Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-03-31
WHAT OUR NEIGHBORS SAY
sheep Raising in VermOnt-ltensou,
for Its Decline.

Iu.)
Almost every person with a broad view
OF Industrial possibility is compelled to
admit that large part of vermont's
grazing land is untitled for pasturing
cows and practically all OF It Is we'll
fitted for pnsturing sheep. Time was"
when thousands OF nocks Of sheep roam
ed our uplands and sidehil pastures, get
ting n fair subsistence from vegetation
that n COW would starve on and yielding
n good profit. Only small number OF
such 1ocks are found in the State to-
day.
The reasons given for the decline OF
the sheep-raising industry in Vermont
are many, but no doubt one of the most
potent is the fact that. owing to the
archaic system OF licensing dogs--to de-
stroy floCks or 10 do any other mischief
no sheep farmer may safely count upon
maturing, clipping or Strengthening his
lambs because any night may see a
pair Of worthless dogs loose among his
flocks. with n bloody result of loss and
damage that no system of dog damage"
slowly and unwlllngly doed forth by
the town, can ever make good.
Fibre and Fabric commenting on the
raising in New England. has the follow
Ing:
1t is sheep-raising as an industry that
will restore the New England farms, not
as a by-product. and in western Massa-
chusetts a large tract of land has been
purchased for exclusive shecp-raising,
and down In Cape Cod one progressive
farmer Is planning an investment of
100000 in the same business. When car
ried on as an industry the dog question
is not serious. as the secret OF success
In our opinion, Is more in herding than
In any other particular, and with q nc
cessary number of care takers. the dog
question will not be apt to enter seri-
ously into the new enterprise.
There is no big money in flock of 20
or 60 sheep turned loose on the farm,
because in this case there Is the danger
of dogs doing great damage But n flock
of 1000 to 1000 sheep properly herded,
Is as safe from dogs In Massa chusetts as
II Is in Ohio or New York State or Penn
sylvania, and the profits on this scale OF
sheep farming will be many times that
OF any other method in which our aban-
doned farms could be utilized. The aver
age weight of fleece would be close to
five pounds, so that on a 1900 clip there
would be 5000 pounds OF wool, worth
around 30 cents pound as an average
The wool would bring $l5.0O Native
lambs would be in great demand and
5000 might be sold each year at a low
estimate at sl2,Oo and there would be
$500 lambs to keep to increase the flock.
At these figures the returns are S21 900
n w ~ hot
and dollars would safely herd the flock
each year, and there would be "A ..ueral
amount left for other expenses and for
dividends or fixed charges. In five years
our New England ranges and hillsides
| should be dotted with 100000 sheep in
stead of only 10000, as now reported,
| and we should produce "A clip OF 100000
pounds of wool, instead Of 5000, 600 pounds.
| Patriotism and profit can be combined
in this New England industry, II intel
| ligent men OF large or even moderate
means take 1t up. working on the as
sumption that sheep-raising Is the in
| dustry and all other branches are by
| products.
| Here are excellent information and
fine, large, healthy figures. but no Yer
! mont farmer, with the profits of scientific
dairying as certain as they are to-day,
will push that industry into the back
| ground sell or kill his cows and go into
| sheep-raising. First. because there Is
not much money in raising sheep as
In dairying; and second. because the Yer
mont winters make the latter Industry
| more than usually uncertain.
| The problem for Vermont Is not to
turn the dairy farms of the state into
great sheep ranches. but to utilize a few
| otherwise nearly worthless fields for
sheep pastures. The 60 and 60 sheer
| nocks are exactly what the Nermonters
| is most interested in. How to make them
practicable, safe and profitable is the
problem.
| An early step In that direction should
| be the elimination OF the worthless dog
| by stricter enforcement of the licensing
| law, then the discontnuance OF the prac-
| tce of towns paying dog damage" Sc
! responsible for the depredations of tina,
| animal as the owner of any other animal
| There Is neither reason, profit nor
| further necessity OF continuing a prac-
tice which had its origin In pioneer days
! when dog was as much OF a necessity
az flocks OF sheep.
| Vermont needs sheep and wool more
than dogs, to Judge from the present
| prices OF mutton and wool. Why not be-
| gin to regulate the dog?