146 ESSAY ON SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 



The Committee on Essays, Gardner B. Perry, chairman, 

 awarded the premium of ten dollars to David Choate, of Essex, 

 for the following 



ESSAY ON SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 



It does not necessarily follow that the writer of an Essay on 

 a given subject, should advocate changes and innovations in 

 regard to it. As much good service is often rendered, by ad- 

 vising people to " let well enough alone," as in any other 

 way. Speculations are sometimes synonymous with losses, 

 and were not farmers generally amongst the last to be convinc- 

 ed of the utility of change, it might be positively injurious to 

 argue in favor of new or modified methods of husbandry. It 

 is not the object of this Essay professedly to advise the farm- 

 ers of Essex County to go largely into woolgrowing, and yet 

 if it should clearly follow from this humble effort, that some- 

 thing further should be attempted in the matter of keeping 

 sheep, by a moderate expenditure, annually increased for a few 

 years, until the experiment should be fairly tried, it will not 

 surely be cause of regret. 



Various causes concur, to make it difficult to suggest any 

 rule, which will apply to all parts of even the County of 

 Essex. Land in the neighborhood of inarket towns is too val- 

 uable for keeping Sheep. This is well understood by farmers. 

 Even in Amesbury, although there Avere 27 sets of woolen 

 machinery in that town in 1837, there were but 498 sheep 

 kept, for the reason no doubt, that the milk of the cow at 

 Newburyport market, would pay better. The town of Bever- 

 ly had but 100 sheep in 1837, being within a mile of Salem, 

 and Danvers only 50, while Boxford had 484. 



And again, some kinds of sheep require more expensive 

 keeping than others do. So also much depends upon the 

 leading object for which sheep are intended to be kept — 

 whether for the wool or the carcass — and again whether for 

 fine or for coarse wool. 



It will be safe, in general however, to lay down the broad 

 principle, that Essex County is not the place for extensive 



