EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI EIVEK. 289 



III the same year (1830) William E. Sanford, who previous to this 

 time had succeeded to his father's flock of sheep, purchased of Grant & 

 Jennison, of Walpole, N. H., 20 ewes that were bred by William Jarvis 

 of his pure Spanish Merino importation, which Mr. Sanford bred to 

 Cock and Jarvis rams. In 1845 he bought a ram lamb of Edwin 

 Hammond, and always after that year used pure Atwood rams. In 

 1846 or 1847 he bought of Stephen Atwood 3 lamb rams and a few ewes 

 from J. E. l^ettleton's flock in Connecticut, bred from the flock of 

 Jacob N. Blakeslee. In 1849 he purchased 13 ewes and the ram Old 

 Black of Stephen Atwood and his son George Atwood, thus laying the 

 foundation for the flock that subsequently became pure Atwood. A 

 few more ewes, 8 or 10 in number, were bought of the Atwoods at other 

 times, and in 1854 he purchased of W. E. Eemele, of Middlebury, Vt., 

 36 ewes, being all of his ewe lambs of 1853 and 1854. These were pure 

 Atwood blood. During the same year Mr. Sanford in company with 

 W. S. and Edwin Hammond purchased 27 ewes of the Cutting flock 

 hereafter to be noticed. A portion of these ewes were Atwood, but the 

 larger portion were a part Atwood and a part Ehode Island blood. 

 Again in the same year Mr. Sanford purchased 7 yearling ewes and 

 ewe lambs that were bred by Mr. Abel P. Wooster, of West Cornwall, 

 Vt. They were Atwood and Hanamond sheep. After the introduction 

 of the Atwood sheep into the flock the ewes from this blood were re- 

 tained in the flock, and those having the Jarvis blood were sold off, as 

 also some French and Silesian sheep purchased in 1851. The Cutting 

 blood, or that part of the Cutting purchase that were not pure Atwoods, 

 were also sold off, and the flock became pure Atwood and were so bred 

 until 1874, when it was sold to L. J. Orcutt, of Cummington, Mass., and 

 put in charge of George Hammond of Middlebury, Vt. Its subsequent 

 history will be traced in the Hammond flock. 



Mr. Sanford owned in company with Mr. Edwin Hammond 4 or 5 

 stock rams, and he had a half interest in the ram California, formerly 

 used by Victor Wright. California was bred by Victor Wright in 

 1858, sire Long Wool, and was an Atwood sheep. He was Anally sold 

 to Messrs. Hoyt, in California, in 1861. Many other rams of great 

 excellence Avere produced from this flock, among which Comet held a 

 prominent position, and probably made the greatest improvement. 

 Comet was bred in 1861, his sire being Wright's California. He weighed 

 in fiiU fleece about 140 pounds and was a symmetrical and well-made, 

 round-carcassed sheep, and stood upon straight legs of medium length. 

 His fleece was dense, even, and covered him well. Length of staple 

 2^ inches; length of fiber, 3 J inches ; oil slightly buff ; weight of fleece, 

 24f pounds at his third shearing. He was well folded at under side of 

 neck, also at tail and flank. He was used extensively as a stock ram, 

 and was an excellent sire of both ewes and rams. It is said that the 

 income of this ram at 3 years old was $3,000. He was sold in his old 

 age to J. S. Close, St. Clairsville, Ohio. Two rams, Eurekq, and Kil- 

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