USA > Vermont > Addison County > Gazetteer and business directory of Addison County, Vt., for 1881- 82 > Part 4
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Iron Ore .- Small deposits of this useful metal exist in Leicester, Salisbury, Middlebury and Bristol, but none that are extensive. Manganese and yellow ocher are very abundantly disseminated with the iron ore found at these places, in sufficient quantities to prove valuable in the manufacture of paint. Other small beds of hematite exist in different parts of the county, but not in quantities sufficiently great to warrant remunerative working. Bog ore, or the earthy oxyd of iron, is also found in small quantities. This ore, unlike the bematite, is confined to no particular rock formation, but is found upon the mountains and in the valleys. In every marshy spot, where rocks containing pyrites or corbonate of iron are contiguous, there may be found more or less of this earthy oxyd. It even enters largely into the composition of the soil in some localities, and gives to it the yellow color.
Moraine terraces, a class of elevations of gravel and sand, with corres- pondent depressions of most singular and scarcely describable appearance, were formed by water and stranded ice, when water covered the greater part of Vermont. Numerous specimens of this phenomena are to be found through- out the county, the most remarkable being along Otter Creek, and in Salis- bury and Ripton. At the latter place, east of the village, they are especially numerous, extending up the mountains 1,070 feet above the level of the ocean, where is also found evidences of an ancient sea beach. Still finer ex- amples of a sea beach may be found in the east part of the town, lying partly in Hancock, upon the top of the Green Mountains. This beach is composed of stratified sand and gravel, and overlooks the whole valley west of the moun- tains, being 1,806 feet above Middlebury, 1,696 feet above the Champlain clays, and 2,196 feet above the ocean.
Alluvium .- This name, from the Latin Alluere, to wash upon, is given to those accumulations of sand, earth, and loose stones, boulders or gravel broken off from the higher ledges and brought down by the action of water, ice, etc., to the lower plains, and which, when spread out to any extent, form what is called alluvial land, or forniation. The superior crust of the earth is constantly being disintegrated by the action of the air, by tides, currents, and streams of running water, and deposited at the bottom of rivers, lakes, estua- ries, and the ocean itself. In time, these lakes, etc., are completely filled up, become dry land, and a valley composed of alluvial soil is formed-thus Lake Champlain once extended over the greater part of the county.
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STAPLE PRODUCTIONS.
The staple productions of the county are wheat, rye, Indian corn, oats, barley, buckwheat, potatoes, maple sugar, and the various products of dairying and wool growing, and of the garden and orchard. Some idea of the magni- tude of these products may be derived from the U. S. census report of 1870, which claims for the county 278,170 acres of improved land, valued at $ 16,001,518.00, supporting 6,595 horses, 16,442 milch cows, 1, 143 working oxen, 82,858 sheep, and 4,552 swine, having a cash value of $2,304,419.00. During that year this land produced 57,725 bushels of wheat, 13,201 bushels of rye, 144,257 bushels of Indian corn, 334,446 bushels of oats, 7,218 bushels of barley, 28,211 bushels of buckwheat, and 317,043 bushels of potatoes. The sheep yielded 495,771 pounds of wool, or about six pounds to the fleece, while from the milk of the cows was manufactured 1,723,437 pounds of butter and 546,047 pounds of cheese.
INTRODUCTION AND PROGRESS OF SPANISH MERINO SHEEP BREEDING IN ADDISON COUNTY.
Previous to the year 1820, the chief agricultural pursuits of the county were the production of wheat and cattle. A few Spanish Merino sheep had been brought unto the territory by Horatio Seymour, Hollet Thorn, Daniel Chipman, Zebulon Frost, and others, which were added to during the war with England, the high price of wool at that time having stimulated their in- troduction ; but the price rapidly declined after the removal of the embargo, when the commerce of the country again became unrestricted. This decline in the value of wool had, naturally, a corresponding effect on the value of sheep, and most of these importations, if not all, became scattered and lost among the common flocks. In 1823, Charles Rich, of Shoreham, member of Congress for this district, with rare foresight laid the foundation of the first permanent flock of pure bred Spanish Merino sheep in Addison County, they being purchased in company with Messrs. J. Beedle and E. Wright. The portion of the flock that went into the hands of Mr. Beedle was exten- sively crossed with Saxony blood, and not many years after was broken up. The failure of wheat from the invasion of insects, together with the passage of the Tariff Act in 1828, greatly stimulated the production of wool, and pure bred flocks soon began to rapidly increase, both in numbers and quality. The space we are able to allot to this article, however, will not permit a descrip- tion of the various Merino flocks in Spain, the several importations to this country, nor a complete history of all the pure bred flocks in Addison County ; yet it is intended that a general sketch of the principal early ones will be noted.
