Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-10-19
FARM AND GARDEN.


The Southern argus, published in Selma,
Ala, Is one of our best exchanges. It
deals more in facts than in fiction, and its
agricultural department is conducted in a
practical, common sense manner that
strikes the farmer at once. The following
article from one of its correspondents we
earnestly commend to the attention of the
Legislature The time has come when it
is neither prudent, expedient, nor polite to
linger or ignore question Of so much i'm
portance to the farming commu-
nifty. Dogs are pests-nuisances, that are
tolerated by our Legislators, in order to
gain little popularity with certain class.
The highest good to the greatest number
should be the governing maxim with our
law-makers. Every class of society is in
jured by the worthless ours that roam in
swarms at win throughout our State. The
mechanic has to pay higher for his meat,
the working farmer is unable to reap the
greatest profit from his labor because his
employer cannot turn all his capital to ac-
count. The fence corners on a large planta-
ton would support for nine months
in the year numerous flock
of sheep. They can live and
thrive where other stock would perish. But
they cannot be grown proftably where
there are dogs. The last Legislature did
worse than nothing on this subject. To
allow every family in the State to have a
dog free of tax is to invite all who have not
dogs to procure one Immediately. Let all
be taxed just as the lands and other
domestic animals that make the wealth of
the country. Nay, further; let them be
taxed as privileges-degs are either pro-
perty or not. If they are property
they should be taxed by reason
of the constitutional provision in section %,
Art. 2: All property, real, personal or
mired shall be tGIed. If they are not pro-
perty they can have no owner, and are
fer9 nature, and may be killed just as a
wolf or other wild animals. As our laws at
present exist they are recognized as neither,
yet receive the benefit of both. Protected
as property, yet not subject to tax.
We trust our present Legislature may
have the wisdom and the moral courage to
deal with this question in a manner that its
importance demands, so that the green hills
Of Middle Tennessee and the swelling
mountains of East Tennessee may
be covered with white clouds of
grazing focks, whose feeces may
be worked up into marketable products and
help to relieve the burden of taxation un-
der which our State is tottering. We shall
recur again to this important subject.
want, says this correspondent, to have
little common sense talk with you about
dogs. | would prefer to begin with few
facts-facts are stubborn things. In the
census of the United States, published some
ten or twelve years ago, there was general
estimate of what it cost to support the dogs
in the United States, which, according to
our recollection, was about sixty millions of
dollars. OF course, Alabama came in for
her full share of this enormous expense.
Divide this sum equally between thirty
States, and the expense to each would be
about two millions of dollars.
Now, Mr.. Editor, let us take these figures
as an approximation of the facts in the case.
And it is likely that the estimate is under
as that it is. above the real truth. At all
events, no man of any intelligence could
doubt the number and expensiveness of
these animals. Nearly every white boy
must have his dog. Nearly every freed
man, old or young, must have his dog. No
matter whether he has bread enough for
his children or not, he must have his dog,
and in many cases three or four poor starved
things, which live as best they can.
That dogs seriously interfere with the
raising of sheep, goats, and even hogs, it is
well known to every farmer, white or col
ored, in Alabama. And yet it is we'll
known that no animal could be raised at less
expense on farm. No kind of fresh meat
is more acceptable to most persons than
mutton or kid. What will keep a dog a
year will raise a hog, sheep or goat.
Then, if you remember what a vast multi
tude of these useful animals are DESTROYED
every year by the ravenous dogs, then the
expense Of the dogs is heavy burden on
the whole land-grievous to be borne.
There are multitudes of men in our State
who have all needful facilities for raising
from twenty to one hundred, or five hun
dred, or even a thousand sheep and goats
every year; but there is no use in making
their effort. His neighbors have dogs, and
some of them would be almost as much eff
Tended at charging their dogs with sheep
killing as if you had insinuated something
against the purity of his family.
Is there no remedy for this state ofthings?
Surely the intelligence and patriotism of the
people would remedy this thing if their at
tention was called to it,
And here | must say that every good and
wise legislator is bound to study political
economy. If he is honest, he will feel
bound to legislate for the general good-to
perfect every branch of human industry
to abate as far as possible the pest, the nui-
Sanee, the useless destruction of property by
dogs.
What is the remedy?
Instead of taxing cows and horses and
other things which are necessary to the liv-
ing and comfort of every well regulated fam
lily, tax dogs; or, if it seems better to our
grave legislators, tax dogs instead of poll
and because he belongs to the body polite,
and surely he ought not to object to paying
for the rights and privileges of citizenship.
But if this is true Of man, how much more
of dog?
Let our next Legislature put tax of one
dollar year upon the owner of every dog
who holds citizenship in the State of Ala
bama.
And as we have thousands of white and
colored children in the State who are grow
ing up in ignorance of all that would make
them good and useful citizens, let this tax
be appropriated to education.
Who would not be willing to pay yearly
tax of one dollar on his dog for such noble
purpose? The man, or the men, who will
be instrumen tal in securing such result,
will, in coming years, be esteemed as bene-
factors of the State. CIvIs.
ADULTERATuON OF CLOVER SEED
The following, clipped from the monthly
report of the Department of Agriculture,
NJ 4 IL.