ISF 376 **'*HH,i .C8 *' 'f i^.Mtv History of Sheep Husbandry in Massachusetts. LECTTJEE BT Hon. JAMES S. GRINNPXL OK OREENFIELD. Deuvered at the Public Winter Meeting of the MASa\cnusETTS State Boarp op AowcuLTURfe, at Boston, Dkcembeu 2, 1891. With Accompanting Discussion. BOSTON : WRIGHT & POTTER PRINTING CO., STATE PRINTERS, 18 Post Office Square 1892. SF 376 .G8 Copy 1 'istory of Sheep Hushaiidi^y Massaclntsetts. in LECTUEE BY J Hon. JAMES Sf GRINNELL u OK GREENFIELD. deliveiied at the public winter meeting of the massachusetts State Board of Agriculture, at Boston, December 2, 1891. With Accompanying Discussion. BOSTON : WRIGHT & POTTER PRINTING CO., STATE PRINTERS, 18 Post Office Square. 1892. BY rR«wSFFR jUN 3 '910 1 HISTORY OF SHEEP HUSBANDRY IN MASSACHUSETTS. BY HON. JAMES S. GRINNELL OF GREENFIELD. The sii)>ject of slwcp husbandry, always one of the greatest importance to the whole farming community, seems again to be exciting general interest and attention in our State, and, in the opinion of the Board of Agriculture, would be aided and advanced by a somewhat extended consideration in a paper which I was directed to prepare and bring l)efore this meeting, and by the full discussion which is to follow. In all ages the sheep has been a prominent representative of rural husbandry, pr()tital)le and eminently respectaljle, from the time that Abel, the tirst. keeper of shee}), made to the Lord an acceptable otiering of the firstlings of his flock — early lambs ; and many hundreds of years later that great farmer and Hock-master, Job, reckoned among his stock fV)urteen thousand sheep. Originally neither the tlesh of the sheep nor of any other animal was used as an article of food. According to Bibli- cal history, only a vegetable diet was permitted, — the fruit of every tree in the garden of Eden (with one exception) "and every herl) of the field;" so that for about sixteen hundred years, till after the deluge, no sheep were killed to be eaten. It was only after Noah had stei)ped forth from the ark and offered his sacrifice that the Divine i)ermission was given, " Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you ; even as the green herb have I given you all things." From this time on the flesh of the sheep was not only an acceptable offering to the Almighty, but as an article of food is frequently mentioned in Holy Writ, from the dress- ing of a single lamb in very early days down to the mag- nificence of Solomon, who, besides his established character for wisdom generally, manifested an exceeding good taste and con^sideration for his hou.sehold l)y having a liundrt'd sheep slaughtered for their daily maintenance and enjoyment. Sheep probably found their way into Europe by the Hellespont with the early civilization of its inhabitants, and after a long interval into Italy ; they were early cultivated in Spain, having prol)ably been introduced therefrom Africa long l)efore the founding of Ivome. The more northern part of Euro})e was a great forest, unfaxorable to the growing of slice}), and their numbers seem always to have been small. The Celtic tri])es [)aid more regard to the ox than to the sheep, and the flocks of the early inha])itants of Europe never equalled those of the Syrian and other Asiatic shep- herds. As the sheep of this country (except the Merinos) mostly came from England, it would be curious and interesting to trace their introduction to that country. Unfortunately this is shrouded in the darkness which envelops the. British Islands })rior to their invasion and conquest by the Komans. During that dynasty, however, wool was spun and woven and woollen fabrics were made in Britain ; and in course of time the woollens of Winchester, which were said to rival the spider's wel) in flneness, attained the highest reputation, and maintained it for centuries ; but there is no record of the sheep from whose fleece these were s])un and woven. It is believed that the Hibernians had from the Phcenicians acquired the art of s})inning and weaving long l)efore the invasion of the liomans upon England, and while the people of the larger island were still clad in the skins of wild ani- mals, and of oxen and sheep, after their untraceable intro- duction. From that time to the improvement of sheep and the settlement of this country is a long interval. Either the sheep were not very early introduced here, or the chron- iclers of that day did not see flt to make any special mention of them ; horses, cattle, and, strangely, goats, are much earlier and oftener noticed than sheep. In 1(32U permission was given to shi}) from Southampton one hundred and forty cattle, horses, sheep and goats ; how many were landed, if any, does not appear. July, l()ol, from Barnstable in Devonshire were shipped eight heifers, a calf and five sheep. June 15, l()o3, thirty-four Dutch slice}) were landed, forty haviiiii' been lost at sea. In the same year these or others are recorded as having been carried onto an island in Boston harlior as a place of protection against wolves. In 1(385 eighty-eiglit Dutch ewes were brought in, valued at fifty shillings each, July, 16o3, an order was made that no sheep should be exported. May 14, 1618, the following order was made by the General Court: "that forasmuch as the keeping of sheep tends to the good and benefit of the country, if they were carefully lireserved, henceforth it shall l)e lawful for any man to keep sheep on any common, accounting five sheep to one great beast. And if any dog shall kill any sheep, the o^viier shall either hang his dog forthwith, or pay double damages for the shee}). And if any dog has been known to course or bite any sheep before, not being set on, and his owner had notice thereof, then he shall both hang his dog and pay for the sheep." In l()o4 an order Avas passed by the court : "that whereas, the country was in great straits in respect of (Nothing, and the most likeliest way tending to sup})ly in that res})cct is the raising and keeping of sheep within our jurisdiction, it is therefore ordered and enacted by this court, that after tlie publication hereof no person or persons whatsoever shall trans})ort any ewes or ewe lambs out of this jurisdiction to any foreign place or })ort, upon the penalty of the forfeiture of live pounds for every ewe or ewe lamb so transported." In 1652 Charlestown had as many as four hundred sheep ; and in 1658 John Josselyn wrote, in the account of his two voyages to the Colonies, of there l)cing eight hundred at Black Point in this State, and again mentions their having great store of sheep in the colony. Twenty years later, Sir Edward l\andolph, commissioner of the Crown, wrote in his official correspondence that "New England abounded in sheep." By successive impor- tations, care in breeding and preserving, forbidding exporta- tions and the killing of shee}) as much as possible, they multiplied greatly, they became abundant on the commons, and were watched and guarded by a shepherd. Herding, now so successfully practised by the most eminent sheep grower in the State, was first used in this country in RoAvley, where 6 perniis.sion wut? grunted to erect sheep gates, or lengths of movable fence to l)e set up at night as protection against wolves and dogs. (JhjtJiiny. Next to food and shelter, the great exigency of the early settlers was of course clothing sufficient not only to cover their nakedness, but to keep them warm in this cold climate. In this respect, as in some others, they Avere content to receive from the customs of their barl)arous neighbors sug- gestions which were not without use to them in their pecul- iar circumstances. The original clothing of the Indians was from the furs and skins of \\ ild animals. ]Much skill was evinced in the dressing of l)utfalo, deer, elk and other skins for that puri)ose ; for (wternal wear they were prepared with the hair or wool on, and for under garments the smaller skins Avere made into a kind of " chamois " leather l»y remov- ing the hair and dressing them with the l^rains of the animal, which rendered them very soft and pliable. A scjuaw would thus prepare eight or ten skins in a day. INIorton says the Indians "made their skins into very good leather, making them ' plume ' and soft ; the moose skins they commonly dress l)are and make them wondrous white ; the moccasins and leggings were usually made from the moose skins." The colonists made much use of these materials, which com- ported well with their rugged mode of life and the severity of the climate. Indeed, they were not unaccustomed to the use of similar materials in their native country ; for in England, even in that day, leather dressed as l)uti' and in other styles, and worn as doublets, breeches or vests, formed no incon- siderable part of the clothing of some classes, and for some })ur})Oses was worn by the nobility. These sober and frugal materials continued in use till after the era of independence, and garments wholly or in part of buckskin or other leather could be found in the wardrol)es of even the wealthy men of that day. Deerskins dressed were then worth from three shillings and sixpence to seven shillings each. In 