SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 



in 18GO to 4.36 pounds in 1870, and to 5.2l pounds in 1880. Some pedi- 

 greed flocks founded before and at this time may be noted. 



Mr. Eobert Perdue, of Patterson's Mills, Washington County, laid 

 the foundation of a Vermont Merino flock in 1856 by the purchase of 

 13 ewes and 3 rams from Edwin Hammond, and in 1858 8 ewes from 

 W. E. Eemele, and subsequent purchases of ewes from H. W. Hammond, 

 E. S. Stowell, Victor Wright and others, of same blood. He used rams 

 bred by E. Hammond, V. Wright, and others, of Vermont. This became 

 a first-class flock and was liberally drawn upon to lay the foundation of 

 and improve flocks in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Ohio. 



Mr. W. L. Archer, of Burgettstown, Washington County, laid the 

 foundation of his flock in 1857 and three years succeeding, by purchases 

 of Stephen and Chauncey Atwood, and others breeding the Atwood 

 blood, of 19 ewes. From 1860 to 1871 39 ewes and some rams were pur- 

 chased of the Messrs. Hammond, of Middlebury, Vt. This flock made a 

 good reputation and was largely instrumental in disseminating the pure 

 Atwood blood in western Pennsylvania and Ohio. The best commen- 

 tary upon the efforts of Mr. Archer to preserve the purity of his strain 

 lies in the fact that at the annual fair of the Pennsylvania Agricultural 

 Society, held at Philadelphia in 1880, he took six of the premiums offered 

 for fine- wool sheep, and the other six premiums were awarded to S. C. 

 Work, of Buffalo Township; James Glass, of Burgettstown,- and William 

 A. Herriott, of Oakdale, all of whom obtained their stock from Mr. 

 Archer. 



Mr. J. C. Gist, of Brooke County, W. Va., began a flock in 1862 by 

 purchase of ewes and rams of Eli Keller, Newark, Ohio, bred from 

 stock purchased of Edwin Hammond, Middlebury, Vt., and by purchases 

 of Henry Thorp, Charlotte, Vt., and others breeding Atwood blood. 



Mr. C. H. Beall, of Brooke County, laid the foundation of a Spanish 

 Merino flock in 1863-'64 in purchases of ewes from S. G. Holyoke, St. 

 Albans, Vt.; W. E. Eemele, Middlebury, Vt, and from the Hammond 

 and Elitharp flocks, and by subsequent purchases of the same blood. 

 This flock sustained a high reputation and its owner was one of the 

 most skillful breeders of that section of the county. 



Mr. Francis Cunningham, of Cross Creek village, Washington County, 

 founded a Spanish Merino flock in 1863 by a purchase of 3 Penn- 

 sylvania and 4 Vermont bred ewes from Eobert Perrine. He then 

 took several ewes from Mr. Perrine on shares for part of the increase. 



All were of pure Atwood blood. In 1864 Mr. James Glass, of Bur- 

 gettstown, began a flock by the purchase of 2 ewes of S. G. Holyoke, 

 of Vermont. In 1866 he added ewes from the flocks of S. G. Holyoke 

 and W. L. Archer, and used rams from the Hammond flock. Mr. John 

 P. Wood, of the same place, also founded a flock in 1864 by the pur- 

 chase of 2 ewes from F. H. Dean, West Cornwall, Vt., and breeding 

 them and their descendants to Dean's ram, Little Wrinkley, Gold Drop, 

 and other rams of same blood. 



