1906.] DISCUSSION. 67 



have such a fence around all fields in which such sheep were 

 kept at any time. While it might be effective I do not think 

 that it is a practical remedy. 



Mr. Stadtmueller. Mr. President, I should like to make 

 a few remarks on this subject. 



In the first place, I think there has been a wrong impres- 

 sion gotten by the present generation, that the decline of sheep 

 husbandry in the State of Connecticut is, first and last, due to 

 the ravages of dogs. That is only a secondary consideration. 

 From the remarks of the gentleman who preceded me it can 

 be seen that owing to certain things it was easier for him to 

 obtain a livelihood in agriculture along other lines, and there- 

 fore he gave up the business of raising sheep. That has been 

 the case with many, and that phase of the discussion is some- 

 thing which the speaker did not attempt to speak upon. The 

 decline of the sheep industry is not alone due to dogs. It is 

 not alone due to the change of fashion. It is also due to the 

 relation which the sheep industry has borne to all of the other 

 great commercial industries of the world all along the line. 

 It has been due in part to conditions which have existed. We 

 can now see a change in those conditions. The industry is 

 coming in again. Sheep are on the ascendency. Under the 

 old condition of affairs a farmer kept sheep for wool. Now 

 the condition which confronts the farmer is to keep sheep for 

 eating. The position of things is completely reversed. Wool 

 is now a by-product, and the meat is the primary considera- 

 tion. Forty years ago the conditions were exactly the reverse 

 as was so clearly stated this afternoon. This is a period of 

 transition. We are going from one thing to the other. Under 

 this changed condition of affairs, I believe if my venerable 

 friend Mr. Platts would start again in sheep husbandry he 

 would find it profitable. 



Now in regard to this dog question. Of course, there is 

 this to be said about dogs, and it has been touched upon very 

 Hghtly in this discussion, that is the lack of public sentiment 



