220 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 



to his industry, economy, and the extent of his means. All hands, male and female, 

 may participate in the honor and profit of the acquisition ; and the independent 

 farmers and planters of the eastern sections of the Union, if true to their own inter- 

 est, in that liberal and enlightened competition which virtue and freedom most ap- 

 prove, will find no occasion to envy the planter of the Southern States.* 



If other papers and many public men were more guarded in expres- 

 sion they were not less zealous at heart, and gave public utterance to 

 the thought that even had the character of the nation depreciated, as 

 many thought it had, it had acquired in the years from 1806 to 1810 

 immense resources and wealth. To say nothing of the numerous manu- 

 factures of woolen,.cotton, and almost every fabric formerly imported 

 from abroad, daily starting up in every part of the Union, but more 

 particularly in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and Pennsyl- 

 vania, the acquisition of the Merino sheep itself was an invaluable na- 

 tional treasure, because, with the spirit then developing for improving 

 the land and manufacturing wool, it would be the foundation of a 

 valuable branch of agriculture, and the bond between the farmer and 

 manufacturer by the pursuit of which both would prosper. 



In the introduction and distribution of the Merino throughout Mas- 

 sachusetts no encouragement was received from the State. The legisla- 

 ture, controlled in great measure by the mercantile interests, did not 

 take kindly to them, and were not favorable to the manufacturing in- 

 terests then awakening in the State; so the credit for the propagation 

 of this valuable animal belongs to private enterprise and the encour- 

 agement of the Massachusetts Agricultural Society. This society had 

 awarded premiums to Seth Adams and Col. Humphreys, had a stand- 

 ing offer for the production of the greatest amount of wool to the carcass, 

 and in 1809, offered " to the person or persons who shall import into this 

 Commonwealth, directly from the Kingdom of Spain, the first five rams 

 of the Merino breed the sum of $50 each; and for the first 10 ewes ofthe 

 same breed the sum of $25 each." In the proceedings for 1809 were 

 printed Lord Somerville's history of the Merino sheep, and two letters 

 of Col. Humphreys. 



The first ram brought into the State under the offer of the society 

 was by Capt. Bartlett, of Plymouth, in the summer of 1809, the next four 

 by Capt. Knap, of Newburyport, and the 10 ewes by Cornelius Coolidge. 

 Importations followed in quick succession, among them one of Jon- 

 athan Allen, of Pittsfield, who went to Lisbon and purchased 100 Mon- 

 tarcos, which he took into Berkshire County during November, 1810. 

 The dissemination of the Merino throughout the State was quite gen- 

 eral, and many flocks were formed and increased in size until the fail- 

 ure of manufactures in 1815 and 1816, when entire flocks were devoted 

 to the knife, and apparently for no other reason than that they would 

 persist in eating, even though their fleece was not readily saleable. 

 Many seemed to have embarked in the business of raising them with 



* Boston Patriot, October 3 ; 1810. 



