I AST OF TTTK MISSISSIPPI KIVER. 503 



land Brothers, producing a great improvement in length of staple and 

 form of sheep. In 1878 a ram from the flock of John B. Craighead was 

 introduced, being a cross of the Spanish and Black-Top, which added 

 to the size of sheep and whiteness of fleece. In 1879 and 1880 two 

 rams from the old Black-Top flock of Eobert Johnson were added. Out 

 of 150 ewes from all these crosses only 14 were admitted to registry by 

 the examining committee when the Delaine Merino Eegistry was organ- 

 ized in 1882. At the head of the flock stook Black-Top II, 1 year old, 

 with a 14-pound fleece.* 



A brief sketch of a few leading flocks that have come down to the 

 present day gives but. an imperfect idea of the early sheep of this sec- 

 tion of country as raised by the ordinary farmer and wool- grower. 

 Founded upon the early importations of Humphreys, Jarvis, E. W. 

 Meade, and others, but principally upon what was known as the Wells 

 and Dickinson sheep, there were at an early day many varieties formed 

 bv crosses on the common sheep of the country, the cross of the Meade 

 sheep upon the Dickinson, and crosses in every direction. The grower 

 was not particular as to the name or pedigree of the sheep, provided it 

 displayed a good fleece and had a good constitution. Looking to tbese 

 two requisites the early Merinos attained great excellence and yielded 

 a tine wool. The wool industry was in a prosperous condition from the 

 time it became an industry until 1820. During the war with England 

 wool brought high prices, and the Wells and Dickinson woolen mills at 

 Steubenville afforded a market. The disaster that overtook the manu- 

 facturer in 1815 at the East did not so seriously affect the wool-grower 

 at the West, for he found a factory that did not immediately succumb 

 to the general depression, and he could dispose of his wool at prices 

 that were fairly remunerative if not highly profitable. He did not 

 abandon his flocks, nor did he seriously neglect them. New settlers 

 bought sheep and there was a steady increase. The tariff of 1824 gave 

 a stimulus to the industry, which was further increased by the tariff of 

 1 sis. Wells and Dickinson, who had large flocks of sheep, encouraged 

 the growth of a very fine wool, and from 1827 until the suspension of 

 their factory in 1829 brought many Saxony Merinos into the country 

 which they added to their own large flocks and sold to the neighboring 

 growers. Others bought Saxonies in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and 

 w York, and nearly all the fine flocks of western Pennsylvania, West 

 Virginia, and southeastern Ohio were crossed with them, and they were 

 bred in that direction for many years, during which period the wools 

 of the section were acknowledged to be the finest grown in the United 

 States and not excelled in Germany. 



The Steubenville factory, after sinking over $200,000, was obliged to 

 close in 1829, and the home market was lost. Wool ran down in price, 

 the flocks diminished rapidly in numbers and quality, and the char- 

 aeter of the wool has not been equaled since. At this crisis full-blood 



* Victor-Beall Delaine Merino Register. 



