EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 165 



importation made by Mr. Adams in 1801, gave evidence flint the four 

 importations made iu 1801 and J 802 had IXM-II preserved, made nsH'ul 

 in improving the sheep and wool of the country, had become such 

 favorites as to command prices varying from $1,000 to $1,500 each, and 

 laid the foundation for fine-wooled manufactures.* 



Evidence is ample and convincing that the sheep imported by Col. 

 Humphreys were rapidly and widely disseminated, and made great 

 improvements in the flocks of the States where they were taken; that 

 those improvements began early, and in some cases, have been progres- 

 sive to the present day. They became the foundation in great part of 

 large flocks in New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, 

 and Ohio. Seth Adams, as has been noted, acted as Humphreys' agent, 

 and in 1810 sold some of his sheep into Kentucky and Tennessee. 

 About 1808 or 1809 Thomas Botch, a Quaker, of Connecticut, moved to 

 Stark County, Ohio, taking with him a small flock of Merino sheep. 

 They were good, and a part of them were said to be descendants of the 

 original flock brought over from Spain in 1802 by Col. Humphreys. In 

 1809 William E. Dickinson bought three of these sheep (said to have 

 been of the original importation), and it is claimed that these were 

 "closely guarded, separately marked, and continually bred within the 

 importation of 1802 or their descendants" by Mr. Dickinson. The 

 Dickinson Merino claims its origin from the sheep thus carefully 

 guarded, and the Black-Top Spanish Merino also claims its origin from 

 the Dickinson flock, through a purchase made by William Berry, of 

 Washington County, Pa., in 1821. Mr. Berry purchased of Mr. Dick- 

 inson one choice ram and a few ewes, and placed them on his farm, and 

 from that purchase, by good breeding and care, have descended many 

 valuable flocks that shall claim attention in future pages. 



Some of Humphreys 7 sheep are early traceable south of the Potomac. 

 On April 30, 1807, at the Arlington sheep shearing, John Scott, of 

 Strawberry Yale, Fairfax County, Ya., received a premium for a "very 

 fine lamb bred from a Spanish sheep imported from the mountains of 

 Andalusia. 77 He was an Humphreys sheep with a fine and beautiful 

 fleece weighing 6f pounds. At the shearing at the same place April 

 30, 1809, two sheep described as tup lambs were shown : 



Marquis Eomana, property of William F. Grimes, Eagle 7 s Nest, county 

 of King George, weighed on the hoof 128 pounds ; fleece weighed 7 

 pounds 4 ounces. 



Cavallos, property of A. B. Hooe, Barnsfield, county of King George, 

 weighed on the hoof 96 pounds; fleece weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces. 



On May 15, 1811, Gen. John Mason, of Aualostan Island, in the Poto- 

 mac, opposite Georgetown, received from the fair of the Columbia Agri- 

 cultural Society the first premium for the " best two toothed ram lamb 



* In a letter written to Consul Jarvis by Messrs. Cornelius Coolidge & Co., of 

 Boston, they speak of Col. Humphreys repurchasing for $1,000 oue which he had 

 sold and of his selling two pairs for $6,000. 



