74 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



together and fenced by a good barbed wire fence, there is 

 about the most practical protection of sheep I can think of. 

 In Connecticut the worry the owner has when a dog does 

 extensive damage in a flock almost always leads him to sell 

 out his flock and give up the business. I know of but one 

 man in our town that attempts to keep sheep. 



Mr. Sessions. The object alluded to by the last speaker 

 is just what led to the selection of this subject. There are 

 so many thousands of acres in New England, which are prac- 

 tically running to waste, it would seem that sheep might be 

 utilized ; and I was hoping that we might get something 

 from this discussion bearing upon the matter ; and we have 

 got something from it. In regard to this matter of damage 

 from dogs, I have had a little experience which illustrates 

 this trouble that sheep owners have — and I think one thing 

 we shall see is the creation of a public sentiment toward 

 awarding proper damages for killing and maiming sheep. I 

 had a flock of say sixty sheep, and about the middle of 

 November the dogs got into them and killed fifteen, and two 

 were missing. The flock were as tame a ^ any cossets you 

 ever saw. My man could go into the field and lead them 

 from one field to another, or home and back again ; but after 

 this happened he could not get near them with a salt dish. 

 The sheep were wild, and the moment they saw a movement 

 they ran away ; and they have not got over it yet, and won't 

 iret over it. The chairman of the selectmen was called. He 

 had been a sheep owner. He chose two men, among the 

 best in town, farmers, owners of sheep, to come and appraise 

 the damage, and they considered it. They asked me at 

 what I valued the sheep. I said the whole flock at six dol- 

 lars a head ; but the best ones were killed. I do not know 

 why it was ; but it was the fact. Well, they looked it over, 

 and finally concluded to appraise the fifteen sheep that were 

 gone at five dollars and fifty cents apiece, which they thought 

 would be about fair. The two that were missing they 

 did not know were Idlled, and they could not appraise 

 them; and, if they should prove to be dead, why, they 

 thought five dollars a head was about a fair price, and the 

 excess would partly make up for them. Now, one that was 

 missing has been seen, but nobody can get anywhere near 



