34 



OTHEB MEBLNO FAMILIES. 



have taken place in American Merino sheep during the last 

 twenty -three years. 



MERINO EWE. 



Other persons in New York, (including myself,) and 

 several in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and perhaps some other States, 

 owned pure Spanish flocks, not differing essentially in quality 

 from those of Connecticut and Vermont. But while some 

 flock-masters in New England, and particularly in Vermont, 

 made ram breeding a specialty, those of the Middle and 

 Western States generally devoted their attention to wool- 

 growing, and soon began to draw their rams from the former 

 sources. The consequence has been that they neither 

 preserved nor established distinct families, among their early 

 sheep ; and those that now have pure and distinct families ol 

 the improved American Merinos (and their number greatly 

 exceeds that of the breeders of pure sheep in New England,) 

 have generally obtained the origin of their flocks, within the 

 last fifteen or twenty years, from Vermont, or from Mr. 

 Atwood's flock in Connecticut. Consequently, there is not 

 within my knowledge any other separate families that require 

 a special description. 



