EXHIBITION AT HAMBURG. 29 



mined that this doubt should be removed, I proposed a sweepstalies premium 

 of one hundred thalers, to be given to the exhibitor who could show the heaviest 

 fleece in the class of Merinos, the sheep to be sheared on the ground, in the 

 presence of a new committee to be appointed, and the fleeces to be weighed in 

 the presence of the judges and spectators. As none of the exhibition sheep 

 had been sheared, this was a feasible and conclusive manner to determine the 

 correctness of the decision of the judges. The proposition made was this : 

 that every party entering for the sweepstakes should pay ten dollars ; if two 

 entered, I would make up the balance of eighty dollars ; if three, the balance 

 of seventy ; and if ten, the whole sum of the sweepstakes would be raised by 

 entries. Three days were given for entries, and they were to be made at the 

 American bureau, on the exhibition ground. After the lapse of the three days, 

 no one had entered but George Campbell, the American exhibitor. This fact 

 being publicly announced, there remained no doubt about the merits of the 

 Vermont Merinos. It was subsequently stated by some of the exhibitors that 

 the best breeds of Europe were not at the fair. 



The twelve American sheep were afterwards sold by Mr. Campbell to Count 

 Shen Thors, of Silesia, for five thousand dollars. Thus was the public opinion 

 confirmed, that America not only had the most valuable Merinos on the exhi- 

 bition grounds, but the most valuable in Europe. 



The moral influence of this triumph was very great. The tliousands who 

 had gathered around the pens of sheep on exhibition from the flocks of Louis 

 Napoleon, deserted the pens of the Emperor, and gathered in equal, if not 

 larger, numbers around the Vermont Merinos. That the result of the exhibi- 

 tion in this particular will be to give America a great trade in Vermont Meri- 

 nos, and make her one of the leading sources of the world for fine- woolled sheep, 

 there can be no doubt. 



In the mouth of February, 1864, I received a letter from a leading house in 

 New York city, informing me that they had received letters from German agri- 

 cultural societies, making inquiries relative to the cost of Acierican Merinos. 

 " I have no doubt," says the writer, "but that, owing to the im^julrie given by 

 the Hamburg fair to various industrial pursuits in our country, the United: 

 States will be benefited, in less than five years, to the extent of millions." 

 Mr. Campbell informs me that the prize sheep were all descmdants from the 

 importations of Jarvis and Humphrey, but mainly from the latter. In a let- 

 ter bearing date Febi lary 18, 1864, Mr. Campbell writes to me : *' In 1839 I 

 bought twenty fuU-b' Dod Spanish Merino e\\4es, which were direct descendants 

 from Mr. Humphrey s importation. The same year I also purchased an equal, 

 number of full-bloo'l ewes, a cross of Jarvis's and Humphrey's stock. More 

 recently I have recf ived very choice sheep from the celebrated flocks of Messrs. 

 Hammond, SanforP, Cushiug, and other Vermont breeders." 



More than thre', thousand farm implements and machines were on exhibi- 

 tion. Seventy-fi^ 8 steam engines were used in operating the machinery. One 

 engine of eight ■ .orse-power, designed for drawing ploughs, attracted great 

 attention. Its w iight was ten tons, and was moved on a portable track, which 

 revolved with ths wheels, the track being in pieces or sections, and attached 

 to an endless chain. The pieces of track looked like huge feet, as in their 

 revolution they laid themselves down for the ponderous wheels to pass over. 

 The machine v is easily guided by two small wheels in front. It moved itself 

 with the speed of four miles an hour around the fair grounds, and in the open 

 street outside. It was designed to draw six ploughs at the rate of three miles 

 an hour. Th' i machine was from England, as was a large part of all the heavy 

 machinery or the ground. It was very noticeable that, while all the machinery 

 and farm implements from England were heavy and expensive, those from 

 America were light and cheap. Thirty-four nationalities were represented at 

 the exhibition in their contributions, including, among, other things, four thou- 

 3 A 



