SECRETARY'S REPORT. 109 



of fine qualit}' ; they are now for sale, and will soon be better 

 known. 



There are still other grapes which might be mentioned, but 

 some of them arc known to be tender, and others, which are as 

 yet so little known, that your committee defer mention of them 

 until further trial. The Catawba and Isabella are not suited 

 to general cultivation in New England. We recommend for 

 general cultivation the Concord, the Delaware, and the Hart- 

 ford Prolific, and as promising well, and worthy of trial, the 

 Hybrids of Mr. Rogers, and for wine and jellies the Dracut 

 Amber. The other varieties are more suitable for the amateur, 

 and the garden, or the side of the house, for the present at 

 least. Some of them may prove valuable for vineyard 

 culture, on further acquaintance. 



Ephm. W. Bull, 

 Jabez Fisher, 

 Asa Clement, 

 Committee of the Board. 



THE SHEEP LAW. 



The law for the protection of sheep, lambs and other animals, 

 against the ravages of dogs, has been strictly enforced in some 

 towns and comparatively disregarded in others. The neglect 

 to enforce it in some cases, and the obstacles, interposed by 

 officers of towns, to a full and prompt settlement for losses 

 occurring to sheep owners in others, prevent many from engag- 

 ing in sheep husbandry, notwithstanding the great inducements 

 which the high prices of wool and mutton offer the farmer. 



It must be apparent that the duties on wool will make it 

 impossible for foreign manufacturers to compete with us in the 

 coarser woollen fabrics, and that the price of wool, adapted to 

 such fabrics, must rule high for some years. Sheep, therefore, 

 will pay better than dogs. Indeed, it can be shown that, with 

 judicious management, and with proper security against the 

 dog risk, they pay better thafi any other animal on the farm. 



1 am indebted to the politeness of the town clerks of most of 

 the towns in the Commonwealth for statistics upon this subject 

 by which it appears that the number of dogs licensed in the 