Previous to the general introduction of full blood Merino sheep, is to be noted the Rich tlock, bought of Andrew Cocks, in 1823, by Jehiel Beedle, Elijah Wright and Charles Rich, of Shoreham. The Rich flock has been
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kept a pure breed of Merinos from its foundation to the present time, never having been mixed with Saxony blood. The owners of the flock have kept their sheep through a long period, resisting the temptation to sell out during times of depression. This is the parent stock of the Stickney and Robinson flocks, and it is claimed no ewe has been purchased and brought into the flock since it was first founded. The present owner, Mr. Virtulon Rich, of Richville, Vt., bred the noted ram "Banker."
(ALL RIGHT .- Bred by R. J. Jones, of West Cornwall, Vt. All Right, dropped in April, 1371, was the sire of Umpire, Reliance, Reserve, Advance, Standard, and other rams of note. Died in October, 1879.)
Messrs. Merrill Bingham and Prosper Elitharp, of Bridport, E. R. Robinson, Tyler Stickney and David and G. Cutting, of Shoreham, engaged in the business about the same time, all being men who were good judges of sheep and devoted to the business. Merrill Bingham, of Cornwall, brought to his farm, in 1836, one hundred and ten ewes, bought of Mr. Buck and his neighbors, in Lanesboro, Mass., and subsequently became the leading sheep man of the county. At this time Mr. Bingham sold a ram for $10.00, and two for $18.00 ; and it took an extra fine one to bring $50.00. In the early time of the sheep interest here, Mr. Bingham did much to awaken the spirit of im- provement, and has now been in the business for a period of forty-five years.
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For a long time his annual sales probably exceeded those of any breeder in the county. At a later period, he engaged in breeding French Merinos, and though he had as good quality of sheep as any of the kind, he gave up that branch of the business after a few years.
Prosper Elitharp was a man of sound judgment as a breeder, and after the introduction of Atwood blood into his flock he became eminently successful. Rams of his breeding were sought by owners of the best flocks, and many ewes were sold to breeders in this county. This flock, however, has ceased to exist, the last ten being sold in 1873.
The flock of E. R. Robinson was founded in 1836, by a large purchase of sheep of Charles, son of Hon. Charles Rich. Mr. Robinson was engaged in the business but a comparatively short time-eighteen years-when his career was cut short by death in 1854. The first half of the eighteen years was not characterized by any marked improvement in his flock, but during the last nine years the improvement was peculiarly rapid. The purchase of thirty ewes of Elitharp, and ten pure blood Atwood ewes bought of C. B. Cook, in 1850, are all the ewes brought into his flock of which we have any knowledge.
Tyler Stickney, of Shoreham, is the oldest breeder, except. one, in the county. His flock is a pure blood Merino, and his tenaciousness in adhering to this breed is well illustrated by a period of nearly fifty years' experience in this line. The flock was formed by a division of the Rich flock, and twelve ewes which he afterwards bought of Charles Rich. Jarvis, Cocks and Atwood were the strains of blood in the stock. His sons, J. T. and J. Q. Stickney, have come into possession of a portion of the flock, and are at the present time breeders of high reputation. Edgar E. Stickney is associated with his father, and part owner of the flock, which produced the ram "General Fre- mont," whose third fleece weighed thirty-four and seven-eighths pounds.
David and German Cutting, of Shoreham, formed their flock from the sheep brought from Rhode Island by Messrs. Munger, Murray and Bundy, and is now the principal flock in the county with that base of blood. It soon attracted attention on account of its valuable qualities, the principal of which was the heavy fleece, and stock rams were furnished from it to some of the best breeders ; and it is claimed the first ewe sold as high as $100.00 in this county was from this flock. They introduced the blood of the Jarvis, Cocks and Atwood stock extensively. The flock went into the hands of Hervey M. Perry and Gustavus A. Cutting, of Shoreham.
At a somewhat later period, A. L. Bingham, of West Cornwall, and S. W. Jewett became extensively engaged in the business. About 1838, Mr. Bing- ham began the breeding of Merinos, buying of David and G. Cutting, of the Enfield Shakers, in New Hampshire, of Blakesley, in Connecticut, of Mr. Bailey, in Rhode Island, and others. He was a skillful breeder, and previous to engaging in breeding French Merinos, was the largest sheep owner in Cornwall. He invested largely in imported French stock, and bred as fine
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specimens of the blood as could be found. For a number of years this breed was held in high favor, and the sales from his flock were very large. He was also the first breeder to acquire the art of putting their stock into the best possible shape for exhibition, and was a very successful exhibitor of his sheep at the Agricultural Fairs of the county. Others, from viewing his animals, soon acquired the art.
