THE AMERICAN MERINO 497 



Newburyport, and the remainder mostly to Philadelphia, Baltimore, 

 Alexandria, Richmond, and Norfolk. " Indeed," says Mr. Jarvis 

 in his correspondence, " I was disposed to distribute these valuable 

 animals to every state which would be likely to profit by their 

 acquisition." All of these were sheep of superior breeding. They 

 included Paulars, Aguirres, Escurials, Negrettis, and Montarcos. 

 Jarvis placed 400 head on his farm in Vermont, in the care of 

 Paular shepherds, and he writes: "I bred the respective flocks, 

 separately till 1816 and 1817, when I mixed them together, 

 and have so bred my Merinos ever since." The importations of 

 Humphreys and Jarvis distributed Spanish Merinos widely over 

 the Northeastern states, and from these our American Merinos 

 received their important early start. Each of these men bred 

 most successfully, greatly improving their flocks. 



A mania for Merino sheep began to develop, and in 1810 both 

 Livingston and Humphreys sold rams at $1000 each, while the 

 latter sold 2 ewes and 2 rams at $1500 each. Then came a 

 great craze for fine-wool sheep, and it is stated that in 1810 

 over 10,000 were shipped to America, Cochran Johnston, 

 Goold Brothers, and Charles O'Neil importing from Lisbon, and 

 R. W. Meade and others from Cadiz. It is estimated that from 

 April i, 1 8 10, to August 31, 1811, there were brought to the 

 United States 19,651 Merino sheep. 



The early foundation improvers of the Merino in America 

 began with Adams and Humphreys, but during the middle of 

 the century a few men rendered great service in the improve- 

 ment of this sheep. Notable among these were four Vermont 

 breeders; namely, William Jarvis (1811-1859), Weathersfield ; 

 Charles Rich of Shoreham (who began to breed in 1823, and 

 whose sons, John T. and Charles, continued the flock, while 

 still later two grandsons J. T. and Virtulan, sons of John T. 

 maintained the family prestige); Tyler Stickney (1834-1882) 

 of Stickney; and Edwin Hammond (1844-1870) of Middlebury, 

 than whom none was more eminent among Merino flockmasters. 

 Stephen Atwood, who established a flock in 1813 at Woodbury, 

 Connecticut, and continued the work until 1867, produced a 

 famous line of breeding ; while William R. Dickinson of Steuben- 

 ville, Ohio, who bred from 1809 to 1830, and Bezaleel Wells of 



