164 DISTRIBUTION OF SHEEP. 



tional weaknesses, and at the fall of then Roman Empire 

 the fine wooled sheep declined, and now only a few badly 

 formed and very inferior fine wooled sheep are to be found 

 in Italy. 



Sheep in England. It is with special interest that we look 

 up the history of the sheep in England. Nothing has been 

 written to tell us just how or when sheep found their way 

 to ancient Britain, but it is certain that at a very early date 

 wool and hides formed an article of commerce from that 

 island. The Phonecians traded in tine and copper, and fol- 

 lowing them came the Romans, whose system of tillage and 

 presence there made it possible for sheep to exist on the 

 island, where before they would have been destroyed by 

 the wild beasts that existed. Cirencertes and Winchester soon 

 became noted for their factories for manufacturing cloth, 

 which received favorable comment from the historians of 

 Rome, and it was from Britain that some of the finest wool 

 was transported to the Roman capital, where it was con- 

 sidered an article of luxury. 



The earliest origin of the English breeds of sheep is 

 shrouded in mystery. Yet we do know that certain breeds 

 have occupied definite localities since the earliest record, 

 and from these localities the different breeds of English sheep 

 can be traced, together with their sources of improvement 

 and the evolution of the recognized breeds of sheep of the 

 present day. 



Sheep in North America. The history of the sheep in North 

 America dates back to the conquest of Mexico by the Span- 

 iards in the fourteenth century. When Pizarro conquered 

 Peru, the llama, belonging to the goat family, was found 

 in South America, but not farther north than Central America. 



After the conquest of Mexico had been accomplished, and 

 the country parceled out to the different conquerors, in order 

 to stock the land it necessitated the transportation of large 

 numbers of Spanish sheep to America. So that even today 

 the Mexican sheep wandering about the hills and plains traces 

 back to the "silky fleeced Merino of Castile." 



Sheep multiplied and spread rapidly up through New Mexico 

 and California, so that now most of the sheep of -the south 

 and west trace their origin to these early importations from 

 Spain. 



The New England States received their importations from 