1747, Joseph C'alef, a leather dresser of Charlestown, was robbed by burglars, who took a variety of sheepskins dressed for ch)thing, some cloth colorcnl for breeches very miicli upon the red, others were cloth coh)red thin skins tor gloves. In the "Boston Evening Post," February, 1748, are advertised "two fulling mills for the fulling of leather." As ftist as the settlers eould produce the materials and provide the men and means, they had spun and woven for clothing flax of their own growing, the cultivation of which they had commenced early ; cotton from Barbadoes, and wool imported from Malaga and some other ports. All these textile goods for more than a hundred years were spun and Avoven and dyed in the homestead ; every house had a spin- ning-w4ieel, and every other house a loom. The price of spinning worsted or linen we are told was usually two shillings per pound; for knitting coarse yarn stockings, half a crown a pair ; for w^eaving linen half a yard wide, ten to twelve pence per yard. The cost of manufacturing eighteen pounds of wool into twenty yards of cloth w^as $21.24, or $1.06 per yard three-quarters wide. In the earlier days very little cloth was on sale, it was largely consumed in the family or used in barter wnth the neighl)ors for other necessities ; and almost the only attainable way of getting at a price is to read some dead man's inventory. In 1671 worsted was worth sixty-six pence per pound, and woollen thirty-twT) pence. Much linsey-w^oolsey was made for men's wear, of linen warp and w^ool filling, valued at eighteen cents per yard. Homespun garments or cloth were seldom inventoried ; a piece of homespun is valued at three and sixpence in 1681, justifying a statement of a letter writer of that day, that in 167") "there is no cloth made Avorth four shillings and no linen over two shillings and sixpence per 3^ard ; " perhaps not, but it covered a race unsurpassed for bravery and fortitude. I might perhaps truthfully say that they were m^n of great understanding, for among the outfits provided for the colony in 1629, "a great store of shoes is ordered of neats leather of sizes from ten to thirteen." Domestic manufactures began early, especially spinning and weaving ; for in 1639 home-made cloth is found in Peter Branch's inventory, and appears in increasing quanti- ties, though probably insufficient to keep pace with the increasing population, for in 1640 a bounty was oftered for home-made cloth. In 1656, finding the supply still short. 8 the selectmen were ordered to assess on each family the spinning and weaving of a certain amonnt of cloth. This cloth was woven on hand looms, as was all the cloth of everv kind made in England as Avell as here ; for it mnst be remembered that the power loom was not in existence, — it was invented by liev. Edward Cartwright in 178oy. The shorn sheep, so generous in such need, was protected from the cold by a wrapping made of braided straw. They lived four miles from the meeting-house, to which the mother and her l)03^s walked every Sunday. Those boys became the Rev. Sanmel Nott, a famous })reacher, and Rev. Dr. Eliphalet Nott, the President of Union (college. Our ancestors emigrated from difterent places in the United Kingdom, and some from the various countries of 9 Europe ; they brouii'ht with them domestic animals and then implements of husl)andry to sul)due and cultivate the wilder- ness. Each, as would be natural to suppose, made choice of the favorite breed of his own immediate district to trans- port to the new world, and the admixture of these ])reeds formed the monarel family known as native shec}) ; amid the perils of war and the incursions of wild beasts of prey these were preserved with attentive care. The descendants of these sheep, known in our day as "native" in distinction from the breeds of recent known importation, were of two types, — one with white faces and the other with dark or spotted faces and legs. These last were known in the Connecticut valley and through the western part of the State as "English runts " or "Irish smuts," and were undoubtedly taken from the counties lying on the south coast of England, Devon, Hampshire and Sussex, and were the same stock of sheep from the Downs of Sussex and Hampshire, that in later years, under the care and skill of John Ellman, Jonas Webb and others, became the matchless " South Downs." A very convincing proof of this occurred in my own experience. Some thirty years ago or more, when JNlr. Fay imported the Oxford Downs, I had from him a large superior ram which I coupled with fifty of the Irish smut ewes picked up for me by a friendly drover in the western part of Franklin County and southern Vermont. The product was marvellous ; I had succeeded in obtaining what horse men would call a perfect " nick." The type of the lambs, several of which were twins, was entirely changed from that of the ewes, and seemed to assume the character of the improved South Down in the Oxford Down ram ; shortened the neck, colored the faces uniformly brown, widened the breast, shortened the legs, put on more wool, sprung out the ribs, deepened and broadened the hind quarters, and gave them a weight of seventy-five pounds in ninety days. So I believe the old South Down blood was in our " native" sheep, and only needed developing. The larger white-faced, long-legged, bare-legged, light- fleeced sheep of the country were originally brought in considerable numliers from the Texel and other parts of Holland. These common sheep gave a wool only suited 10 for coarser fabrics, yielding in tlie hands of good farmers a fleece of not over three and one-half or fonr pounds. They were slow in arriving at maturity, ct)mpared with the present improved English breeds, and yielded when full grown only from twelve to fourteen pounds per quarter of a middling quality of mutton which, however, was in l:>ut slight demand ; they were usually long-legged, light in the fore quarter, and narrow on the back and hind quarter. They Avere hardy, easy keepers and good breeders, often rearing, almost entirely destitute of care and shelter, one hundred per cent of lambs, and in small flocks with more care a still larger proportion ; these were dropped in March and April. Kestless in their disposition, their hnpatience of restraint almost equalled that of the untamed sheep of the Rocky Mountains ; and in many parts of the country it was common to see flocks of from twenty to fifty roaming with little regard to enclosures over the possessions of the owner and his neighl)ors, leaving a portion of their wool on ever}^ thorn and l)ush. 1 do not i)urpose to give a history of the different breeds of sheep cultivated in England, but l>riefly to notice those that have received the preference of our own farmers. South Doivns. Seventy-five years ago there were in the United Kingdom of Great Britain twenty diflerent so-called l)reeds of sheep, each peculiar to the county or circumscribed district in which they were bred, and many of them })robal)ly not breeds in the strict sense of that term, as capalile of reproducing their own type under all circumstances. Many of these have lieen absorbed, and are disappearing by cross-breeding with the more profitable breeds ; of these, the one having undoubtedly the most influence has been the South Down, which has stamped its characteristics on the popular families of the Oxford, the Hampshire and the Shropshire Downs, now, with the exception of some Merinos, almost exclusively bred in this State. The chalk hills called downs, running through the county of Sussex and into Hampshire on the south coast of England, are the home of the South Downs, now so famous all over 11 . the world, not only for themselves, but as fixing their char- acteristics on every breed upon which they have lieen crossed ; and this they owe to the prepotency of their l)lood, conducted down unmixed for nearly a thousand years. But the South Downs were not always what they are now ; a little more than a hundred years ago an enterprising sheep owner, Mr. John Ellman, commenced the improvement of the South Downs by selecting judiciously and breeding most carefully. This was afterward continued with equal skill hy Mr. Jonas Webb, who with others has brought these beauti- ful animals to their present perfect condition ; their pleasant brown faces, their broad, straight backs, their deep l)riskets and splendid legs of mutton are everywhere known. For this part of the country they and their congeners, the Shrops, the Hampshire and the Oxford, are the most valuable and popular sheep we have. Hampshire Doions. From the South Downs, bred on the old white-faced horned sheep of Hampshire and Wiltshire, came the grand Hampshire Down ; liut the strong blood of the South Down has done away with the horns, and given them its own dark face. They are large, heavy sheep, producing splendid hardy lambs, with a good fleece and an admirable leg of mutton ; and they, as well as all the Downs, impart their charac- teristics wherever used. Shropshires. The Shropshires were produced by breeding the South Downs on the small, dark-faced horned sheep of Shropshire on the border