SHEEP ON XEW ENGLAND FARMS. 5 



CONCLUSIONS. 



Following, in brief, are the more important conclusions drawn 

 from this study : 



1. Sheep raising in New England is, at the present time (1917), 

 a relatively small, but, highly profitable business if properly man- 

 aged. 



2. It is believed that the sheep industry could be greatly increased 

 without a material decrease in the number of profitable dairy cows. 



3. On most farms adapted to sheep raising, sheep should be kept 

 in small flocks, though much larger than the present average, in 

 conjunction with other kinds of live stock. 



4. Sheep, because they require comparatively little grain and labor, 

 are particularly well adapted to many farms located far from mar- 

 ket or to such as have abandoned other forms of live-stock farming 

 because of the high cost of these commodities. 



5. As conducted at present, there is great need for the improve- 

 ment of the sheep industry in Xew England, particularly with ref- 

 erence to more careful selection of breeding stock, better care, and 

 disease control. 



G. Good care is a vital factor in its bearing upon the profitable- 

 ness and development of the New England sheep industry, and its 

 importance can not be overemphasized. Except possibly for disease, 

 it is believed more failures in the sheep business are due to lack of 

 proper care than to anything else. 



7. The disease factor is one of paramount importance, which, to- 

 gether with low prices, seems to have had much to do with driving 

 the sheep business from the East, and which is still of much con- 

 cern to the Xew England sheep breeder. 



8. The dog question is a serious one still, but a marked improve- 

 ment in public sentiment is evident and there is good prospect of 

 further legislation designed to protect the sheep grower in this 

 regard. 



9. The question of breed seems comparatively unimportant so long 

 as the sheep kept are of one of the mutton breeds, careful selection 

 and good care counting for more than the breed. 



PRESENT STATUS OF THE SHEEP INDUSTRY IN NEW ENGLAND. 



At present less than one-eighth as many sheep are kept in Xew Eng- 

 land as were kept from 65 to TO years ago. In 1850, according to the 

 Federal Census, there were approximately 2.:2r)7,600 sheep (exclusive 

 of lambs) in Xew England, whereas in 1910 there were only 306,400, 

 the decline having been rather constant during that interval. Since 

 1910 the decline has continued as previously, and, as estimated by 

 the Department of Agriculture, the number of all sheep in Xew 



