398 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE 



soon went tlirough purchase of one C. A. Leariug, Lyon, into Ionia comity. 

 This was about 1886, and he again sold them in 1892 to your humble 

 seryant, H. J. DeGarmo, Highland, Michigan, in whose hands the descend- 

 ants still remain. Up to 1887 there were less than half a dozen flocks of 

 pure bred Oxfords in Michigan. About that year Mr. L. N. Olmsted, 

 Muir, started through purchase of Mr. Powise, Wayne, 111., what is now 

 conceded the largest and oldest flock of registered Oxfords in the State. 



From 1886 the Oxford flocks in Michigan increased slowly until the 

 panic of 1893, when they came to a standstill, or nearly so. But for some 

 reason the flocks did not decrease, as was the case with most other breeds. 

 I know not the cause unless it was that the owners belieyed they had a 

 good thing and would stick to it, knowing that the Oxford would take 

 care of itself, his owner and his farm at whatever stand goyernment 

 finances or tariff might take. It is a curious fact, conceded by nearly if 

 not all, that the Oxford not only of Michigan but of the United States 

 was the last breed of sheep affected by said panic or hard times of 1893 

 to 1896. Our prices for rams did not fall materially during that time. 

 The Oxford breeders stuck to and improved their flocks, getting ready 

 for the reaction which, they believed if they did not almost know, must 

 come. It came! and along with it a cry for Oxfords. That cry is still 

 heard, but there are not Oxfords enough to supply the demand. 



The Oxfords in Michigan are comparatively a poor man's sheep. That 

 is, there were no millionaires back of them to boom them. And this is 

 the case today, not only in Michigan, but of the breed, also, in the United 

 States. They have had to stand and live upon their merits. No one has 

 had any spare money to spend upon them. Consequently, they have not 

 been shoved to the front at once, as some of the other breeds, but have 

 gradually walked to the front rank without the aid of superfluous money 

 to advertise them. 



From 1882, the start of Oxford breeding in Michigan, until 1896, we had 

 a growth of scarcely a breeder per year. But, in the late summer of 1896, 

 there w^ere eight or ten of Flint's business men, composed of doctors, 

 merchants, manufacturers and bankers, who had farms in the near vicin- 

 ity of that beautiful little city which they wished to stock with pure bred 

 stock of some kind. For some reason they concluded to buy the same 

 kind of stock. They further concluded that sheep were what they 

 wanted, and as the fair season was at hand a committee attended the 

 industrial show at Toronto and other Canadian shows. This was in Sep- 

 tember, 1896. They looked the sheep thoroughly. There was a fair rep- 

 resentation in all of the mutton classes; the Shropshires, Hampshires and 

 all of the Down breeds were well represented. But the Oxford was the 

 better class of them all. in the eye of these Michigan gentlemen, at the 

 Toronto industrial. 



Within a month there were imported from Canada by these gentlemen 

 some 150 head of beautiful Oxford Down sheep. These sheep were the 

 foundation of eleven good flocks in the near vicinity of Flint. Having 

 launched out in the breeding of pure breed sheep, it seemed natural as 

 well as necessary for them to, and they did, form what is known as the 

 Genesee County Oxford Down Sheep Breeders' Association. This asso- 

 ciation has a membership of about twelve members, each of w^hich owns 

 a good flock of pure bred Oxfords. 



In October, 1896, I received a letter from one Mr. E. O. Wood of Flint, 



