No. 4.] SHEEP HUSBANDKY. 143 



one hundred thousand people, who knew where Vermont 

 was. They had an idea that it was somewhere over here in 

 this western hemisphere, but where they did not know. 

 The judges went around and made their decisions, and when 

 they came to compare notes they gave those Vermont 

 Merinos two first premiums and one second premium. The 

 excitement on the ground was intense. No language that 

 I can command could depict the excitement among the Ger- 

 man and French breeders. Louis Napoleon himself, then 

 the Emperor of France, had on exhibition right by the 

 side of those Vermont pens, in a highly decorated pen 

 built by himself, sheep competing with those Vermont 

 sheep ; and there were distinguished breeders from various 

 countries of Europe, and some from South America. The 

 decision was, of course, very acceptable to the American 

 commissioners. Governor Wright came to me and said : 

 .' ' A great victory has been won for our country ; it 

 will result in a change of the current of trade in stock 

 Merinos. Our people have heretofore sent to Germany 

 for their stock sheep, but now they will send to Vermont, 

 — the American people will find their stock sheep at home.'' 

 And they did. 



But I must tell you a little more about this excite- 

 ment. The German and French breeders did not believe 

 that the decision could be honest ; and yet the men 

 who constituted the judges were largely Europeans ; they 

 were of all nationalities. The excitement, as I said, was 

 very great, and Governor Wright said to me, "I don't 

 know but they will mob you and Mr. Campbell," so wrought 

 up were the breeders who were exhibiting on the grounds. 

 They did not believe that anything good could come out of 

 America. I made up my mind that there was one test which 

 could be applied. These sheep were not sheared. One 

 of the first prizes which was awarded to us was upon 

 the weight of fleece in comparison with the weight of 

 body. That could be tested, and I offered 100 thalers, 

 which is $70, for the sheep that would shear the heaviest 

 fleece for the weight of body in the class of Merinos, the 

 sheep to be sheared and the fleece to be weighed in the 

 presence of a new jury appointed by the German league 