of Wales ; the size was improved l)y a cross or two of Leicester, and reverting to the South Downs, who have taken ofl" the horns, and made them one of the most popular breeds in England and in this State, bearing all the excellent characteristics of the Downs. Oxford Downs. The Oxford Downs were large and white-faced ; but under the influence of the South Downs and the Hampshire Downs, and with an occasional dip into the Cotswolds to add to and 12 keep up the size (wliich has been done with all these breeds improved by the influence of South Down l)lood), they have become grand sheep with a good fleece, heavier than the Cotswold and somewhat flner ; they are very likely to drop twins, and are very capable of raising them. All of these Down sheep are worthy of our attention and care. Leicesters. The original Leicesters were large, coarse, inferior ani- mals, till Robert Bakewell, something over a century ago, commenced their improvement ; and by care, selection and breeding steadily for one purpose, he made them the best mutton sheep in the world at that time, not caring whether they had any wool or not. He bred them so close and so fine as greatly to impair their constitution. They are not suited to our climate and general treatment as pure-bred animals, ]>ut our native sheep were years ago improved by a cross of Leicester for size. Cof.nvolds. The Cotswolds came from the county of Gloucester, early noted for wool production ; its sheep were so highly prized that four hundred years ago a numl)er were exported to Spain by royal permission. They are remarkable for size and symmetry, and are of an imposing presence. The head is large, without horns, carried high and well wooled, with a large forelock hanging over the face ; the face and legs are white, occasionally slightly mottled with gray or dark brown ; the wool is long, wavy and lustrous, sometimes measuring eight to ten inches, and commands a high price ; the quality of the flesh, — though not equal to the Downs, — their great size and good shape make them desirable espe- cially to cross on other breeds when increased size is desired, and they have been used for that purpose in this State. Dor sets. Another l)reed which is attracting considerable attention in this country at the present time, and has long been popular in England, is the Dorset. From time immemorial these sheep have been naturalized in the county of Dorset, and formerly extended over a large tract of country. These sheep possess small horns common to l)oth male and female ; they have white faces, and legs which are some- what long but tine, sho"v\ing a very good breast and a fine leg of mutton with loins broad and deep; wethers will fatten to twenty pounds to the quarter. They are a hardy race of sheep, docile, and capable of subsisting on scanty pastures; their mutton is good, and they shear six or seven pounds of close wool, finer than the Downs. The property of the Dorsets which remarkalily distin- guishes them is the fecundity of the females, and their readi- ness to receive the ram at any season. This, and their capacity for yielding an abundant supply of milk, renders them particularly desirable for raising early lambs. In England they have been largely and profital)ly used for rais- ing lambs for winter use even as early as Christmas, and called " house lambs," for which in London there is a gTcat demand. The lambs are hardy, thrifty, mature early, and will dress twenty-eight to thirty pounds at sixty or seventy days old. Probably a cross of a South Down ram on Dorset ewes would give more size and early maturity with the su})erior nursing quality of the dam. They tend strongly to twins, sometimes having triplets, and their full ilow of milk suffices to raise the lambs. Some sheep farmers think one lamb for a ewe is better than two ; but if the ewe is a good milker, and well fed, twins are profitable. Mr. Youatt says, "If a farmer has feed enough and good enough, twins are highly desirable." An old English couplet, written before the first sheep was landed in Plymouth colony, says : — " Ewes yearly by twinning rich masters do make ; The lambs of such twinners for bx'eeders go take." Merinos. The breed of sheep, however, which in its production of fine wool has been the most important in the history of the Avorld, is the Spanish Merino. Long" before the Clu'istian era the finest garments worn by the nobility and wealthy citizens of imperial Rome were woven from the fine wools of Truditania, Andalusia and Estramadura in Spain. Subse- quently the original Spanish sheep were raised and improved by the Moors, who brought with them into Spain fine sheep u from Xorth Africa, which they had carefully cultivated, and from whose fleeces were woven fabrics of superlative quality. The tine sheep of Spain a hundred years ago numbered over twenty millions, and were long preserved as a monop- oly with jealous care. Sweden has the honor of being the tirst country which secured a flock of these coveted animals. France, though adjoining S^^ain, obtained none till near the close of the last century. In 17G5 the Elector of Saxony succeeded in securing a flock, which, crossed on the native tine sheep of his kingdom, and carefully bred, made the Saxonies so famous for the fineness of their wool here sixty years ago. The skill and ability with which the Spanish ]\Ierinos were bred and cultivated in this part of the country were convincingly shown at an international exhibition in ISGI, at Hamburg, Germany, when American Merinos, l)red by George Campl)ell of Vermont, and exhibited under the direction of Col. Daniel Xeedham, formerly of our Board, captured the prizes and defied competition. Saxonies. The Saxonies were first imported by Samuel Henshaw of Boston, and much was anticipated from the introduction of these sheep producing such superlatively fine wool. When they were introduced, in 1823 or 1824, they were much smaller and of a feeliler constitution than their parent stock, the Spanish ]\Ierinos ; the wool was from an inch to an inch and a half long on the back and sides, and a washed fleece weighed only about one and three-fourths pounds. Attempts at improvement ])y crossing with the jNIerinos were made in vain ; both deteriorated, and before 1850 the Saxonies had mostly gone out. They have been lessening in number greatly "ever since, and, although we nominally have about a thousand, I doubt if there is a genuine, pure-bred Saxon in the State. From the long-established policy of the British Govern- ment in encouraging and fostering the manufactures of that country and of discouraging and even forbidding any attempts toward it in her colonies, we found ourselves, at the close of the war of the revolution, not onh^ without the man- ufactories of woollens, but also destitute of the material from which to make such fine goods as were necessary. The atten- tion of our statesmen was early directed to su])})ly this deficiency, and tliey wisely looked to the Merinos of Spain to accomplish it ; but it was with the greatest difficulty that the Spanish Government could be persuaded to allow any of them to be exported. The first important importation of these was made l)y Col. David Humphreys of Connecticut, then United States Minis- ter to Spain, Avho brought a flock of about one hundred to his farm in Derl)y, Connecticut. These increased to such' an extent that he made at his mill in 1807 several hundred yards of fine cloth. In 1809 President Madison was inducted into ofiice in the first inaugural suit of American l)roadcloth, the coat from Colonel Hum})hrey's flock, the waistcoat and small clothes from the flock of Mr. Livingston of New York. Arthur Scholfield wove the first piece of fine broadcloth that was ever made in this country from Merino wool, at Pittsfield in this State. The most impoi-tant early importation, however, was ])y Mr. William Jarvis, American consul at Lisbon in Portugal, who seized an opportunity to buy some of the finest sheep in Spain, the confiscated property of some wealthy noble- man, and sent to this State and to clifterent parts of the country about thirty-eight hundred fine Merinos, the most and finest ever exported. These and others, distril)uted over all the States bordering on the Atlantic coast, soon changed the character of the wool and wool growing of the country. It is not strange that we of Massachusetts should have taken the lead in this industry of wool growing and wool manufacturing as we did in every matter advancing the material or the intellectual progress of civilization. The first sheep producing the desired quality of wool for making fine cloth were either landed on our shores or brought directly within our borders, where they were cared for and multiplied amazingly. There were then no Western States ; Ohio, which has since assumed the lead in sheep raising and in sheep legislation, had just received her baptismal nomina- tion ; all the sheep, all the implements of manufacture, — such as they were, all the men of character and industry, were this side the Alleghanies. IG The men who })hinted themselves on the coast of Massachu- setts Bay came not only for religious