USA > Vermont > Addison County > History of Addison county Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 25
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1 Census Returns, 1840.
208
HISTORY OF ADDISON COUNTY.
The French division is mostly represented by those introduced by Alonzo Bingham, of Cornwall, from the importations of John A. Tainter, of Hartford, Conn., and the importations of S. W. Jewett, then of Weybridge. Some par- cels from other flocks have from time to time been introduced into the county, none of which, however, forms the basis of the flocks of this time, unless possi- bly we except the flocks of the Cutting Brothers, now deceased.
In describing the Merino sheep as they were when they came into this county, it must be said (if we record the truth as we understand it) that the illustrations of the breed as shown in many of the books devoted to sheep hus- bandry, are poor caricatures of the beautiful Merinos, as we remember them fifty years ago. Perhaps memory is at fault, or the artists of those days were unskillful, or those of the present time given to overdrawing ; but any of those probabilities fail to explain an honest difference between the illustrations and the real appearance of the animals which were the foundation of our present flocks. The improvement has, indeed, been wonderful and the benefits far-reaching. Yet, the early Merinos were a beautiful type of excellence ; small, but compact, with short legs, broad back, short neck, and head broad between the eyes, moderately large-boned limbs and symmetrical in configuration, with moderate folds, or corrugations, mostly confined to the neck, and pendulous flank cov- ered with a coat of fine glossy wool, which was brown on the outside and open- ing clear white in some and in others a rich cream-yellow tinge. The average fleece, when shown in good condition, washed on the sheep's back, would, for the flocks of all ages, be from four to four and a half pounds; rams from six to eight pounds. They were sheep of remarkably good constitution, easily kept and hardy ; mostly fed in winter in yards beside the barn or at stacks, sheep sheltering barns at that time being unknown. Such was the appearance and condition of such flocks as Whitney's, Catlin's, Seymour's and others from 1828 to 1832, and the Cock flock when seen at Bedell's and Rich's in about 1830 to 1833. The Jarvis sheep were not quite as good sheep in 1842 to 1844, but they had good coats; the Jarvis, especially, being ungainly in shape, taller, longer in the leg, but with a beautiful coat of fine, long, spiral, or crimped wool. Such was the appearance and qualities of this flock at that time ; all of which became extinct or absorbed in other varieties, except the Cock, Atwood and Jarvis flocks, which are the parental ancestors of nearly all of the improved American varieties of to-day. The Atwood sheep were darker coated than the Jarvis or Rich sheep. The first cross on grade sheep gave the progeny a much stronger appearance of Merino blood.
We purpose now to record the progress and improvement, as far as we can, that has been made from the beginning, described in the foregoing pages. It is to be observed that up to 1840, or thereabouts, almost the entire object of the improvement and enlargement of the flocks in this county had been for the purpose of raising wool for the manufacturing markets; which, on an
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SHEEP HUSBANDRY AND LIVE STOCK.
average of yearly prices from 1812 to 1833, had been very profitable ; but the fall in the price of wool in 1839 and 1840, combined with the reduced weight of fleece resulting from the crossing on to nearly all the flocks the light, fine- wool Saxony, thus cutting into the wool income both ways, caused a serious interruption of this great industry and in the financial interests of farmers, from which, from the purely wool-raising stand-point, they have never recov- ered. 1
Hence it was that in order to obtain fair returns from the manifold flocks abounding everywhere through the county, it was necessary to raise the stand- ard of weight of fleece per sheep, while not materially injuring the quality as now demanded by the manufacturers. The Saxony fever had subsided, and far- seeing men began to inquire and earnestly search for the original Merino that had so filled the coffers of a large community. From the small number of the pure Merino sheep left, to rejuvenate and save from utter ruin the whole sheep interest became the purpose, and it was quickly discovered that an objective point in raising Merinos might be made, much farther reaching in its practical results than merely raising more pounds of wool from a given number of sheep ; for though wool-growing must always be the ultimate end of the whole business, still, in the new and impetuous forward movement in this county, the prime object was rapidly changed from wool-raising to that of raising thorough-bred sheep for the more remote markets, where sheep can be kept and wool raised cheaper than here; hence the large flocks kept exclusively for wool-growing have continually diminished, and with many the entire business has been aban- doned. Small flocks are, however, still numerous, and almost the entire num- ber of men engaged in sheep raising do so to sell pure-bred sheep for the con- tinually growing markets of the whole country. This practice, started by a com- paratively few men, has caused a sharp competition throughout the county and in many other places; but to Addison county belongs the credit of the birth and cradling of this trade in this manner. It is confidently believed the com- petition and rivalry was, and is now, one of the powerful incentives to the vast improvement of the sheep itself; each breeder striving to produce the best, in order to secure the highest prices and establish the best reputation for his flock, and for himself as an intelligent breeder. These motives have led along and up the rugged pathway to the present success of both shepherds and flocks. Another stimulating cause in the improvement of the Merino sheep has been and still is the agricultural societies, both State and county, culminating in the great international expositions of the different parts of the world, affording healthful competition and stimulus towards bringing the various flocks together, whose breeders there compare notes. Our breeders have exhibited great en- ergy in representing their flocks at the world's expositions, where they have appeared with credit to the nation, and especially to the county where they
