■Rural School Leaflet. 1089 



Thrush, can always be distinguished by its reddish tail (tail much redder 

 than its back). The Olive-backed Thrush, with the spots about the 

 size of those of the Hermit Thrush, has a dark olive-brown back, different 

 from any of the others. 



Where to look. — The easiest way to find the Wood Thrush is to listen 

 for its song and then trace it. As has been said before, it prefers woods 

 and wooded banks of streams but often comes close to the house if there 

 are plenty of trees. 



Questions 



1 . Where does the Wood Thrush prefer to sit when it sings ? 



2. At what time of day does it sing most? 



3. What note does it give when you approach its nest? Do you hear 

 the note at other times? 



4. Does the female differ from the male in coloration? 



5. How does the Wood Thrush help the farmer? 



6. Give as many reasons as you can why we should protect our birds. 



SHEEP FARMING IN NEW YORK 

 Elmer S. Savage ^^/ 



The sheep industry in New York is larger than is usually supposed 

 by the person who is not acquainted with the facts. According to the 

 Yearbook of the United States Department of ^Agriculttire for 1907, 

 there were in New York about 1,130,000 sheep. ' The State has an 

 agricultural population of about 1,113,000, so there is about one sheep 

 to each person in our agricultural communities. New York ranks 

 fourteenth in the value of her sheep among the states of the Union. It 

 is estimated that these 1,130,000 sheep have a value of $5,440,000, or 

 are worth about $5 per head. Thus we see that the sheep industry in 

 our State is really very important. 



Viewing the subject from the standpoint of numbers of sheep kept, 

 we see that the industry is again getting a hold on the New York farmer. 

 Back in the time of our grandfathers, New York had a sheep herd of 

 over 2,500,000 head; but the cheaper lands and better conditions for 

 sheep grazing on the ranges of the western states had a depressing effect 

 on the industry. In 1900, the number of sheep in the State was reduced 

 to 985,000. The number has since increased to 1,130,000, showing a 

 very substantial growth. 



The sheep industry as practiced by the farmers of New York naturally 

 resolves itself into two kinds of work. One is the raising of " hot-house 

 lambs," an industry confined to a few communities having easy access 

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