freedom but to speedily build themselves homes with such necessaries and comforts as they enjoyed in the homes they had left behind them, by laborina" at the same occupations at which they had wrought in England. The list of trades and those who Avorked in them would astonish one, from glass workers to needle makers ; the names of Joseph Jenks, John Pearson, Edward Gibl)ou, Israel Stoughton and others who started manufact- ures should l)e kept in perpetual rcmeml)rance. Our climate is admirably ada})ted to sheep growing, one proof of which is that in no country are sheep so little liable to disease as in New England, Our rough hills covered with sweet herbage from Avhich all su[)erllu()us water disap- pears al)out as fast as it falls, and our sharp, dry winds, are naturally ada})ted to the wants and conditions of sheep, which always thrive best in the purest and most l)racing atmosphere. Wet seasons and wet soils are destructive to sheep. The New England flock master is forced to recognize what the English sheep raisers were long in learning, — the economy and benefit of shelter in winter, even in their less rigorous climate. The truth is that sheep in New England, if well sheltered and furnished with proper food, will [)ro- duce better wool and nnitton and a larger increase of laml)s than sheep exi)osed, even in the genial climate of Virginia. Sheep are most indiscriminate feeders, and delight in a change of food. One who takes the i^ains to ol)serve them when feeding will be surpris(;d at the continual shifting they make from one species of herbage to another, and upon our hills and valleys there is to be found the full variety which their nature requires. The flrst mill for weaving and finishing fine cloth was at Pittsfield, run by Arthur Scholfield, a weaver from York- shire, who settled here and made the first broadcloth, fine enough for any gentleman's wear at that time. Several hundred yards of homespun were annually dressed at Rowley and Salem. That there was abundant wool of common kind widely distributed is shown l)y this fact, among others, that in the first years of this century two thousand pairs of hand- knit stockings were annually exported from the Island of Martha's Vineyard. 17 On the loth of November I addressed circulars containing a few interrogatories to various men in the State whose names were given me as sheep raisers, to the number of aljout a hundred. I have been much gratified at the full replies made, of which I have received over sixty, for wdiich I beg to thank very heartily the senders. I intend if possil)le to tal)ulate the results, and to have them presented to the pul)lic at some future time. The great decline of our sheep and wool commenced apparently a1)out fifty years ago. In 1838 we had 384,614 sheep, of which 200,383 were Merinos, 46,985 were Saxonies, and 137,246 other breeds. In 1888, fifty years later, we had 51,539 sheep, of which 4,500 were Merinos, 1,000 were Saxonies, and about 46,000 other breeds. In 1838 the total value of sheep and wool was $1,116,608; in 1888 it was $295,000. Thus it will be seen that in fifty years our sheep have decreased in numbers over 333,000, and our wool 812,000 pounds. While our losses in aggregate numbers have been very large, yet the gain in individual animals shows our great improvement in breeding. In 1838 each sheep was valued at $1.50, and sheared two and three-fourths pounds to the fleece. Fat laml)s were valued at $1.75 each. In 1888 each sheep was worth $5.00, and sheared four and one-half pounds of wool, and lambs were worth $5.00 each. So that men who own sheep now hold a property worth more than ever l^efore. The following table shows the diminution of the sheep generally, and l)y ])reeds, which, with any adequate causes to account for it, I have faithfully pondered over in a spirit of unintelligent curiosity : — Y E A K S . S.ixoiiies. Merinos. Otiier Breeds. Total. 1845, 33,875 165,428 155,640 354,943 1855, G,80G 65,584 72,825 145,215 1865, 3,126 55,428 110,888 169,442 1875, 1,631 14,456 42,686 58,773 1885, . . . . . 1,215 5,307 48,618 55,140 18 In 1800 the whole numl)er l>y the assessors' returns was 45,891) ; the breeds are not given. Since 18G5 the decrease has been gradual every year, and almost invariable. What was the cause or what were the causes that produced this unprecedented decline in an industry pleasant and protitable ? Decuease in Number of Sheep. Those who know nothing of the subject confidently assert some one reason ; those who have studied the matter don't pretend to know, Init suppose that all the causes assigned may, coml)ined, have produced the etiect for which no one alone can be regarded adequate. Among the causes assigned are the operation and the lluctuation of the tariff; the greatly increased importation of wool from Australia, New Zealand, South America and other foreign countries ; the introduction of shoddy (invented in 1803) to a large extent some years later ; the enormously increased importation, by enlarged railway facilities, of sheep and lambs from the West ; the great increase of the dairy industry in milk, cream and l)utter ; the destruction of sheep by dogs ; the diminution of flocks induced by the decay of fences. The first three of these alleged causes for the decrease of our flocks apply especially to loss in the past, while the last four show reasons which act against the revival of this industry. I pass lightly over these, as, in the talk which will follow this paper, these alleged causes will be more fully and satis- factorily considered, and this will form the most valuable part of this meeting. Importation of Sheep from the West. One of the most important causes for the decrease of our own home-grown sheep for the slaughter for mutton and laml) has been the great influx of these animals from the "VA'est, from Canada and from other States, for killing and not for l)reeding nor the production of wool, induced by the vastly increased railway facilities showing a large advance in the demand for mutton and lamb in our markets. At Brighton, on the week before Christmas, 1839, two Franklin County men held four hundred sheep, every one in the market ; yet, so ample was that supply and so inactive 19 the demand, that they could not raise the market a half cent a pound, and finally sold with difiiculty. Just twenty years after that, Christmas week, LSoJJ, fiye thousand four hundred sheep changed hands from tlie drover to the butcher. On the week preceding Christmas, 1889, fifty years from the first date, the receipts were $10,444, and the demand such as called for advanced rates, and a quarter of a cent per pound was easily realized. This increase has continued annually. In 1890 the numl)er of live sheep discharged at Brighton and Watertown was 583,545, of which the Western were 370,067, from Canada 88,313, sheep of Massachusetts 6,181, from Rhode Island and Connecticut 48 head. A very few of these are sold for breeding, some for export, but almost all are slaughtered at the market. The reports of animals every week (for which I am indelited to Mr. Whitaker of the "New England Farmer") show receipts varying in numljers from 5,000 in March to 17,722 in September and October. This indicates a very enlarged demand for a most nutritious, cheap and wholesome article of food, shown l)y theoretical considerations, as well as by careful experiment, to be quite equal to beef and superior to pork or almost any of the meats we use. Dairy Industry. Probably the great interest at the present time and for some 3'ears past in the making of milk, cream, butter and cheese, with a paying price and quick returns for the prod- uct, has had much to do in repressing the keeping of sheep and raising lambs, aggravated by the uncertainty of that branch of farm industry through destruction by dogs. The growth of the dairy production has been as remarkal)le as the decrease of sheep products. As a matter for comparison, I give the dairy products of 1865, the first year that a com- plete census was attempted for them, with the last, of 1885: — 1865. Milk, $1,930,409 Butter, 1,389,027 Cheese, 582,253 f 3,90 1,689 20 1883. Milk, ... $10,312,762 Butter, iiiclucliiig creamery, 2,611,351 Cheese, including factory, 99,478 Cream, 202,706 $13,226,297 The cows and heifers of 1865 numbered, . ... 174,386 Tlie cows and heifers of 1885 numbered, .... 