[Jacob-list] hescock

[Edd Bissell]

At 08:14 PM 11/22/00 -0500, you wrote:
>Thanks for the fill-in, Edd.  Do you think there would  be any value in
checking out this flock?  Anything that might be learned from it?   I could
probably get there in the spring and check it out.  At this point, it is a
bit too late to go cruising around the Maine Coastal waters for me!
==============

I got this as a personal email but will answer it on the list - I have been
queit for a long time and think I am WAY overdue for a long winded Jacobness
disertation.

Yes, I think anytime you can see some "original" type Jacobs - whether they
be Hatch, Lesseau, Reynolds, Hescock, Painter, or any of the other way back
younder breeders it would be worth your while -  Although the
foretomentioned flocks vary much in the originations, etc they are all old
type flocks - Ms Hescock is probably the most unique flock in the US - and
except for hers and probably Bill Jones In Kanses City [who also has some
Lesseau lines] there are probably very few of them left - just the
mumbo=jumbo, hodge-poge breedings that have incorporated every line possible
to achieve the "perfect" Jacob.   I like todays Jacobs - but they do not
look like, and I am not saying that they should, what was out there 20 years
ago.  I believe that improvements are fine - but just like tomatoes that
weigh up to 5 pounds or what ever they grow today they do NOT taste like
they did when I was young.  I personally like the old imperfect Jacobs back
when Sue Thaxton, Ingrid, Luther, Barbara, and many, many other scratched
around for.  I would like to think that surely there are others beside
Mazie, Bill Jones, Patrice Danielson,  and a few other that are interested
in what they looked like and would WANT to save them.......let's forget to
close breedings, etc and try to save what few of these of these flock are
still out there.  Just as Luther and I found small flocks in the 80s there
were out in the MidWest, Canada, etc I am sure if youall scout around you
can still find little pools of these old type sheep - forget the fused
hornes, rough wool, too dark or light, etc - that is what they were like and
still are.   

Yes - by all means call up Mazie - go look at her flock - ask her questions
- let her tell you of the trails of importation, quarantine, etc - let her
show you how she used a color pen breeding technique that allowed to breed
without getting too close in the males/females/    Let her tell you what she
considers the differences between what she saw here in Jacobs and how they
differ from what she imported.  

And for you new to the list Luther and I made a video many years ago - I am
sure that there are still some copies out there somewhere - I have lost
mine.  We made a concerted effort to show the major different flock that
were available at the time we made it - I made a trip to Mazies, also went
west to Ingrids, Barbara, and Jackie - had some of the Evan Meyer, Bill
Reynolds, Sue Thaxton, Hatch[from an old video he had] Luther, and others -
call and tried 3 different times to get video of the Rockefeller flock but
did not. If you can find or borrow one it is worth seeing I think - I have
had some question the acuracy of some of our statement, etc but still think
that it was fairly straing.  

---
      Edd Bissell = Hidden View Farm = Rare and Primitive Breed Animals
Scottish Blackface=Jacob=Barbados=Texas Dall=Navajo-Churro=Churro Hairsheep
     ====Tennessee Nervous Meat Goats =  = Great Pyrenees LGDs=====     
                  = eddbissell.com = 423-475-4844 =    
         1435 Collins Road - New Market, Tennessee U.S.A. 37820