sheep simply for wool and mutton, and as the State grew older and the cities larger the demand for dairy and garden products at good prices would call for the use of a considerable portion of the land devoted to sheep husbandry, and there would be a necessity for finding a market for Michigan sheep in those States where the raising of wool and muttom would always be one of the main industries. This had already been realized to a certain extent, but it is only within recent years that the best breeders have been obliged to sell their rams to the dealers of the West and South- west. Many look upon this business as already overdone, and an emi- nent breeder said, in 1886, that even in the West the Merino ram trade was “played out.” Every man breeding Merino sheep saved all his rams to sell, to go West, until the United States was running over with them and they were almost worthless, and could be bought by the hun- dred thousand for $1.50 each. Nearly every breeder had from 10 to 100 to sell for about half as much as wethers were worth. Under these circumstances it seemed clear to the leading breeders of Merino sheep that, as they were compelled or would be compelled to rely upon a market where wool and mutton combined shaped the indus- try, it was the best policy to breed for that market, and that it was advisable in selecting breeding stock, both sires and dams, to choose only those that were large and strong, with a vigorous constitution, and to diseard from the flocks those little, greasy, wrinkly ewes and rams for the produce of which they could find no market. 630 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES These views were generally shared by a majority of the wool-growers, and at the meeting of the Southwestern Michigan Breeders’ Associa- tion in 1887 the large, smooth sheep, with long bright wool, were com- mended. Sheep which sheared from 16 to 20 pounds to the fleece, with a 24 to 3-inch staple of fine, lustrous wool, seemed to be the ideal. The next demand was that the sheep be of a good size, for many of the flocks began to run small and lambs were difficult to raise. The demand for coarse or middle wool rams was believed to be born of the faulty breeding of the Merino, which had been bred solely for wool to the entire neglect of its capacity for mutton. The Michigan breeder of Merino sheep is strong in his conviction that there exists no breed of sheep that, for wool and mutton combined, for the general] farmer, is so profitable as that sheep when bred and fed for those purposes. He will tell you that all that is necessary is to pay less attention to fleece, to discard wrinkles and oil and breed for the mutton qualities, and he can point to many instances where this course has been pursued with much profit. This can be done by using a large, plain Merino ram, having the lambs come in March, giving good feed, using the knife on ram lambs, and producing by the 1st of April in the following year lambs weighing 100 pounds, selling at $6 per head. “ Keeping the largest and best of the ewe lambs for breeders, it would not take many years to increase the size and mutton qualities to such a degree as to astonish the natives and surprise the breeders of the coarse-wooled breeds.” This is the language of the president of the Michigan Merino Association in 1888, and he said, in addition: Unless some event shall occur which we can not now foresee, the time, in my opin- ion, is not far off when the majority of our Merino flocks, through discouragement and lack of care in keeping and breeding, will cease to be worthy of the name. Already a large number have dropped out of the register, which argues a want of confidence in the future. Neglect them for two or three years and they will, for all practical purposes, be grades. Let us call a halt and change our hand a little. If we can not compete with other lands in raising wool we can in mutton; but there is no need to go outside of the Merino for that change. No man can do a more foolish thing than to cross with what is called the mutton breeds. Your first cross will do well enough to sell as lambs, but you gain nothing even then. A large Merino lamb will give as good, if not better, results with same care and less feed, while you can improve your breeding stock at the same time. In the other case you raise three or four crops of lambs and sell them off, so you have nothing to breed from. Uniformity of breeding in certain lines and for certain purposes is absolutely necessary to secure uniform results, and therefore success. That mutton will con- tinue to grow in favor with the American people is proven by the increasing demand and increasing consumption of this easily-digested and most healthful of meats, while the cost of production per pound is even less than that of beef or pork. Another reason why producing mutton will pay is that there is no other means withiw reach by which we can keep up and increase the fertility of our farms so easily and so effectually as by keeping all the sheep we can keep well, for the better we feed them the more valuable the fertilizers produced by them. This will apply to all kinds of stock as well. Before the action of the breeders’ association there had been efforts “ EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 631 by breeders of the Merino sheep towards the mutton type which have been crowned with a fair degree of success, especially as to size, feed- ing qualities, early maturity and mutton forms, and the indications were promising that wethers could be produced equaling the South- down in form, weighing 150 to 175 pounds at 2 years, covered with fleeces 34 to 44 inches long, cleaning 8 pounds of wool. Looking to a Merino sheep of this kind, some breeders and farmers have turned their attention to the Delaine sheep of eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania, and many of these have been introduced into the State. There are others who look to the French Merinos, which have the most enthusiastic admirers who are pushing the breed into prominence from the long obscurity in which it has lain. When the French Merinos were introduced into the United States, from 1840 to 1860, the rams, distributed mostly in Vermont, New York, and Michigan, were used to cross on the Spanish Merino flocks to increase the size, vigor, and constitution of the latter. So far as attaining the object desired it was entirely satisfactory, but, though greatly increasing the bulk of fleece and enhancing the value of the product for the manufacturer, it lessened the weight of fleece, especially on the short-wooled Merinos, that were so abundantly supplied with yolk as to form a black crust on the surface of the wool. A strife sprung up among some breeders to produce the greatest possible weight of fleece in