1 Goodhue's History of Shoreham.
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HISTORY OF ADDISON COUNTY.
dwell. Another decided help for the last ten years in perfecting and develop- ing sheep husbandry in the county, comes from the Sheep-Breeders' and Sheep- Shearers' Associations, with their registers of flocks and individual sheep. Two of the breeders' associations have been organized in this county. These asso- ciations include members from all parts of the country where Merino sheep are raised, as well as from Addison county, although the headquarters and meetings of the associations are located here. The objects of these organiza- tions are to furnish and record a correct history of the Merino sheep, their origin, importations, breeding and development in this country, illustrated with likenesses of the original Merinos, in contrast with the improved sheep at the present time; the historical parts of the two volumes thus far published are enriched with portraits and biographies of eminent men and noted breeders of these sheep. And lastly, to furnish a carefully prepared register wherein none can obtain a record but those that come in through the hands of a searching pedigree committee, with conclusive evidence to them of purity of blood, the ewes of which have never borne lambs from coarse grade or mutton sheep, the Sheep-Shearers' Association holds annual public shearings where the sheep and fleeces are weighed by a competent committee, memoranda kept of sheep and fleece, the number of days' growth of wool and age of sheep, after which a report is made and published of the whole shearing, with such remarks as are deemed important. The "Vermont Merino Sheep-Breeders' Association" is the oldest and largest of these bodies and contains members from every State where the improved sheep has gone. Very numerous are the flocks registered; its secretary, Albert Chapman, of Middlebury, Vt., has been untiring in his zeal for the general good of the members, and improvement of the registered sheep.
The "Vermont Atwood Merino Sheep Club" is the other association alluded to, with headquarters in this county. It was organized at a compara- tively recent date, but the membership, according to Secretary Hammond's report at the annual meeting of January, 1866, is now one hundred and fifty- one. The club is efficiently managed and is accomplishing a great amount of good. It embraces many of the leading breeders of this locality, and in the hands of such officers as Hon. W. C. Smith, George Hammond, F. D. Barton, Hon. R. J. Jones, H. Thorp, S. G. Holyoke and C. M. Winslow, and other eminent breeders of this variety of sheep, cannot fail of rapid growth and strength.
The foregoing explanation of the change of object and the incentives and inducements leading up to the improved Merino, brings up the unanswered question - Of what does this improvement consist and how marked the change? We answer that in the first place the weight of carcass has been increased from twenty to twenty-five per cent. This statement is made without any record of facts derived from actual weights of the early Merinos; such practical tests
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SHEEP HUSBANDRY AND LIVE STOCK.
