262 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 



strong constitution; was an an admirable sire of ewes, but was not 

 so good for rams. He was sold when 15 years old to Capt. S. Sheldon, 

 Fairhaven, Vt., and died four years afterwards. 



Old Matchless was also bred by, Mr. Atwood in 1841, and sold to 

 Messrs. Hammond and E. P. Hall in 1844, with the first purchase 

 of rams and ewes made by these gentlemen of Mr. Atwood. His live 

 weight was from 135 to 145 pounds, of excellent form, commanding 

 appearance, and strong constitution. He yielded 10J pounds of wool 

 when a lamb, but his usual fleece afterwards was about 12 pounds. 

 His fleece was about 2 inches long, inclined to be coarse, of medium 

 thickness, quite yolky, but, thin and short on the belly. He was not 

 well covered on the head, and was bare on the shanks. He gets large, 

 strong, but not very well-covered lambs, and was not as good a stock 

 ram as Old Black. 



Sweepstakes was bred by Edwin Hammond in 1856, and was one of 

 the most celebrated stock rams. He weighed in full fleece about 150 

 pounds, and taken all in all was about as perfectly formed Merino ram 

 as had ever been seen up to that time, and defective in no essential 

 particular. He had a powerful constitution. His fleece was of high 

 style and quality, and stood up stiff and unyielding to the touch and 

 opened in blocks or seams; oil abundant and buff in color; staple, 2J 

 inches long; fiber, 3J inches long; quality of fiber about medium 

 and very uniform throughout the fleece. He stood very straight upon 

 his legs, and was well covered with wool at all points of the body, and 

 profusely to the feet all around. His heaviest fleece weighed 27 pounds. 

 He made a marked improvement in the Hammond flock, and was pre- 

 eminently a ram getter. He won the sweepstakes premium on best 

 ram of any age at the Vermont State fair in 1861. He was extensively 

 used by other Vermont breeders, and by some outside the State. He 

 had a heavy neck, tail, and flank, and had a plain body. He died at 

 the Cream Hill stock farm, Shoreham, yt., in 1867. The illustration 

 presented of him is taken from the Vermont Eegister. 



The Cook ram, yeaned in 1841, and bred by Stephen Atwood, was 

 sold when a lamb to David and C. E. Cook, Charlotte, Vt., and used by 

 them as a stock ram on the ewes purchased of Mr. Atwood at the same 

 time until 1845. Little Earn, yeaned in 1841, was sold by Mr. Atwood 

 to Messrs. Hammond and Hall, January 27, 1844, and used by them as 

 a stock ram. Atwood, yeaned in 1842, was sold to S. L. Bissell, Shore- 

 ham, Vt., at the New York State fair at Poughkeepsie. Mr. Bissell, 

 on the way home, sold a half interest in him to M. W. C. Wright, of 

 Shoreham, and Mr. Wright sold a half of his interest to S. W. Jewett, 

 of Weybridge. Soon after he was sold to L. C. Eemele, of Shoreham, 

 and Prosper Elitharp, of Bridport. This ram weighed about 100 pounds. 

 His heaviest fleece was 15 pounds, which, after cleansing, weighed 6 

 pounds. He made great improvements in the flocks w r here he was used, 

 and. his blood has descended through the pedigrees of many of the most 



