Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-11-15
SHEEP OR DOGs-wHIOH SHALL
WE RAISE?
From the McMinnville New Era.

From the McMinnyiIe New Era.
see by your paper that you generously
allow "a Plea for the Dogs" in your pa
per. am confident you will allow me to say
something as plea for sheep. The ques-
ton, whether the farmers of Tennessee
shall be permitted to raise sheep, is pain-
fully but practically forced upon them.
Il DO not know whether, every county of
the State suffers as Warren county does or
not. But il is sad and hard case for the
farmerito count his flock every fall when he
takes them up, and find that they have di-
minished from twenty five to fifty per cent.
Let me give my experience. Ny neighbors,
as far as am acquainted, are in the same
boat: nat, ga W
In the summer of. '68 1 bought forty-six
head of sheep, which were increased the
next spring by tweDty-eight lambs, but in
stead of counting flock of seventy four, I
had sixtytwo only. The dogs in the win
ter had killed twelve for me. The spring
of 10 gave me 80 lambs, and l had 55
sheep TO put upin the fall. The spring of
III; gave me 16 lambs, and i had IS sheep
to shear in the spring of ~. In the fall Of
20 bought seven head, and l have sold
during the four years five head all told.
Ny flock counted Sc until within few
weeks, and now have Al.
My sheep have had better than ordinary
care; most of the time have had 8 range of
tame and wild grass, and been kept up
where could salt them every week. =
The dogs have taken the most of them.
What have not been killed by dogs have
been frightened out of my fields by the
dogs Of the hunters, who have left my
fences down while they were driving deer
around and across the farm. And now,
after over four years. care and feed, have
not as many as Ibegan with. Is not this
encouraging for the farmer who wishes to
raise sheep? The dogs must live though,
and not be taxed.
But let US see what the farmers might
make if it was not for the dogs. Instead
of Al sheep by fair estimate of increase,
should now have $50 head. Ny wool of
last spring, from 35 sheep, weighed 124
pounds, which sold as it came from the
unwashed sheep, at 49, cents per pound,
amounting to $60.14. From the $50 sheep
l should have had, but for the dogs, at the
same ratio of wool per head, S75 pounds,
which at the price sold for, would have
given me the nice sum of $424.37. The
difference between what received for my
wool, $60.14, and 1924 81, what should
have received, is just $364.23 cents; the tax
have paid for keeping dogs! And re-
member, this is only for one year; for every
past year my revenue from wool woul d
have increased from the start, if the dogs
had let my flock increase.
The increase have referred to, is gener-
ally more in all States where dogs are not
fOstered alongside of sheep culture.
I 81
f able part of sheep culture on the farm.
This lies in the pasturing of the sheep, and
the manuriDg of the fields. See how close
they nip off the sassafras and the brisrs.
Who has need to grub out their lands where
they can pasture agood sized flock of sheep?
There is no better nor quicker way to bring
up field of rn-out land than by turning
your sheep upon it. In this manner, after
you have sown to rye and clover few
years, you can double your crops.
Eli Stanton, President of the Wool Grow
ers' Association of Wisconsin, has proved
to demonstration that bis flock of 1900
sheep has enable him to produce eight or
ten more bushels of wheat to the acre than
is grown on average lands where sheep
husbandry is not an auxiliary to wheat
farming.
Do the farmers of Warren county realize
what it costs them to raise their proportion
of the cost of keeping of the $4,000 dogs
which curse th State?
The mere item of two and half million
of dollars which Mr.. "Ketchum" admits in
his "Plea for the Dogs" is the merest bags-
tells compared with the actual cost to the
farmers of the State for the support of the
dogs. As in Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio and
all the sheep raising States, the dogs must be
taxed out Of existence before sheep culture
can be carried on with that degree of profit
which is the right of the farming commu-
nifty. A FARMER.