198 Mx\.SSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



less inclined to ramble — the latter being a particular item to 

 .look after witli our hill farmers. 4th. They are a much safer 

 breed to invest money in, for, as the old adage is, we have two 

 strings to the bow. In case the mutton meets with a hard 

 market, the wool may help make up the loss ; on the other 

 hand, should we be obliged to dispose of the wool at the 

 uncommon low price to which it has been subject for the past 

 few weeks, the mutton, perhaps, will bring us around with a 

 fair profit. 



The next subject that suggests itself is, the culture of sheep 

 in general. We find by referring to the statistics, that the 

 number of sheep in 1840 was 378,226 ; in 1850, 188,651 ; in 

 1860, 113,111 ; showing a decrease in twenty years of 265,115. 

 In 1815, tlie number of pounds of wool grown was 1,016,230 ; 

 in ten years from that time the decrease in the production of 

 wool was over 600,000 pounds. In 1845, the value of all the 

 sheep and wool was $923,480 ; in ten years later, 8464,889 ; 

 showing a depreciation of that stock in ten years of half a 

 million of dollars. In 1850, the wool produced in this State 

 was 585,000 pounds, while the amount consumed outside of 

 domestic manufactures was over 22,000,000 pounds. The 

 question is asked, what has caused this wonderful decrease in 

 the sheep culture ? Probably there are several reasons. The 

 fluctuations in the price of fine wool, as it was this grade of 

 wool that was principally grown in 1840 ; the idea that we 

 could not compete with importations ; the destruction of sheep 

 by dogs — the latter, to which we have an abundance of testi- 

 mony, that dogs have been one of the greatest impediments in 

 the keeping of sheep. This, many would hardly believe ; but 

 when they find that the number of sheep killed in the State of 

 Ohio, in 1858, was 60,000, and half as many more injured, 

 making in all upwards of 90,000, valued at (say 82 per head) 

 $180,000, they will not wonder that our legislators were 

 induced to pass a stringent law, imposing a tax upon dogs. 

 Although this dog law has in a great measure removed this 

 obstruction, still, if it cannot be more thoroughly executed, 

 there must be a more stringent law to expel this nuisance. 



The question is often asked, are sheep as beneficial to the 

 soil and farm as cattle ? This question, I think, will meet with 

 those who have had experience with the culture of both cattle 