198,997 F'ences. I have no douht that imperfect fencing had a considerable part in discouragino- farmers who were keeping sheep. INIany fences, only enough of which are left to make division lines, were built long years ago. The life of a Virginia rail fence is about sixty years ; to a stone wall there is no limit of duration, l)ut there is to its al)ility to turn sheep. A rail fence becomes at last ])roken and rotten in s]iots, and must be repaired, sometimes l)y lopping down a small tree, some- times by putting in a rotten rail or a couple of insufficient stakes. The stone wall, always a "balance wall," has been rudely laid a hundred years more or less l)y the unskilled hands of the farmer and his hired man ; year after year it has settled, and the top stones have tuml)led down, especially on a side hill, aided by long years of storm and by careless hunters and l>oys. Where the stones have fallen so as to make a set of convenient steps, the sheep will cheerfully walk over, or will crawl through any hole or gap in a fence. Early in the spring the farmer, annoyed at the continual excursions of his sheep the preceding season, starts out with his boys to mend his fences ; a long, cold, wearisome job it is, and usually done in the most slouching and perfunctory manner. A few years of this, and he begins to agree with the boys that cows are easier kept. Recently l)arbed wire has come to our relief, and a single strand stretched on posts or stakes al)Ove the top of the wall makes it pretty secure, while a fence of four or five strands is cheap, will restrain the sheep, and protect them from dogs. Tariff. Tariff is a dreadful-sounding word, and causes as much dismay and terror now as it did when borne by that piratical old Arab cut-throat Tarif Il)n malek al-ma-feri, who, taking 21 possession of a small island at the straits of Gibraltar, more than twelve hundred years ago, levied a compulsory triliute from all who came his way sailing in or out of the Mediter- ranean, and wlio gave his name to a system of exaction which has continued to this day. What influence this Arab- born institution may have had on the increase or the diminu- tion of sheep and wool of this State, I don't know, and haven't been able to find out by a system of careful reading and inquiry. Twenty-live or thirty years ago it was a com- mon complaint from old farmers who had flocks of hundreds of Merinos and Saxonies that their wool growing was ruined by the tariff", and that they had to abandon sheep raising. My opinion is that, for the past thirty 3'^ears at least, the effect of any legislation would be very immaterial, con- sidering the small quantity and low grade of our wool, in reducing to any large extent the numl^er of our sheep so terril)ly depleted ; but I leave this to be settled in the discus- sion to follow. Dogs and Sheep. Beyond all question the real reason which deters farmers from engaging in the raising and breeding of sheep at the present time is the constant apprehension of the destruction of flocks and their demoralization by dogs. Our observa- tion and the statements of sheep growers generally through- out the Commonwealth universally show this. We are often asked by dog owners why there is so much complaint now, when there was but little fifty or sixty years ago. The answer is that in numbers the dogs and the sheep are out of all proportion to what they were then. Then, when there were three hundred and forty thousand sheep, with but few dogs, and the sheep in flocks of hundreds, and each sheep worth only a dollar and a half, if a half-dozen sheep were killed they might not he missed, and, if they were, the damage was inconsiderable ; but now, when a man has a flock of say forty, each worth six dollars, and often bearing lambs, ravages by dogs, killing a half or a third of his flock, tearing others and demoralizing all, become a very serious matter. I shall not go into any detail of the losses we have had, nor shall I attempt to stir up agitation. It is of no use ; dogs and dog ow^ners have the mastery, and a double-barreled shot gun with eleven buckshot, or a few 22 grains of strychnine placed in a lieef s head judiciously located as a preventive against loss {by foxes) , are our only guards. To show how vmavailing any attempt at legislation must be, it is enough to give some figures. The census show^s 15,218 dogs, valued by their 13,071 owners at $10.35 each. So much for dog owners and census returns when they make such returns as suit themselves. The county treasurer's books show the tax paid on dogs to be, for 1890, $169,057. The tax is $2.00 per head for males, and $5.00 for females. The number of dogs has not been returned to the comptroller, l)ut, as he says, the numl)er of female dogs being small, you can allow $3,000 for them; dividing the rest of the tax by two gives you 88,000 dogs and al)out as many dog owners, as against 45,899 sheep and 2,500 owners. It's a pitiable sight: 2,500 men contending for the right to enjoy a peaceable, legitimate and i)rofitable industry, against 88,000 holders of generally dangerous, savage and worthless non-producing brutes. Sheep as Food. Mutton and lamb are favorite food of the English and Scotch of all classes ; notwithstanding all that has been said or written of the " roast ])eef of Old England," more mutton is eaten by peo[)le of every rank than l)eef. Mutton for- merly was not a favorite food of the people of the United States, though the proportional consumption is greatly increasing ; the difterence may be largely attributed to cir- cumstances which have led to habit, and habit to a large extent regulates the appetite. The circumstances may be partly these : that formerly we had none of the real mutton sheep to eat ; our old native stock was poor, and the Merinos vastly worse. The sheep formerly killed were too often old and poor, and the cheapness of the animals too often l>rought them as food to those who were compelled to eat them ; tkrm laborers, apprentices, servants and others learned to thor- oughly dislike mutton ; and many men and women so far advanced as to have perhaps every other recollection of school days wiped from the memory, still retain in the most lively manner the disgust created l)y the inevital^le daily mutton of the boarding-house. The remarkable experiments 23 of Dr. Beaumont, conducted more than fifty years ago, are authority to tliis day. He found that kimb and nuillon were more digestible than any other meats we are in tlie habit of consuming, were assimilated more readily to the system, and consequently are more nutritious. While mutton is regarded by medical men and physiolo- gists as the most nutritious meat, it is also the most econom- ical to purchase at the usual prices. English chemists and philosophers, by a series of careful experiments, find that 100 pounds of beef in boiling lose 26 1 pounds, in roast- ing 32 pounds, and in baking 30 pounds, by evaporation and loss of soluble matter, juices, water and fat, jNIutton lost by boiling 21 pounds and l)y roasting 24 pounds ; or, in another form of statement, a leg of mutton costing raw 15 cents would cost boiled and prepared for the table 18 1 cents per pound. Boiled fresh beef would at the same price cost 19^ cents per pound; sirloin of l^eef raw, at 16^ cents, costs roasted 24 cents; while a leg of mutton at 15 cents would cost roasted only 22 cents. These facts have been long known and demonstrated, and it is to be much desired that our people should appreciate them and apply them to daily use. The taste for and consumption of mutton will increase according to the quantity and quality of the pro- duction. Mr. Mechi, the celebrated farmer and scientist, said he was convinced that beef must sell twenty per cent higher than mutton to make it pay. In this connection it is })ertinent to recall the statement previously made before this Board by one of its most prominent members, of the necessity, in slaughtering sheep and lambs, to remove innnediately the paunch and intestines before skinning. If allowed to remain in only a few minutes, they will impart a strong, disagreeable "sheep taste." Probably ignorance and a disregard of this important fjict are largely responsilde for the disgust in which the flesh of mutton and lamb was formerly held. The keeping of sheep requires constant care and is full of solicitude, but it is profitable, and, as farming goes among the occupations of men, it is pleasant. This is the com- mercial and prosaic view ; but there is an incident in our history connected with this, poetical and solemn. In 24 this late season of the year, and at the approach to Christmas Day, we cannot dissever the thoughts of this industry from this occasion. It cannot be foreign to our minds, nor is it unworthy of us as Christian men, to remem- ber and note that the first announcement of the birth of tlie Saviour of the world was made, not to the scientific astrolo- gers who made the heavens their study, not to the learned scril)es and Pharisees who pondered the law and the prophets, and not to those who lived in kings' houses clothed in fine raiment ; but it was to shepherds who watched their fiocks l)y night on the star-lighted plains of -Judea, followed ])y the suljlimest solo and chorus that ever fell on mortal ears, of " Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace and good- will toward men." The CuAiRMAX. Gentlemen, I know I voice your opinion when, as chairman for tlxe day, I thank Mr. Grinnell for his most charming and instructive paper. Mr. Hollis of Boston has kindly come here to give us some figures relative to the amount of mutton that is consumed in Massachusetts. We all know that there is an immense amount of mutton and lanil) consumed here which has been imported into this State. We have plenty of land, and all we want is a little ambition among farmers to become shepherds, and we can raise a large })ercentage, if not all, of the mutton and lamb that is needed in Massachusetts. "Will Mr. Hollis kindly give us a few figures? Mr. Hollis. I arrived in town this morning a few minutes before I came up here, and I am not pre})ared to oive any fioures. The Chairmax. In a general way can you not say about how many carcasses you slaughter or your company slaugh- ters ? Mr. Hollis. Well, I happen to have in my pocket a little paper on which I have kept a memorandum of the num1)er of sheep we have slaughtered since 1885. In 1885 we slaughtered 376,415 ; in 1886, 367,822 ; in 1887, 390,272 ; in 1888^, 387,345; in 1889, 396,124; in 1890, 414,6|0. In the ten months of this year, up to the first of Xovemoer, we slaughtered 357,484. 