SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 171 



other men hadn't pluck enough to do it. It is very easy to 

 keep sheep if you want to ; if you don't, it is very easy to 

 make excuses. 



Mr. Grinnell. There is one class of farmers who do a 

 great deal of good and for whom I have great respect and 

 affection. They are farmers of means, and can keep any 

 amount of help they want about their farms. They tell 

 you to get a steam engine and pump, or to get a wind- 

 mill, and irrigate your land. You are also told to hurdle 

 your sheep. But where do the fanners in the western part 

 of the State pasture their sheep? They are not in the 

 orchard near the house, they are not within a half a mile or 

 a mile, perhaps not within three miles of the house. 



The majority of our sheep, as Mr. Taft says, are pastured 

 three miles off. It is impracticable, not to say impossible, 

 to hurdle those sheep. I know it is a very excellent system, 

 if you can do it and have the conveniences for doing it ; but 

 what man is going off three miles to hurdle his sheep when 

 he is perhaps getting in his hay ? It is impracticable for us 

 who are living out in the country, and while a most excel- 

 lent and valuable plan on such a place as the one where Mr. 

 Bodwitch lives, where he has a beautiful house, from which 

 he can watch the pastures, and if there is a dog in sight 

 send out his men and hurdle his sheep. Then he keeps so 

 many dogs that the others keep off. His mastiffs are a 

 great protection. I have a great respect for a mastiff — 

 when he is on the other side of the fence! (Laughter.) 

 It is unfortunate that we are debarred from this most pleas- 

 ant and profitable occupation of raising sheep. The num- 

 ber of sheep in this Commonwealth has been constantly 

 decreasing for the past twenty-five years, and the reason 

 undoubtedly is because of the ravages of dogs. The Secre- 

 tary says that we have got law enough, and yet the senti- 

 ment of the farmers of this State is,' that they cannot raise 

 sheep because of the dogs. 



Secretary Russell. I said we have got all the law we 

 can get. All the law you can get ought to be enough. 



Mr. Grinnell. We have got all we can get, perhaps, 

 but we ought to try to get more. I should like to see a 

 Legislature of sheep owners. 