were not common in those days. But the conclusion is forced upon us after careful thought and the remembrance of weight of a few individual sheep, and the general recollection of them in early days, coupled with what we see and know of the flocks of the present time, with recorded weights at the Sheep- Shearing Association's weighings. In volume two of the Merino Sheep-Breed- ers' Register, beginning on page seventy-eight, are the following weights : Thirty-six rams, three years old and over (footed and averaged from the weights given), 126} pounds ; nineteen yearling rams, ninety-seven pounds ; twenty-one two-year-old ewes, seventy-seven pounds. From the best infor- mation we have, the average rams of the early times would not reach more than from ninety to one hundred pounds, and ewes from sixty to sixty-five pounds. While the weight of sheep shows about twenty-five per cent. increase, the advance in wool has been at least one hundred per cent. From the same tables we learn that from the thirty-six rams above alluded to was shorn an average of thirty-one pounds one ounce of unwashed wool, or about twenty per cent. to carcass. The two-year-old rams cut on the average twenty-eight pounds and fourteen ounces, or twenty-five per cent. to carcass. The yearling rams' fleeces weighed twenty and one-half pounds; average per cent. to car- cass, twenty-five per cent. Ewes in the same table averaged nineteen pounds and eleven ounces, twenty-six per cent. to carcass. From all the sources of information, from the beginning down to the present time, it is learned that the wool has not only been doubled in quantity, per capita, but a much larger per cent. has been added in proportion to weight of carcasses. These added to- gether make an enormous gain (everything else being equal) in the intrinsic value of the sheep for wool purposes alone. It has been thought by some that the very great increase of wool per sheep has been obtained at the expense of quality and cleanliness; but by the most thorough practical tests of measure- ment made (2d vol. M. S. B. C., pp. 99-100) by Dr. H. A. Cutting, secretary of the Board of Agriculture, of the fibers of a large number of samples of the Atwood variety, and the other standard varieties, it is shown that there has been a decided improvement in fineness of fiber and evenness of fleece, crimp and felting qualities. By the further tests of scouring fleeces fit for the cards, it is shown that there has been a decided gain over former tests in the direction of length of staple. As a rule the compactness and solidity of growth of the whole coating far excels that of the earlier sheep. Dr. Cutting found in a fair sample of the improved sheep 222,500 fibers to the square inch, indicating ex- treme fineness; and when we remember that large bare spots on the inside of the forearm and inner thigh have ceased to appear, and that long, compact wool covers the belly, and nearly covers every square inch of the external sur- face, including legs and head, down to within two inches of the end of the nose, we can easily account for the one hundred per cent. gain of wool since the sheep came into the county.
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HISTORY OF ADDISON COUNTY.
When the lover of fine wool and fine sheep opens one of those fine and weighty fleeces on the sheep's back, and beholds the beautiful luster of either the golden or the silver-tinted fleece, and admires the native perfection of its growing locks, he can better appreciate and more fully realize the import of the figure of three thousand years ago, when the prophet exclaimed to the ancient Hebrew: "Though thy sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
To the improvement in weight of sheep and the advanced condition and enhanced value of fleece must be added the improved constitutional develop- ment and beauty of configuration, which, taken all together, make the choicest domestic animal we possess. The first flocks of Merino sheep, as before stated, were rather small and light, but as a whole were good looking, well-rounded, compact in form, lofty carriage, and of apparent good constitution. But the general make-up of the standard flocks of to-day, as a whole, far excels the early prototypes, in that they are of good size, larger, broader and deeper chested, wider in the loin, with heavy and well-proportioned quarters, standing erect on four large, strong and muscular legs set wide apart, and countenance and facial expression almost beaming with intelligence, as it looks up to its owner or shepherd for food and protection ; and in graceful movement exhib- iting beautiful curved lines, artistic folds, corrugations, or rich mouldings, mak- ing the entire configuration of such rare beauty that the brush of the painter, the chisel of the sculptor, or the skill of the engraver is not likely to overdraw it.
