Merino Siikkp Industky. 225 



thus disposed of could not be duplicated — the liocks were 

 sold out, and the pastoral sheep husbandry of Australia and 

 La Plata was transformed to our own California and Colo- 

 rado. The exports and consumption of wool of California 

 in 1870 amounted to 23,557,871 pounds ; whereas the total 

 product of our whole country in 1830 was only 5-2,51f>,869 

 pounds. We can thus sec at a glance that the wool inter- 

 est of California in 1870 was no small item ; and to-day it 

 is doubled and, perhaps, more, I know not ; but this I know, 

 that the call for Spanish Merino sheep is loud and strong, 

 and that already the traditionary struggle for supremacy is 

 rife, and the eyes and hearts of the California flock masters 

 are turned towards Vermont for that improvement that 

 others have found here, and can find sciil. True they are 

 looking for a little larger sheep than experience has shown 

 best for others, and it is not to be wondered at ; our fathers 

 fell into the same error ; but the experience of the last 

 twenty years, and the testimony of the Hammonds, the 

 Stickneys, the Sandfords, the Randalls, the McConnels, the 

 Flints and the Hoyts all go to to show that the best pastoral 

 sheep for our broad Western fields, our Eastern hill sides 

 and Southern slopes, is the improved Spanish Merino of the 

 Atwood or Paular families, and " Vermont type." 



The American Merino of to-day, as we breed them in 

 Vermont, present the excellencies combined, sought out b}' 

 the necessities of former people, and brought out by the art 

 of their time. 



Thus we have the white sheep of the primitive shepherds; 

 the fine sheep of the Roman empire ; the hardy sheep 

 8 



