230 RURAL NEW YORK 



producing a fleece, varied considerably during that 

 period. In 1850, it was 4.4 pounds. It increased 

 regularly to 7.7 pounds in 1880 and then decreased 

 to 5.7 pounds in 1900, but in 1910 it was only 6.8 

 pounds an animal on the same basis of calculation. 

 Based on the actual number of fleeces reported which 

 was 573,611, the average weight was 7.4 pounds in 

 1910 and 6.4 in 1900. The most notable point about 

 these figures is the large increase in average size of 

 fleece over that in 1850. It has been suggested that 

 the decrease in the size of the fleece about 1900 may 

 be due to a considerable change in the type of sheep 

 kept. In the earlier years, they were dominantly 

 the fine wool breeds having much oil in the fleece. 

 In later years the coarser wooled sheep prevail. 



The dominant cause of the heavy decline in the 

 number of sheep has undoubtedly been their large in- 

 crease in the middle states and on the western ranges, 

 the so-called short grass region. Another cause has 

 been the development of the sheep industry in such 

 new countries as Australia and Argentina. As a re- 

 sult, the price of mutton and wool was very low. 

 A mature sheep sold in 1893 for as low as 75 

 cents. The price of mutton in 1895 was 3.1 cents 

 a pound. Dairying has paid in New York relatively 

 better than sheep, due to the excellent local market 

 for milk. Added to this combination of conditions 

 has been the serious menace from dogs that for many 

 years have been permitted to multiply and run free 

 with scarcely any restraint or regulation and which 

 have cost the sheep industry millions of dollars in 



