94 THE SHEPHERD'S MANUAL. 



between New York and Boston. These sheep were of the prime 

 flocks of Spain, and Spain's loss was our gain. Mr. Jarvis re- 

 served 350 of the sheep for his own use. A few other minor im- 

 portations of Spanish sheep were made by other parties in 1810 and 

 1811. The knowledge that we had thus obtained the very best 

 sheep in the world, started a speculative fever, which was increased 

 by the war with England in 1812, when Merino wool sold for 

 $2.50 a pound. Imported rams were eagerly purchased for $1,000 

 to $1,500 each, and ewes sold for $1,000 a head. Many flocks of 

 pure or grade sheep were started in all parts of the country, and 

 much care was taken in the breeding of them. This lasted until 

 the peace of 1815, when sheep that were valued at $1,000 a head, 

 in 1809, sold for $1.00, and of course all interest in breeding then 

 ceased. Afterwards, under the stimulus of various protective tar- 

 iffs, the business revived, and fine wool-growing again attracted 

 attention. 



In 1824, 77 Saxon Merino sheep were imported by G. & T. 

 Searle, of Boston, and this was followed by several other importa- 

 tions by the same parties. By bad management much loss resulted 

 to the importer;., and in consequence of the poor quality of the 

 sheep, the whole business was a failure for all coocerned, includ- 

 ing the purchasers. The inferiority of the Saxon breed was mani- 

 fest, and these sheep, which yielded a fleece of but 2- to 3 Ibs. per 

 head, could not compete with the Spanish sheep, which produced 

 4J- Ibs. of well washed wool per head, of nearly equal value, al- 

 though not quite so fine as the Saxon wool. The Saxon sheep 

 have all disappeared since 1846. Then the American Merino came 

 into general favor. This class of sheep, in 1840 to 1845, consisted 

 of several families of distinctly marked varieties, due chiefly to the 

 various courses of breeding followed by their several owners. The 

 distinguishing peculiarities of these families consisted mainly in 

 their size and hight of carcass, length and fineness of wool, the 

 pendulous dewlaps and skinfolds of the rams, and the amount of 

 yolk in the fleece, and its consequent greater weight and darker 

 color. Up to the period in question, the choicest flocks were to 

 be found in New England, on account of the greater care there 

 taken in breeding. Some of the Connecticut and Vermont breed- 

 ers had taken great pains to improve their flocks, and much emu- 

 lation existed amongst them in this respect. Gradually, differ- 

 ences became merged and blended by the continued purchase of 

 rams by the owners of defective flocks, from the more careful 

 breeders, and finally only the two families, the Paulars and the 

 Infantados continued to be bred as distinct in all parts of the 



