THE MANAGEMENT OF SHEEP ON THE FARM. iil 
CARE OF THE FLOCK. 
SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS. 
Probably sheep are subject to more ills than any other class of 
domestic animals. At any rate, they seem to be more helpless in 
repelling the attacks made upon them. This need not discourage the 
prospective shepherd, since good care and management will obviate 
most of these troubles. Upon this care and management depends 
the ‘‘luck”’ of the shepherd. Flocks are known to exist upon weeds 
and waste roughages with little or no attention, but the returns are 
proportionately meager. 
DOGS. 
A well-trained sheep dog is one of the greatest friends of the indus- 
try, while the cur dog is one of its worst enemies. The Scotch collie 
is the sheep dog of America, and a well-trained one can not be appre- 
ciated unless seen at work. Their tireless watching, even at night, 
makes them invaluable to the sheep herder. By their barking they 
warn him of any prowler that may be lurking about the flock. How- 
ever, a poorly trained dog, as is found on many farms, is more of a 
nuisance than a benefit in handling the flock. It is unfortunate that 
the collie has not found a larger place in flock management on the 
-farm. On the average farm it is the other side of the dog problem that 
concerns the shepherd. The cur dog has driven many a farmer out 
of the sheep business and has prevented many more from entering 
it. The loss to the sheep industry from this source can hardly be 
estimated. A leading eastern paper on May 28, 1910, printed the 
following: 
Seventy-five sheep have been killed and 152 have been bitten by dogs that came 
into the neighborhood last week. Of the 35 flocks of sheep of this town, only 1 escaped 
the ravages of the dogs. Damages are estimated at $500. 
There are thousands of such cases on record. However, the loss 
in killed and injured is not all the damage. Once the flock has been 
ravaged the sheep become restless and excitable, and weeks often 
elapse before they are again making normal gains. Other flocks 
never fully recover from such attacks and consequently must be dis- 
posed of. The reimbursement the farmer receives rarely covers the 
value of the sheep killed, disregarding the other damage altogether. 
There is no complete solution for the dog problem, but there are a 
number of remedial measures. Among them are more sheep, better 
dog laws, dog-proof wire fences, sheep bells, and the elimination of the 
cur dog. 
In many sections of the country the raising of more sheep would 
aid along this line, and this is especially true where only one or a few 
farmers in a neighborhood are keeping sheep. If every farmer, or a 
