O02 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED ' STATES 



white Delaine wool, had a carcass averaging 110J pounds. The fleece 

 of Old John, No. 1, weighed 17 pounds. 



At the sale of the Dickinson flock in 1829, John H. Ewiug bought 

 1,000 head, which was the foundation of his flock. They were origi- 

 nally from the best imported stock and he gave the greatest care and 

 attention to their improvement for many years, making such selections 

 for breeding as would produce wool desirable to the manufacturer and 

 at the same time profitable to the wool-grower. And in the selection of 

 breeders, the peculiar character of the stock being carried down for 

 generations, he chose always the best rams, allowing 3 to every 100 

 ewes. In the summer Mr. Ewing grazed Iris flock on the mountains, 

 covered with timber and underbrush, and whenever they had suffi- 

 cient scope they did well and were healthy. A variety of herbage and 

 frequent change of pasture are necessities to the sheep. The fodder- 

 ing season lasted five to six months, but not more than three or four 

 weeks of bad weather, during which time the sheep were fed on hay, 

 oats, corn, and corn fodder. They were given what hay they would 

 eat up clean, and the ewes and weaker ones were provided with a bushel 

 of oats per 100 daily, or half that quantity of corn ; in bad weather it 

 was found best to fodder three times a day. The less grain, however, 

 they had the better, as long as they remained in good order, which alone 

 could be done by the use of roots or an extensive range, which was 

 permitted to grow up during the summer, and a blue-grass range was 

 the best, as it is less liable to be affected with frost than any other, and 

 one of the best for pasturage. Mr. Swing's flock in 1845 exceeded 

 2,000 and then partook more of the Saxon than Spanish Merino charac- 

 ter, as well as most of the flocks in his section of country, and yet most 

 of the original stock was of Merino blood. But many of the flock had 

 been formed by crossing with the native sheep, and by close attention 

 for a series of years had become very good, and generally passed for 

 full blood Merino. 



About the year 1830 George Craighead started a flock of sheep, get- 

 ting part of his stock from George Murray, Black-Top Merino, and get- 

 ting stock rams at different times for a number of years from the same 

 flock. He afterwards purchased a ram from Samuel Kerr, and subse- 

 quently 2 rams from William Moore. In 1850 the greater part of the 

 flock passed into the hands of the present owners, W. R. Craighead & 

 Son. A change was again made; a stock ram of the old Black-Top 

 stock was bought of James McOonnell. In 1863 a thoroughbred Span- 

 ish ram was purchased of Mr. Dunaway, of Fayette County, Pa., bred 

 from stock that he had brought from Vermont. This improved the 

 flock very much in every way. In 18G8 a full-blood Spanish ram from 

 the flock of Robert Perrine was used. He had long, white, and very 

 fine wool. In 1871 a thoroughbred Spanish ram was purchased of Wil- 

 liam Thompson, producing a good cross. From 1874 to 1877 the ewes 

 were bred to rams from the flock of the Beall stock, owned by the McClel- 



