1889.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. 75 



her. I got five dollars and fifty cents for those that were 

 found and nothing for the worrying of my flock. 



I had another experience with a chairman of selectmen 

 who is not a farmer. Dogs got among my sheep, and a 

 sheep had a lamb about half grown, and the dog bit the 

 sheep badly. The lamb I never saw. You can imagine 

 what became of it, but the lamb was gone and has never been 

 'seen. The chairman of the selectmen came and said, " I 

 can pay you damage on the sheep, and if you can prove 

 the lamb was killed I can pay you for him." Well, I got 

 nothing for the lamb. There is the trouble. The sentiment 

 of the State ought to be in favor of giving a sheep-owner 

 under these circumstances abundant damage, and I believe it 

 is. The law is for the protection of sheep, not for the sake 

 of taxing dogs. The real object is the encouragement of 

 sheep-raising. I think the sentiment of this meeting ought 

 to influence the chairmen of selectmen and the public gener- 

 ally to do the fair thing by sheep-owners. [Applause.] 



Mr. West. My own experience happens to be something 

 like this : The middle of September or first of October the 

 dogs will get among my sheep and drive them out of the 

 pasture. The fences are good enough if they will leave 

 them alone ; but if a dog gets in there, the sheep will jump a 

 fence four and a half feet high, and will run right into my 

 mowing. Can I put them back and keep them in the same 

 pasture? No, sir ; it is almost impossible. They have got a 

 taste of that fresh feed, and they will get it. It is impossible 

 for me to get any damage, yet it is a damage to have those 

 sheep get in there, and I think other people must be dam- 

 aged in the same way. 



Mr. Cruikshanks of Fitchburg. It occurred to me while 

 Mr. Augur was speaking about the plan that had been talked 

 of in Connecticut for inclosing a large territory for keeping 

 sheep, to mention the system they have in my native land, 

 in* Scotland, where shepherds are employed. It would be 

 very much cheaper to employ shepherds to herd the sheep 

 than to inclose three hundred, six hundred or eight hundred 

 acres in these hill towns to keep sheep. 



Mr. T. S. Gold of Connecticut. I assure you I have an 

 interest in this matter of sheep and dogs. I would state 



