235 
* 
LIVE STOCK. 
Cows AND CALVES.—The condition of cows is full average, or abo ve, 
‘in all the New England States, Florida, Louisiana, lowa, Kansas, Ne- 
braska, California, and Oregon. In the other States the depreciation 
varies from 9 per cent. in Texas to 2 per cent. in Pennsylvania, Georgia, 
West Virginia, Illinois, and Missouri. The best condition is found in 
the Northeast and Northwest. New England farmers have long under- 
stood the value and necessity of proper shelter and sufficient food for 
their stock. The severe lessons of experience have enforced the same 
wholesome ideas in the Northwest, and the beneficial results of extra 
care are seen in the satisfactory reports from these two sections of the 
Union. In Norfolk County, Massachusetts, however, it is stated that 
cows do not look as well as usual, less grain having been fed to them 
on account of the low price of milk. It is also stated that an unusual 
number of calves have been killed at less than a week old in order to 
sell the milk. This practice is very questionable in point of economy © 
and not at all defensible in point of morality. Serious injury to the 
public health frequently results from the sale of veal prematurely 
butchered. In the Middle and Southern States the exceptional severity 
of the winter demonstrated the necessity of better treatment of farm- 
animals by the depreciation of condition reported by our correspondents. 
It is necessary to provide not merely against the average vicissitudes of 
winter, but also against extreme variations of temperature by proper 
food and shelter. ) 
The number of calves dropped during the year as compared with pre- 
vious years was above average in the following States; Nebraska, 119; 
Kansas, 118; Minnesota, 113; Oregon, 107; Iowa, 106; Florida, 105 ; 
Missouri, 102; Delaware,101. It was full average, or 100, in Vermont, 
New York, New Jersey, Michigan, llinois, and Wisconsin. In the 
States below average the depreciation ranged from 19 per cent. in Texas 
to 1 per cent. in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ten- 
nessee, West Virginia, and Ohio. In Texas the condition of cows and 
calves was seriously affected in several counties by the unusual severity 
of the winter and by the scarcity of food on the range. Coryell County 
reports a depreciation of 40 per cent. as compared with last year. 4n 
Southern Texas the annual increase of cattle is estimated at 25 per 
cent. In Grainger County, Tennessee, the “dry murrain” is destroy- 
ing many cattle. In some localities cattle have depreciated in condition 
since the opening of spring, on account of the slow growth of grass. In 
Republic County, Kansas, many cattle were killed during a heavy storm, 
lasting through three days of April. Our limited reports from the Ter- 
ritories show a good condition of cattle. 
SHEEP AND LAMBS.—The losses of sheep from diseases and other 
casualties vary from 16 per cent. in Alabama to 3 per cent. in Massa- 
chusetts. The heaviest losses are in the late slave States, which report 
percentage of loss as follows: Maryland, 10; Virginia, 8; North Caro- 
lina, 13; South Carolina, 9; Georgia, 12; Florida, 10; Alabama, 16 ; 
Mississippi, 12; Louisiana, 13; Texas,8; Arkansas, 10; Tennessee, 12 ; 
West Virginia, 7; Kentucky, 11; Missouri, 10. These severe losses 
are partly due to the unusual severity of the winter, but are generally 
attributed by our correspondents to the immense number of worthless 
dogs kept by the freedmen and others. The losses of New England 
range from 3 per cent. in Massachusetts to 8 percent.in Vermont. North 
of the Ohio River, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota report 