proportion to the weight ot carcass, regardless of the proportion of scoured wool to the raw material. This not being the end sought by the sheep-breeders in France, the different methods did not work in har- mony. The breeders in France were steadily increasing the weight of carcass, bulk of fleece, and length and fineness of fiber with the least possible weight in scouring, while American breeders were seeking more the heaviest fleeces as the ultimate object, the weight of the animal not receiving so much attention. During the war of the rebellion—1861 to 1865—the price of wool rose to an extreme figure, and the breeders for weight of fleece only seemed to have produced the sheep most in demand, as buyers from first hands did not discriminate properly between the varieties of the different qualities of wool. As a natural result nearly all of the pure races of the French Merinos disappeared, as mutton was not considered an important factor in the breeding of Merino sheep, either during the war or the decade following.* At one time there were many of the French Merinos in Michigan, but they generally disappeared when fashion set her stamp of approval on the Vermont type of the Spanish Merino. -Among the purchasers from My. John D. Patterson, of New York, who was an extensive importer and breeder of them, was Mr. Stanton, of Oxford, Michigan, who kept his purchase absolutely pure. At Mr. Stanton’s death the stock was pur- chased from the estate by Mr. 8. Cooley, an enterprising and highly edu- eated gentleman of Oakland County, who bred them with great care and selection and made amarked improvement in them. Hon. Henry Grin- nell, of Oakland County, when traveling in France had his attention drawn to these sheep, and his admiration for them was formed by vis- iting the immense flocks of Australia, that were built up by crossing * American Rambouillet Record. 632 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES with Rambouillet rams. He determined to engage in breeding these sheep, and on his return to Michigan purehased Mr, Cooley’s entire flock at a price far exceeding the means of the average stockbreeder. Mr. Grinnell has added to the original flock from time to time by sev- eral importations from France, and has spent much money and given much attention in producing a sheep that equals the meat-producing varieties in size and weight, and also produces the greatest quantity of wool, which is characterized by fineness, beautiful crimp, and unequaled length and strength. He has selected the foods necessary to their highest development, strength of constitution, and precocity, supplied them with an abundance of pure water, and produced ewes that shear from 6 to 10 pounds and rams from 12 to 24 pounds of wool, which, when scoured, gives 50 to 55 per cent from the raw material. The humid climate of Michigan seems particularly adapted to these sheep, and they are growing in favor. They are bred by a number of the most enterprising and wealthy sheepmen of the State, who, desiring to pre- serve the purity of the race and advance the interests of the breed, have organized the American Rambouillet Sheep Association and established a flock record. The Rambouillet Association was organized in March, 1890, and the issue of the flock record published in 1891 carried the names of thirty- six breeders and 693 registered sheep. The record lays down these characteristics of Rambouillet sheep and their wool: American Rambouillet sheep should have large frame, large, strong bone, well rounded and symmetrical bodies, well up on legs, bright pink skin, always plain and free from wrinkles. Broad head, bright eyes, quick movement, broad backs, and broad chests are indispensable. These sheep have long been noted as a mutton sheep, their fine, juicy flesh having no superior. They are noted for their early maturity and quick feeding properties, being fully equal to the Down breeds in this respect. The rams are usually well horned, but not always, and weigh at maturity from 175 to 250 pounds. The ewes are noted as good mothers, heavy milkers, one- half usually producing twins. They weigh 110 to 150 pounds; wethers attain 150 to 200 pounds. Being strong, vigorous, and healthy, their impressive power is very great, and they are not liable to constitutional breakdown in service. ‘They will bear herding in large flocks, and their hardiness permits them to stand all kinds of weather without housing. Their fullness of carcass, brightness of look, length of body, vigor of carriage, and great strength make them excellent and reliable repro- ducers, and quick, healthy fecders on the range. The wool is of the finest quality, has a beautiful crimp, is usually white, sometimes of a buff color, very compact, opens in large layers, has just yolk enough to promote a rapid and vigorous growth, shows no crust formation, seldom any jar hairs, and is always noted for its length, strength, and elasticity. It is from 3 to 5 inches in length; often 64 inches for one year’s growth. Rambouillet sheep should be well wooled to the feet and to the nose. Rams shear annually from 12 to 24 pounds; ewes from 6 to 10 pounds. The wool scours 50 to 55 per cent for the manufacturer, and no other Merino wool shows so deep a staple. Some shearing records for 1890 are given. The ram Ontario of H. Grinnell’s flock, weighing 253 pounds, was shorn of 366 days’ growth of wool, weighing 24 pounds 5 ounces, 5-inch staple. The ram Golden EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 633 Hoof, weighing 227 pounds, sheared 20 pounds 15 ounces, 5-inch staple. Ten full-grown ewes from the flock of L. B. Townsend weighed an aver- age of 135 pounds and sheared an average of 8 pounds, 4-inch staple. A ram 300 days old weighed 128 pounds, sheared 114 pounds, 4-inch staple, and scoured 54percent. Ten rams, one year old from H. Higby’s flock, weighed 130 pounds, sheared 12 pounds each, 5-inch staple, while another flock produced 5 rams, one year old, weighing 135 pounds. and shearing 14 pounds each, 43-inch staple. Thomas Wyckoff had a year- ling ram that weighed 176 pounds and sheared 15 pounds, 5-inch staple. Two ewes gave an average weight of 145 pounds and sheared 8 pounds washed wool, of 44-inch staple. Four ewe lambs, one year old, weighed 110 pounds and sheared 8 pounds, 6-inch staple. The longest staple was 64 inches, from a yearling ewe whose fleece scoured 55 per cent manufacturers’ wool. For those who wish to make comparison of the Rambouillet fold of France with the Rambouillet sheep of Michigan, the following tables are given from the American Rambouillet Record: Comparison of wool of sheep of different ages. [Rambouillet fold.] Young sheep. Older sheep. Weight Weight Number and aex. Age. | Length | of sheep | Weight K Length | of sheep Weight 8©- | of staple.