136 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 



Don Pedro is thus described in 1810: 



He is stout, short, and woolly; his horns are large and spiral; his legs short, and 

 he weighs 138 pounds ; his fleece carefully washed in cold water weighs 8| pounds ; 

 is extremely fine; the staple If inches long, and lying very thick and close upon his 

 body; it is entirely free from loose coarse hair called jarr. Every part of his fleece 

 is nearly of equal fineness; even the wool of the hind legs and thighs, which is long 

 and coarse upon many Merino sheep, is short and fine upon Don Pedro. 



In August, 1801, Seth Adams, then of Dorchester, Mass., imported a 

 pair of Spanish sheep which had been taken from Spain into France, 

 and Mr. Adams laid claim to the fact that he had imported the first 

 pair of Merinos into the United States. He says : 



The Agricultural Society of Massachusetts having offered a premium of $50 for 

 the importation of a pair of sheep of superior breed, Gen. D. Humphreys imported 

 a flock of Merinos, and sent some of them into Massachusetts, and he, or some one 

 for him, applied to the society for the premium. Knowing that his sheep did not 

 arrive before the spring season after mine, I applied at the same time for the premium, 

 and after having examined the sheep and wool, and comparing with those of Gen. 

 Humphreys, the society awarded to me the premium and awarded to Gen. Humph- 

 reys a gold medal for having imported a larger number. 



This statement varies somewhat from the records of the society for 

 1802, which show that a letter was received from Colonel Humphreys 

 on the Merino breed of sheep, with a specimen of their wool, and re- 

 marks on the importance of propagating said sheep in the Northern 

 and Eastern States. The letter made mention of the fact that the writer 

 had imported into Connecticut seventy-five ewes and twenty-five rams. 

 The subject was referred to a committee, consisting of Mr. Lyman, Mr. 

 Cabot, and Dr. Dexter, to consider the same and report thereon. 



The introduction of Merino sheep may be dated from this time, and so important 

 it seemed that, at the next meeting of the trustees after Col. Humphreys' letter was 

 received, the question was raised, whether Col. Humphreys should receive the gold 

 medal for his services, and at the following meeting it was awarded to him, not to 

 exceed fifty dollars in value. A premium had already been offered to the person who 

 should introduce Merino sheep into the country, and the amount paid in this way 

 was very considerable. The first claimant for this premium was Seth Adams, for 

 the importation of two sheep of the Merino breed from France. 



From these two statements it would appear that honors were easy as 

 between Mr. Adams and Col. Humphreys, the former being awarded a 

 premium of $50 and the latter a gold medal of that value. The pre- 

 mium was given under this offer of the society : 



An annual premium of $30 for each year previous to 1805 to the person who shall 

 introduce into the State of Massachusetts a ram or ewe for the purpose of propagat- 

 ing a breed of sheep superior to any in the State at the time they are so introduced. 

 If from a foreign country, $50. 



Mr. Adams did not remain in Massachusetts, but, in 1807, removed 

 to Muskingum County, Ohio, taking with him 25 or 30 sheep, 

 descendants of the pair imported in 1801. " These sheep were pure 

 white and very beautiful, unlike the common sheep. The wool was 



