The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1876-06-24
;mThe Earttt.
DOGS VERSUS SHEEP.
For The Cecil Wing.

Mr.. james, Commissioner of Agricul-
ture of the State of Georgia. has pub
lished lately a pamphlet, entitled A
Manual of Sheep Husbandrv in Georg-
ia" in which he thus speaks of the
baleful influence of dogs on that indus
try:
"The special correspondents on sheep
husbandry-those actually engaged in
the business, and hence more familiar
with the subject-were asked to state
the principal obstacle to sheep husban-
dry. Ninety per cent. of the whole
number report the ravages of dogs as
the PRINCIPAL, and generally the ONLY
obstacle.
"The statistics collected by tax re-
ceivers seem to corroborate the reports
of these two sets of correspondents,
since there are THIRTY-oNE dogs to
every ONE HUNDRED sheep, or nearly
ONE to THREE, and these dogs are al
lowed to destroy in one year 2S,625
sheep, worth S13,S52. or per cent. of
the value of all the sheep in the State.
Notwithstanding this loss, the annual
profits are GO per cent Remove the
cause of the loss, and the profits will
be p per cent on the capital at present
invested in sheep, and the amount SO
invested would in very few years be
quadrupled, when the clear profits, at
the above rates, would be S2,372, 6S7
per annum-more than the total receipts
into the treasury of the State in the
wear 1874, and more than one-fourth of
the State debt.
"The value of the sheep killed by
dogs ($73,S52) would more. than pay
the per diem and mileage of the men,
bers of the House of Representatives
of Georgia"
These statistics and facts are the
same in Maryland and all the Middle
and Southern States In many neigh
borhoods in the lower counties especial
ly in our State there are three dogs to
one sheep. "The Southern Planter and
Farmer" says that the county of Mont
gomery, Virginia, one of the best grass
counties in the State, boats of 1000
dogs and only 10000 sheep Surely,
when our true farmers come to apply
their sober, second thoughts " to the
facts, and ponder the immense loss sus-
tanned by dogs, and the almost prohibi-
ton they cause to sheep husbandry, and
thereby cut off from our people an
enormous revenue which might be de-
rived from wool and mutton, they will
unitedly aid in suppressing the growing
evil and maintain such laws as would
not only yield revenue to the State, by
dog taxes, but would foster source of
wealth to thousands of our citizens who
are now debarred from so useful, pleas
ant and lucrative an occupation If
sheep were effectually protected from
dogs, tens of thousands of acres in the
State, now totally unproductive, would
be utilized and made to yield not less
than s. per acre annually. Only to
think, this great country, in its centen-
NAL year, having to import millions of
pounds of wool to clothe its people,
when we should export that article
largely. With such an admirable cline
for sheep and millions of acres covered
with grasses suited to them most of
which territory furnishing sufficient food
through the whole year, our herdsmen
should be able to furnish the wooden
fabrics needed by the world, while the
Southern planters supplied all the cot
ton needed for lighter fabrics for cloth
ing and domestic purposes.