1889.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. 79 



the pasturing season, put out early and kept out late on 

 , unfeneed hills. In Orange County, New York, just back of 

 West Point, there were no fences at all, or nothing worthy 

 of the name, and the sheep were cared for by the shepherd 

 and his dog. Beginning with early spring, it was neces- 

 sary for the shepherd to remain with the sheep most 

 of the day. As the season passed on he could leave his 

 flock for a greater length of time each day, leaving them in 

 charge of the trained dog, who remained with the flock. 

 The most of the season I think the shepherd was a milker. 

 He started out his flock with the dog, and remained until 

 after the milking, and then followed his flock ; saw it in 

 his pasture in safe condition, and left it again for an hour or 

 two in the middle of the day. We were not far from the 

 city of New^burg, within a few miles of several pretty good 

 sized villages and towns. There were plenty of dogs, and 

 small shee|) raisers in the same locality have more or less 

 trouble with dogs ; but in five years I had but one visitation 

 of that flock, and that was when both shepherd and dog 

 were absent. I think there were none killed, and only two 

 or three lambs bitten in the leg and rear. The shepherd is 

 the guardian of the flock ; but nothing less than a flock of 

 three hundred would justify the expense of the shepherd, 

 and of course there would be a greater profit when the flock 

 was increased to four hundred or thereabouts. But I have 

 no question in my own mind as to whether the suggestion of 

 Mr. Cruikshanks is a good one. The cheapest way of caring 

 for a flock of sheep is with a shepherd and dog. Part of the 

 time we had a dog so well trained that the shepherd was 

 unnecessary during the entire day. The dog would take the 

 flock to the pasture and remain with them throughout the 

 day, and bring them back to their fold. One dog will take 

 care of four hundred sheep. 



Mr. Sessions. If we do not figure the profit higher than 

 the essayist did, we should have to have a pretty big flock 

 if we are going to keep a shepherd. 



Mr. Sage. We all know that sheep cannot be profitably 

 raised near a city where hay is worth twenty dollars per ton ; 

 but we know we can find good sheep land within fifty miles 

 of this place for five dollars an acre, where hay can be bought 



