330 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 



the same time by crossing the two flocks a third was produced combin- 

 ing the properties of both flocks, but occasionally showing the char- 

 acteristics of one of them. The origin of this flock was the William 

 Jarvis importations of 1810, and it held its own until the interest of 

 the Spanish Merino revived and eclipsed the Saxon, by which, for a 

 time, it seemed doomed. Mr. Jarvis sold many rams and ewes from his 

 flock or flocks which went to the improvement of the stock in New 

 Hampshire and eastern Vermont. In 1813 he sold an Escurial ram and 

 10 young ewes of the Paular and Negretti breed and many rams of 

 the Paular breed. The following is a description of his flock or flocks 

 in 1833: 



(1) Saxon mixed, with Merino; fleeces extremely soft and fine, averaging alDOiit 2J 

 pounds, staple generally very sliort; they are not so hardy as the full-blooded Me- 

 rino, and consequently increase more slowly. 



(2) Unmixed Merino of the Escurial or Eoyal Spanish stock. These are very little 

 inferior in fineness to the Saxon; staple somewhat longer and more clastic, fleeces 

 rather heavier; these are more hardy and productive than the Saxon Merino. 



(3) Unmixed Merino of the Paular stock. These have still heavier fleeces ; not so 

 fine or soft as the Escurial ; they are compact in form, constitutionally most hardy 

 of the Merinos and by far the most prolific. 



(4) Full-blooded Merino stock, the result of previous intercourse of Escurial and 

 Paular bucks and ewes, and consequently uniting their qualities of form and fleece, 

 but occasionally exhibiting the peculiar characteristics of the Paular and Escurial 

 only. 



Bbenezer Brown was also the proprietor of some rams of the William 

 Jarvis importations of 1810, and in 1811 advertised half-blood lambs. 



Messrs. Grant and Jennison, of Walpole, bred from the Jarvis sheep 

 until 1830, when they disposed of their flock to W. E. Sanford, of Ver- 

 mont, and began the foundation of a Saxon flock, which they main- 

 tained for many years in great purity. The sale to Sanford was the 

 means of starting afresh the cultivation of the purebred Spanish Me- 

 rino in Vermont, most of the flocks having been crossed with the Saxon. 



In 1810 or 1811, either by direct importation or purchase at Boston, 

 R. R. Livingston secured some Guadaloupe sheep. Some of these he 

 sold to Elisha Ticknor, of Boston, who bargained with the Shakers at 

 Enfield to keep them five years. Mr. Williams, of Hanover, near En- 

 field, was employed by Mr. Ticknor to superintend his affairs in that 

 section and see that these sheep were kept pure. These sheep were 

 handsomely formed, of large size, hardy, and possessing great strength, 

 yielding heavy fleeces of fine clean wool. The flock eventually fell into 

 the hands of the Shakers, who maintained it pure, and from the wool 

 manufactured fine cloths for many years. Prom time to time sales 

 were made of rams and ewes to parties in Vermont and New Hamp- 

 shire, but the flock was kept whole until 1844. In June of that year 

 Merrill and A. L. Bingham purchased 103 and took them to Vermont. 

 Satisfied from the yield of wool that they would prove a profitable 

 sheep, in September following the Binghams went to Enfield and 



