152 MERINO SHEEP 



are such hearty and enjoyable seasons as the old- 

 fashioned shearings were. 



The wool-buyers scoured the country at or 

 after shearing-time, and drove their bargains 

 with the farmers. The small lots of wool were 

 hauled in bulk to some central point of shipment, 

 while the larger clips were sacked on the grower's 

 premises. The sack was suspended through a 

 hole of its own diameter in an upper floor and 

 a few fleeces were thrown in, when the packer 

 lowered himself into it and placed and trod the 

 wool as it was passed to him till he had trod his 

 way to the top. Then the sacks were lowered, 

 sewed, weighed, marked, and went their way to 

 market. 



The "tag-locks" and pulled wool were mostly 

 worked up in the neighboring small factories into 

 stocking-yarn, flannel, and blankets for the farm- 

 er's use, and into the then somewhat famous 

 "Vermont gray," which was the common cold- 

 weather outer clothing of New England male 

 farm-folk. Readers of Thoreau will remember 

 that he mentions it more than once, and thought 

 it good enough wear for him. The Yankee farmer 

 wore it "to mill an' to meetin'," and the young 

 men of forty years ago were not ashamed to appear 

 in such sheep's clothing at the paring bee or the 

 ball. 



Vermont, become so famous as a wool-produc- 



