The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-02-14
More Sheep for Vermont

We have discussed various ways
in which the farmers of Vermont
could derive more income from their
soil, but the simplest and surest way,
so far as we have been able to dis
cover to get profit out of the rough
part of our farms is to encourage
sheep-farming, for the purposes of
growing wool as well as lamb and
mutton for the home markets. We
are aware that the sheep industry in
Vermont has been seriously handicap
ped during recent years by sheep-kill-
ing dogs but this is one of the prob
lens that the legislature will have to
tackle in earnest the coming autumn
and it is to be hoped means of over
coming this obstacle will be devised.
We have put a bounty on various
pests and we know OF no reason why
the legislature should not put a boun-
ty on sheep-killing dogs. Moreover a
severe penalty should be imposed on
a person who keeps a dog after the
animal has been discovered in the
act of killing or even chasing sheep.
In the meantime it is worth notinl
| that the demand for wool is growing
apace and the high prices for various
meat products ought to mean a prem
lum on mutton and lamb, Concern
| ing the demand for wool there can
be no question. William NJ. Wood,
president OF the American Wooden
| company thinks that the national de-
partment of agriculture should take
| a OF n kn "a
wool in the United States. He has
written letter to Hon. James Wilson
secretary Of agriculture in which he
points out the possibilities of New
| England as a sheep breeding country
He says:
There are 26S sheep to the squars
mile in the United Kingdom and
there are only SO sheep to the same
square mile in New England. Here
is condition which is well worth
the while of your department to take
some vigorous measure to equaize
Our New England hills are certainly
as well adapted to the growth OF
sheep as the hills of old England and
Scotland. There is a great market
| for mutton here in the New England
| States and an immense industry OF
manufacturing. But we cannot get
enough OF American wool and we
prefer American wool and would use
very much greater quantity IL we
could secure it."
| Mr. Wood quotes statistics to show
that whereas in 1891 New England
had 1,204,32S sheep, which produced
l,53l,369 pounds of wool. in 1905
here were only $4,000 sheep which
produced but 3.S03,750 pounds oil
wool. He goes on:
IF proportionately to the area there
we're as many sheep in New England
as there are in the United Kingdom
instead of $4,000 we would have
100000 sheep grazing on our north
arn hills What this would mean II
the way of advantage to American
manufacturing. the improvement o
he land, and direct and indirect ben
efits to New England agriculture you
can readily grasp"
Many parts of Vermont are pecul
arly adapted to sheep husbandry
while some sections are apparent,
good for little else. Sheep can flour
lsh on rocky hills where almost an,
other animal would starve while the
At in well with the handling of tn
best of farms. There is every reaso
why the number of sheep In Vernon
should not be multiplied many fol
during the coming few years an
prospective members of the next les
stature will do well to consider tn
various phases of the problems col
nont.-Burlington Free Press.
nected with sheep husbandry in We