| after | of fleece. 8° lof staple.| after | of fleece. shearing. shearing. 1,169 rams 150 14. 0 44 2. 80 176 1413 1,547 rams. . 2. 64 144 12 6 54 2,72 184 15 110 rams ... 3. 20 166 14 0 43 3. 04 214 15 «6 266 rams ... 3. 04 124 20 «9 44 2. 64 200 18 2 62 ewes -- 2. 40 94 10 4 84 2. 20 96 14.41 133 ewes - 2.48 100 123 14 Tk 2.32 100 12 3 515 ewes - 2. 80 100 10 9 54 2.12 102 13°64 1,317 ewes 2. 28 97 ll 4 54 2. 20 100 10 0 Observations of Michigan Rambouillet sheep. [Comparison of weights and wool of sheep of different ages, 1891.] Weight . Length of; Day’s | of sheep | Weight | Length Heicht Weight | Weight staple. |growth.| after | of fleece. lof body. ov’ at birth. |of lambs. shearing. Inehes. Lbs. Oz. | Lbs. Oz, | Inches. Group of mature rams ... 4,00 9 Group of 1-year-old rams. 5. 06 Ram lambs, group 1..---- 1,61 Ram lambs, group 2 = 2. 00 Group of wethers - 38.50 Nurse ewes, group 4,50 Nurse ewes, group 4.00 Ewe lambs, group 1 - Pea) GA leer eal cease ercd tie coco Ewe lambs, group 2 .--.-- T90) ||) DB te ssseuissehsimsicecsad In addition to the French Merinos descended from importations made between 1840 and 1860, and more recent importations made from France, 634 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES there have been introduced into this country a number of the German Rambouillet sheep, a fine pair of which were presented by Baron Von Homeyer, of Pomerania, Prussia, to Messrs. Townsend, Grinnell, and Wyckoff, of Michigan, in 1890. They are of immense size and are con- sidered marvels of beauty. An illustration of them is presented. How they will thrive in Michigan remains to be seen. In Texas these German Rambouillet rams have been used for a few years to cross upon common Merino ewes. Mr. Carl Goeth, of Cypress Mills, Tex., states that while he “and everybody is satisfied that this cross is the best we can use for mutton breeds, and the yearlings are as heavy as any older sheep in the flock, yet the lightness of the fleece is objected to.” The heaviest fleece Mr. Goeth sheared from 7 Rambouillet rams he received from Germany weighed 19 pounds and the lightest 124 pounds. To obtain heavier fleeces it was proposed to use Rambouillet rams with heavy fleeces and wrinkles, and Mr. Goeth was of the firm belief that the problem how to produce a heavy sheep with heavy fleece would be solved by using these wrinkled Rambouillet rams upon the cross of the smooth Rambouillet and common Merino ewes. It was with much reluctance that some of the Michigan sheep-raisers and wool-growers abandoned fine-wool growing, gave up their pure-bred Merinos and turned their attention to the English breeds of mutton sheep, their cross on the Merinos and on each other. Wool had been so long the primary and almost wholly the object of sheep-raising that when the change was force: upon them it was like taking a fresh start and engaging ina new undertaking. This change took plave about 1883, at which time less than 10 per cent of the sheep had English blood. Near the cities the Southdowns, Leicesters, and a few of other breeds were known and appreciated, but the Cotswolds were the gen- eral stand-by throughout the State as a strictly mutton sheep and to cross on the Merinos. These sheep were also crossed on the so-called common ewes and produced lambs which sold, after weaning, without feeding, for $4 to $5 per head. The Cotswolds have declined greatly in popularity and are exceeded in numbers by the Downs, but they still have some warm admirers. They have given way to the greater popu- larity of the Shropshires. By those who believe that mutton should be the primary and wool the secondary consideration in sheep husbandry, or who seek a happy combination of both in the same sheep, the Shropshire is looked to as this double or all-purpose sheep. They are very prolific, producing often 140 to 150 per cent increase, and the lambs fatten readily at any age. The grades from common ewes shear fleeces of good wool, make large lambs, and yearlings of this class frequently weigh 200 pounds, though more generally 160 to 180 pounds. Pure Shropshire ewes from one to three years old weigh 160 to 250 pounds, according to condition, and mature rams from 175 to 300 pounds and over. They shear, accord- ing to care and generosity of feeding, fleeces weighing from 8 to 18 AMERICAN RAMBOUILLET RAM HUMBER, No. 328. AFTER ‘‘ AMERICAN RAMBOUILLET RECORD.” ea ‘ . AMERICAN RAMBOUILLET RAM ‘GOLDEN HOOF.” AFTER AMERICAN RAMBOUILLET RECORD, EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 635 pounds of what is known in the market as medium wool, commanding a good price. The fleeces lose from 25 to 40 per cent in scouring. Nine imported ewes, belonging to the flock of Mr. C. 8. Bingham, of Vernon, were sheared April 19, 1888, and gave as follows: Weight of | Days Age. carcass. | growth. Flecee. Pounds Lbs. ozs. MD OMENS! O1M ajo, srniessieicisscscseroie orcinnsinisinrd aienescsoe iain Wialeieciarenee aad erento 214 344 10 Otis Sonat ists sts 120 358 10 Severe y Cars Old accuse seccssiniarciintcioraterciciernssralctstnartonsie arena alee cepa beats 209 370 9 1B wo years (Ol dies wee sccre sos cern cep oom aee mares Baers raat ae 260 365 MW, 2 DO ecsny 248 381 14 4 One year old 156 365 12 10 Do. 161 365 18 Do. 130 365 10 3 DDO ccaentsises 1 cswcaintntsvatetaransiersiahaeaieavavaiciata Stoke amteava mialatn Wosteisiglnieta seanna aad 124 365 10 9 In 1891 L. S. Durham, of Concord, sent to the editor of the Breeders’ Gazette, Chicago, specimen locks from two of his Shropshire yearlings— ram and ewe—and reported the weight of fleeces at 182 and 154 pounds. The samples of wool were respectively 4 inches and 34 inches long, were especially strong, even in fiber, and with “luster and crimp likely to meet the requirements of the most exacting consumers of Down wool fabrics.” These sheep are being imported into the country by thousands, and Michigan takes a good share of them. She has many enthusiastic admirers of them and they are filling the rich fields with their favorite sheep. It is claimed by them that the Shropshires will maintain their high standard of excellence under our American skies and climate as well as in England, and that “no breed yet presented to the world com- bines so many good qualities and so readily adapts itself to all the varied vicissitudes of mixed farming, when general adaptation to soil, climate, and markets are duly considered, as does this breed.” That they are prolific is attested by many reports. One farmer reported 52 lambs from 35 ewes, many of them weighing 40 pounds at 6 weeks old, and not one of them requiring extra nursing. Another reports 64 lambs from 38 ewes, weighing from 30 to 48 pounds at 6 weeks old, and still another 22 lambs from 13 ewes, one of which at 6 months old weighed 