510 SHEEP 



The promotion of Merino sheep in times past has been vested 

 in various organizations. The Vermont Merino Sheep Breeders' 

 Association, organize^ in 1879, published four volumes of flock 

 books and registered over 300,000 sheep, mainly as flocks. The 

 United States Merino Sheep Register was organized in Ohio in 

 1876 and published a volume of its flock book the same year. 

 In 1882 the Ohio Spanish Merino Sheep Breeders' Association 

 was organized at Columbus and published its first volume in 1885. 

 The National Record of the American Merino Sheep Register 

 was organized in 1881 in Wisconsin, the first volume of the flock 

 book being published in 1882. The New York Merino Sheep 

 Breeders' Association was organized in 1879 and the Michigan 

 Merino Association in 1880. In other states associations for re- 

 cording Merino sheep also organized, but these have never become 

 very active factors in the Merino industry. In 1904 about nine- 

 teen Merino associations of different kinds, organized to register 

 sheep, were said to be in existence. Most of them were feeble 

 affairs, doing little or no business. In January, 1906, a confer- 

 ence of Merino breeders, representing different registry associa- 

 tions, was held at Columbus, Ohio, for the purpose of consolidating 

 into one strong organization. This resulted in the incorporation 

 of the American and Delaine-Merino Record Association. By 

 official action the Standard Delaine, the International Delaine, 

 and the Improved Spanish Delaine associations merged into the 

 new organization. In 1908, at a conference held at the New York 

 State Fair between representatives of the Vermont Merino Sheep 

 Breeders' Association, the New York Merino Sheep Breeders' 

 Association, and the Ohio Spanish Merino Sheep Breeders' 

 Association, it was agreed to merge these, and in January, 1909, 

 at Columbus, Ohio, these three consolidated to form the Vermont, 

 New York, and Ohio Merino Sheep Breeders' Association. This 

 association was short-lived and in 19 16 consolidated with the 

 American and Delaine-Merino Record Association, which at pres- 

 ent is the strongest Merino organization in America. Eleven 

 volumes of the flock book of this association have been published 

 up to 1919 and 123,503 sheep recorded. 



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