Mr. S. W. Jewett, of Weybridge, collected a flock of Spanish Merinos and put on his farm in the above town. After the purchase of the ram " For- tune," his flock became more noted, winning the first prize in the second Agricultural Fair of Addison County, in 1845, and also at the American In- stitute in New York city during the same year. About this time he purchased of Lord Weston, of England, ten ewes ; but they were found to be inferior to the best sheep of this county, and therefore soon passed away. They were good bodied sheep, free from wrinkles, not much wool on the face, and thin fleeced. Soon after, he became largely engaged in importing French stock. and made several trips to France to select hissheep, becoming the largest im- porter of French blood in the United States. He took part in the organization of both the County and State Agricultural Societies, was a prolific writer on agricultural subjects, writing terse and practical articles that did much to awaken an interest in agricultural affairs. When French sheep finally came into disfavor, Mr. Jewett disposed of his flock and farm and removed to the West.
L. D. Gregory, of Weybridge, is worthy of notice as a breeder of Spanish . Merinos, having been actively engaged in the business from 1840 to 1854, when he sold his stock and farm and removed to Wisconsin. His flock con- tained blood of the Jarvis, Blakesley, Cocks and Atwood strains. He had the taste to breed fine wool, and probably attained the finest Spanish Merino wool in the county.
Previous to 1844, Edwin Hammond, of Middlebury, was engaged in breed- ing grade and Saxony sheep. Nothing could escape the attention of Mr. Hammond that would tend to improve his flock. Having seen a few Atwood ewes, brought to Vermont by C. B. Cook, he concluded to go to Connecticut and see the flock from which they were taken. Accordingly, in January, 1844, in company with R. P. Hall, he made his first visit to Mr. Atwood. They bought a considerable number at this time, and subsequently made several purchases, both of Mr. Atwood and others rearing the same blood. He rapidly acquired the reputation of being the foremost breeder in the county, which position he retained until his death in 1870. The reputation of the flock was undoubtedly increased by Mr. Hammond's personal characteristics- his uncommon power of influencing men. The flock is now in the hands of his son, George Hammond, of Middlebury. The rams "Sweepstakes," " Gold Drop," and "Green Mountain," that did so much towards improving the best flocks in the country, were bred in this flock.
Among the most noted breeders of his day, should be mentioned the name
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of William R. Sanford, of Orwell, the oldest breeder of pure Merinos now living in the county, having been engaged in this business over fifty years. He has always been a man of correct judgment, ardently devoted to the im- provement of sheep. His natural skill as a breeder, together with his exten- sive acquaintance with the best European flocks, as well as with those of this country, made him eminently successful. The severest test of a flock is the number of superior stock rams it will produce. The noted rams " Comet," the "Cross Ram," " Kilpatrick," " Eureka," and others were bred by Mr. Sanford. In 1874 his flock passed into the hands of L. J. Orcutt and D. B. and B. L. Buell, and he soon after, in connection with his son Charles, bought eighteen pure bred Atwood ewes, the same blood as his former stock.
Mr. C. B. Cook, of Charlotte, is the oldest breeder of Atwood stock in the State, having made a purchase of twenty-three ewes of Stephen Atwood in 1841. He guarded the blood of his flock with great care, giving each sheep an ear mark. Although Mr. Cook resides outside the limits of the county, his name is introduced on account of the great number of breeders here who pedigree to his flock. He has recently sold his entire flock.
Whitfield Wooster and Reuben Wright, of Cornwall, bought a few pure Merino sheep, in 1836, in Duchess County, N. Y. Summers and Orlin Foot made a purchase of Mr. Button, of Wallingford, Vt., in 1843, bringing them to Cornwall. These sheep, like many others of those days, were lost among the graded flocks so common at that time.
N. A. Saxton, of Waltham, founded his flock by purchases of Mr. Ham- mond. He was a successful breeder till his death. The flock of Victor Wright, of Weybridge, combined the blood of the Hammond and Sanford flocks, and attained a high excellence, being, inthe opinion of many, equal to the best. A part of the flock is now kept on the home farm. In 1853, Edwin Stowell, of Cornwall, commenced a flock of Atwood sheep by a purchase of ten ewes of W. S. and E. Hammond. Additions were made by subsequent purchases from the same flock. and also ewes from the flocks of N. A. Sax- ton, E. D. Munger and E. D. Griswold. The rams "Sweepstakes" and " Golden Fleece," bred by Mr. Stowell, and used by him for a number of years, gave to this flock a high reputation. The flock was sold to Mr. Cyrus Jennings, of Hubbardton, and is now in the hands of H. F. Dean, of Corn- wall.
