398 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 



At a sale of Mr. Thome's, September 2, 1863, of direct descendants 

 of his many importations, 81 ewes sold, which yielded at their last 

 shearing 419 pounds of clean wool, an average of 5 pounds 2J ounces 

 per head. The rams gave from 8 to 12 pounds unwashed wool. 



Twenty-one yearling ewes sold from $20 to $50 each; aggregate, $743; average of 

 $35.39 eacli. 



Nineteen two-year-old rams sold from $37 to $66 each; aggregate, $1,027; average 

 of $54.05 each. 



Thirteen three year-old ewes sold from $25 to $95 each; aggregate, $559.50; average 

 $43 each. 



Nine four-year-old ewes sold from $31 to $51 each; aggregate, $351 ; average, $39 

 each. 



Nineteen rams sold from $17 to $500 each; aggregate, $1,392; average, $73.26. 



The highest price ($500) was paid for the imported prize ram Arch- 

 bishop by G. H. Brown, of Dutchess County. He was bought of Jonas 

 Webb in 1860 at a cost of $1,250. These sheep were all pedigreed and 

 were sold to all parts of the United States. 



In the same year (1863) P. Lorillard had a sale of Southdowns ani 

 Shropshire Downs. Ninety-three Southdown ewes averaged $22.07 

 each, and 33 rams averaged $18.44 each, one ram bred by J. C. Tayloa 

 of New Jersey, selling for $160. The Shropshires did not sell so high. 

 Seventy-four ewes and lambs averaged $11.50, and 36 rams $15.90 eachj 



From this time the Cotswold began to grow rapidly into favor. Th| 

 Southdown did not have enough size for most breeders, and it did not 

 furnish as much wool as the Cotswold. The introduction of new 

 machinery and new fabrics, for want of cotton, enhanced the value of 

 all combing wools in England and America, and placed their commercial 

 value nearly if not quite equal to the ordinary fine wool, a fact that 

 caused a tendency to increase the flocks of Cots wolds and other combing* 

 wool sheep, especially where pastures were rich and the soils strong, 

 population dense and the people fond of mutton. As the Cotswold 

 yielded 8 to 10 pounds of wool where the Southdown yielded but 6 

 pounds, the former was preferred, and the demand for them was large. 

 Importations were freely made and good prices realized. 



Woolen factories increased their capacity and took on more operal 

 tives; the demand for coarse wool was great and the product of thtf 

 mills doubled. This continued until the war closed, when the heavy 

 importations from Great Britain and the immense body of army woolens 

 thrown upon the market came near ruining our manufacturers and 

 slaughtering all the sheep. The tariff of 1867, urged upon Congress btf 

 the wool- grower, saved the fine-wool industry from immediate and: 

 threatened destruction, and built up the coarse- wool and mutton inter- 

 est. The supply of coarse combing wool was Avholly inadequate to- 

 meet the demands of the manufacturer. On the other hand, the coun-' 

 try was overstocked with woolens sufficient to keep down prices for twoj 

 or three years. But the coarse wools increased beyond the fine wools 

 and even obtained the ascendency in prices. Consequently a mani$t set 