163 pounds. Very few, if any, of the pure-bred Shropshires find their way to mar- ket as mutton. They are too valuable for that purpose and are kept for crossing on Merino ewes and other sheep to produce cross-bred lambs and mutton. The cross of a Shropshire ram on a Merino ewe is a prolific one, and produces a heavy lamb. Thirty-six lambs from 25 ewes, 29 lambs from 21 ewes, and many other figures in that proportion arecommon. Mr. A. L. Richardson, of Parma, communicated to the Sheep-Breeder and Wool-Grower the weight of 3 grade lambs of this cross and their gain at different periods. They were dropped after the 4th of April, 1886, 636 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES weighed December 13, 1886, were turned on grass May 14, 1886, and were not fed grain until December 1, when corn and oats were given them. The weights at different periods were as follows: December 13— Pounds. NO sds eo meuitemestenss vats s cise widen eaienaeh eine ere Siege ese sate 119 NOs Qenvincees nec eae ocbiteraeeeinenagce cee tees see sees Serene 116 NO: Sissievea. a ean deseumaeueles = o's x aces abeeedemacas vale s ee See ees 113 ANCL AGC avin sits Haw se sp eetierongees lage ss eodh eke eEeKeees 116 January 15, 1887— ING) A ceiescectansiareteie ats eivlerstece ters enioaceatle ae Rae eet 128 (gain, 9 pounds.) ING 62s Haines wesea teepstorgoteanaieereaioe donee SEIS 121 (gain, 5 pounds.) ING 2B rcrascnateavaraparca wiovench ow jaeleveictanaronantcnese Sooke oie geese 122 (gain, 9 pounds.) AN OVAGCC: 5, cresainiccnnya mals eds ame Gedenedenn cued 1233 February 15, 1887— INO ea oie ixiaitecnsercraentet ad oaoaieaumarntondyae 144 (gain, 16 pounds.) INO 22} 2422 ctcarenaeat Hoes Asc caatm wadioeenenees 140 (gain, 19 pounds.) INOW) 22 eg PAs sh nisdss cists SyacetSjoeiel Gereeuncereeere 139 (gain, 17 pounds.) Average ccuacue cess seen nas vaneacesase's axes 141 March 15, 1887— Nj Aiiec «te titeoeages cece se yee eemeaaes 158 (gain, 14 pounds.) NO 2b ainis- statedatenaitisctels ne Rae ae cneeeeedoeeee 153 (gain, 13 pounds.) ING: Shes scritacctosienn is veaw gaeedidatieen a 4 say 156 (gain, 17 pounds. ) PSVIOTA D625 ccsshadestusd soe ceca eae ate Sikes 2 1553 April 22, 1887— NOW ie sige Daideneelaneaceccaae ses cmaueaace 179 (gain, 21 pounds.) INO 2) 4 cioteist cs srclod dee sauiec se Sais aia ceeuaseaeemene s 166 (gain, 13 pounds.) INO):3} 2-03. satdgicissen cuca sied dein meetesfraweies 176 (gain, 20 pounds.) ASV OLB O i peseleteyaj cide della Sted icte anus Seacee 173% These three lambs were wethers, and they sheared 334 pounds of wool on May 1, 1887, when less than thirteen months old. Those who raise these cross-bred lambs find no trouble in making them weigh 95 to 100 pounds by February, when dropped in May, and the farmers in Ionia County and elsewhere realize more money in hand- ling them than by raising Merino lambs, as they are worth, from the time they are weaned to the first of February, from $2.50 to $6 per hun- dred. Over 5,000 of these lambs were fattened in Ionia County in one year and shipped to eastern markets. With few exceptions all the lambs in the southern and eastern part of the State in 1890 were of this class, and most of them averaged over 100 pounds and were disposed of at 6 cents per pound. L.S, Dunham, of Concord, states that 85 head of Shropshires sheared an average of 12 pounds of wool per head, and that his cross of the Shropshire ram on common fine-wool sheep pro- duced lambs that weighed 125 pounds at ten months old, and sold for 6 cents per pound, live weight, on his farm. Next to the Merinos the Shropshires now attract the greatest atten- tion of the Michigan farmers. They have proven themselves hardy, prolific, and profitable, giving quick returns in lambs, and yielding a EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 637 wool that finds a ready and remunerative market. They are the most popular of all the Downs, and the prospect is that they will maintain that popularity. For very early lambs—sometimes called hothouse lambs—the Shrop- shires are not equal to the Southdowns, and, consequently, in localities where the consumer is willing to pay a good price and there is a de- mand for choice early lambs, the Southdown maintains its position. The Hampshire Downs are represented in the State by several fine breeding flocks, and in some localities are very popular. They were first generally known about 1883, and most of the flocks have been formed since that date. Mr. J. H. Taft, of Mendon, gives his experi- ence with them, which began in the fall of 1884, by the purchase of a full-blood Hampshire Down ram lamb to cross on grade Merino ewes, which practice he has continued with success. At the time wool was low and sheep were a slow sale, hence the departure from the Merino. Having used fine-wooled rams from full-blood flocks he wanted a sheep that was in demand at paying prices. The first crop of lambs more than realized his expectations, being strong and growthy and finding ready sale when weaned. The following year he tried them as feeders, selling the last of February and obtaining an average of 126 pounds per head on his entire crop of 76 Jambs. In the winter of 1887~’8S he fed 84 head of his own raising that averaged, after they were shorn, 1134 pounds per head in the early partof March. After his experience with the grade Hampshires he made an importation of Hampshire ewes that he considered the sheep for the average farmer. They were unusu- ally large, averaged from 175 to 200 pounds, in fair flesh, and carried a compact fleece of wool. They were well suited to the climate and were hearty and inclined to lay on flesh. The Oxford Downs have many admirers, and there are several breed- ing flocks in the State. One of these at Eau Claire produced ewes in 1887 that averaged 124 pounds of wool per head on 354 days’ growth, and a stock ram sheared 15 pounds. Crossed with a high-grade Merino ewe, the result is a large carcass and a heavy fleece, the average sheep thus produced weighing, at 1 year old, from 180 to 210 pounds. The Lincolnshires are the largest sheep we have, and, in some in- stances, English breeders have forced them to a weight of nearly 400 pounds. They give a fleece weighing from 8 to 15 pounds of lus- trous wool. They require too much care to suit the ordinary Ameri- can farmer, hence are not popular. There are, however, a few flocks in Michigan and occasional importations are made from England. Messrs. G.S. Allen & Son, of Portland, have a flock that in December, 1888, averaged 209? pounds per head, and sheared 11%; pounds of un- washed wool in May following, at ten and a half months’ growth. The cross of a Lincolnshire ram on Merino ewes got lambs that weighed at 6 months old 100 pounds and over, without giving ewe or lamb any extra feed. The Lincolnshire ram Iron Duke, owned by the Messrs, Allen & Son, weighed, when 4 years old, 352 pounds. 