620 SHEEP 



In 191 7 W. A. Brown, secretary of the English Leicester Sheep 

 Society, gave expression to the following very pronounced opinion^ : 



Confused ideas prevail about tlie Leicester in the minds of sheep men in 

 several parts of the world, where the breed got a footing probably generations 

 ago, and the name, but not the quality, has ever since been retained. In 

 Canada, for instance, and in the United States also, there are so-called Leices- 

 ters which are entirely a discredit to the name, as we in this country know the 

 pure descendants of our own home-bred stock ; and confusion is made worse 

 confounded in Canada and also in the United States by the inclusion under 

 one head of Leicesters and Border Leicesters. The same anomalous condition 

 applies to Australia. 



The introduction of Leicester sheep to America occurred early 

 in»the history of the United States. Previous to the War of the 

 Revolution some of the so-called Dishley or Bakewell sheep were 

 brought (most of them smuggled) into the colonies, especially 

 New Jersey and Virginia. As early as 1800 the New Leicester 

 was known about Philadelphia, though it was not of pure breeding. 

 About 1 799 or 1 800 the first pure-breds brought to America were 

 imported to Quebec, Canada, by Reverend Mr. Toofy. In 1806 

 John Hart of Cheshire, Massachusetts, secured a ram, and about 

 1805 or 1806 Captain Beanes of New Jersey brought some pure- 

 bred rams and ewes from England and disposed of them tgi a 

 retired ship captain, George Farmer, living near New Brunswick, 

 New Jersey. These Beanes Leicesters were carefully and success- 

 fully bred and attained a wide reputation, Captain Farmer selling 

 some rams for as much as ^1000 per head. From New Jersey 

 and other states came a large demand for sheep from the Farmer 

 flock. Miles Smith, a neighbor of Farmer, and Joseph Cooper of 

 Flemington, New Jersey, also became prominent breeders. The 

 craze for Merino sheep, however, was on in America and by 18 18, 

 when Farmer died, there were no pure Leicesters on his or Smith's 

 farm. During the War of 18 12 Christopher Dunn established 

 the first pure-bred flock of this breed in New York, near Albany, 

 they being stock destined for Canada, but captured by an Amer- 

 ican privateer. There were importations to New York in 1826 by 

 J. S. Skinner, in 1831 by D. Stockdale, and in 1835 by John Baker. 

 The first Leicesters which found their way to Ohio were brought 



1 Live Stock Journal Almanac (London, 1917)1 p. 145. 

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