264 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 



size and form, and by Mr. Blakeslee as the best of all the original 

 importations he had ever seen.* On June 2, 1846, Mr. Blakeslee stated 

 that he had been informed by Dr. Samuel Elton, who was one of the 

 importers of the cargo of 1811, that the Bacon or Lampson buck was a 

 full-blooded Escurial. 



Mr. Blakeslee made a great improvement on his sheep. When he 

 began his flock in 1815 his sheep averaged not far from 3 pounds of wool 

 to the head. They were Spanish Merinos of the finest kind. By care- 

 ful breeding the fleeces were largely increased. The first buck that he 

 ever sheared gave 5 pounds. He had bucks in 1869 that sheared 11 

 pounds.t 



Mr. Blakeslee died in 1877, and the disposition of his flock is not 

 definitely known. Chapman says but little of this blood is now left in 

 the flocks of Vermont, it being crossed out here as elsewhere by the 

 Atwood and Eich blood. The more marked characteristics of his sheep 

 were their moderate size, smooth bodies, covered with a fleece unri- 

 valed by that of any other pure Merino family of that day for length 

 of staple, fine, crimpy, elastic fiber with a free circulating oil that gave 

 great softness to the feel, and brilliancy to the appearance of the whole 

 fleece. They were somewhat inferior to the other families of Merino 

 sheep in constitution. The great reaction from the Merino for Saxon 

 fineness and weak constitution demanded sheep of a much more decided 

 type for heavy fleece strong constitution, and more of the distinguish- 

 ing marks of the Merino as exhibited in heavy folds and wrinkles. For 

 these reasons the Blakeslee blood has been bred out of most flocks until 

 those few where it was introduced have a very small fraction of it left.f 



Of the flock of Daniel Bacon nothing definite of its early history has 

 come down to us. From all that is known it is supposable that he 

 commenced his flock with Humphreys sheep some time before the im- 

 portations of 1810 and 1811, and that he had a full-blood ram before the 

 Ceres or Bellona importations of December 27, 1810, and January 3, 

 1811, is certain from this extract from Stephen Atwood's memoranda: 

 "October 29, 1810, took three-quarters blood ewes to Bacon's full-blood 

 buck." And again: " November 1 (1810), took four ewes to Bacon's 

 full blood buck; and the smut three-eighths went to the Bacon ram No- 

 vember 10. Plat ewe and Beardsley ewe two three-fourths ewes went 

 to Bacon's ram between the 1st of November and time of S. Atwood's ewes 

 going to the Stoddart buck." As Mr, Atwood says he bred from Hum- 

 phreys rams, this must be accepted as showing that Bacon had Hum- 

 phreys rams, which is further confirmed by the statement made by Mr. 

 Blakeslee that "two pairs of them (Humphreys sheep) were purchased 

 by Daniel Bacon" and kept pure till 1811. Then he purchased the 

 Guadaloupe buck and put in his flock, and from the progeny he sold, 



* See further of these importations, Chapter in, pp. 200-203. 



t Statement of Mr. Blakeslee at meeting of Connecticut Board of Agriculture, 1869. 



t Register of the Vermont Merino Sheep Breeders' Association, Vol. I. 