25 The Chairman. Thank you very luucli. Thut shows, gentlemen, that the deniiind for mutton is not on the decrease, AVill Mr. IloUis khidly tell us about what ]n-ice nmttoii has averaged tor the last eight or ten months ? Mr. HoLLis. I do not think that I could. It varies from month to month. The CiiAiiiMAX. But for good fair mutton you usually get from 5 to (i cents a pound for the carcass dressed, do you not? Mr. HoLLis. 1 think it will vary from fi to 10 cents a pound, and laml)s from (J to 12^ cents. Mr. Grinnell. What ])roportion of the carcasses are exported from Boston? Mr. HoLLLS. There has not been any exported for the last two or three years. I do not think there is any mutton exported from the United States now. Mr. Grinnell. Then of course all the sheep that come into the Bri<>hton and AA^atertown markets are slaughtered there ? Mr. IIoLLis. Yes, sir. Mr. Grinnell. Is there any reason for the variation in the amounts in one year and another? Mr. HoLLis. That is owing to the supply and demand. There is no particular reason for it, that I know of. Governor Hoard. I would like to ask the gentleman from what territory those sheep are mostly obtained ? Mr. HoLLis. You might say from Halifax do\vn to Virginia. From the tirst of June until the tirst of Septem- ber we get our supply from Kentucky, Tennessee and Vir- ginia. Governor Hoard. Have you noticed any particular improvement in the mutton character of the sheep you have received during this year ? Mr. HoLLis. From some sections there is, others not. Governor Hoard. From what sections do you tind an improvement? Mr. HoLLis. From some paits of the West and some sections in Canada. Governor Hoard. I mean, of course, in the eating quality. Mr. HoLLis. Yes, sir ; we see quite an inn)roveinent in the sheep conn'ng from Virginia and Tennessee. 26 Governor Hoard. Do you attril)ute it to improved l)reed- ing? Mr. HoLLis. Yes, sir. The Chatkman. Well, oentlenien, we have learned that there is a demand for mntton, and we want to learn how to raise it, and Ave want to know how to keep ont troublesome and dangerous intruders. Mr. Sessions, I think, is pre- pared to talk a little about fencing. Secretary Sessions. Mr. Chairman, I am of the opinion that the proposition advanced by the lecturer that the fence question has had considerable influence in the decadence of sheep keeping in Massachusetts is correct. As I go among farmers and talk about the sheep industry they reply to me, "We cannot keep them anywhere; it will cost so much to fence them in or fence them out that it is a nui- sance ; and without fences we do not know where we shall find them in the morning or in the evening." Now, this is a serious problem, as the lecturer has pointed out. The fences in the more rural and farming districts of the State are of the character which he has noted, — the old Vir- ginia rail fence and stone wall ; and every one who has had experience with sheej) knows liiat a stone wall is of very little use, unless it is a very ex})ensive wall, l)uilt perpendicular on the side towards the shec}). And then, again, the old \'irginia fence that was a good fence when it was first built, becomes old and dilapidated and costs a great deal for repairs ; and when y(ni have got to refence a })asture or make repairs to any great extent, the cost will ])(' enough lo deter a beginner tVom undertaking to raise sheep. Now, the (>ssayist also alluded to a new material for fenc- ing, — barbed wire. There is in the minds of some people, many people, ])crhaps, a i)re)udice against l)arbed wire, because of its liability to injure any animal : but my own experience teaches me that that objection does not ap})ly to sheep. I have fenced shct^]) for years with barbed wire, and I never knew a shec}) to be injured by it. Occasionally a sheep will be caught by it, and perhaps a trifle of wool will be pulled off, l)ut the waste and sufiering that comes to the sheep from that cause is trifling. 27 Now, of course the (juestion of fencina- in shee}) with any kind of fence depends upon its cost and its adaptability to the end in view; and with us I think the f|uesti()n of cost is really the one to l)e considered, for it is perfectly patent to every man that I)arhed-\vire fence can l)e so constructed as to turn sheep. There is another point aliout this barl)ed- wire fenc(^ which does not apply to a fence of any other material, and that is, that it can he made so as to turn dogs. 1 think it is perfectly feasible to construct a fence that will turn dogs ; and the cheapness of the material as now fur- nished by the manufacturer is such that the cost of a fence that will not only turn sheep but protect them from dogs is comparatively small. I have some tigures which I have collated from information obtained from ditferent parties ; and, having applied to them my own experience, obser- vation and judgment, I believe the estimates are reliable considering the circumstances under which they are made. Of course, in making an estimate of the possible or the prob- able cost of a certain kind of fence, the estimate must be made u}K)n some delinite set of circumstances ; and it is only safe to ])redicate upon the most favorable circumstances, because the amount of obstacles to be overcome will vary in different circumstances and under the different conditions of different farmers, and that must be calculated by the indi- vidual himself, he only knowing what the obstacles are. I refer to the cost of digging post-holes, the cost of overcom- ing the difficulty of uneven ground, getting through bushes, and all that sort of thino-. These tigures were based lari^ely u[)()n a statement of the cost of eighty rods of six-wire fence built about two years ago by Mr. Henry Green of Hadley, Mass. He says there has not been a single dog in the pas- ture since the fence Avas finished. The four lower Avires are placed nearer together than the two upi)er ones: The fence is four feet high and the posts one rod apart, which is suffi- cient to sui)})ort a barbed-wire fence. The wire co.st 4 cents per rod ; the staples 1 cent per rod ; the posts cost 7 cents each. Mr. Green says that two men can set the posts and string the wire for twenty-tive rods in a day. The cost of labor })er day is say $1.50 per man, or at the rate of 12 cents per rod. So we have as the cost per rod : six strands of 28 barbed wire, at 4 cents, 24 cents; staples, 1 cent ; one post, 7 cents ; lal)()r settinii' })<)sts and strinainir wire, 12 cents. Total, 44 cents. This, renienil)er, is a doii-proof as well as a sheep-proof fence. I have also received, at my request, a [)rice-list from the Washlnirn & Moen Manufactiirinir (Joni})any, Worcester, which gives the cost of tirst-quality galvanized (Hidden l)arbed wire at 4 cents i)er pound, and they state that it weighs one pound per rod, and their discount for cash will cover the freight. So that Mr. Green's estimate of 4 cents per rod is borne out by the price-list of the largest manu- facturing establishment of the kind in the State. I have also a statement from Prof. W. P. Brooks of the Massachusetts Agricultural College that one man set the posts (one rod apart) and strung the wire for sixty rods of tive-strand wire fence on the college farm in less than two days. This proves that the labor estimate in the tirst instance is a fair one. These statements correspond with my own exi)erience. They are for work done where the soil is not stony or under- laid with hard-})an. Allowance nuist of course be made for such obstacles. From the foregoing 1 calculate that it will cost to fence a square lot of ten acres (one hundred and sixty rods) with six wires and posts 1^70.40, or, per acre, |7.