200 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



they make but a poor fence for cither cattle or slieep. Can we 

 by the aid of sheep, reclaim our pastures without costing more 

 than they are worth ? Hitherto the first objection to trying it 

 has been the dogs : now we have the dog law to protect us, so 

 far as it goes, and if they are killed, we call upon the town for 

 pay; but timidity is one of the strong characteristics of the 

 ovine race, and the constant yelping of the worthless curs about 

 our streets and pastures keeps them so frightened that they will 

 not thrive. We have been told by those who have been called 

 upon to enforce the dog law, that they are met by tlie question — 

 Who keeps sheep ? Why enforce the law when there are no 

 sheep for the dogs to kill ? If the farmers kept more sheep, it 

 would obviate this objection. It might be well for tliis society 

 to take some action that would cause the dog law to be better 

 enforced by the town authorities. 



The next objection is the want of suitable fences. It is some- 

 times said in answer to this objection, tliat if land is not worth 

 fencing, it is not worth owning and paying the taxes upon. But 

 the old walls now answer as division, and the cows seeing noth- 

 ing better on the other side, think it will not pay to crawl over ; 

 but sheep have a strong propensity to explore the next enclo- 

 sure. This trait is more fully developed in what is called the 

 native or Yankee sheep, than in those that have been imported 

 recently. How far this is an hereditary trait, or the result of 

 .education; we will not decide. This disposition to ramble has 

 caused many hard feelings between neighbors, and we would 

 not advise any one to keep sheep to reclaim a pasture without 

 first making a suitable fence. A rail or board fence four feet 

 high, or a pole placed upon stone wall Mnll make a safe enclo- 

 sure. ]\Ir. Page, of South Danvers, uses netted wire upon the 

 top of his wall. We have seen upon Mr. Pierce's farm in Tops- 

 field, small posts placed by the side of the wall about twenty- 

 five feet apart, set leaning so that a wire fastened to it will be 

 over the wall about six inches above it, then another wire 

 placed about ten inches above that. This is cheap, and we 

 should think a durable fence. 



Another objection to keeping sheep, is that they are wild and 

 apt to stray away. Many of the old breeds of sheep seem to 

 have retained a large portion of the promise given to Noah 

 when he came out of the ark : " And the fear of you and the 



