P.D. 123 7 



there are persons in these fields of activity who are dependent upon their special stock 

 to yield a living income tor them, such as many of our goat breeders. These good folk 

 have spent a great deal of time, effort, and money to develop their animals properly, 

 create a market, and build confidence in their branch of our Agriculture. The division 

 has been instrumental in arranging programs of promotion, and in bringing advanced 

 information to them upon several occasions during the past year. Numerous meetings 

 were attended by the director to advise the growers, at their request. 



Sheep. — Sheep promotion and rehabilitation has gone on at a steady pace. During 

 the past year 20 persons were started in with new tlocks of a fine type and character, 

 which should be a real factor to the further development of this good little animal on 

 our Massachusetts farms. Many of the established breeders of our State have en- 

 larged or extended their flock activities. Two of our fine purebred flocks brought real 

 laurels to our Commonwealth by their winnings at the great International Livestock 

 Exposition at Chicago. 



Sheep Demonstration Farm. — This privately owned farm, under contract to the de- 

 partment to serve as a demonstration farm, has very materially helped sheep owners 

 with flock management problems. The owners also have set the new sheep growers 

 up with stock purchased from reliable sources and dispensed to buyers at cost. A 

 demonstration of special methods of drenching, shearing, docking, etc., was held and 

 these methods illustrated to a large group of interested sheep owners, or poten- 

 tial owners. 



Sheep programs were arranged where speakers of renown were brought in from 

 other states to bring out the values of proven practices, rotation of supplementary 

 crops, pasture fertilization, and other sound ideas of general value to sheep owners. 



The Massachusetts Wool Pool, handling growers' virgin wool for blanket manu- 

 facture, continued in its sixteenth year to return a handsome profit to growers who 

 had these quality blankets made from their wool. The pool handled about 11,000 pounds 

 of wool, and had about 1,300 blankets made. 



Sheep are splendid animals to have on many of our upland farms that have pasture 

 and buildings for other farm stock, and where such farms can, without a large out- 

 lay, include sheep in the farm management program. They should improve the land 

 and help balance the farm budget There is a decided gain in interest in sheep in 

 Massachusetts right now. 



Horses. — The actual numbers of horses undoubtedly lowered in the Commonwealth 

 during the past year, which fact is due, probably, to the influence of the disease known 

 as Equine-Encephalomyelitis, or sleeping sickness, that took a heavy toll by death in 

 that area of the state affected by the disease ; and the further inroad made on the uses 

 of horses by machinery. However, in the face of these obviously damaging agencies, 

 the interest in the use of pleasure horses has been on the upturn in our Commonwealth. 

 The importation of work horses for farm and lumbering operations has been as heavy 

 or heavier than in the past few years, there being no more economical form of power 

 for small farms, or rough lumbering conditions. Horses represent a very definite 

 means of securing good, wholesome exercise, health-yielding diversion of free time, 

 while affording a means of consuming home-produced crops, returning needed fertility 

 to our soil, and keeping a friendly, intelligent animal in our industry. Horse breeding, 

 has, at least, held its own in the Commonwealth during the past year. 



Beef Cattle. — ^There continues to be considerable interest on the part of a certain 

 few of our farmers in beef cattle, as a part of their farm operations. Some of these 

 farmers have improved their pastures, culled their animals carefully, and tightened up 

 their belts to get a better profit by means of higher production, by reason of better 

 gains, quicker growth, earlier marketing condition. 



New beef herds have been imported into our state, some of very outstanding type 

 and quality. Such herds undoubtedly will furnish many fine 4-H Club calves to be 

 grown and trained by the youngsters whose pride is at the peak during our fair season, 

 when they exhibit their works of artistic Animal Husbandry. Beef cattle oft'er a 

 medium of using many rough, back country, low-priced farms having abundant pas- 

 tures, plenty of water, and reasonably fair fences. They require only ordinary shelter 

 from winter or stormy weather, being adaptable to the poor buildings found on many 

 deserted or unworked farms. Beef bulls may be bred to advantage with dairy cows, 

 where the calves are not to be raised, thus increasing the net return on veal. 



Dairy or Milk Goats. — This branch of our dairy industry has been advancing very 

 rapidly. The type of animals being bred show a very marked improvement over the 

 goat common to most of us many years ago. The people interested in this animal now 

 are the business man or woman of all walks of life, rather than the tenement dweller 

 of years ago. These people have spent many thousands of dollars to provide the finest 

 type of quarters, up-to-the-minute equipment, and are gravely concerned in producing 



