540 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 



common sheep, and hence the introduction of the Merino blood was 

 very limited. New breeds of sheep were sparingly introduced, some 

 Southdowus as early as 1830, and subsequently Leicesters, Cotswolds, 

 and their crosses were seen. The nearness to the Cincinnati market 

 induced farmers to give more attention to sheep esteemed to be best 

 for mutton, quality and quantity considered. Green County had but 

 few of the early fine-wooled sheep, the great mass of the sheep, as late 

 as 1850, being the common stock of the country, with slight crossing of 

 Saxon and Spanish Merinos, the wool clipping about 3 pounds. In 

 1812 or 1813, when the cross on the native ewe by the Spanish ram was 

 the almost universal way of forming a fine- wool flock, such a flock was 

 started in Clark County, which was owned by Seth Smith in 1862. 

 The first cross was the Spanish Merino, then after several year's crosses 

 in-and-in with the Saxony, then with the Vermont Merino. W. N. 

 Chamberlin formed a pure Vermont flock in 1855. At that time wool- 

 growing was an extensive industry in the county, and the flocks were 

 about one-third Saxon and grades, one-third Spanish Merino and 

 grades, and one-third common sheep. The wool clip averaged 3J pounds 

 per head. Miami County had one of the early Spanish flocks. In 1813 

 Zimri Heald brought some Merinos from Vermont, and the flock 

 founded thus was kept up for more than half a century, and gave its 

 blood to a great extent of country. In 1831 B. F. Brown, of Piqua, 

 began a flock, the original blood of which was said to have come from 

 Kentucky. The subsequent flocks of the county were from all sources, 

 Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Vermont, and in 1854 presented a great mix- 

 ture. There were many small flocks of fine Saxony and Spanish 

 Merinos worth $2.50 to $3 per head; wool was worth 50 cents, and the 

 French Merino had just been introduced. Darke County, as late as 

 1862, had but few sheep of any kind. Half of the farmers kept no 

 sheep; the other half kept from 5 or 10 to 20 head of the common stock 

 of coarse-wooled, a little mixed with Merino blood. Logan County, 

 prior to 1842, paid but little attention to the growing of wool, as that 

 article was not exported from the county. About that time, or in 1843, 

 Joseph Lawrence brought to the county the first and only flock of any 

 considerable size of Merino sheep, mostly of the first quality. This 

 flock was brought from Jeiferson County, where the wool industry had 

 been carried on for many years with great success. Shortly after this 

 many flocks were brought from Washington County, Pa. About the 

 same time some Vermont Merinos were brought into the county, and in 

 after years the French Merino was crossed to some extent. But the 

 greatest part of the Merino stock was the " Black-Top." That sheep was 

 found the most profitable that could be raised and the best for the cli- 

 mate. It was more hardy than the common Merino, a sheep that could 

 not endure the winter so well nor rear lambs so successfully in that 

 climate. The wool of the Black-Top was equally fine, more abundant, 

 and presented a black gummy appearance on the exterior of the fleece; 



