122 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



this late season of the year, and at the approach to 

 Christmas Day, we cannot dissever the thoughts of this 

 industry from this occasion. It cannot be foreign to our 

 minds, nor is it unworthy of us as Christian men, to remem- 

 ber and note that the first announcement of the birth of the 

 Saviour of the world was made, not to the scientific astrolo- 

 gers who made the heavens their study, not to the learned 

 scribes and Pharisees who pondered the law and the prophets, 

 and not to those who lived in kings' houses clothed in fine 

 raiment ; but it was to shepherds who watched their flocks 

 by night on the star-lighted plains of Judea, followed by the 

 sublimest solo and chorus that ever fell on mortal ears, of 

 " Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace and good- will 

 toward men." 



The Chairman. Gentlemen, I know I voice your opinion 

 when, as chairman for the day, I thank Mr. Grinnell for his 

 most charming and instructive paper. Mr. Hollis of Boston 

 has kindly come here to give us some figures relative to the 

 amount of mutton that is consumed in Massachusetts. We 

 all know that there is an immense amount of mutton and 

 lamb consumed here which has been imported into this State. 

 We have plenty of land, and all we want is a little ambition 

 among farmers to become shepherds, and we can raise a 

 large percentage, if not all, of the mutton and lamb that is 

 needed in Massachusetts. Will Mr. Hollis kindly give us a 

 few figures? 



Mr. Hollis. I arrived in town this morning a few 

 minutes before I came up here, and I am not prepared to 

 give any figures. 



The Chairman. In a general way can you not say about 

 how many carcasses you slaughter or your company slaugh- 

 ters? 



Mr. Hollis. Well, I happen to have in my pocket a 

 little paper on which I have kept a memorandum of the 

 number of sheep we have slaughtered since 1885. In 1885 

 we slaughtered 376,415 ; in 1886, 367,822 ; in 1887, 399,272 ; 

 in 1888, 387,345; in 1889, 396,124; in 1890, 414,620. In 

 the ten months of this year, up to the first of November, we 

 slaughtered 357,484. 



