REPORTS OF DELEGATES. 413 



somcthinii: to have their stock on the groiuul and to help the 

 show in all reasonable ways. 



Of sheep there were but few on the ground, some eight or 

 ten all told, of no particular breed or value. I suppose they 

 must be a lair sample of the sheep on the island as I visited 

 what was said to be one of the best flocks ; in fact 1 learned from 

 a man I accidentally came across on board the boat on my way 

 home who buys most of their wool, that it averaged a little less 

 than two and a half pounds to the sheep, and this in a county 

 eminently adapted to the raising of sheep especially the more 

 wool-growing varieties. I do not remember to have seen better 

 sheep pastures than they have in Chilmark. In this I know I 

 do not agree with a former member of this Board from tiiis 

 society who, in his report last year, said that " flocks from 

 abroad highly fed do not prosper on the lean pastures of the 

 Vineyard," and I found the general impression among the 

 farmers was that well bred, valuable sheep would not stand their 

 climate. Of one thing I am certain no respectable sheep would 

 stand such treatment as they give theirs. They are rarely 

 sheltered except what they get from the lee of a barn, rock, or 

 wall, and foddered but little. 



The fact is, the mildness of their climate is a curse to them, 

 (the sheep and farmers both,) as they seldom have snow that 

 lasts more than one or two days. The consequence is, they let 

 them graze the most of the winter, and one man told me he 

 had sheep he had never foddered. I think no good sheep 

 breeder would expect many, if any, of his sheep to live through 

 the winter with such treatment, even if we should have no 

 snow. I had mucii rather my sheep would lie out in a snow 

 than rain storm in cold weather. If the climate was such that 

 they were obliged to house and feed them, I doubt not it would 

 pay the extra expense and a good profit. Perhaps, also, if the 

 faimers of the Vineyard had fewer sources of wealth, and were 

 obliged to depend more upon their farms for support, they would 

 farm more carefully and make it much more profitable. 



The horses on exhibition were very few. They appeared, 

 however, to l)e very serviceable animals, but not very strong. 



Of swine there were but few entries, but were of fair quality. 



The show in the hall comprised about the usual variety of 

 articles in such places, which were of good quality, but lew in 



