Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 9.djvu/155

 Puget Sound Agricultural Company, a pro-British addition to the Hudson's Bay Company, formed so as to have a claim of occupancy to the north bank of the Columbia River in the settlement of the Oregon boundary; which, being settled in favor of American occupation, caused the sheep of the Puget Sound Agricultural Company to be sent for sale to the Willamette Valley settlements (1854.) By my experiments with these grades I was deemed by friends qualified to judge of the value—to the sheep industry of Oregon—of the first importation of pure Merinos into Oregon by the breeding firm of Rockwell and Jones, of Addison County, Vermont, in 1860. Being invited to see the first six sheep brought to Salem by this firm, I was unable to credit the statement of their annual weight of fleece made to me by Mr. Rockwell, and turned away from attempting to purchase. I went home, however, to read up in such history of breeds of sheep as was then written. There I learned that from the time of Roman rule, the nation that possessed the most of this fine-wooled breed of sheep always had the world's market for the finest woolen goods. Hence I learned that kings and noblemen of Europe had for a century been striving to secure the Merino breed of sheep from Spain. That in the strife for the power this gave. Saxony was the seat of manufacture of the finest broadcloths; France, of the lightest, finest ladies' wear; England, of the heavy broadcloths and Merino goods, best for woman's wear in such a climate. That the race of sheep furnishing the material for these manufactures were best suited to dry upland pastures, and, more than any other breed approaching the same value, capable of finding self-support on wild pasturage. I was thus ready to take the offer of my neighbor, Joseph Holman, who had joined Rev. J. L. Parrish in the purchase of Australian Merino from the Martin Jesse import, and that of Jones and Rockwell of Vermont. Mr. Holman offered me the undivided half of ten head of pure-bred Merinos which cost him $1,012.00, and compensation for the keep and management of his share. I thus got among the pioneer breeders of this valuable race of sheep for $506.00, and it was