1889.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. 67 



You cannot grow roots at the same cost that you can pro- 

 duce ensilage. Lambs eat it at a very early age, and will 

 thrive on it. 



Our experience this year has proved that dogs go for the 

 best sheep. The first week in September a dog went into 

 the pasture and caught the best buck lamb in the lot, a 

 thorough-bred Shropshire ; he was worth twenty-five dollars. 

 We sent our bill to the Selectmen for twenty-five dollars. 

 They said they would settle it for twenty dollars, because 

 that was the limit they were allowed without any appraisal. 

 We took the twenty dollars, whereas it was a loss of thirty 

 dollars to us. We sent off and got another one for twenty- 

 five dollars, and did not get so good a lamb. 



I would like to give a little report here of a flock of sheep 

 which I had in 1886. Sixteen sheep in January cost $65 ; 

 lambs sold from this flock, |80 ; wool, $16 ; fifteen ewes sold 

 in September, $67.50 ; one sold at another time $7 ; total 

 receipts, $170.50; cost of sheep, $65, — leaving a balance of 

 $105.50, for keeping the sheep from the early part of Janu- 

 ary to the middle of SeptemJier the same year, 1886. In 

 September, 1886, 1 bought a flock of fifteen sheep for $67.50. 

 The following June I sold lambs, $84; wool, $20; other 

 receipts, $57.50 ; fifteen sheep valued at $67.50; receipts, 

 $171.50, — leaving a balance for one year of $106. In 1888 

 sheep have done equally as well as they did before. I have 

 an account of another gentleman. I know the facts to be as 

 stated. December, 1887, ewes cost $24; sold six lambs, 

 $36 ; other items of receipts and expense left a profit of $45. 

 These lambs were some of them only ten weeks old, and 

 weighed sixty- three pounds, for which the owner received 

 twelve cents a pound ; some of them came to seven dollars 

 apiece. 



Mr. R,o^vLEY of Egremont. I would like to add a word 

 in regard to dogs. I noticed what the lecturer said in re- 

 gard to shooting dogs at sight. It seems to me that does 

 not cover the ground. The attack on sheep has generally 

 been in the night time and unseen. Six weeks ago I went 

 to a pasture to get my sheep. I found three dead sheep, two 

 more that were nearly so, and eight more that were bitten. 

 I called upon the Selectman that lived near by. Well, the 



