24 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



build one of the most useful breeds of sheep in the world, 

 if they were in the hands of a few skilful shepherds who 

 would act together; but the society heretofore mentioned, 

 and the lack of fighting qualities in their owners, have 

 doomed this most useful animal. He has done his work; 

 for hundreds of years he has furnished the foundation for 

 all our sheep. We cannot estimate the wealth that our " na- 

 tive sheep " has brought ns, but no one has written his his- 

 tory. 



This discussion, however interesting, is not what we are 

 called together for, it is rather to learn what sheep can do for 

 the poor man who has his living to make and his children to 

 bring up on a cheap farm in this State. The rich man needs 

 no sheep. 



In this article I will confine myself to telling you about 

 a man whom I know, and about his methods. In the first 

 place, he liked sheep; whenever anything came up, he knew 

 what to do with his animals, and without this gift you cannot 

 succeed, try as you will, — the business will go wrong unless 

 you are a natural sheep man. A good shepherd is like a 

 poet or a fisherman, — he must be born that way. With 

 cows or horses or pigs it is different, — you may acquire a 

 knowledge that will be fairly successful ; but with sheep your 

 instincts must tell you what to do. One of the most success- 

 ful horse breeders that I know closed both doors of a freight 

 car upon a flock of j^ure Shropshire sheep, and left them for 

 some bours. Although none of the sheep died, none of them 

 would ever thrive afterwards. They had better have been 

 dead. I knew another man of considerable experience who 

 ruined a very good lot of sheep by shutting them up in a 

 close cow stable from Sunday afternoon until Monday morn- 

 ing. The born sheplierd would never do those things. 



It takes more knowledge and less work to raise sheep suc- 

 cessfully than any other live stock. The man that succeeds 

 has, first, a bright-looking flock; the appearance of tlie wool 

 itself tells the story as far as the sheep can be seen. They 

 are quiet, also. You cannot have a good sheep and a nervous, 

 wild sheep in the same animal. He must have size, and 

 plenty of room for his dinner as well as his heart. The dam 