In 1844, R. J. Jones, of West Cornwall, began a flock by a purchase of ewes of Isaac Allen and Abraham Melvin, of New Hampshire. To cross with them, he bought the first high priced ram ever sold by Mr. Hammond. He bred this flock about eight years, then sold it and bought three hundred imported French Merinos. In 1856. he laid the foundation of his present flock by a purchase of forty Atwood ewes of R. P. Hall, who bought in con- nection with Mr. Hammond. He kept his best sheep during the time of low prices succeeding the war, and always discouraged the introduction of Paular blood into Atwood flocks. From 1843 to 1863, he was the most extensive
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Merino sheep dealer in the United States. Since 1863, he has been engaged in improving his sheep, and now has one of the best Atwood flocks in the State. The rams " All Right," " Reserve," " Reliance," and "Umpire," were bred in this flock.
It is remarkable that since 1850, till the beginning of the last decade, and in a single county, so many skillful breeders, and so many flocks of such ex- cellence, could be found-as Hammond, Sanford, Wright, Saxton, Jewett, Elitharp, Robinson. Rich. Stickney. Stowell, Gregory, Merrill, and A. L. Bingham, with others that might be named, and their flocks. It is mainly owing to the skillful labors of these men and others, that Addison County gained the reputation, which it still retains, of being the centre of the Merino sheep interests of the world.
Of the flocks formed at a somewhat later period should be noted those of the following : F. D. Barton, O. C. Bacon, F. H. Bacon, John Sprague, A. B. Rose, Wright, and Jackman, of Waltham; L. P. Clark, Rector Gage, Daniel C. Smith, C. P. Morrison & Son, J. R. Day, G. W. Whitford, C. W. Hindes. L. M. and W. H. Rockwood, of Addison ; J. O. Hamilton, H. C. Burwell, L. S. Burwell, J. J. Crane, H. E. Merrill, J. R. Rice, B. A. Skiff, I. S. Doty, C. E. Crane, George N. Payne, W. L. Hamilton, and M. K. Barbour, of Bridport ; George H. Hall, James Forbes, Jr., E. N. Bissell, H. S. Brookins, F. and L. E. Moore, E. G. Farnham, J. Q. Caswell & Son, H. M. Perry, M. H. Jones. M. R. Atwood, S. J. Northup, B. B. Tottingham & Son, and E. A. Birchard & Son, of Shoreham ; Charles Sanford, E. D. Griswold, D. B. Buell, B. L. Buell, G. D. Bush, S. Y. Felton, O. H. and W. O. Bascom, and H. C. Brown, of Orwell ; A. H. Hubbard, A. F. Ellsworth. C. K. Williams, Edson A. Baldwin, W. P. Wright, Calvin H. Ketcham, J. A. Watts, F. D. Douglas. and Edward A. Casey, of Whiting ; Franklin Hooker, John Towle, Henry Lane, H. F. Dean, William H. Delong, S. S. Gibbs, Edgar Sanford. Harrison E. Sanford, Lyman H. Payne. M. B. Williamson, L. W. Spaulding, William McCauley, N. B. Douglas & Son, E. D. Searle, E. E. Jones, M. S. Keeler, W. H. & T. P. D. Mathews, S. C. Parkhill. Rollin Lane. J. B. Hamblin & Son, G. F. Casey, Eli Stevens, R. A. Foote & Son, C. R. Witherell, A. C. Hamilton, B. S. Field, and L. W. Peet, of Cornwall ; A. J. Stowe, L. J. Wright, J. B. Cher- bino, John A. Child, and Mrs. Victor Wright, of Weybridge ; Nelson Richards, of Vergennes ; George Hammond, Albert Chapman, and J. E. Ainsworth. of Middlebury ; A. A. Farnsworth, of New Haven ; J. G. Barker. of Leicester, and George C. Kelsey and M. S. Selden, of Salisbury. It is believed by competent judges, however, that some of the flocks whose owners are here named, are equal in value to the flocks more fully described. There are also many other worthy flocks not named here, but which will be noted in the business list.
The natural facilities of this section of country are well adapted to insure success in breeding sheep, and the spirit of improvement was never more prevalent among breeders than at the present time. A flock too large,
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or too small, cannot be improved so rapidly as one of medium size. One that is too large does not admit of a frequent and close inspection, and the breeding and wool-bearing qualities of each individual sheep cannot be known.
