RURAL LIFE IN LITCHFIELD COUNTY 



shillings. And it is also voted that whosoever shall kill 

 any ratel snak or snaks within the town and bring 

 rattles shall have one shilling for every such snak." 



A possible reason for the lack of importation of a 

 better breed of sheep or new blood to improve the old 

 stock is hinted at in an essay by Dr. Jared Eliot, grand- 

 son of the Apostle to the Indians. He says: "A better 

 breed of sheep is what we want. The English breed of 

 Cotswold sheep cannot be obtained, at least not without 

 great difficulty, for wool and live sheep are contraband 

 goods which all strangers are prohibited from carrying 

 out on pain of having their right hand cut off." 



Following the act of 1660, which made sheep exempt 

 from taxation, were other public acts, such as the pay- 

 ing of a bounty for woolen cloth and the exempting of 

 sheep from seizure for debt, which were designed to 

 favor the growth of the sheep industry. 



Many stories both inspiring and pathetic are told in 

 connection with the making of homespun in the early 

 times. Although not a Litchfield County incident, the 

 following will illustrate the straits and the enterprise 

 which served to go toward the making of men who 

 made history. "A dozen sheep and one cow comprised 

 the stock, and to her yield of milk the latter added her 

 service to the plow. Corn bread, milk and bean por- 

 ridge were the staples of diet. The father being in- 

 capacitated by illness, the mother did the work in the 