()4. I am satis- tied that tive wires can be so arranged as to be a dog-proof fence as well as a shee})-})r()of fence ; and therefore I have made a calculation of the cost of a tive-wire fence, which amounts to $()2.4() for a s(|uai'e lot often acres, or 1(5.24 per acre. As you all know, the larger the Held the less the dis- tance around it. I ha\ c on that account made calculations for several sizes. To fcMice a square lot of twenty acres (two hundred and twenty-six rods), six wires, with })()sts, $99.44, or a cost per acre of $4.97 ; with tive wires and posts, $88.14, or a cost per acre of $4.41. But there is another set of conditions on many of our pastures, es[)ecially upon the hills in the western part of the State and upon the })in(> plains of that section, where the pastures have been neglected and c()nsi(leral)le timber has started, and where a line of tr(^es will l)e found alonu' the line 29 ot" the proposed fence,, so that in many instances posts can be dispensed with by strinoini*- the wire on trees. Of course the trees Avould not be at regidar distances in all cases ; l)ut l)y having posts every six, eight, or even ten rods, the inter- vening supports can be made of stakes which can l)e driven, with the help of a bar to make the holes, at a comparatively trifling cost, and the material can be gotten from the trees as you go along. I have therefore made a calculation here, leaving out the posts and the cost of setting the posts, so that persons having pastures situated in the way I have described may reduce the necessary cost of fencing very consideral)ly. My calculations are as follows : — To fence a square lot of 20 acres, six wires (226 rods), posts, $99.44 Cost per acre, 4.97 With five wires and posts, 88.14 Cost per acre, 4.41 To fence a square lot of 20 acres, six wii'es, where trees take the place of posts, discountinj^ cost of posts and one-half cost of labor, 70.06 Cost per acre, 3.60 With five wires on trees, 58.76 With five wires on trees, per acre, 2.94 To fence a square lot of 30 acres (277 rods), posts, six wires, . $121.88 To fence a S(iuare lot of 30 acres (277 rods), posts, five wires, . 108.03 Cost per acre, six wires, 4.06 Cost i^er acre, five Avires, 3.93 To fence a square lot of 30 acres, without i^osts (trees), six wires, . . . 85.87 To fence a square lot of 30 acres, without jiosts (trees), five wires, . . . . . . '. . . . • 72.02 Cost per acre, six wires, . . . . . . . . 2.86 Cost i^er acre, five wires 2.40 To fence a square lot of 50 acres (358 rods), posts, six wires, $157.52 To fence a square lot of 50 acres (358 rods), posts, five wires, 139.62 Cost per acre, six wires, 3.15 Cost per acre, five wires, 2.79 To fence a square lot of 50 acres, without posts (trees), six wires, • • • • .110.98 To fence a square lot of 50 acres, without posts (trees), five wires, 93.08 Cost per acre, six wires, • 2.22 Cost per acre, five wires, l.SG To fence a square lot of 75 acres {VM rods), posts, six wires, |192.28 To fence a square lot of 75 acres (437 rods), posts, five wires, 170.43 30 Cost per acre, six wii-es, $2 . 56 Cost per acre, five wires, 2 . 27 To fence a square lot of 75 acres, without posts (trees), six wires, 135.47 To fence a square lot of 75 acres, without posts (trees), five wires, . . Cost per acre, six wires, Cost per acre, five wires, 113. 62 1. .81 1. .51 1221, .32 196. ,17 2, .2L 1 .96 To fence a square lot of 1()() acres (.")0;> rods), posts, six wires, To fence a square lot of 100 acres (503 rods), posts, five wires. Cost per acre, six wires, Cost per acre, five wires, To fence a square lot of 100 acres, without posts (trees), six wires, . . ' 155.93 To fence a scpiare lot of 100 acres, without posts (trees), five wires, Cost per acre, six wires, Cost per acre, five wires, 130. ,78 1. .55 1, .31 <315, .04 279. .24 1, .57 1, .39 To fence a square lot of 200 acres (716 rods), posts, six wires. To fence a square lot of 200 acres (716 rods), posts, five wires. Cost per acre, six wii'es, Cost per acre, five wires, To fence a scjuare lot of 200 acres, without posts (trees), six wires, 221.96 To fence a scjuarc lot of 200 acres, without posts (trees), five wires, ........... 186.16 Cost i)er acre, six wires, 1.11 Cost per acre, five wires, .93 To fence a squai'e lot of 500 acres (1,131 rods), posts six wires, $197.64 To fence a square lot of 500 acres (1,131 rods), posts, five wires, 441 .09 Cost per acre, six wires, ... . . . , . . .99 Co.st i>er acre, five wires, .88 To fence a square lot of 500 acres, without posts (trees), six wires, ........... 350.61 To fence a square lot of 500 acrcvs, without posts (trees), five wires, 294.06 Cost per acre, six wires, . .70 Cost per acre, five wires, .59 To fence a square lot of 1,000 acres (1,600 rods), posts, six wires, f704.00 To f ence a s(juai"e lot of 1,000 acres (1,000 rods), i)osts, five wires, 624.00 Cost per acre, six wires, .70 Cost per acre, live wires, .62 To fence a square lot of 1,000 at;res, without posts (trees), six wires, 496.00 31 To fence a square lot of 1,000 acres, without posts (trees) five wii-es, $416.00 Cost per acre, six wires, . . .49 Cost per acre, five wires, ,41 So you .see it does not take ii fortune to fence Ji large lot. And this, remember, is a dog-proof fence as well as a sheep- })roof fence. The Chairman. Well, gentlemen, we have not only found that we can afford to raise sheep in Massachusetts, hut we have found out by actual figures that it is cheaper to luiild a dog-proof fence than it is to lay up a stone wall. Mr. GiiixxELL, Does anybody know the cost of a board fence Ijuilt of boards say six inches wide, four on a post? The Chairman. Mr. Horton, will you kindly tell us the expense of a board fence ? Mr. Horton. It is very easy to get at the expense of such a fence as that. The boards for a four-board fence with us cost on an average about $16 per thousand feet, which would l)e |1.(>0 for a hundred feet offence. It takes double the number of posts that it does for a wire fence, and the posts require to l)e better posts than for a wire 'fence. Under ordinary circumstances a l)oard and post fence four feet high would cost something over a dollar a rod, — from $1.06 to $1.10, using good material. Figuring it upon that basis, it would cost about three times what it would to make a wire fence. The Chairman. And, instead of keeping dogs out, it invites them to jump through. Gentlemen, we want to cover the ground of sheep hus])andry as carefully as we can, and I will call on Mr. J. D. Avery of Buckland, who has been a practical and successful shepherd for a good many years. J. D. Avery. Mr. Chairman, some few weeks ago I received a line from the essayist suggesting that I make a com})ari s( )n 1 )et ween dai ry i ng and shec}) gro \vi ng. I attempted to do this, but have not succeeded, for the reason that the dairymen were not prepared to give me tigures showing their receipts and expenses. I have tigures from three sheep farmers, showing their receii)ts, and in one instance the writer gives me his expenses, and it may be interesting to you to hear those tigures read. The first tlock to which I w^ill call your attention consisted 32 of 21 l)reediu<>- ewes in the year iSiK). They were fed in)on roweii hay twiee a day (hiring the Avinter till the tirnt of March ; after that they were fed oftener, and a daily ration of urain was added, eonsisting- of bran four quarts, oats four (juarts, and corn two (juarts. They were turned to pasture May 1. The receipts tliat year were as follows: — 28 lamlj.s, aveivage weight August 1, 91 pounds, sold at GJ cents per pound, . flG5.G2 1G8 i)ounds wool, at 22 cents, 3G.9G Total, f202.58 which is very nearly $10 per head. This gontlenian gave nie no tigures of the expense except the grain, which amounted to only $9 for the 21 sheep. Quh:stion. AYhere were those sheep kept? Mr. Avery. This Hock was in the town of Shell)urne. Question. What was the l)recd of shee]i? Mr. Avery. A high-grade South Down. 1 have known this gentleman's flock for the last ten or fifteen years, and he has used nothing l)ut the very best of pure-bred South Down sires. He has ])aid on an average proba])ly $2;") for those rams, used them two years, then changed them to prevent in-breeding, and he has replenished his flock by keei)ing the best of the lambs. I flgure those lambs as all sold at ()| cents per pound : he did not sell them all, but of course it is perfectly fair to tigure them at that price. He reserved five of the best of the lambs, which averaged 100 pounds apiece. Question. At what age? Mr. Avery. They were drop[)ed in March, and they were sold the first of August. Something like five months, perha})s. He has improved his flock in that w ay, by using the best pure-bred sires and selecting the best of the lambs. Xow, these lambs Avonld have brought him 6| cents a l)oun(l per head if he had sold them, and most of us would l)rol>ably have thought that was too nnich of a temptation to resist, and would have let them go to the butcher; but, if we are going to get a flock of sheep which will give us the result which this flock gave him, I do not know of any way that we can get them excej)! to raise them in this way, I 33 have made an estimate of the expense. The <>i-ain as he has given it to me would amount to about |9 ; hay, estimated at 61 tons, at $10 per ton, $68 ; pasturing 21 sheep 2S weeks, at 5 cents each per week .