No. 4.] SHEEP RAISING. 141 



appreciable eflect upon the supplies and prices of beef in this 

 country. The census which has just been taken will un- 

 doubtedly show a still further diminution in the number of 

 range cattle in the United States. But, even should the last 

 steer and cow be driven from the public lands of the United 

 States, there would still be little room remaining for an in- 

 crease of the present flocks of range sheep in the United 

 States. During the recent high prices of wool in the latter 

 part of 1898 and in 1899, nearly every available water-hole 

 in the range sections was patented by sheepmen, and, as the 

 water rights practically control the range, there is very little 

 opportunity for any more sheep to be used upon the ranges. 

 Hence, as the population of the United States increases and 

 our imports of foreign products diminish, a portion of the 

 growth of the country in sheep husbandry should occur in 

 New England. 



Our subject is *' Sheep raising in Massachusetts," but we 

 have broadened it to the consideration of sheep husbandry 

 in New England, because the conditions are similar in all 

 of the six eastern States. The followino; fio-ures for each 

 of these States show that the decrease of flocks has been 

 marked in all of them, though somewhat less proportionately 

 in Maine than in the other States : — 



1900. 1840. 



Maine, 237,502 649,264 



New Hampshire, 76,176 617,390 



Vermont, 159,136 1,681,819 



Massachusetts, 39,790 378,226 



Rhode Island, 10,394 90,146 



Connecticut, 31,015 403,462 



Total, ...... 554,013 3,820,307 



Many farmers have lately been met who were willing to 

 take from 10 to 100 shec[) each, upon a three-years lease, for 

 half the wool and half the increase. Assuming that each 

 sheep produced but $1 wofth of wool, and that the flock 

 yielded 90 lambs at a value of but $3 each, the total increase 

 of lambs and wool would be $370. Supposing the cost of 

 the 100 sheep to be |500, — and I am purposely flguring 

 high upon sheep and low upon the products of the flock, — 

 the owner of the sheep would receive $185, or 37 per cent 