The skillful breeder seems to have weeded out every defect, and bred on every lacking point of beauty and excellence that would add to the value of the animal, whether in wealth or weight of wool, or fanciful style of appearance. Indeed, fancy and utility have gone hand in hand, until now the absence of any one point in style or excellence, or fashionable merit, very much reduces value. A black spot on the nose or lips as large as a half-dime ruins the sale to the breeder who sells thorough-bred sheep, though the animal might be perfect in every other respect; the butternut colored ear, face or legs, common to the early Merinos, have disappeared, and now no ear or face is standard without half of the ears next to the head are densely covered with wool, and where the wool breaks off an elevated ring or fold encircles it, and the remainder, or tip, must be thick, with a soft, downy, fur-like coat, as fine to the touch as a piece of silk velvet; and so of the face-the small space not covered with wool must have beautiful curved folds nearly to the end of the nose, with the same glossy, silver-shining coat as the ears. Black stripes in the hoof or horn would send the possessor to the market for mutton ; hoof and horn to excel must be of a light creamy hue. The large, broad and sharp-angled horn on rams of the ancestral pattern has been exchanged for a moderate sized one, gradually slop- ing back toward the head till a crescent is formed, then bending outward to the tip, the whole forming a beautiful systematic curved line which adds very much
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SHEEP HUSBANDRY AND LIVE STOCK.
to the attractive appearance of the sheep. No ewe, to be standard, must have any horns. We have never seen published in the various descriptions of mod- ern Merinos any account of these last-named graces (allowing the expression), but it is well known that their presence or absence enters largely into the profit and loss of the breeder. If a sample sheep of fifty years ago could stand side by side with one of the first class of this day, one would discover a vast and radical change, and the wonder might be how so radical a transformation could have been accomplished.1
Indeed, the Ethiopian can never change his skin nor the leopard his spots, or man and beast their natures; but variety in the same genus or species, par- adoxical as it may appear, is as endless as the sands of the sea shore or leaves of the forest. No two of the human family have facial expressions alike ; nor are the configurations, make-up and clothing of any two beasts alike; and it is through this endless variety in the genus or species, together with hereditary descent through nature's unchanging laws, that the intelligent breeder finds the key to success, though he may never have "o'er books consumed the mid- night oil."
Holding to the corner-stone that like begets like, out of infinite variety the breeder selects for coupling to secure important ends those that have the great- est number of good points, or to secure a given desired quality those that have the coveted improvement in the largest degree ; knowing that if heredi- tary taint or poor qualities crop out in the tenth generation or more, so good and beneficial excellence are sure to follow in the train of this great natural law.
To secure the results attained, long, careful and patient thought and con- tinued perseverance in experiments and practical application have employed the intellectual powers of the men engaged in breeding ; 2 they have sometimes gone deep within the circle of consanguinity and at others diverged far from the line of kindred (if only blood was there) to secure the goal. Other and minor means have contributed to the perfections of this husbandry. How far isothermal lines or more immediate climatic inflence, or the rich natural herb- age everywhere abounding in Addison county, or the added variety of food- such as shorts, grain, oatmeal, etc., that have been used to some extent more than formerly-have served to fix the peculiar and valuable type of sheep that constitutes entire flocks of this county, and which type is so much sought for abroad, it is impossible to tell; but, without doubt, to a considerable extent. Also the commodious, well-ventilated and expensive sheep barns, furnishing
1 The learned scientist, Professor Agassiz, has said " that in the most searching microscopic examin- ation of the ovules of oviperous animals there could not be discovered the least difference in the ele- ments of each, but in life development each came true to its genus, even to the color of the feather of the duck ; and by analogy the same was true of the higher class of animals, men included."
2 The late Edwin Hammond was heard to say he had studied for many days how to cross this ewe or that, to accomplish certain desired points.
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HISTORY OF ADDISON COUNTY.
comfortable shelter from the wintry storms of this latitude, as well as from the scorching sun during the extreme heated term, and the chilling autumnal rains, have had their beneficent effect over the methods in vogue in the past. Some of these modern barns are not only models of convenience and comfort for sheep, but are likewise of striking elegance and beauty, adding much to the value of the home. They are in marked contrast with the unpretentious dwell- ing of the average farmer of three generations ago.
All of these favorable surrounding circumstances, together with the enthu- siastic skill of the admirers and breeders of this valuable race, have been instru- mental in producing the grand results we have noted. The men engaged in this industry are numerous. The skill and assiduity with which they have pur- sued the business and the wealth brought into the county thereby have en- abled other laudable enterprises to spring up and advance; and the industry having furnished more means for education and the diffusion of general intelli- gence throughout the county than any other, it is believed these men are en- titled to be called public benefactors.
