Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-02-21
Sheep Jnterest.
QUESTIONS. AGAIN.

; Tor the Dlunder made in regard to the
shipment of the McCaughey sheep.
, can only say it was ineXcusable in me
not to have looked up the dates instead
of trusting to my memory when | was
, in great hurry with other writings
haye no apology to offer to MIR. Dim
mock as it gives him the only advantage
he has had in this controversy.
The public can and will Judge of the
manhood of one who starts out with a
long series of articles advertising his
own sheep, attacking the breeding of
others, the association they have formed
and maintained for many years, insin-
yates the secretary of that association
has no better motive in defending the
association than the salary he is paid,
then whines because the secretary ex-
poses his motives and animus, and final
ly ends off with acknowledging he did
violate the rules of that association
by putting labels that had been used in
the ears of registered sheep into those
he knew were not registered, selling
them for what they were not, and then
claims he was as innocent as newborn
babe because he thinks the association
transcribed its constitutional authority
| by eXpeling him for these practices
when he claimed he was not member.
His usual duplicity in all this is too
manifest for him to deceive the public
by 1t. In answer to his sheer as to my
being a breeder, not being accustomed
to blowing my own horn, or praising
my own sheep through the papers, | do
not wish to say a great deal Oh that
point, yet | may be justified. inasmuch
as he has taken that course to beittle
my breeding, in saying ! commenced
breeding a flock of sheep in 1910, that
year sheared an average of two pounds
seyen ounces of wool and in ten years
| had brought them up to four pounds
of washed wool on the average and was
able to take the first premium on the
flock of ten ewes at our Addison county
fair that year. During those years pur
chased and used on that flock rams from
the flocks of Thurman Rich, X. p. Hall,
w. & +. Hammond, 5. w. Jewett, l..
ID. Gregory, c. b. Cook and Jesse
Hindes, later living in Rutland county,
| bred and sold ram lamb to |. n. Saw
yer of New Hampshire for which | re-
ceived more money than had ever been
paid for a lamb bred in that county up
to that time. This ram afterwards took
the first prize at the New Hampshire
State fair. As to my present flock |
have taken some premiums at the Ner-
mont State fair that | could not have
taken had | not bred the sheep on which
| was awarded the prizes, the conditions
being that the exhibitor must have bred
the sheep to be entitled to them. As to
my present flock can point to the en-
dOrsement of that reterdN breeder, George
r. Dimmock, who has made such mark
ed impress on the Improvement of Meri-
no sheep in Addison county as a breeder,
for have sheep that have seven-eights
of the blood of the flock of l.. p. Clark.
OF the thirty-one ewes of my flock bred
by myself, twenty-five have the blood
of "Patrick Henry" he praises so highly,
and eight out of nine rams that have
bred and now own have the blood of
that ram to greater or less extent
Since Mr.. Farnham has advertised the
sales of his rams | may be excused if |
mention mine that | have bred. Mr.
Farnham does not say whether he bred
all those he sold, or whether they all
had French blood or not. Since January
|, 1888, the average price have receiv-
ed for all the rams of my own breeding
! have sold is just 800, one-half the best
bringing me an average of Sl42.S5.
When Mr.. Dimmock has shown that
he has accomplished something in the
line of breeding and improving sheep
he will appear better as an advisor and
dictator to the breeders of Addison
county and the breeders will take more
stock in his advice.
1t would seem that the chief noise of
that terrible gun Mr.. Dimmock aims at
my works was before the shot was fired.
The first shot was dated Nov. 20, 1888,
and it would seem to have somewhat
spent its force when used to prove what
French sheep have done there the last
six or seven years. 1t will be noticed
that neither of these letters from
Texas praises these French sheep be-
cause of any experience had with them
for what they had proved. Against
this put the experience of all the lead
ing breeders of Addison county, years
ago, who tried them and found them so
Improbable compared with our own
Vermont Mernos. The next shot
have already answered. All these guns
pointed at me by Mr.. Dimmock have not
frightened me very much, not even that
Montpelier fair gun that he and his
friends nursed so much and spent so
much mOuthy powder in firing and that