HISTORY OF THE BREEDS. 19 



Humphries, our minister to Spain, sent to his 

 native state, Connecticut, nearly one hundred head 

 of pure-bred Merinos. In 1809, William Jarvis, 

 our minister to Portugal, sent four thousand pure- 

 bred Merinos to Vermont. The next two years, it 

 is estimated, nearly twenty thousand sheep were 

 brought to this country and the industry thus 

 started on foundation stock of the best blood. 



Due to the low altitude and moist climate of 

 England, the Merino breeds have never done well 



vrr 



AFRICAN SHEEP. 



Courtesy American Sheep Breeder. 



in that island, and, as a result, the attention of 

 breeders, particularly of Eobert Bakewell, was 

 early given to improving the mutton qualities of 

 their sheep. All of our breeds of medium and 

 long-wool sheep, chiefly of the mutton types, have 

 originated from strains long bred in England for 

 their mutton producing qualities. 



In all countries of the world the sheep industry 



