Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-07-11
Stock 8atsing.
THE HAMMOND IMPROVEMENT
IN MERINo SHEEP.

Several years ago. Mr.. Miner p. Tone, Of
Ohio, purchased of Mr.. Stephen Atwood
about twenty ewes Of what are called the un-
improved or old Atwood Merinos. These he
bred to rams purchased Of Edwin and Henry
Hammond, and the produce was, in all par
tieulars of form and fleece fully equal to
what were called full Hammond, A premi.
um eve bya Hammond ram out of one of
these Atwood ewes, produced a fleece that
made over mne pounds OF cleansed wool
the cleansing being done at factory IN the
towu Of Mechanicsburg, Ohio. Mr. Tone
also informs us that the lambs from these
Atwood ewes were in no respects inferior to
those he bred from the Hammond sort and
were just as readily taken by purchasers, at
the same price. These facts certainly 60 to
prove what we have always supposed to be
the fact, that Mr. Hammond did not change
the type of the far-lamed Humphrey i'm
portation, as he ieund them in the Atwood
flock, 1t lis said they are comparatively light
shearers, and stood high on the leg in COM
narson with their descendants in the Ham
mond flock which means, we suppose, that
when they changed owners, they were put on
such keep as produced the best possible con-
dition. Indeed, it is admitted that Mr.. Ham
mond fed and forced his flock as Merino sheep
never were.fed before his time. This, OF
course increased the weight Of fleece, and
made the carcass appear nearer the ground.
1t is, we believe, claimed as one of the great
achievements Of Hammond, that the ram
Wooster, bred by him from an Atwood eve
and by an Atwood ram, sheared nineteen
pounds of unwashed wool Mr.. II. could
claim no other credit for this, than that the
animals were properly fed and sheltered by
him.
While il is true that the distinguished
Vermont breeder did not, in any essential
particular, change or improve the type of the
great Merino breed, he is nevertheless enti-
tied to great credit for selecting individuals
purely bred Of this race, at time when the
breed was in danger of being lost, and adher.
ing to the pure blood with the most careful
application of skill as breeder, until, by the
extraordinary development in wool and car
cass in his hapds, they were brought into no.
tice, and their merits made known through
out the country, ns they never would have
been if Edwin Hammond had not lived to
handle them.
They are a wonderful breed-for the pro-
ductiou of wool, they seem to have no equals
and in carcass, they are better than any 9TH
er 6ne.wOol variety. We hope the flock.
masters who handle them will take care to
keep the blood pure, and by using only the
best for breeders especially for rams, keep
up the excellence Of the race.
Mr.. Tone, Of whom we have spoken, keeps
about 200 breeding ewes, all purely bred
from the Hammond and Atwood stocks. His
hock is wonderful for weight and evenness of
fleece,-for sound constitutions, and for we'll
formed carcasses, ..,..
There are many other breeders handling
this stock in its purity in all the great States
of the West, and we advise all farmers who
keep MerinO sheep to encourage these euter-
prising men, by purchasing the breeding ami
mails they have to spare, Remember that
here, as with horses and cattle, Z" blood will
tell" And in sheep breeding there is no ex-
cuse for our using a ram Of doubtful breed
ing, when the best thOroughbrods may be
purchased Of men whose Aocks are of &C.