V 



SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 395 



Canada thistle. Cows and horses, by treading and breaking them 

 somewhat keep them down, but they increase in sheep pastures. 



Mr. Brackett. What do you call the common thistle, as distin- 

 guished from the Canada thistle ? 



Mr. Gold. The Canada thistle is a perrennial plant, sniullor than 

 the other, and spreads by its roots. The common thistle is an 

 annual, grows one year and dies the next. It has a tall, straight 

 Bt-alk, sometinies six feet high, and with a hundred heads upon it. 



Mr. Brackett. The Canada thistle is the more common one 

 with us. 



Question. Is it what some call the bull thistle ? 

 'Mr. Gold. Yes, sir, they are sometimes called by that name. 



Mr. Brackett. In reference to dogs killing sheep, I would say, 

 that in conversation with the member from Lincoln he said that the 

 great objection to raising sheep in hie section was, that so many 

 were killed by dogs. He told me that seventy-five had been 

 killed by dogs in his town this year. 



Mr. Gold. I would remark, that as a protection against dogs, 

 I always keep one or two light bells upon every flock. It has 

 proved in my case almost a perfect protection. That or something 

 else. My neighbors' flocks have been badly worried by dogs, 

 while mine have been protected. 



Mr. Wasson. I will say that in my locality, it would be utterly 

 impossible for me to keep a flock of sheep if I should take the bells 

 off from them. 



Mr. Luce of Bangor. Sheep husbandry is at a low ebb, never- 

 theless it is undoubtedly true that the mutton sheep is one of the 

 greatest sources of fertility to the soil and of income to the holder, 

 of any stock that we have. The Secretary very well remarked 

 that we cannot compete with the far west, nor with foreign coun- 

 tries in the raising of wool ; but there is one thing that every 

 farmer needs, and the whole community as well, and that is, a 

 wholesome, palatable, convenient meat. There is nothing, so far 

 as the farmer is concerned, that compares with mutton in this re- 

 spect, because he can at any time kill a sheep, and a neighbor 

 always stands ready to take a part if he wants to dispose of it. 

 In order to make the best muj;ton, sheep require considerable care. 

 Notwithstanding what the gentleman from Lincoln says, I have 

 found that the best way to grow sheep was to keep them on or- 

 dinary feed until they are past two years old, and then I separate 

 the sheep intended for market from the rest of the flock. I com- 



