238 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



the sheep. He said he knew no better way to 

 divide them, than to draw for the choice ; and the 

 one that got the first choice of the bucks, take the 

 choice of the ewes. "When we got to Fredericks- 

 burg we were greatly disappointed. The sheep 

 •were little bits of things, and Graves said he 

 would not give his riding-whip for the whole lot. 

 There were six of them— two bucks and four ewes/' 

 Mr. Bacon got the first choice, and so selected 

 the best buck. 



"He was a little fellow, but his wool was as fine 

 almost as cotton. When I got home, I put a notice 

 in the paper at Charlotteville, that persons who 

 wished to improve their stock should send us two 

 ewes and we would keep them until the lambs 

 were old enough to wean, and then give the own- 

 ers the choice of the lambs, and they leave the 

 other lambs and both of the ewes. We got the 

 greatest lot of sheep— more than we wanted ; two 

 or three hundred, I think ; and in a few years we 

 had an immense flock. People came long'distances 

 to buy our full-blooded sheep. At first we sold 

 thdni for $50, but they soon fell to $30 and $20 ; 

 and before I left Mr. Jeffeeson, Merino sheep were 

 so numerous that they sold about as cheap as com- 

 mon ones." 



Mr. Jeffeeson also imported some " Calcutta 

 ho<rs." "They were black on the heads and 

 rumps, and white listed round the body. They 

 were very long bodied, with short legs; were 

 easily kept-, would live on grazing, and would 

 scarcely ever root. They would not root much 

 more than an ox. With common pasturage, they 

 ■would weigh two hundred at a year old ; and fed 

 ■with cor?:, and well treated, they would weigh 

 three ox four hundred." 



He told the people to bring their [sows, " and 

 when they came for them they might take two and 

 leave one." In this way, he got a large number^of 

 hogs, and the stock was scattered over the whole 

 country. 



"But the horse was Mr. Jefferson's favorite. 

 He generally worked mules on the plantation, but 

 he would not ride or drive anything but a high- 

 bred horse. Bay was his favorite color. When he 

 travelled in his carriage, he always used five horses : 

 four for the carriage, with postillions, and one for 

 his servant who rode behind. 



After he was President, crowds of visitors came 

 to see him. Mr. Bacon did not like it. He would 

 kill a fine beeve, and it would be eaten up in a day 

 or two. He would send a load of hay to the stable, 

 and by the next morning there was not enough left 

 to make a hen's nest. " I finally," says Mr. B., 



" told the servant who had charge of the stable tc 

 give the visitor's half allowance," but Mr. Jeffee- 

 son found it out and countermanded the order. 



Mr. Bacon himself is quite a character. Aftej 

 be left Mr. Jeffeeson, he started for "the Wa 

 souri," which was then much talked of. He wen 

 on horseback in company with five others. H< 

 went by way of Louisville, Ky., which was thei 

 only a small settlement, and the people were anx 

 ions that he should settle there. When he crossei 

 the river into Indiana, there was no road at all 

 Took a pilot and went to Vincennes. Had U 

 swim the streams. Saw a good deal of game- 

 gangs of deer, fowls, and wolves. At one hous 

 where he stayed all night, the wolves came abou 

 the house and howled so terribly that the dog 

 were afraid of them — would not go out and attac 

 them. They took several pigs out of a pen, am 

 they had to be driven off with fire-brands. 



When he got to St. Louis, he found it " a ding 

 little settlement, not much larger than a negr 

 quarter." He was offered 1,000 acres of land fc 

 $3 per acre. He had the $3,000 in a belt aroun 

 him. Gov. Clark urged him to buy. "If I ha 

 only taken his advice!" says he, "but at that tin 

 I would not have taken off my belt and paid oi 

 my money for all the land in the territory. Yc 

 could raise abundance of everything, but could g< 

 nothing for it. There was no such thiDg as 

 steamboat on any Western river. When the pe- 

 pie had a surplus of bacon, flour and venison, tht 

 would load up a flat-boat and take it to New 

 leans. It took four or five months to make tl 

 trip, and they got very little for their load." 



But the truth was, Capt. Bacon was a widow* 

 and in his journey through Kentucky had seen 

 widow! He returned, settled in Kentucky, an 

 married her, and now, in alluding to his failure 

 settle in St. Louis, he says ; " The fact is, Sir, 

 believe I should have settled in St. Louis had it r. 

 been for the old lady here. The last night I was 

 St. Louis, I determined I would go back and mar 

 her if possible, and settle here. We have no 

 lived together nearly forty years, and I belie 

 neither of us is tired of the union or anxious 



secede." 



Bibds and Insects. — A correspondent of t 

 London Times of June 3d says : " Having had 

 fruit almost destroyed by insects, I laid all 1 

 blame on the sparrows ; but on shooting one tl 

 was coming out of a fruit tree a green caterpil 

 dropped from its mouth, and on examining its ci 

 I found no less than twenty green caterpillars s 

 . a great number of aphides." 