We have not space to record nearly all the names of the men who helped to begin this industry, but enough may be noted (without drawing invidious comparisons) to give a fair and impartial history of its inception and continu- ance. Among those who began the improvements of the pure Spanish Merino sheep before 1830 was W. R. Sanford, and between 1830 and 1840 were Messrs. Merrill Bingham, Charles and J. T. Rich, brothers, and Virtulan Rich, son of J. T., Hon. Charles Rich, Tyler Stickney, Erastus Robinson, L. C. Remelee, Pros- per Ellithorp, and D. and G. Cutting, brothers. In their hands the business was eminently successful and they were soon able to furnish stock rams for the improvement of other flocks, and after a little while ewes to start new flocks of pure Merinos. Mr. Bingham started from a Mr. Buck's flock, of Lanesborough, Mass. The Cutting Brothers' first sheep were from Rhode Island, bought of Messrs. Munger, Murray and Bundy. Perhaps some Merino sheep came into the county from other places that have not been remembered, or not recorded. We make this note here for the reason that all the pure-bred sheep here or brought here about that time or later (except the Cock (Rich stock), Jarvis and Atwood (the latter introduced in 1840) ), became absorbed in the three branches, Cock, Jarvis and Atwood, which varieties formed the foundation of all the im- proved sheep in the county ; these three working into and becoming consoli- dated into two great trunk lines or varieties, viz. : The pure Atwood and the mixed variety with the Cock (Rich), Jarvis and Atwood crossed together. Perhaps the Cutting flock, as first constituted, came nearer forming a base for theirs, but this noted stock has been very much shaded towards the two funda- mental flocks. It may be safely recorded that at this time those two varieties stand prominently as the foundation of the race that is now bred in Addison county. On the decease of Hon. Charles Rich, his flock went into the hands
A.LITTLE,
TYLER STICKNEY.
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SHEEP HUSBANDRY AND LIVE STOCK.
of his sons, John T. and Charles, jr. J. T. Rich, sr., bred his half of the flocks with painstaking care and only during his lifetime " made a small dip " of Jarvis blood.1 He refused to sell many ewes and made his improvement by crossing with his own flock. His early death left in his two sons' hands (J. T., jr., and V. Rich) an exceptionally pure flock, and on the death of J. T., jr., the flock rested in the hands of Virtulan Rich, and is still one of the best flocks of the county.
Tyler Stickney, the veteran breeder of a part of the Rich flock, bred and improved them for fifty years with perseverance and skill, and after his death left them with sons who inherited their father's qualities in this respect. Eras- tus Robinson, who started in 1836 with the purchase from Charles Rich, jr., of a one-fourth of the famous flock, bred them with boldness and skill, crossing on the Atwood variety, and at the time of his death, in 1854, left one of the best flocks in the county.
The Cutting Brothers, long since dead, left to those that came after them a rich inheritance, in not only the fame of their flocks, but a merited solid worth, which was appreciated by the many who have bought from their highly im- proved stock.
The living men of this group who helped to lay the foundation of the great industry, whose locks are now whitened by the frost of many winters, have at least contributed a fair share to the perfecting and enlargement of a laudable enterprise ; some of them have retired from the business and left their experi- ence with younger men, while others pursue with added years the care of the flocks they have loved so well ; we leave their commendation to be penned by later hands.
Contemporaneous breeders of a little later date, who have become eminently successful, are such men as Edwin Hammond, R. P. Hall, R. J. Jones, A. Bing- ham, V. Wright, N. A. Saxton, L. B. Gregory, and others. We name these as representative men constituting a large class of breeders as early as about 1844.
It is worthy of note in this connection that to Alonzo Bingham, above named, belongs the credit of introducing and raising the standard of excellence never before acquired in the French sheep (Rambouillet), John A. Tainter's (Hartford, Conn.) importation. In his hands they soon became a noted flock. Soon afterward Solomon Jewett, then of Weybridge (an early breeder), im- ported a large number of the French variety, and after being bred by himself and others with indifferent success for a few years the whole French variety became unpopular, and all, including the early fine flock of Mr. Bingham, dis- appeared from the county. We are not aware of any of that variety being bred here now, other than a small number owned and bred by E. G. Farnham, of Shoreham, and H. E. Taylor, of Cornwall.
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