302 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 



liam Jarvis, and still later with the blood of the Atwood flock, the Cut- \ 

 ting blood descended from the importations of Paul Cuffe and Eichard .' 

 Crowningshield, and some admixture of the Blakeslee blood constitute 

 what is known as the American Paular. The most successful breeders 

 of these sheep have aimed to secure type and quality in their flocks, and 

 have placed this above any special line of descent from importation, or 

 from any one of the earlier flocks. In pursuing their course of breeding 

 they have made use of the best specimens of the breed, and as a rule 

 have avoided too close in-and-in breeding, and have achieved results 

 unattained elsewhere when measured by weight and quality of carcass 

 or of fleece, either gross or scoured. The aim has been to pro- 

 duce a well-formed and symmetrical animal, of constitutional vigor, 

 carrying a dense, oily fleece of good quality throughout. Folds or 

 wrinkles have been cultivated in a marked degree, and an amount of 



011 secured in the fleece that many have thought to be extravagant in 

 the extreme; yet sheep of this class have made great improvement on 

 the wool-growing flocks, the wrinkles contributing toward density of 

 fleece and covering, and the oil proving interchangeable with wool 

 product.* A good specimen of the American Paular is Prince Bis- 

 marck, the property of John P. Eay, Hemlock Lake, N". Y. In full 

 fleece he weighed 200 pounds, and yielded a fleece of one year's growth 

 of 35 pounds 9J ounces. 



The sheep purchased by Zebulon Frost, in 1816, of Andrew Cock 

 and Effingham Lawrence, descended to his son Abraham Frost, from 

 whom, in 1832, William Walker purchased 10 ewes to commence a flock. 

 Soon after this Mr. Walker purchased of J. Thurman Eich 12 or 15 

 ewes of the Cock blood, and rams in the flock were used until it was 

 managed by H. W. Walker, and it is believed that up to 1845 it was 

 kept entirely pure from admixture with other blood. Since the latter 

 date Atwood, Hammond, and Stickney blood have been introduced. 

 The flock is still in existence. 



In 1835 Merrill Bingham, of Cornwall, Vt., purchased in the vicinity 

 of Lanesboro, Mass., 110 Merino ewes, descendants from Col. Hum- 

 phreys' flock ; 40 of them were 12 or 15 years old, the lambs of imported 

 ewes. This was the foundation of a flock, which, in 1845, numbered 

 over 600 large, well- shaped, pure Merino sheep. In June, 1844, in 

 company with A. L. Bingham, he purchased of the Shakers at Enfield, 

 N. H., 103 sheep, which, when sheared, turned off such very heavy 

 fleeces of fine, clean wool, and gave such promise of being profitable 

 to breed, that in September following another visit was made to Enfield 

 and the remainder of the flock purchased, consisting of 58 ewes and 



12 rams. The Enfield flock were descendants of Livingston sheep, or 

 rather Gaudaloupes imported by Mr. Livingston. In 1845 this flock of 

 Mr. Bingham averaged 5 pounds 3 ounces of wool from 587 fleeces. 



In 1838 A. L. Bingham, of Cornwall, bought of Messrs. Buck & 



* John P. Ray, secretary of New. York Merino Sheep Breeders' Association. 



