EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI EIVEE. 



435 



here tliat Mr. Miller, making this statement in 1824, nearly fifteen years 

 after the date assigned, quite naturally fell into an error of one year. 

 There were not in 1809 100 or 150 full-blooded Merinos near Philadel- 

 phia to start a flock with, and the true date is undoubtedly 1810, when 

 the Spanish importations began to arrive, and among them the sheep 

 of Mr. E. W. Meade, to whom these 236 sheep evidently belonged, as 

 will appear further along by Mr. Miller's memorandum. Mr. Miller kept 

 a strict account of his expenditures for feeding, fencing, care, etc., and 

 also of the shearing and increase of the flock. 



*In October, 1816, divided the increase with Mr. Meade's agent, being 150 sheep, and tept my own 

 share — 150 -^ returned also 48 old ewes. 



^Placed 70 ewes and 2 rams with S. L. Howell on shares, and sold 40 wethers to B. Loyd. 



3Tti October sold and sent to Ohio 55 ewes and rams of my own flock, and 85 from those of Mr. How- 

 ell's ; also 6 to Virginia. 



' Sold 30 fat wethers to butcher. 



]Vtr. Miller adds to this a memorandum : 



In September, 1814, I paid for half theiDcrease of Mr. Meade's flock, being 83 ewes 

 and rams. Immediately sold off 30 rams, leaving me 53 eyrea, 20 of which were 

 lambs; and from this stock and the half increase of Mr. Meade's for two years I 

 have now (1824) a flock of 360 sheep and lambs, after having sold as above stated 

 216 — together 576 sheep. The first five years I kept the farm in my own hands. Since 

 1820 it has been let on shares, giving half of everything raised, including wool, the 

 increase of sheep my ovra.* 



In May, 1825, there were sold from Mr. Miller's flock in the Philadel- 

 phia market 1,173 pounds of wool at 50 cents a pound, which, compared 

 with other wool, was high, being 8 cents above Maryland Merino. 



It will be noticed by Mr. Miller's memorandum that the sheep he had 

 on shares wereE. W. Meade's, that some of them were bred by Samuel 

 L. Howell, of New Jersey, and that the increase of the flocks in 1822 

 (14(6 head) were sent to Ohio and Virginia. The portion of Virginia was 

 evidently that embraced in the Panhandle counties. 



In 1823 Mr. Miller imported 2 Saxon rams and placed in his flock, and 

 part of it, at least, was devoted to the increase and dissemination of 

 this family of the Merino. In 1824 he had 80 to 90 lambs from the 

 Saxon rams and Spanish ewes, the males of which he offered to dispose 

 of at moderate prices, with the view of extending the breed. 



Samuel D. Ingham, Moses Eastburn, and others, of Bucks County, 

 had Merino flocks as early as 1811, the former keeping his more for 



* Memoirs of Pennsylvania Agricultural Society, 1824. 



