Nebraska advertiser., 1862-07-26
Dos Eersns Wool.

i That many farmers have been and
are now deferred from sheep breeding
and wool growing, from the fear d
| dogs, We have no hesitation in saying.
! Why, then, should so many worthless
ours as are found through the country
be suffered to remain, as a sort Of In
cubus to this important farming inter>
est2 There should be an enumeration
Of all the dogs in every township 10
the State, and the supervisors Of roads
or ltoEnship auditors, who. are here
appraisers Of damages to sheep by dogs,
should be empowered and compelled to
i destroy al dogs not claimed By re-
sponsible owners. In Paris the police
1 are provided with meat-bafls contain
| ing strycfnine. which they very qui
city offer to the dogs are destroyed. -
Put q high tax on Che dogs men who
have valuable dogs would be perfectly
willing to pay FIVE dollars a heed tax.
Tax them high or kill them. Wool is
thigh in price, fax is high, and cotton
is very high, the latter is tropical
plant, and its cultivation is not under
stood here. Then Why attempt its
cultivation when we have both wool
and fax, both valuable textiles in
demand, both adapted to onr climate,
Land the growth of both understood by
our people, bat much neglected by
themf Bring out the wool growers
and the fax growers, and clear out the
dogs. Read the following from. the
Maine Farmer on the subject:
@IBe Dog Tar.-One Of the most
beni6cent things connected with the
/ bill jsst passed the House, is the tax
of One dollar per head on dogs. fit
will have the effect in any degree to
abate the dog nuisance, which costs
the country millions of monsy every.
year ID the destruction of sheep, and
the disconfa eemenf of the business q
Vool roring. he Congress whieh
pasase it Vii Be she benefaesors Of
their country. A Missouri paper
gives the following statistics, in con-
nection With the subject, which will be
Of interest to our readers:
"0ne dog for each family in the
United States would be very moder-
ate computation. This would give Us
in round numbers probably 5000, 900
of dogs, each of which consumes am
nually food sufficient to raise q pig.
worth . dollar. The cost, therefor,
of feeding the dogs of the United
States is $4,000, 900, which amount
may be considered nearly if nor quite
dead loss to the nation.
GA much more important question
to consider, however, is how many.
millions of dollars are annually lost by
the sheep, and other domestic animals
killed BY dogs. This question cannot
be solved until the attention of the
census takers or assessors shall be
directed TO the matter. Oaio has
already made the experiment, and it
was found that the loss in that State of
the sheep killed and injured by dogs in
1851 amounted in value to 500, ,795, ,95.
The extensive wool growers In some
portions Of the country, who keep
choice breeds, have estimated their
individual losses by dogs at several
thousands Of dollars annually, not
Withstanding the utmost care to pre-
vent them; The havvoc made BY q
single dog who has become addicted to
sheep killing, is astonishing; and
when two OF three dogs associate for
their work, as often happens, one or
two visits will be sufficient sometimes
to destroy large Acck Of sheep.
"Cattle and hogs to a great extent
are bitten and destroyed by mad dogs.
The danger and loss Of human life By
the same cause is not inconsiderable,
and is we'll worth consideration. At
the same time nineteen -twentieths of
the dogs IRE utterly worthless to their
eWnsfs,
"a still more important iniury
wlssh the country snssains BIZ dogs
remains 70 bs considered 9honsands
|ot farmers have abandoned raising
rheep on account of their destruction
by dogs. Others in nearly all places,
are deferred from engaging to any
considerable extent in this important
and profitable branch Of industry for
the same reason. Of the great loss
which the country sustains in this way
there can be no doubt. The number
Of sheep in many of the older States
has largely decreased annually.-I
Those States are now waking up to
the Importance Of adopting measures
to decrease the number Of dogs, and
Of obtaining revenue from them to
remunerate sheep owners for their
losses. Under these circumstances
We have become large Importers Of
wOOlen goods, and even wool. In
stead Of drawing on factories Of our
own for a supely Of clothing for our
immense army, We we're obliged to
import from Europe.
"In the West there is everything to
favor, and nothing except dogs TO
prevent, producing immense quantities
Of wool, and producing It very cheap