SOLON ROBINSON, 1846 7 



When I was there, his flock, as I stated in the March 

 No.,^ consisted of 1,400 fine- woolled, and 600 long-woolled, 

 and, all things considered — that is, quality of wool, weight 

 of fleeces, size and healthiness of sheep, long life and pro- 

 ductiveness of lambs, I think cannot be excelled in the 

 United States. He also had forty head of very fine Dur- 

 ham and grade cattle, none of which were less than three- 

 fourths blood, and some of them were very valuable milk- 

 ers: — 30 jennies, breeding from a fine blood horse — one 

 of the jennies is the biggest animal of the kind I ever 

 saw — keeps about 30 high-bred horses and brooding 

 mares, upon which he serves his big jack, and raises fine 

 mules, one of which at work in his team is about 17 hands 

 high, and heavy in proportion. His stock is all first-rate, 

 except hogs, and not one of them will he keep on his place 

 — because hogs will eat lambs. And if you ask why he 

 don't keep them shut up in the pen, I can tell you that 

 restraining the liberty of a hog in that despotic manner, 

 is contrary to the free institutions of the Southern and 

 Western States. 



His flocks were at grass when I was there, but in the 

 great drouth then prevailing, his land was overstocked 

 and the feed poor ; but he intended to shear his long wool 

 in a few days, and start them for Mississippi, which 

 would give him more room and feed at home. Mr. C. as- 

 sured me that he takes care of this farm and stock with 

 four field hands, assisted occasionally by some female 

 house servants. But the wonder is accomplished by the 

 never-tiring vigilance of the active master. I have never 

 seen a shepherd more devoted to his business. There are 

 few old sheep that he does not know by name on descrip- 

 tion, and can name the quality of the fleece. And he 

 pointed out to me several ewes which I judge were Saxon 

 Merino, that were part of five hundred lambs got by one 

 ram in 1826, which I think a very extraordinary perform- 

 ance. It was accomplished by keeping the ram up, and 

 very judiciously fed, and serving him only once to each 



^ See Robinson, 1:549. 



