236 TYPES AND MARKET CLASSES OF LIVE STOCK 



fore he prepares none. He keeps a class of sheep specially 

 adapted for producing wool, and allows his old sheep to die away 

 naturally, or go where they may that is, if he cannot dispose 

 of them, even for a mere trifle, before they reach the ripe old 

 age of eight or nine years." 



Sheep grew in number from 19,000,000 in 1840 to 22,500,000 

 in 1860, to 35,000,000 in 1880, to 36,000,000 in 1890, to 61,500,000 

 in 1900, and to 63,000,000 in 1910. The number in 1919 was 

 49,863,000. The loss since 1910 is 13,137,000 in nine years. 



There has been a steady increase since 1860 in the propor- 

 tionate number of mutton sheep. This has been mostly due 

 to the increased demand for meat, and partly to the demand 

 for wools other than the Merino, that is, the combing wools. 

 The flocks of mutton sheep increased in all parts of the country, 

 though Merino improvement was still the predominating fea- 

 ture in sheep husbandry in Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania. 

 Ohio, Michigan, and elsewhere, and the great flocks of the 

 ranges became Merino grades of a high order of merit. In 

 recent years many Merino flocks in the eastern part of the 

 country have been made over into mutton flocks by several 

 succeeding crosses of mutton blood, while on the western ranges 

 increasing numbers of mutton rams have been used for crossing 

 on range flocks to produce a more practical wool-and-mutton 

 type. East of the Missouri River the majority of sheep are of 

 the mutton type, while on western ranges Merino blood pre- 

 dominates. 



The sheep census. The U. S. Department of Agriculture 

 estimated that on January 1, 1919, there were 49,863,000 sheep 

 and lambs in the United States, and that their average value 

 per head was $11.61. The leading states in numbers of sheep 

 were as follows: 



I.Wyoming.. ..4,018,000 6. California. . ..2,943,000 



2. Idaho.. . ...3,234,000 7. Oregon 2,497,000 



3. New Mexico 3,135,000 8. Utah 2,410,000 



4. Montana 2,984,000 9. Colorado 2,303,000 



5. Ohio 2,980,000 10. Texas 2,232,000 



The distribution by geographical divisions was as follows: 



North Atlantic 2,216,000 



South Atlantic 2,179,000 



North Central, East of Mississippi River 7,941,000 



North Central, West of Mississippi River 5,405,000 



South Central 4,898,000 



Far Western. ...... 27,224,000 



Total United States 49,863,000 



