426 SHEEP INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES 



imported Spanisli rams were to be had for $50. The same Mr. Howe]l gave me $500 

 for Americus. I presume you have mistaken these two sheep. 



In addition to this foundation Mr. Caldwell purchased in September, 

 1810, 190 Merino sheep, and a few days later some more, all of which 

 were added to his iiock at Haddonfleld. These last purchases were of 

 the Jarvis importations, and the first, at least, were Paulars. He pur- 

 chased also some of the Infantados imported by Capt. Charles Stewart. 

 Other choice sheep were added to the flock, and it became noted as 

 one of the very best in the country. In 1815 it passed from Mr. Cald- 

 well's hands to Mr. Samuel L. Howell, and was subsequently sent to 

 William E. Dickinson, of Ohio, and from it originated many of the best 

 flocks known in Ohio and Western Pennsylvania and the Pan Handle 

 counties of Virginia. 



The Samuel L. Howell mentioned by Mr. Caldwell was a resident of 

 Ashfield, Gloucester County, and was an early importer of Merino 

 sheep and had a large and choice flock before he made the purchase of 

 the Caldwell flock. In June, 1813, he published a valuable article on 

 the diseases of the Merino that had come under his notice — worm in the 

 head, prolapsus vaginae et uteri, abortion, cholera, and foot-rot. Mr. 

 Howell's fine flock, or a part of it, also found its way to Ohio. 



The Jarvis importations found many purchasers in New Jersey, and 

 the liberal action of the legislature in encouraging woolen manufac- 

 tures gave the sheep a general distribution. Miles Smith, of New 

 Brunswick, imported 70 from Lisbon in May, 1811, and during the 

 year they could be procured in almost every section of the State, although 

 they were held at high figures. By a return made to the State author- 

 ities in 1814 it appears that there were then in the State 285,049 sheep, 

 of which 3,807 were fall-blood Merinos, 25,826 mixed bloods, and the 

 remainder common sheep, and that these sheep supported the life of 

 56 woolen factories and 129 carding machines for country business. 

 Gloucester, Essex, and Morris counties led. We are otherwise informed 

 that in the latter a worthy minister of Mendhammade in the preceding 

 year from his flock of Merino sheep a sufiiciency of cloth for his entire 

 family, and sold $500 worth to others. 



Among those who had flocks of Merino she(jp was Hon. John Euth- 

 erford, of Bergen County, formerly a United States Senator. He had 

 a " home flock " in Bergen and a " mountain flock" in Sussex, and fol- 

 lowing the practice of Spain these were kept as migratory flocks. At 

 shearing time the flocks were driven from one feeding place to another 

 more distant from home. The flocks aggregated nearly 600 sheep. The 

 summer migration of these flocks was attended with some ceremony, and 

 the transfer from their winter quarters in Bergen to the hills of Sussex 

 in summer was chronicled by a Sussex paper as " presenting a lively 

 picture of the patriarchs of the primitive ages." The flocks of the 

 patriarchs, however, were considerably larger. We have a record of 

 the shearing of 340 of these sheep, giving 928 pounds of wool. Another 



