6 



farmers' bulletin J>29. 



England on January 1, 1918, was but 360,000. The ratio of this 

 number to the number on hand in 1850 is as 1 to 6.3. 



Figures obtained for this study check very closely with 1910 census 

 data in showing that at present about seven-eighths (86.7 per cent) 

 of all sheep in New England are found in Maine, New Hampshire, 

 and Vermont. Of these three States, Maine has more sheep than 

 New Hampshire and Vermont combined, or nearly one-half of all in 

 New England. In Maine practically 1 farmer in every 5 (18.0 

 per cent) keeps sheep; in New Hampshire and Vermont 1 in every 

 10 (10.1 per cent), while in the rest of New England as a whole an 

 average of only 1 farmer in 50 keeps sheep. As will be shown 

 later, sheep in any of these States are confined to certain regions, so 

 that the ratio of farmers with sheep to all farms would be somewhat 

 greater in regions where sheep are found than is indicated by the 

 figures given, which apply to the States as a whole. 



On the farms on which sheep are kept these animals constitute 

 about one-fifth of all productive live stock (all live stock except work 

 animals), and at prices prevailing prior to 1916 contributed slightly 

 less than (i per cent toward total farm receipts. At present prices 

 this percentage would probably be about doubled. 



SHEEP KEPT IN REGIONS RELATIVELY UNFAVORABLE FOR DAIRYING. 



Keference to the map (p. 4) shows eight districts visited in which 

 sheep were comparatively important and seven other districts in 

 which sheep were of very little or no importance. A study of these 

 regions and of the kind of farming carried on in them shows that 

 for the last few years, at least, sheep in New England have not 

 been kept to any great extent in regions well adapted to dairying 

 and that those regions in which sheep have been most extensively 

 kept are somewhat lacking in the natural advantages of a typical 

 dairy section. 



It must not be inferred from this that dairy farming is of no ac- 

 count in regions where sheep are found. Dairying is carried on on 

 many farms in these regions and, as will be seen later, on farms with 

 sheep, but for the regions as a whole it was found that the keeping 

 of beef cattle was much more common and that the business of dairy- 

 ing was of relatively small importance. Fewer cows were kept in 

 these regions; a considerable portion of the cows kept were of beef 

 breeds, and dairy products contributed far less toward the total farm 

 receipts than in areas where sheep were of no importance. 1 In the 

 regions with the sheep one farmer in every five kept beef breeds of 

 cattle, while these breeds are scarcely to be found in the areas 



1 Areas with sheep as a whole had nn average of only cows per farm, and receipts 

 from dairy products amounted to hut $. r >10, while areas where sheep were of no account 

 had an average of 15 cows per farm and receipts from dairy products amounted to $1,070. 