If a superior lamb should be produced, its full value for breeding purposes might not be discovered, nor it retained in the flock. A flock that is too small does not admit of sufficient range for selection. A lamb is sometimes produced better than either its sire or dam. This is called a " variation ;" and while no breeder has yet been able to explain this law of variation, yet without it, all improvement of domestic animals becomes simply impossible. These divergencies will not appear in a small number of sheep so frequently as in a larger flock ; therefore, it is plain to be seen why a medium sized flock can be the most rapidly improved. Still, the deeper interest and greater capacity of some men will enable them to make proper inspection of a larger number of sheep than others, as indeed it has been said of Gen. Bem, of the Hungarian army, that he was the best artillery officer in Europe for fifty guns ; but give him fifty-two guns and he would break down. A breeder who aspires to the quickest and highest improvement of his flock :' .1. keep a greater number of sheep than he can closely inspect and p. perly feed.
As men having little, if any experience, are constantly engaging in this busi- ness, it may be well for us to offer here a few suggestions gleaned from the lead- ing breeders of this and other sections. There is no such mystery connected with the breeding of sheep but that most men may reasonably aspire to high rank among the owners of the best flocks. We will explain and illustrate what is considered the best method, by five steps, as follows :-
First, Blood .- If your means are limited, buy of the best blood. If the sheep are not of the best quality, you can improve them afterwards. Do not, as is the manner of some, buy the sheep and make the blood afterwards. If you violate this rule, you may, after breeding ten or fifteen years, be obliged to sell out and begin anew.
Second, Breeding .- This step is more difficult. A man at the beginning cannot trust to experience, because he has none. Still, he should have a clear, distinct idea of the style of sheep he desires to produce. None but tried rams, whose progeny comes nearest to his ideal sheep, should be used. Not too large, nor yet too small. but a medium, is the coming model of sheep. It is a true maxim that, "an overgrown animal, of any breed, is worthless" for breeding purposes.
Third, Raising .- A lamb should be kept growing not to rapidly nor too slowly. If it grows too fast, its life will be shortened ; if too slow, it will be- come stunted and not attain its natural size. The first four months of an animal's life should be carefully watched, and in six or eight, it should have acquired considerable proportions of its natural growth. The chances of lambs being produced, superior to either sire or dam, are increased by flocks being well fed and cared for.
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Fourth, Selection .- In mating sheep, care should be paid to the typical idea of perfection. At first, the beginner must avail himself of the experience of others, though a close inspection of the results of crosses will soon make him acquainted with facts, and he will gradually become familiar with the science of breeding. Lambs that come nearest to the model must be retained in the flock, while those most unlike the ideal should be disposed of before they arrive at breeding age. Rejecting a few of the most inferior sheep adds greatly to the beauty of the flock.
Fifth, Management .- Though the blood of your sheep be pure, the breed- ing judicious, the raising excellent, and the selection correct, the profits can- not be greatly increased without general good management. It is imperatively necessary that certain sheep should be retained in the flock in order to con- tinue the improvement. These should not be disposed of notwithstanding the offer of large prices. Any other sheep may be sold. Still, if you never sell any but the poorest, you get a small income, as every sheep, by age or alimert, sometimes becomes a cull. By observing these rules, any breeder of . "tep may make his flock very profitable, even though he has not the capacity of a Hammond or a Sanford to influence trade.
There are two associations for the registry of Merino sheep, having their offices in Middlebury village. The Vermont Atwood Merino Sheep Club, with the following list of officers: Worthington C. Smith, of St. Albans, president ; Frank D. Barton, of Waltham, vice-president ; George Hammond. of Middlebury, secretary ; Charles Sanford, of Orwell,¿treasurer ; R. J. Jones. of West Cornwall, Henry Thorp, of Charlotte, and Silas G. Holyoke, of St. Albans, directors, and George H. Hall, of Shoreham, Henry Thorp, of Char- lotte, and D. B. Buell, of Orwell, committee on pedigree ; and the Vermont Merino Sheep Breeders' Association, with E. N. Bissell, of East Shoreham, president ; C. B. Cook, of Charlotte, and W. R. Remele, of Middlebury, vice- presidents ; Albert Chapman, of Middlebury, secretary ; Milo B. Williamson, of Middlebury, treasurer ; T. Brookins, of East Shoreham, Fred H. Farring- ton, of Brandon, H. C. Burwell, of Bridport, and John H. Sprague, of Ver- gennes, directors, and J. J. Crane, of Bridport, F Hooker, of Cornwall, and H. S. Brookins, of Richville, committee on pedigree.
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