4 SHEEP HUSBANDRY IN THE SOUTH. 



grown in England ; " although General Washington intro- 

 duced the New Leicesters at Mount Vernon, the influence of 

 whose progeny is still seen' in the excellent mutton of that 

 section of Virginia, and, further, so inspired Colonel Hum- 

 phreys, who resided for a time at Mount Vernon, with a love 

 of sheep, that he subsequently, while minister to Spain, became 

 the introducer of the merino to this country ; and although 

 Mr. Jefferson sent the progeny of the merinos presented to 

 him, by Mr. Jarvis, to the counties adjoining Monticello, as 

 the choicest boon he could offer to the agriculture of Virginia, 

 the breeding of sheep fell, at length, into general disrepute 

 at the South, as is evinced by the contemptuous remark at- 

 tributed to the statesman of Roanoke. This prejudice, accord- 

 ing to Colonel Skinner, was nourished by the popular essays 

 of " Arator," the celebrated Col. John Taylor. It was more 

 probably due to a jealousy of any product which might vie 

 with the exclusive monopoly of cotton, to which sectional 

 pride gave a regal title. At all events, sheep husbandry 

 became generally unpopular throughout the South, except, 

 near the great cities, for a supply of mutton and lambs, 

 and was supposed to be attended with difficulties peculiar 

 to the Southern climate and soil. This remark does not 

 apply to Western Virginia, where merino-sheep husbandry 

 has been pursued since the first importation of the race, with 

 a success unsurpassed in any Northern States ; nor to Texas, 

 where the pursuit was attaining a great importance, until 

 checked by the war ; neither to a limited number of indi- 

 viduals, like Mr. Cockerill, of Tennessee, Mr. Peters, of 

 Georgia, and Colonel Watts, of South Carolina, who have 

 exhibited unusual energy and intelligence in the pursuit. 

 Neither is it to be supposed that the number of sheep was 

 by any means inconsiderable : for there were upwards of six 

 hundred thousand sheep in the five most southerly States, in 

 1839 ; but the sheep were poor in quality, and but little 

 cared for. 



The first systematic attempt to remove this prejudice was 

 made about 1847, by Hon. Henry S. Randall, LL.D., since 

 so celebrated as the author of the " Practical Shepherd," 