638 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES Lincolnshire yearling wethers, shipped to Buffalo by Michigan growers, have sold for Christmas sheep for the New York city market at $13.75 per head or $7.50 per hundred. While it is very profitable +o sell the Lincoln lambs at $4 or $5 per head after weaning, it is found much more profitable to feed them for the winter market, as they take on flesh so readily. ' The experience of a farmer with a flock of about 100 cross-bred. Lincolnshire and Oxford Downs runs thus: His April lambs averaged in November not less than 110 pounds without any grain. They were then fed grain and at early shearing averaged 12 pounds of wool, which sold for 22 cents per pound. The sheep at that time averaged 140 pounds and some were sold at $4.50 each. Wethers and rams from the same flock were sold earlier than this in pairs or three at a time to the local butcher for 5 cents a pound after the wool was clipped. As these weighed about 200 pounds, the return was $10 each beside the wool, which would bring $2.50 additional. A cross of a Lincoln ram on a Shropshire ewe has been known to produce a 384-pound sheep—not yet in Michigan, however; but the fact is stated to show possibilities in that climate, which has proved so congenial to sheep of every kind and where the supply of food is so varied and abundant. There are some Dorset Horns in Michigan, and they are beginning to attract some attention on account of their fecundity and value for early lambs. The Leicesters, once quite numerous in the State, are not now so well known, although some importations are. yearly made, and the Cheviots are comparatively unknown and unnoticed. The following statement shows the number of sheep in Michigan from 1840 to 1890. The number for 1890 is given by the U. 8S. Department of Agriculture; the amount of wool for 1890 is based upon estimates made by other parties. The figures from 1840 to 1880 are those returned by the United States census: Number of acht at umber 0: weight 0 Sear. sheep. Wool. wool per head. Pounds. | Pounds. 99, 618 153, 375 1,52 746,435 | 2, 048, 283 2.73 1,271,743 | 3,960, 888 3.11 -| 1,985,906 | 8,726, 145 4,39 .| 2,189, 389 | 11, 858, 497 5.41 2, 240, 841 | 12, 989, 226 5.75 Ohio is the only State east of the Mississippi River that exceeds Michi- gan in the number of sheep, and Michigan is the only State east of the Mississippi and north of the Ohio River whose sheep increased in number from 1880 to 1890. The raising of sheep is so ingrained in the life and training of the people that it is difficult for them to turn from it, and when one system does not pay they look to another. The sheep hus- Sackett 4 Wilhelms L LINCOLN RAM. EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 639 bandry of the State is safe in the hands of its breeders of broad views, zeal, and industry. The Michigan agent of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, in his report for January, 1891, states that sheep were then considered the best stock that a Michigan farmer could keep, and gives reasons: The price of lambs, fit for feeding, has, perhaps, more to do with the advance of sheep than the price of wool. For three years past the produce of our flocks has been sold for feeding or fed by the farmer himself. The result is a depreciation of the flock, which to some extent has been kept up by the purchase from other States. This year the ewe lambs only are saved. This will of course show an increase in the future. The mutton breeds are now the most popular. WISCONSIN. Sheep were not introduced into Wisconsin prior to 1837, as before this time wolves were so numerous and destructive as to discourage it. In that year some were taken from Illinois into Walworth County, and the census of 1840 returned but 3,462 in the entire Territory. The first introduction of the Merino blood was made in 1842. In that year Lewis Clark, of Genesee County, N. Y., arrived at Beloit, with 250 ewes, selected on account of form and hardiness, from a flock of about 800, raised by himself from two purchases of Spanish and Saxon Merino, the greater part being of the former. Mr. Clark began his farming operations in Genesee County, N. Y., and about 1828 commenced to improve a flock of native sheep by the use of Spanish rams. In 1835 he purchased 200 fine sheep, being one-half of what was known as the Carter flock of Spanish Merinos, of the Humphreys blood, then owned in Livingston County, N.Y. The year following he made another pur- chase in the same county of 100 full-blood Saxony sheep. There was at that time a fine-wool fever, and the rivalry between the Saxony and Spanish Merino exceedingly sharp. Mr. Clark used rams of both breeds, and increased the size of his sheep and weight of fleece. The rams used by him later were pure-blood Spanish Merinos from Vermont. The increase from his original flock went into southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois, and had some influence in the formation and charac- ter of the flocks in that section. In 1843 David Brooks, of Livingston County, N. Y., and Curtis Haw- ley and Allen Rose, of Ontario County, prospected in northern Ilinois and southern Wisconsin to find a good location for keeping sheep. The search resulted in the arrival of Mr. Brooks and Mr. Rose, at Troy, Walworth County, Wis., in August, 1844, with 1,000 ewes driven from western and central New York. The ewes were considered good ones, and were of the Spanish and Saxon blood, the result of crossing in two breeds The flock was kept together in Troy for one year, and then let to different parties in Walworth and adjoining counties, and in north- ern Illinois. In 1844 Mr. N. B. Clapp, of New York, enamored with the beauties of the far West, which he had visited the preceding year, determined 640 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES to take a flock of sheep to Wisconsin. He purchased in Dutchess County, N. Y., some hundreds of Spanish Merinos with a strong cross of Saxon blood, considered at the time as far better than the pure Spanish Merino and costing more money. He set out with the usual outfit of a pioneer—a pair of horses, a canvas-covered wagon, blan- kets, cooking utensils, etc., accompanied by two men and two shepherd dogs to care for the sheep. Through the State of New York more were added to his flock from time to time, as he could purchase to please him, of a coarse grade of sheep, until his flock numbered over1,400. After leaving the State of New York pasturage cost nothing, his sheep feed- ing mostly on the roadside as they moved slowly along, avoiding the thickly-settled country and the towns. They arrived near Kenosha, Wis., in the fall, with