THE PESTS OF THE FARM. 251 



CHAPTER IX. 



THE PESTS OF THE FARM. 



The various pests which annoy and injure the farmer include 

 animals, insects and vegetables. In enumerating the worst of these, 

 the difficulty is in considering what may be left out, rather than what 

 should be put into the list, so great a legion of them are there. In 

 considering this important part of farm knowledge, however, we may 

 divide the subject into two parts, viz.: PESTS INJURIOUS TO FARM 

 ANIMALS, and PESTS INJURIOUS TO FARM CROPS. 



DOGS. 



It is right to include the dog among the pests of the farm, although 

 the fault is rather in the owner than in the animal itself. The dog, 

 for its sagacity and its friendly and docile disposition, deserves to be 

 well cared for, well trained, and kept in safe subjection. It is the 

 neglected dog, of low and high degree both, which is permitted to run 

 at large without supervision, and which consequently falls into bad 

 company and is made vicious, that becomes the destroyer of the flock, 

 and does more to prevent the profitable keeping of sheep on many 

 thousands of farms than any other evil to which sheep are subject; 

 so that a few words in regard to the proper management of dogs 

 will be all that may be required under this head. 



Every one who keeps a dog should first choose a well bred animal; 

 second, feed it as well and as regularly as a horse or cow is fed; third, 

 house it comfortably in a roomy and clean kennel, with a yard attached, 

 for exercise ; fourth, keep it under strict discipline, and teach it its duties ; 

 fifth, never permit it to roam at large; and, lastly, after its duties and 

 service have been performed during the day, see that it is safely 

 secured during the night. It would be an exceedingly happy thing 

 for farmers if they could, by their influence, procure the passage of 

 laws to enforce some such regulation as the last of these, and secure 

 the destruction of every vagrant animal that might be found wan- 

 dering abroad unattended and in pursuit of mischief. When this is 

 accomplished, sheep may be left to repose in the pasture with safety, 



