308 
ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOR. 
are not particular about their feed ; they mature early, and upon hill 
pastures produce mutton of high quality, 
XIV. Fine-Wooled Sheep.— American Merinos. 
Ia treating of fine-wooled sheep, it will not be necessary to go into theif 
history. It is enough to say that Spain and France have contributed 
from time to time their best specimens, which, under such management 
•a that given by Mr. Jarvis, — selecting from five families of Spanish 
sheep, the Paulars predominating, — produced what was known as th® 
■fixed Leonese ov Jarvis Merinos. In 1813 Mr. Atwood commenced tha 
breeding of pure Merinos, from what was then known as the Humphrey 
etock. About 1844, Edwin Hammond, of Middlebury, Vermont, com- 
menced breeding, taking for his stock selections from the Atwood family. 
To the judgment and skill of Mr. Atwood, and later followed by Mr. 
Hammond and other Ameri an breeders, we have seen produced what 
have been known distinctly as American Merinos ; perfect in all that 
GROUP OF AMERICAN MERINOS, 
goes to constitute length and thickness of wool, evenness and fineness of 
staple, that looseness of skin which, while it lies in low, rounded, soft 
ridges over the body, offers no obstruction to the shears. These were 
the points sought, and for the last twenty years well met and sustained 
by the best breeders, East and West ; so that we now have as thoroughly 
established, the descendants of the Infantado — large and of good length, 
and the descendants of the Paulars, a smaller breed, originally established 
in the United States by Mr. Silas Rich and his son, of Shoreham, Ver- 
mont. Thus making two well marked families, which it is altogether 
probable would be injured by the infusion of foreign blood. 
