364 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



susceptible of profit as an article of sale and of improvement 

 to soil will no longer be so sparse on our hills and about our 

 lawns, and that these peregrinating exterminators of ox-eye 

 daisy and St. John'swort shall find a welcome admission on 

 many of our degenerated pastures and fields. 



These fleecy friends inhabit constantly the parks and lawns 

 of the larger land proprietors of France, England and Ger- 

 many, in close proximity to their residences. Why should we 

 expatriate them to the prairies of Illinois and the pastures of 

 the far West ? And now that the prices of mutton and beef 

 are assimilated, let the farmers of our county again try the 

 experiment of raising sheep for the carcass as well as for the 

 wool. 



Submitted for the committee by 



Peter T. Homer, Chairman. 



FRANKLIN. 



Report of the Committee. 



There were but twelve, entries ; not as many by far as there 

 should have been, or as many as we hoped to see. We know 

 there are many very fine flocks both of line and coarse wool 

 sheep in this county, and wc regret that there were not more 

 specimens presented for exhibition. Those that were entered, 

 we arc happy to say, were of very good quality, consisting of 

 Silesians, Saxon, French and Spanish merino, South Downs, and 

 mixed breeds. 



A statement from Thomas J. Field, of Northfield, of a flock 

 of three hundred and one fine wool sheep, shows the sale of 

 wool and increase of flock to amount in one year to $1,026.55. 

 Mr. Field also submitted a statement of sales of lambs from 

 some Lots of South Downs at five dollars each, and the wool, 

 which averaged about four pounds. 



It is readily seen that there is great profit in raising either 

 of the above-mentioned breeds of sheep ; ami we wish the farm- 

 ers of Franklin County would give more attention to them 



