WEST OP THE MISSISSIPPI RIVEE. 953 



liest to arrive was John D. Patterson, of New York, who came with 

 French Merinos and Southdowns ; Solomon W. Jewett, of Vermont, 

 was busily engaged sending sheep to his son, then located in Kern 

 County, and still there as a breeder. Severance & Peet came some- 

 what later, but brought first-class stock of the Vermont type. But the 

 firm of this kind which wielded the most potent influence on the entire 

 Pacific slope, at that early day, was that of E. J. Jones and S. B. Eock- 

 well, of Addison County, Vt. The influence of the writings of Mr. 

 Eockwell through the local press wherever he went was like a trumpet 

 call. Especially was this the case in Oregon, where the home-builders 

 who had carried the banner of the Eepublic across the plains and moun- 

 tains, and instituted a provisional government under it in 1843, were 

 quietly pursuing their purposes. To name $500 as the price of one of 

 these small greasy sheep was like an electric shock to most of these 

 people, and some of them entered iuto newspaper protests against what 

 they called "an imposition, as well as an extortion." The war was warm 

 for a time, but of course enterprise and intelligence won. There had at 

 this datebeen no sheep-herdingregisters established anywhere, and have 

 not yet been on the Pacific slope, although flocks were founded from the 

 best sheep of Vermont, and additions have been of the same character. 



PRESENT CONDITION OF CALIFOBNIA SHEEP AND WOOL INDIISTEIE8. 



Having already given a brief sketch of the beginnings and the begin- 

 ners of sheep husbandry in California, it seems fitting here to give 

 the names of those most prominently and publicly known as sheep- 

 breeders now, and the line of breeding pursued, so far as known. The 

 flocks of Thomas McConnell and of Mrs. B. M. Wilson, founded on the 

 pioneer importation from Vermont, are yet kept up and purely bred. 

 J. H. Glide, of Sacramento, keeps pure representatives of the French 

 Merinos, introduced by J. D. Patterson, and continued by Eobert 

 Blacow. Prank BuUard, of Woodland, and Woolsey & Sons, of Fulton, 

 keep Merinos founded in California by Severance & Peet. The latter 

 have begun crossing with the Shropshire. Kirkpatrick & Whitacre, of 

 Knights Ferry, breed French and American (improved Spanish), and 

 crosses between these families. H. Mecham, of Petaluma, breeds pure 

 polled American Merino and pure Shropshires, and crosses between; E. 

 H. Crane, of the same place, Southdowns; J. B. Hoyt, of Suisun, Shrop- 

 shires; J. W. Grigsby and William Middleton, Napa, Southdowns; 

 Martin Kingsley, Santa Cruz, Southdowns; T. J. Knight, of Table 

 Bluff, and J. C. Barber, of Ferndale, Cotswolds; J. Askew, El Dorado, 

 Cotswolds and Southdowns; J. E. Lucas, San Eafael, Shropshires; E. 

 M. Wilson, of Newman, and A. D. Stusifer, Merinos; S. N. Straube, 

 Fresno, Merinos; E. E. Giddings, Dinuba, Merinos; Harry Quinn, De- 

 lano, Merinos; Sol. S. Jewett, Bakersfield, Merinos; Parmein Bros., 

 Los Angeles, and Premain, Piermont, Merinos. Many large wool- grow- 

 ers drew out male lambs for sale as breeders, which are largely used 

 in order to lessen expenses. 