(which I think is a very liberal estimate), $29.40; service of ram, $5'.25 ; making a total of $106.65, which leaves a balance of receipts above expenses of $95.98. Question'. He got about $1.75 each for the wool? Mr. Avery. Yes, sir; just al)out that. The Chairman. That i)roves just what I have been trying to impress upon the farmers of Massachusetts for the last eight or ten years, with very jjoor success ; that is, that any farmer who has a good flock of sheep and who knows how to treat them as Mr. Avery and the gentleman who has given the statement which has l)een read here do, with average good luck, may reasonably expect to get an income of twenty- flve per cent of the investment. QuESTiox. Is that a continuous income from the sheep, — an income that conies every day? The Chairmax. It does not come every day. Mr. A VERY. It comes perhaps twice a year. I have a statement from another gentleman who raises what we term early ltim])s, or spring lambs, Avhich are turned to market without ever l)eing turned to grass. In this case the lamias were dropped in Decenilier and carried to market in March and April. Flock No. 2 numl)ered in 1890 17 l)reeding ewes. The receipts from these 17 ewes were as follows : — 150 pounds wool, at 23 cents, $34.50 16 lambs, at ^9.061; 145.00 3 lambs, at .$5, 15.00 Total, $194.05 I presume those three lambs which he kept came later, and were reserved to replenish his stock. I made an esti- mate of the expense of this flock also, as follows : — 5^^3 tons of haj-, at $10 per ton, $51.00 Grain for sheep, 25.50 Grain for lanibs, 10.00 Pasturing 17 sheep 2S weeks, at ;> cents each, . . . . 14.28 Service of i"am, 4.25 Total, $111. Oa Balance of receipts above expenses, ,$83.47. 34 In this ease there were no hinib.s to be pastured, and the ewes could ))e pastured for about one-half the cost of those that luive laniljs, as lambs must have the l)est of pasture. This flock of sheep was produced by crossin<>: a Spanish Merino ram upon grade Cotswold and Leicester ewes, and those ewes will weigh from 12") to 150 pounds. They drop their lambs A'ery early, most of them in December; and they are ready for market early, and bring a l)etter price than those which are dropped lat(n\ ^Ir. AYake. It will be noticed, proba1)ly, that there has been no credit given for the manure during this time, which is a fair item of credit. Mr. Aa'eky. I have offset the manure against the labor, which is a very lil)eral allowance for the lal)or. 1 should be very glad to take a thousand sheej) and take care of them for one-half the manure, if any one would furnish the hay and grain. The CiiAiKMAX. You mean to Ix' lil)eral in your esti- mates ?■ Mr. AvEKV. Yes, sir: 1 mean to be. (Question. I would like to ask Mr. Avery, if he increased his flock four or Ave fold, if he would get the same result as from a smaller flock ? Mr. AvEr.v. rrol)ably not. Sheep will do better in small flocks. I do not think the result would be as good with a large flock. I think it is usually considered in that light. Flock No. o consisted of 53 ewes, (5 laml)s and 1 ram, making 60 in all. The expenses were as follows : — Grain for shee]) and lambs, 1104.50 Hay, estimated at $2 per head 120.00 Pastm-ing (JO sheep 28 weeks, at ;) cents, 50. -lO Service of ram, . 13.25 Total, ^288.15 The owner of this flock gave me an estimate of the expenses. He said the grain which he fed to his sheep was kept separate, so that he knew just what his grain cost him which he fed to his sheep and lanil)s, and it amounted to the sum I have given. I will say that he also raises Avhat we term (^arly 35 lam1>s. His recei})ts for lainl)s and wool sold ainountcd to 462y.50. He did not divide this up for me. I had asked him in previous years what he was oetting- for his lambs, Init he never seemed inclined to tell me, and he has not here. He gave, as the total receipts for laml)s and wool, $()2!).r)0, M'liich you Avill see is almost $10.50 per head. l)alanc(> of receipts above expenses, $841.35. These sheep are the Vermont Merino. They are a very su})erior flock of shee]i for that breed. They will weigh probably 100 or 110 i)Ounds each, and probably shear from eight to ten pounds of wool each. They drop their lambs in Noveml)er and December. I saw the gentleman two weeks ago, and he had nine lambs at that time, and more coming right along. He has the advantage of the rest of us in marketing his laml)s, or has taken the advantage, by selling his laml)s dressed directly to the hotels in this city. He has a son here who has assisted in finding him a market, and I presume he gets one or two dollars a head more than the rest of us. I think he must. Governor Hoard. Is the sire a Merino also? Mr. Avery. No, sir. In all the cases of which I have spoken, the sire is a pure-l)red South Down. The Chairmax. Mr. Avery, won't you give us an account of your own flock, which is prol)ably one of the best in the State ? Mr. Avery. No, sir; I cannot show as good figures as these men. The Chair3Ian. These are all too good. You know people will not lielieve some of these stories. Mr. Avery. Well, I have not prepared any figures from my own flock. Secretary Sessions. How many do you keep? Mr. Avery. I keep from 100 to 300. Secretary Sessions. Your experience as far as you could give it would be very interesting, because your flock is a large one compared with those which you have mentioned. Mr. Avery. I can tell you al^out what I get for my lambs, and about what I think it costs to raise them. The best that I have ever done in any year was some five or six years ago, when I raised 200 lambs from 180 ewes, and sold 3G those lauil)s for $1,()00, uiid my wool averaged me al»out $1.50 })er head. But I estimate the expense of keeping sheep higher than most farmers do. I have never weighed and kei)t an accurate account of the grain, l)ut 1 think it costs me al)out $3 per head for grain for the ewes and lambs, which is more than a dollar a head higher than this gentleman estimates of whom I haAC last spoken ; l)ut he says he does not know what the exact cost was. Perhaps he did not feed as nuu'h grain as I do. The Chairman. Do you feed grain in summer? Mr. Avery. No, sir. Mr. (tRixxell. When does he turn his ]aml)s':' That makes a ditference, Mr. Avery. His laml)s are dropped in November and Deceml)er, nearly all of them, jjcrhaps ^ome as late as Jan- uary ; and they are marketed in ]\larch and April mostly, some })erhaps as late as May. Hon. John E. Russell. Do you keep oOO sheep in one flock? Mr. Avery. No, sir ; I do not. In the winter my floclv is divided np into pens of perhaps 25, although perhaps 75 or 100 will be connected, with just a l)oard fence, you might say, between them. The hay I estimate at $o per head and the grain at §o per head for sheep which raise early lambs. 1 know that is a higher estimate than most farmers make, and perhaps it is too high. I haAc thought sometimes that I woidd experiment in that direction, and weigh my hay and keej) an accurate account of the grain ; l)ut it would be quite an undertaking, especially to keep an account of the grain, where there is a mixed stock and the stock are all fed from one bin. Secretary Sessioxs. What is your estimate for pas- turage ? ]Mr. Avery. I have figured the cost at 8 cents per week for '21 or 2 feet square, 50 ewes, and I think that is perhaps as close as they should be ; perhaps more room Avould l>e l)etter for them, ])ut still they will do very Avell Avith that amount of room. After they drop their lambs and 38 the laiiil)s begin to eat, it will be neeessary to give them more room. Governor Hoakd. I would like to ask the gentleman how many nmtton sheep can l)e kept safely in one flock? jNIr. Aa'ery. Do you mean in the pasture, or in the l)arn ? Governor Hoard. In the })asture hrst. Mr. Avery. Well, the largest numl)er I have kept as a rule is 75 or looded Merino sheep ; that as good sheep could be found in the United States as could be found there ; and he was confident that he had as good shee}) on his farm as he saM' in Spain, in Saxony or Germany. In 1868, as very likely many of you may remember, I Avas appointed a commissioner from Vermont to go to the International Exhibition at Hamburg, to Avhich the United States was invited to send sheep. The great interest of Vermont in that exhil)ition Avas in connection with the breeding of sheep, and George Campbell was the only man in Vermont or in the United States Avho dared to A'enture on the sending of Merino sheep to that exhi- bition. He sent tAvelve, and I Avent over in the same ship that carried the sheep and the shei)herd, and in Avhich Mr. Campl^ell Avas also a passenger. I remember that there 44 was a German l)aron on board the ship, Avho went to Mr. Campbell and said, "1 nnderstand yon have some Merino sheep that you are you and Mr. Camp1)ell," so wrought up were the breeders who were exhibiting on the grounds. They did not l)elieve that anything good could come out of America. I made up my mind that there was one test which could be applied. These sheep were not sheared. One of the first prizes which was awarded to us was u})on the weight of tieece in comparison with the weight of body. That could be tested, and I offered 100 thalers, wdiich is $70, for the sheep that would shear the heaviest tieece for the w^eight of liody in the class of Merinos, the sheep to be sheared and the Heece to be weighed in the presence of a new jury api)ointed by the German league 46 and in the presence of the Avhole })al)lie. I had that notice printed in French, in (xernian and in English, and })nt up on every pen on the great exhiliition grounds, and three days were given for the entries. AViien the third