128 CROSSING FAMILIES OP MBEINOS. 



where they could find animals which presented desirahle 

 qualities, and mixed these families indiscriminately together. 

 To this cause, in a very considerable measure, is to be 

 attributed the remarkably unhomogeneous character of the 

 French flocks. Breeding back, in the hands of persons 

 entertaining different views, has separated them into almost 

 as many families as they started from ; and the new families 

 lack within themselves the uniformity and permanent hered- 

 itary character of the original ones. Mr. Jarvis, in the 

 United States, crossed several families — aU prime Leonese, 

 and not widely variant in character. "The cross was guided 

 by a single intelligent will, and always toward a definite 

 and consistent end. Therefore a much greater degree of 

 imifonnity was obtained. 



The present highly popular Paular family in Vermont is, 

 as has been already seen, dashed with Infantado and mixed 

 Leonese (Jarvis) strains of blood.* Crosses between the 

 present Paulars and Infantados are now common throughout 

 Vermont, and the produce is held in high estimation. The 

 Paular ewe in such cases is usually bred to the Infantado 

 ram. It should be borne in mind that the widest of these 

 crosses do not go beyond six original cabanas of prime 

 Leonese sheep, — among the best and most uniform of Spain. 



The cross began in Germany by Ferdinand Fischer, 



* I gave an acconnt of the origin of this cross in my Beport on Fine-Wool 

 Hnsbandry, 1863, from the information of those who ought to have Icnown the facts; 

 bnt on fuller investigation it proves to have been erroneous in some particniars. The 

 Bich (Faular) and Jarvis (mixed Leonese) sheep had been crossed somewliat anterior 

 to 1844. Judge M. W. C. Wright, of Shoreham, Vermont, having conceived the idea of 

 crossing the prodace with the Infantado or Atwood family, purchased 8 ram for that 



Surpose of Mr. Atwood at the New York State Fair in the fall of the last named year, 

 udge Wright sold the ram. Immediately after his return to Vermont, to Prosper 

 Elithorp, of Bridport, and L^al C. Bemelee, of Shoreham, but used Um himself 

 more or less for three years. This, the "Atwood rain," got the "Elithorp ram" out 

 of a ewe bred by Mr. Bemelee, and sold by him to Mr. Elithorp. The dam of the 

 Blithorp ram was got by Judge Wright's " Black Hawk" out of a pure Jarvis ewe, 

 purchased by Mr. Bemelee of Mr, Jarvis. Black Hawk was got by " Fortune," out of 

 a pure Jarvis ewe purchased by Judge Wright of Mr. Jarvis. Fortune was bred by 

 Tyler Stickney, and got by " Consul "^ out of a pure Faular (Bich) ewe. Consul was 

 a pure Jarvis ram, pnrchased by Mr. Stickney of Mr. Jarvis. Mr. Elithorp sold the 

 Elithorp ram, then a lamb, in the fall of 1845^ to Erastus Bobinson, of Shoreham. 

 The Elithorp ram got the " Old Bobinson ram " out of a ewe bred by Mr. Elithorp, 

 and sold by hira, with twenty-nine others, to Mr. Bobinson in 1848. The dam of the 

 Old Bobinson ram was got by the Atwood ram, above mentioned, out of a pure 

 Faular (Bich) ewe bred by Mr. Bobinson, and sold by him to Mr. Elithorp in 1843. 

 The Atwood, Elithorp and Old Bobinson rams, and particularly the last named, were 

 the founders of the crossed family. The Old Bobinson ram in the hands of Mr. 

 Bobinson and his brother-in-law, Mr. Stickney, (who subsequently purchased him of 

 the former,) begot an immense number of lambs, which were very strongly marked 

 with his own characteristics^ and which, in turn, generally transmitted them with 

 great force to their posterity. They were generally smallish, short, exceedingly 

 round and compact, with flue, yolky, and for those times and for the size of the sheep, 

 heavy fleeces. Messrs. Bobinson and Stickney spread rams of this family far and 

 wide. See Affensix B. 



