1 34 SHEEP INDUSTRY OP THE UNITED STATES 



The next importation was a joint one of Dnpont de ]N'emours and M. 

 Delessert, a Parisian banker. De IS'emours migrated with Ms family 

 to the United States in 1799, and took up his residence on the banks 

 of the Hudson. Before this he had been associated with the commis- 

 sion appointed by the French Government to select, in Spain, the large 

 flock of Merinos conceded by the secret clause of the treaty of Basle. 

 In his retreat on the Hudson he bethought how valuable some of these 

 Merinos would be to the United States, and arranged with Delessert, 

 who also owned a seat on the Hudson, to ship four ram lambs to 

 America, three of them intended for their own farms, and the fourth 

 for President Jefferson. Three perished on the long voyage, but one, 

 Don Pedro, costing $1,000, arrived safely July 16, 1801, and was taken 

 to Dupont's place on the Hudson, near New York City. In 1802, when 

 Dupont returned to France, Don Pedro was placed on Delessert's 

 farm, near Kingston, and was used there for nearly four years, to the 

 great advantage of breeders and the improvement of their flocks. In 

 1805, Delessert rented his farm and sold his sheep at auction. Don 

 Pedro was bought by Dupont's agent for $00, and taken to E. I. Du- 

 pont's farm in the vicinity of Wilmington, Del., where he became the 

 sire of many flne-wooled flocks. The half and three-quarter blood 

 ewes, nearly 100 in number, were sold to the farmers around Kingston, 

 on the Hudson, at a price much lower than that realized for common 

 sheep, and more than half of them perished of neglect the following 

 winter. In commenting upon these facts, Chancellor Livingston re- 

 marks : 



Such is commonly the case where novelties are introduced in agriculture, till the 

 niiud of the husbandman is prepared for their reception. I knew the imjiortauce of 

 the object, and I resolved to leave no means unessayed to convince ray fellow-citi- 

 zens of it. 



Livingston went to the accomplishment of his purpose by purchasing 

 all he could find of the scattered remnant of Delessert's flock, securing 

 twenty-four ewes, at prices which attracted the notice of those who had 

 seen and neglected them. These descendants of Don Pedro he crossed 

 with his own importations from the governn:eut flocks of France. 



IC. I. Dupont, to whose farm near Wilmington Don Pedro was taken 

 in 1805, had a small flock of Merinos at that time, and, being anxious to 

 improve the breed in the country, oftered the farmers the free use of the 

 ram, which, generally, they were slow to accept. In 1808, with a view 

 of increasing his own flock, he purchased from his neighbor farmers as 

 many half and three-quarters blood of the Don Pedro stock as he was 

 able to collect. He 'was so far successful in the increase of his flock by 

 these purchases and the natural increase that, in the summer of 1810 

 on a space of ground about three miles long and from two to three 

 broad, there were more than 1,500 sheep, nearly one-half of them differ- 

 ent grades of Merino, and Mr. Baudrey, a neighbor and business asso- 

 ciate, who owned a flock of 600 sheep, had obtained a shepherd from 