no decrease in numbers and in good condition. The flock was kept together and pastured on the open prairie for some years until fencing shut them up, when they were disposed of and disseminated through the adjoining counties. All the rams used to cross on them were Spanish Merinos brought from the Hast. In a paper read before the Wisconsin Sheep-Breeders and Wool-Growers’ Association in 1885, I. J. Clapp said that within the four years preceding he had seen some. of the descendants of the same sheep that had characteristics of the Saxony remaining, although nothing but Spanish Merino rams had been used from the day that they were originally brought into the State. In 1849 Mr. J. F. Brooks, son of David Brooks, took to East Troy about 500 Merinos, nearly all ewes, principally from the flocks of Leroy & Newbold, of Livingston County, N.Y. These sheep originally came from Vermont. For some years rams were brought from western New York to cross upon this flock, and the descendants and those from the flock of the elder Brooks gave character in a large degree to many of the flocks of good sheep so often met in after years in Walworth and the adjoining counties. These first flocks were of mixed Saxony and Spanish Merino, and not until 1846 does it appear that any of the pure Spanish sheep were intro- duced into the State. In that year Mr. H. B. Burritt brought one ram and one ewe from the flock of Reed Burritt, his father, at Watkins, N. Y., to the town of Muskegon, Wis. In 1850 another ram and ewe, and in 1853 10 ewes more, were brought from the same flock, all pure-bred Spanish Merinos, descended from the original purchases made by Reed Burritt from Stephen Atwood, of Connecticut, and W. R. Sanford, of Vermont. In 1855 H. B. Burritt sold his flock te J. D. Buckett, of the same place, and in 1860 or 1861 5 ewes of the flock were sold to A. and P. Humbert, of Caldwell’s Prairie, Wis., and were the foundation of the flock now owned by them. In 1847 Steven Burrows, of Whitewater, received a pure-bred Spanish Merino ram and ewe from central New Work, and Almon Atwood, of Waupun, made an importation from the flock of Edwin Dammond, Ver. mont. About the same time W. P. Benson, of Johnstown, bronelit3 in EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 641 aram and a few ewes from the Merino flocks of Orwell and Shoreham, Vermont. C.M. Goodsell, of Geneva, was the first to introduce some very valuable sheep from the flock of S. W. Jewett, of Vermont; and Charles H. Smedley, of Hudson, imported a Tinie number of rams and some ewes of the choicest breeds from Addison County, Vt., for which he found a ready sale. There were now many flocks both ofthe Merino grades and the common kind, and a general and earnest desire for improvement. Not alone were the farmers struck with the wool- growing character of the new country, but those having flocks in New York and Peunsylvania, tempted by the cheapness of land, drove their sheep thither. In 1850, in the vicinity of Racine, there were many fine flocks of Sax- ony and ether breeds. They were said to thrive well and were very healthy. In general the great mass of sheep were grades between the common and the Saxouy and Spanish Merino. The grade sheep gave about 34 pounds of wool per head. There were a few pure Saxons and a few pure Spanish Merino flocks. One of the latter was that of Arnold Weeks, of Springfield. In 1850 Mr. Weeks sold 10 of the pure-bred Merinos which were brought from Vermont to C. K. Phelps. Those laid the foundation of a flock which ranks high in Wisconsin. In 1853 there were some French Merinos in the State, and the Span- ish Merinos were still being introduced, but not until 1855 to 1857 did any considerable number of the pure Merinos find their home in Wis- consin. Quite a proportion of the flocks recorded in the Wisconsin Merino register had their origin between 1860 and 1870. Two of ear- lier date may be noticed. In 1857 Charles M. Clark, of Whitewater, commenced a flock by a purchase of ewes and lambs that had been bred by Ebenezer Porter from Atwood stock purchased of Ward M. Lincoln. The ewes were taken from Rutland, Vt., to Wisconsin, by Mr. Porter in 1856. The lambs were sired by Young Matchless, a ram bred by A. J. Wooster, West Cornwall, Vt., from a ewe purchased of Edwin Hammond and sired by one of ltei stock rams, In 1811 William Pomeroy, of Rutland, Vt. , bought of William Jar- vis, on shipboard in Boston Harbor, some Spanish Merino ewes of the Negretti strain. In 1814 a Mr. Eastman bought of Mr. Pomeroy his ewe lambs, which he continued to breed in-and-in with a Negretti ram, except the cross of one ram, which he hired one year of William Jarvis, until 1829, when they were given into the hands of his two sons, when they purchased some Montarcos of J. Allen, imported originally by him October 20,1810. From that time the two families were bred together. .A part of this flock was taken to Wisconsin in 1863 or 1864 by L. Eastman, and bred until 1871, when the entire flock was sold to I. J. Clapp, Kenosha, Wis. It then sheared an average of nearly 14 pounds of wool, including a fleece of 175 pounds from a yearling ewe. In 1858 Perry Craig, of Caldwell’s Prairie, commenced a pure-blood 22990——41 642 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES Merino flock by a purchase: from B. J. Williams, of Whitewater, of 3 ewes from the flock of John D. Patterson, of Westfield, N. Y. The price for the 3 ewes was $100. At the same time he purchased from Mr. Williams a ram with one-seventh cross of French, but the stock proving unsatisfactory, the ram and his get were sold for store sheep. In 1864 he purchased of Paul Hastings, Geneva, 6 ewe lambs. Those ewes were all bred to pure-bred Spanish Merino rams. In 1870 the flock numbered 30 ewes. Subsequent additions were made by pur- chases from S. B. Lusk and P. H. McMillan, of New York. Meanwhile some of the English breeds of sheep were introduced, into the State, many from Canada, some from the older Western States, and a few from England direct. In 1845, T. J. Carmichael imported 3 rams and 6 ewes of the white-faced Cheviot breed for his farm at Lake Mills, Jefferson County. These sheep were large and very fine, the fleeces quite as heavy, and the wool nearly as long as the Leicester. The rams were bought of the flock of James Oliver, Bothwick Bray, and the ewes from that of Charles Scott, of Roxburghshire. In 1854 Capt. McKinnon imported from England about a dozen head of sheep of the most improved varieties. There were other importations made, but the great interest remained with the Spanish Merino. The early importations of the grade Merino sheep and the pure- bloods proved so successful, they acclimated so readily, and cost so little to keep, that flocks were rapidly multiplied. Great