EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 353 



the cold weather lasted. The following summer, while pastured with 

 the flock at some distance from the house, it was often observed and 

 admired, and some unknown admirer took it away, leaving an ordinary 

 lamb in its place. 



Of the two other full-blood lambs one was also a ram, but in appear- 

 ance so inferior to the first that it was regarded with but little esteem, 

 and was sold that autumn of 1811 for $80 to John McLean and his son- 

 in-law, David Campbell, the latter of whom now commenced that experi- 

 ence in sheep husbandry that resulted in the foundation of the Camp- 

 bell flock, one of the most celebrated flocks in the country forty years 

 thereafter. 



Bad as was the luck with the half-blood lambs and the full-blood rams, 

 that with the imported ewes and lambs was worse. The lamb of one of the 

 ewes, the second season, expired without any apparent cause a short time 

 after it was yeaned, and two of th e old sheep soon followed it. The proba- 

 ble cause was overfeeding. When the Merinos arrived at Salem they 

 were all in wretched condition as to flesh. They were of course regarded 

 with too much favor to be allowed to remain in this miserably poor con- 

 dition, and were immediately put on good pasture, and, during the win- 

 ter, in addition to all they needed, corn was fed them, about a pint 

 being given to the three ewes twice a day. Thus their keeping was lib- 

 eral but not extravagant, and they were only in fair condition when 

 turned out to pasture the spring after their arrival. But they now took 

 011 fat surprisingly, and twelve months afterwards, when put to grass 

 the second summer, they became so excessively corpulent that they were 

 utterly unable to carry themselves about any longer, and two of the fat- 

 test of them quietly laid down and died. A post mortem examination 

 showed a layer of clear fat upon the ribs full 2 inches thick on the out- 

 side, and a half inch on the inside. For a time all the sheep, young and 

 old, were so fat that it was feared the whole would perish. 



Upon the death of the two ewes, another ram and ewe which had cost 

 him 6900, were furnished by Mr. Prince. As there was quite a contrast 

 between the two of these rams from which the flock was mostly reared, 

 and from which so much of the Merino blood for the next fifty to sev- 

 enty years in the country was derived, we quote entire Mr. Fiteh's 

 description of them : 



