THE AMERICAN MERINO 343 



to America, notably by Colonel Humphreys. The horns on the 

 rams came nearer to the sides of the head than did those on the 

 Paulars and Negrettes. The Infantados of Atwood were mated 

 with Paulars and gave a great improvement, and from this com- 

 mingling of blood resulted the Atwood family of Merinos, long 

 celebrated for superiority of fleece. 



The origin of Merino sheep is merely speculative. It has been 

 assumed that the parent stock existed in Spain prior to the 

 Christian era, and that this was improved by the introduction of 

 Tarentine sheep from Tarento, southern Italy. Lucius Columella 

 is said to have introduced these a.d. 41, and he also imported 

 African rams. The people of Carthage and Phoenicia in northern 

 Africa brought fine-wooled sheep to Spain, as did probably other 

 invaders also. The sheep of Spain in those days were of various 

 colors, — white, black, red, or tawny, the red fiber being of the 

 finest quality. Undoubtedly these early sheep were much inferior 

 to those we know to-day in America, but they without question 

 produced finer wool than did other European sheep. The modern 

 improvement of the Merino was -essentially accomplished out of 

 Spain. The Spanish government opposed most of the first expor- 

 tation s, and many sheep were smuggled from the country. 



The exportation of Merinos from Spain to European countries 

 and America was of great importance, for with this the improve- 

 ment of the Merino began. 



Swedish Merinos. It is believed that the first of these sheep 

 exported from Spain were taken to Sweden in 1723 by M. 

 Alstroemer. 



The Saxon Merino. In 1765 the Elector of Saxony imported 

 from Spain 92 rams and 128 ewes, these coming from the flocks of 

 Count Negrette. Part of these were placed on a farm near Dres- 

 den, and were later distributed to various farms, where they were 

 carefully bred, and where they did remarkably well. Youatt states 

 that the wool of the Saxon Merino became finer and more serrated 

 than its Spanish progenitor, and so had an increased value. It 

 has been claimed that the Saxon is the least hardy of the modern 

 Merinos. The modern type of Saxon is essentially free of folds. 



German or Silesian Merinos. The first attempt toward the 

 establishment of this family was in 1768 by Mr. von Vinke, 



