Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1875-01-14
DOGS VS.. sEEEP.
Messrs. Editors,

o1cHSis iIuliOtS.
.5ss Your friend Farmer"
has given the argument Of the average
opponent of a tax upon dogs, and | ask
your pardon for iniruding upon your col
umns in 'Frply,
In the first place, ! am not hater Or an
enemy of the canine race; have coz,
the Twinkle OF whose eye and the vibra-
ton OF whose caudal appendage is dearer
TO me than the best farm in the country:
and / think that if he could Speak to you
to-day, he would tell you he considered it
beneath the dignity Of the whole dog
family not to contribute something to the
revenues Of the county and State. ! am
however, believer in the rs, rival of the
fittest" and if it he necessary that my dog
shall die that sheep NAY liye-then die he
must.
cnnnot claim. in the vernacular ofyot r
oriespondeut to be '.mut,Il Of d farmer"
but, i'll IN, humble way. endeavor to pro-
tect my crops with fences more snbstan-
tial than bark, more enduring even than
biteastt have thus far succeeded so well
that cattle while being So near are yet SO
far.
While dogs cost so much for nothing is
it not a'wiser political economy that makes
them cast a little more for sonletIling'
Farmer" may not have fc, his dog but
the food that he saved You may be sure
that his neighbors lost. aud his sheep may
not have yielded over two or three pounds
of wool, but it was probably because he
fed them as he does his dog,or more plain
dog. and makes no effort to improve their
breed. A sheep that will shear tan pounds
of wool costs no more to keep if as much.
than one which shears only three. Let
us improve Hnr stock and enhance cur
profits.
Our county paid last year-or promised
TO pay-sixty thousand dollars for com
mercial fertilizers! Are we sixty thous-
and dollars better off tor it !? Not Que biz
of it. If that amount had Leeu spent for
lime and sheep, and for compost heaps at
home, our lands would have been perma-
nently improved instead of temporarily
stimulated, our crops would have beer bet
ter and the money remained in circulation
at home instead Of being sent away, never
10 return.
Our State is crippled in her finances and
exhausted in her farms; the relief for tie
one must come frsSiiih TIE other No paper
scheme, however brightly gilied. can har-
~ us through our slough. we must work
out aud dig out, not talk out our own sal
Walton Only by hard labor, earnest en-
Ieavors and strictest economy can we re-
deem the errors Of the past, and this We
must do ourselves and within ourselves,
not supinely wait with folded arms for
outside aid. but remember that God helps
those who help themselves -
We must look 10 Oul mountains and our
mines, our farms and our forests fora the
FL dorado that is to p lace OH o,ir feet once
more.
In farming. as in finance, let us learn
something from the history and experien. e
of natives older than ourselves. Less than
century ago the lands of England, from
the continued piod Gction of cereals he
came as worn oiit and exhausted It's ouI
own. The introduction Of wool culture,
bcets, tsirliips, &C., led to complete revo-
luton, the land Improved in consequence
Of the great Increase of sheep and other
1.-Two stock, to alignment the manure heaps.
and. III short, the culture OF roots and FOL
tow ing culture OF sheep was the SILVA
tioh Of English agriculture.
lb not claim that Il tax upon dogs for
the benefit oil sheep will prote the grand
paiiacea for al! our ills, but do claim that
it is a step. and an importaiit step in the
right direction. That when once takeni
wi materially be followed by others Oh
equal importafice, TIL our old State true to
her old traditions shall turn her back up
on all prej,idires ami take foremost rank
III the march Of progress and prosperity.
| God speed the day. ss.s stH.
Yours &C.. Rer: