Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1875-04-23
sflfrteh Misrfllany.
Worthless Dogs VS.. Valuable Sheep.

II Is one If thc most surprising things
Of this age. that a community will foster
protect and encourage the keeping of a
nation Of worthless dogs, part of whose
duties seem To- hc To destroy the property
Of their protector
In 1910. there We're 257.922 sheep in the
State. In 1850. 1892 sheep were owned
in Maryland. out Of these, Anne Arundel
had l4.O15-the largest number found in
any county in the State. The smallest
number in any one county, Caroline, was
3.j.0.
In 1869 Mary land had within her Dor
dcrs 26l, 76i sheep, valued at $l,0SS, 93S
+ not this an interest worth protecting
The taxing of dogs in some of the coun-
tics, iAnnc Arundel is one.) is step in
the right direction. The wonder is that
there have not been steps, and longer ones
too, taken sooner, in view of the great
havoc made upon valuable property by
worthless ours.
In 1864. dogs destroyed in Iowa $126,-
las worth of sheep; and in 1866, In the
same State $sS,261 worth.
The assessors returns for 1872 for the
State of Ohio, show the usual amount OF
damage done to sheep by dogs. The fol
lowing are the figures:
Number of sheep killed by dogs. 80 40.
Value of sheep killed ...............Sl To- O45.
Number OF sheep injured by dogs...35 OBS.
Estimate OF injury done S43, 435.
Aggregate amount of loss by dogs, Sl56, SIS
The total number of dogs in that Stat,
is put down as $50, 500, but this is no doubt
much below the real number. as it is vel
known the assessors do not take pains tC
enumerate more than one-h half of them, cs
pecially about town and cities"
The figures quoted in regard to the raw
ages of dogs have been from two States
We are able to subjoin an interesting
though sickening statement of the ravages
of CANNES upon the sheep folds of the
United States in single year, that of 1S66
The article is floating about the news
papers with the name of the journal that
gathered the data-that is the excuse fol
not giving credit due to the author of this
admirable article:
THE value of sheep killed by dogs in
the United States for 1866 is estimated by
the Commissioner of Agriculture at two
millions of dollars. The subsistence OF
the whole number of dogs in all the States
is estimated by him, to cost annually fifty
millions Of dollars.
These are startling figures to an over
| taxed community, and should command
the attention of the Commissioner of In
ternal Revenue. Fitty-two millions pei
annum lost by dogs, to say nothing of the
! frighttul deaths from hydrophobia which
they occasion. We say lost. for, with the
exception of very few terriers, sheep
dogs, pointers and hounds, they furnish
little in the way of set-off to the enormous
charge resulting from their depredations
and consumption of food.
Not five in hundred are of any value
The efficiency of the watch dog is render
ed of little avail against professional burg
lars, who use chloroform of strychnine
when regular job presents itself. which
they administer even when door is inter
posed between the burglar and the more
respectable animal.
Five hundred thousand sheep are an.
nually killed, amounting in value to two
millions of dollars, and the number, annu