The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-01-20

The committee found themselves
obliged to establish some rule, or stand
ard. to govern their action, and after q
good deal of time and consultation,
agreed, if the statements and evidence
presented was such as TO leave no rca-
sonablc doubt in the minds of the COM
mittce of the purity of any flock, and
no evidence to the contrary was known
by the committee to exist, they would
be obliged 20 admit them to registra-
| ton.
They also decided that however much
they might respect the feelings and in
tercsts Of the owners of flocks, they
were Of small moment compared to the
rights Of the Association and the public
in preserving the honor of the flocks of
our statc.j and the purity of their blood.
In tracing The pedigrees of other
stock than Spanish merino sheep, it
would be possible TO trace the lineage
through perfect line of ancestry, by
sire and dam, back to Importation The
registers of cattle generally require
such a pedigree, but your committee
found if they set up such standard and
adhered to it, they would necessarily
exclude every sheep in the United
States, for while tradition had generally
conceded the purity of many flocks, in
no case could the pedigree of any sheep
be Traced BY recorded names or num-
bers, back to an importation from
spain. While certain ilocks have gen.
orally been accepted by breeders and
the public as possessing pure Spanish
blood only, and many ofthem as having
been bred in certain families OF lines
from Single importations, no flocks have
escaped from having doubts thrown on
their purity by certain floating stories.
and charges against their having been
bred as their owners claimed.
II Is fact easily accounted for, that
the most celebrated and popular flocks
! have generally received more of This
Kind Of attention than those less popu-
lar and more obscure. If this kind of
evidence j., 20 be believed, we have no
llochs of pure blood sheep, and no close
bred families in Vermont.
Some breeders who may have circu-
lated. il not invented. rumors affecting
ihc reputation of their ncighbors flocks.
while boa.tiny of thc great purity of
ii9c'r own are now feeling the effect of
the Laws of compensation and retribu-
| ton, by having doubts thrown upon
the sanding of their own. bv stories
quite "a, tangible, and probably quite as
true. as ihey themselves have circulated
about others. But your committee are
happy in being able to say that the more
hey have investigated pcdigrecs and
histories OF ilocks, and the more they
have siitcd and examined the evidence
presented in regard to the flocks offered
Tor registration, the more they arc con-
! \ thnen hos
daiiOn except in the Jealous minds of q
few selfish breeders, who would I'M
justly Wrcsi profits and honors from
their ineighbors by shamclcssly dcprc-
eating their property by insinuations
against their fair fame, accusing them
OF dishonest practices and making false
representations as TO the purity of their
own llocks.
! our committee. after careful cxami-
nation Of statements. certificates and
other evidence, have nothing to him
| der their opinion that the following
llock- are pure Spanish merinos. and
entitled 10 be recorded as such in your
register. but would recommend that the
names Of the owners of the flocks be
published or advertised at once as hay
ing been accepted. that any one who
knows OF amy positive proof against the
purity of their blood may have oppor-
tunity to appeal from our decision and
have the matter further investigated
and decided by the executive board.
We would also recommend that in the
publication Of the register, the statement
of the history and breeding of each
flock presented be substantially given.
Your committee would also recon-
mend that your executive board adopt
a rule that the sheep recorded be num-
bcrcd by labels in their ears, and some
plan devised whereby notice may be
given Of any sheep sold that are regis
tered, and have the transfer recorded
by the secretary, thus in measure pre-
venting the sale Of more sheep as regis
tered sheep than have been recorded.