pains were taken to improve them, for which the best rams were brought from New York and Vermont, and the business became a growing and profitable one. From 3,462 sheep in 1840 they increased to over 26,000 in 1844, and to 124,896 in 1850. Most of these were mixed breeds, but there were some flocks of full-bloods which were found profitable. The sheep brought from Vermont were found to increase in size at least one-third, while the wool increased equally in weight and quality. A brief sketch of some of the breeding flocks established between 1860 and 1870 will be given. In view of the fact that the greater part of the flocks of pure Spanish Merinos in the State were commenced by the purchase of Vermont and New York bred sheep, it is unnecessary to give a detailed history of them; all that is essential is to make the connection, and the detailed history can be consulted in the chapters treating of the parent flocks. In 1860 A. Jones, of Leeds Center, purchased of C.R. Jones, of Ver- mont, 50 ewes descended from the Jarvis and Humphreys importations through the flocks of J. Hinds, Lyman Webster, and Stephen Atwood. In 1863 he purchased of Mr. Jones 15 more of the same blood and rams of the Jarvis and Humphreys blood. He added to the flock, in 1873, 14 ewes from the flocks of Edwin Hammond and E. 8S. Stowell, of Vermont, and 2 rams from the Hammond flock. Isaac Gale, of Waukesha, began the formation of a flock by the pur- chase of 10 ewes that had been brought from Vermont to New York in 1862, They were bred by the Merino flockmasters of Shoreham, Vt. EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 643 In 1862, 1863, and 1864 A. BE. Perkins, of Mukwonago, purchased from the flocks of George Campbell and others, of Vermont, a large number of rams and 14 ewes. In 1875 he added to his flock 10 ewes and a rain from the flock of George Cleland, of Janesville, pure-bred American Merinos. In 1863 B. J. Williams, of Whitewater, who had previous to this date been a breeder of Merino sheep, founded a new flock by a purchase of 20 ewes of J. H. Butterfield, of Lapeer, Mich., to whom they were transferred by William Stout, of Oakland County, in the same State, and by whom they had been purchased of E. B. Pottle, Ontario County, N. Y. Wisconsin rams were used on this purchase. The flock was increased in 1877 by the purchase of 15 ewes of G. A. Cutting, Ver- mont. In 1864 George Cleland, of Janesville, laid the foundation of a noted flock by the purchase of 17 ewes of A. F. Knox, of Whitewater. These ewes were bred in Vermont. In 1867 2 ewes were purchased of J. H. Sprague, Waltham, Vt., bred from Hammond stock. The flock was added to by subsequent purchases of Vermont ewes and rams. In the same year O. Cook, of Whitewater, commenced a flock by a purchase of fine ewes of A. F. Knox, of same place. They where bred by T. Stickney & Son, and were of Atwood, Jarvis, and Cock blood. In the fall of 1867 3 ewes were purchased, bred by L. C. Remele, of Atwood, Jarvis, and Cock blood. In 1871 9 Vermont-bred ewes were added to the flock. The rams used in the flock combined the same blood as the ewes. T. W. Gault, of Waterford, also established a flock in 1864, by the purchase of 2 lambs bred by A. E. Perkins, of Mukwonago, Wis. In 1866 he purchased 5 ewe lambs from the same flock, and in 1867 10 ewes bred by Fayette Holmes, of Vermont. The best Vermont rams were used in the flock. In 1866 J. H. Paul, of Genesee, purchased 12 ewes of Oliver Sev- erance, of Vermont; a part of them were bred by Victor Wright. In the same year 2 ewes were purchased of J. E. Parker, 8 from other par- ties in Vermont, and 3 of Peter Martin, of New York. Additions were made to the flock by the purchase of 3 ewes in 1873, and 3 from each of the flocks of S. B. Lusk and E. Townsend, of New York, in 1876. H. H. Cobb, of Whitewater, commenced a flock in 1866 by the purchase of 15 ewes of Asaph Pratt, of Lima, Wis. These ewes and the ram used in the flock traced their origin to Vermont sheep, the former to the flock founded by Mr. Pomeroy in 1811, and the latter to Tyler Stick- ney’s flock. Walter Irving, of North Prairie, also established a flock in 1866, by the purchase of 30 ewes from P. B. Stewart, of Eagle, Wis. These ewes came from Joseph Smith, of Wisconsin, and were from a flock of 66 ewes imported from Michigan about 1862, and sold for $1,300, Vermont rams were used on the flock. In the fall of 1867 S. W. Andrew, of Juneau, established a flock by the purchase of 5 ewés and a ewe lamb of John Hawkins, of the same 644 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES place. These ewes were purchased in the spring of 1866 of C. A. Dodge, of Weybridge, Vt. The ewe lamb was bred from one of the ewes and sired by a Vermont ram. The rams bred to this flock were raised by J. S. Benedict and E. N. Bissell, of Vermont. In the same year George Baker, of Hustisford, originated a flock by the purchase of 1 ram and 10 pure-bred ewes of Abijah Granger, Newstead, Vt. Mr. Granger purchased these ewes in 1865 of Cassius M. Worls, of Ver- gennes, Vt. They were bred largely in the Atwood blood. The ram was said to have been sired by Young Gold Fleece, for which his owner paid $5,000. In 1868 J. G. Putnam, of Neosho, founded a flovk by the purchase ot 6 pure-bred ewes of J. E. White, Springfield, Vt. These ewes were from the flock of James Lowell, and bred from the flock of Edwin Ham- mond. The same year he purchased of M. C. Roundy, of Rockingham, Vt.,3 Hammond ewes and anAtwoodram. Subseqtent additions were made to the flock by further purchases of Vermont rams and ewes of the best blood. : There were many other breeding flocks founded between 1860 and 1870, but they have ceased to exist and have left no trace save in such fragmentary form as to defy satisfactory note of them. From 1850 to 1860 the number of sheep more than doubled and the amount of wool quadrupled, rising from 253,963 pounds in the former year to 1,011,933 pounds in the latter. From 1860 to 1870 there was a still greater increase. In the ten years the number of sheep was trebled and the yield of wool quadrupled. Beyond the wool for domestic use the surplus was sent to Eastern markets, and there was shipped from 1860 to 1867 from Milwaukee a large amount. Year. Pounds. Year. | Pounds. GOO BS a) TRG 35, cci5 2 scales ented vine reco beSecartiaade bubse raatcione 1,993, 372 T0002 2890 1h ABO i aca sence wees nena © 2.277. 