EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI EIVER. 291 



Long Wool, Sweepstakes, Gold Drop, Green Mount, and others, attest 

 the worth of the sheep and the skill of Edwin Hammond, who made 

 the selections and directed the breeding of the flock. Dr. Randall says 

 of Edwin Hammond that he was the great leading improver of the 

 Humphreys- Atwood sheep. 



By a perfect understanding and exquisite management of his materials this great 

 breeder has effected quite as much of an improvement in the American Merino as 

 Mr. Bakewell effected among the long-wooled sheep of England. He has converted 

 the thin, light-boned, smallish and imperfectly covered sheep into large, round, low, 

 strong-boned sheep models of compactness, and not a few of them almost perfect 

 models of beauty for fine-wooled sheep. * * * Mr. Hammond's sheep exhibit no 

 hardened yolk within the wool and but little externally. In nearly all of them the 

 curves of the wool can be traced to its outer tips. They are dark colored, because 

 they have abundance of liquid circulating yolk, and because they (like all the lead- 

 ing breeding flocks of Vermont) are housed not only in winter, but from summer 

 rain storms. The great weight is made up not by the extra amount of yolk, but by 

 the extra length and thickness of every part of the fleece. In many instances it is 

 nearly as long and thick on the "belly, legs, forehead, cheeks, etc., as on the back 

 and sides. The wool opens freely and with a good luster and style. It is of a high 

 medium quality and remarkably even. Mr. Hammond is (1863) intentionally breed- 

 ing it back to the buff tinge of the original Spanish wool. He has not specially cul- 

 tivated folds in the skin. * * * In every respect this eminent breeder has directed 

 his whole attention to solid value, and has never sacrificed a particle of it to attain 

 either points of no value or of less value. He has bred exclusively from Mr. Atwood's 

 stock, sire and dam, and since the rams originally purchased of Mr. Atwood by him- 

 self and associates has only used rams of his own flock. 



The Hammond flock was established and owned in common by Wil- 

 liam S. and Edwin Hammond until the death of the former, May 8, 

 1858, when his interest descended to his son, Henry W. Hammond; 

 and in 1859 there was a division of the flock between the uncle and the 

 nephew, but the stock rams of both flocks were always used in each. 

 In 1864 George, son of Edwin Hammond, became a partner with his 

 father in the flock. On the death of Edwin Hammond, December 31, 

 1870, the flock descended to his son George, and was bred by him until 

 1874, when it was sold to L. J. Orcutt, Cummington, Mass., under the 

 following circumstances: George Hammond was a large owner in an 

 extensive paper-mill which was built in 1871, and destroyed by fire in 

 i the spring of 1872, with a heavy loss. It was rebuilt the same summer 

 on a much larger and more expensive plan. The heavy losses by fire, 

 the depression in business and the great financial crisis that followed 

 in the fall of 1873 carried the company and Mr. Hammond with them. 

 Being anxious to retain his noted flock of sheep, he induced his Mend, 

 31 r. Orcutt, who had no sheep, to purchase them from him and hold 

 them until such reasonable time as he could take them back, Mr. Ham- 

 mond holding and reserving the right to repurchase at any time and 

 to be the breeder and manager of them so long as they remained in 

 Mr. Orcuttfs hands. In the same year the noted flock of W. E. Sanford 

 was purchased by Mr. Orcutt for Mr. Hammond, and taken to his farm 

 in Middlebury, where they have ever remained. In 1875 the Henry 



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