152 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



killed a sheep, and we promptly killed the dog. Shortly 

 after three large dogs got into the pasture and killed a ram 

 and two ewes, and were seen endeavoring to effect their 

 escape through the barbed-wire fence after the crime had 

 been committed, but too late to go to the house to get a gun 

 to kill the dogs. It was subsequently discovered that the 

 dogs got into the fields by climbing upon pieces of old stone 

 walls which had been carelessly left in too close proximity 

 to the fence. The sheep were promptly put into another 

 enclosure, surrounded by barbed-wire fence, without any 

 walls adjoining. In this case, if the wire had been placed 

 on top of the wall the canine invasion would not have oc- 

 curred, but it was because the wall allowed a resting place 

 for the dog, or a point of advantage from which he could 

 jump over the fence, that he was enabled to enter the pasture. 

 No losses have occurred since the sheep were removed to 

 the new enclosure. 



I make this explanation because I am no longer able to 

 say that I never had any trouble of importance with dogs, 

 as I could have said when I had this paper nearly completed. 

 But this difficulty was due in a measure to our negligence, 

 and in a period of ten years my losses have been very small. 



The number of sheep in Michigan, Ohio, Texas, Califor- 

 nia and some others of the far western or western middle 

 States has diminished greatly in recent years, but in such 

 States as Michigan and Ohio the character and value of the 

 animals has increased in many cases. The State of Michigan 

 alone still had 1,389,073 sheep on the 1st of January of the 

 present year, or nearly three times as many as in all New 

 England. Michigan breeders receive very high prices for 

 their thoroughbred sheep for the western trade, but in Michi- 

 gan land is higher than in the agricultural districts of New 

 England. Much of their land is no more fertile than ours, 

 and their climate is fully as severe as ours. 



The number of sheep in the British Islands is 33,562,406, 

 with a population of 38,104,975, or nearly one sheep per 

 capita. The number of sheep in the United States is but 

 41,883,065, with a population of 80,000,000, or about half 

 a sheep per capita. Land is cheaper in New England than 

 in Old England, but it is necessary to educate our people 