850 De BLA 2U0 |). BGC copier erisrevciaves ceaicsie cee cevenailsare eh Bestia teiere 1,597, 487 15,89 23.095 1)! POC Terrcccanacerctsain seers 2, 085, 006 Prior to 1855 there had been considerable discussion as to the estab- lishmeut of woolen factories in the State. It was not considered true economy to send the wool from the farm to the East, there to be made into clothing and returned again to the farmer with the expense of transportation both ways and the added profit of the manufacturer. There was a disposition to build the factory near the farm, and though capital was scarce some factories were started, which in 1860 numbered sixteen, with a product of %167,600. The war made heavy demand for woolen goods, and by 1868 there were more than fifty factories, with a product of about $1,000,000. It is estimated that in 1868 Wisconsin had 2,000,000 sheep, valued at $4,000,000, This year witnessed a great revulsion in the business of wool-growing. The price of wool had been EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 645 falling since 1865 from 48 and 57 cents to 40 and 50, then to 38, 35, and in 1868 it fell to 30 and 32 cents. At first the farmer was surprised, then provoked, and finally disgusted to an extent that his first impulse was to sell out or slaughter and quit the business; and to such an extent was this first impulse carried that the clip of 1869 was 40 per cent short of that of 1868, and in 1870 there were 1,069,282 sheep only, where there had been 2,000,000 in 1868. In 1865 there were some Silesian Merinos in the State, and the show of long-wool sheep at the State fair was unparalleled. The mutton sheep were increasing with great rapidity. The demand for coarse wool and the growing consumption of mutton encouraged this increase in the direction of better mutton and better wool. Thorough blood animals were brought from the Hast, and the finest English blood was grafted on the native or common sheep. The fine-wool sheep were also receiving more attention, and the Wisconsin wool-grower had every reason to believe that he could compete with, if not excel, Vermont and Michigan in breeding fine sheep. Sheep husbandry was admirably suited to the State, its undulating, and in some counties hilly, surface and ptre dry atmosphere going far to insure the animal a sound constitu- tion and comparative freedom from various diseases. The revival of manufacturing in 1870~72 stimulated wool-growing, and there was a slow increase in the number of sheep and a marked improvement in them and their wool. The woolen. factories, with a capacity to consume over 2,000,000 pounds of wool if run on full time, were shut down part of the time, and in 1871 out of a total wool clip of 4,500,000 pounds consumed but a little more than one-third of it. Of this, 1,500,000 pounds were manufactured into cloth, yarn, ete., and 120,000 pounds made into rolls for custom work. One of the largest wool-growers of the State at this time was Eli Stinson, of Oshkosh, who sheared in 1872 1,700 Merinos of 7,136 pounds of wool, which he sold at 56 cents per pound. Mr. Stiuson for many years previous to this had kept from 1,000 to 2,000 Merinos, and said that for the eight years immediately preceding they had about paid expenses, leaving the manure as profit. He found that on land worth $50 per acre, with sheep at $2.50 and lambs at $2, they would pay ex- penses with 7 per cent interest on the investment, leaving the manure as profit. In the ten years from 1870 to 1880 there was but a moderate increase in the number of sheep, rising from 1,069,282 in 1870 to 1,336,807 in 1880. The wool clip, however, increased largely, from 4,090,670 pounds in 1870 to 7,016,491 pounds in 1880. While the number of sheep had increased 25 per cent the wool clip had increased over 70 per cent. Some of this increase was due to the large number of coarse heavy wooled English sheep introduced into the State during this period, but more was due to the great improvement upon the Merino and its grades. As a rule the Wisconsin breeders did not lay claim to the fact that they raised the 646 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES heaviest shearing, nor did they contend that the heaviest sheep were the best. Their aim was for fair size in the sheep and resistance and qual- ity of wool, with a fair length of staple. One of the prominent breed- ers said in 1876: We have searched and looked Vermont, New York, and Illinois over, examining sheep, and besides have purchased the very best we could find, both rams aud ewes, paying high prices and taking them to Wisconsin. Thus you see the base of our breeding from these different States. While much credit is justly due Vermont, yet we assert from experience, that the second or third generation from Vermont, grown in Wisconsin, are a superior sheep for general purposes. They have a larger car- cass, heavier bones, quantity and quality of fleece equal if not superior. They also withstand more hardship and exposure than Vermont stock. The earliest record that we have of the weight of the Wisconsin Merino fleeces is May 29, 1854, when a shearing took place at White- water of about 120 sheep. The sheep were washed one or two weeks before the shearing and some of the fleeces yielded as follows: Pounds. Ten Spanish Merino fleeces, 10} months old .............--..----- 5235 Ten Spanish Merino fleeces, 10} months old ..........-.---..----- 55-Ps Ten Spanish Merino fleeces, 114 months old ..._-...-....-.------- 571$ These were from 2-year-old ewes, and gave an average of 54 pounds each. Six rams, 2 to 4 years old, gave 70 pounds, an average of 113 pounds. The heaviest ram fleece was 14 pounds 24 ounces, from a 3-year-old ram. In 1861 Alvin Thomas, of Ripon, sheared 2 Spanish Merino rams of an average of 144 pounds of wool each; 5 yearling rams of 953; pounds each, and 51 ewes of 6 pounds each; all the wool well washed on the sheep’s back. In June, 1863, Mr. Thomas sheared 224 pounds unwashed wool from a 3-year-old ram. In 1865 at the second shearing held at Whitewater, the average of 6 ram fleeces was 16,2; pounds. The heaviest fleece was 18,3; pounds from a 3-year-old ram. the scarcity of water, and the liability of depredation of wild animals, yet the advantages so far outweigh the disadvantages and difficulties present and prospective, that it is no great source of discomfort or discouragement, and does not especially concern the growers. The long distance from the market is the only serious difficulty which may | not largely be overcome by organization and codperation of the sheep- men. Most sheep-owners report the industry as very prosperous and the outlook for the future as very bright, while others, though not dis- couraged, are not disposed to regard the future so favorably for fear of overstocking the range, high freight rates, and the fear of low-priced wool, When the business can be made to pay 50 per cent profit as it does in most cases, after sustaining an annual loss of 10 per cent, by reason of prevailing methods of Inanagement, it does not seem that it is possible to vastly increase the profits by improved methods of con- ducting the business.