Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1871-03-09
Dogs or Sheep?

to Lincoln as 10 Wilson county,
The question is narrowed down
to one proposition:-sheepo dogs;
which shall it be? They cannot
live together in the same locality
-one ,cM destroy the other, and,
unfortunately, the one that adds
wealth to the country is the vic
tim. One is valuable, the other,
as a mass, is valueless-one is a
producer, the other is a consumer
-one is a necessity, the other is a
luxury--one is oftimes vicious, the
other is always harmless-one
ministers to our comfort and
health, the other is often nui-
sance. 1t doesn't pay farmers to
raise sheep to be eaten by dogs /;
and hence the number of cuW in
Lincoln county must be .dimin-
ished, or sheep-raising abandoned /:
To fully appreciate the necessi-
ty for the proposed tax, and the
effect of the tax, we must hrst
glance at the magnitude OF the e.
vii. We cannot give the number
of sheep in the county, in the alb
sence of correct data. We will
put the number at 10000 head.
| It is estimated that about one-sev-
enth of the whole number are
killed or wounded by dogs annu-
ally; that each one sheep would
average about 81, in the market,
making the loss to the county an
nualIy for sheep killed by dogs
5000.
But for the danger of having
the sheep killed by the dogs, the
number of sheep in the coun'
ty would be more than doubled
putting the increase at the ratio,
it will be readily admitted by ev'
cry one conversaut with the sub
iect, that double the present mum
Der of sheep can be easily subsis'
ted without any appreciate draft
upon the food crop of the country
lin fact the sheep requires very
little feeding in our climate--lt
subsists mostly in grazing-it is q
great renovator of land and assists
very much in keeping farm clear
of -noxious weeds and bushes
We have heard experienced far
mers say they had rather Craze a
flock of sheep on their farm gratis,
than to be without them-they
prize them for these very qualities
1t would therefore be fair to esti'
mate the expenses of keeping the
10000 sheep-the increase-at
no additional cost to the county.
] A sheep per increase, mutton and
wool, cught to he worth two dol
lars per annum. But deduct one
dollar per head, per year, for Keep
ting-the increase'in the number
. of sheep in the county, would
yield an increase of $4,000 annu
ally to the county.
We have no reliable data from
which to give the number of dogs
, in the county, but supposing there
are five thousand families in the
county, and two dogs to the fami
ly, would give us an army of ter
thousand dogs in the county
This may be too large-it mas
not be large enough. A doi
eats strong rich food-usually
; meat and bread, and will CONSUME
: as much as a man; the cost OF
the food consumed by a dog IL
one year, has been estimated a
ten dollars; this may be too low
! it is not too high.
Now let us throw together tn
: above estimates and see the proba
BILE cost annually of our vast al
, my of dogs.
5000 sheep killed by
dogs at 50 per head, -. 6,OO'
10000 kept out of the
county by fear of being
, killed by the dogs, 2O,OO
: 10000 dogs cost of feed ~ -
ing year at $40 each, 10000
Gives us a grand total of $685. O
This vast sum would IN a te'
, wears macadamize all our roads
nav all our taxes, and educate eN
j cry boy and girl in the county.
il Horse and Jack Bills.
l. The OBSERVER Office has the la
L gest and finest collection OF cut
p for printing pictures, ever brougl
. to this portion of the State A