The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1914-12-11
DOGS vs.. SHEEP.
Mr.. r. W. SccrcSt Gives Interesting
Information.

TD the Editor OF The News:
wish TO compare the vl;uc OF
dogs to that of sheep Now hone
that it will not be ur.,-r5tooG mat
| an altogether an enamy 70 the
dos. because trained i1g or any
kind in its place is certainly a ya,,.-
able piece OF property and il would
be hard to calculate pr estimate its
vl'uc and on the other hand. We
hav" no way Of calculating the loss
and damage the worthless dog is do.
ing to our country in VARIOUS wavs
leS us take Lancaster county for
example. Last year she returned
1,94S dogs and possibly one third or
one-fourth cf the total uumhnr" ir
the county was not returned. but
let us figure on the returns for the
benefits received from hem. We
may safely expect 80 1850 which
will go into the school funds to help
educ ste the children OF the county.
Now, ii has been said rnat what a
dog Nj: consume in twelve months
WI RAISE a 200-pound hog. Il this
h. true we should have :, g.: pounds
Of Itrk at 10 cents per pound, we
would he in S3,S9S, 4 car profit
OF s-,923.50. These are III, lowest
es s,lmates. Now it has nlso BEEN
said that dogs and sheep will not
ay together, OF whicl facr am
oomp%lled to Aeiieve as our county
returned last year 60 sheep or 131
goats and sheep. Now suppose she
had of returned 1949 sheep and they
i,.I lal Il.
would now have 1855 sheep at
$500 each, they would be worth
$7.796. besides the clinpincs OF wool.
per head per annum, 979. total
value of $S,775. difference thus
over the dogs value Of nearly
$4,000 in favor of the sheep to this
county. Now with just n small cX-
penditure to each farmer, of which
think l could safely say at least
80 per cent Of them could raise
sheep here in this natural grazing
hilly county of ours. one that could
be made the greatest grazing and
stock raising county east o. the
Blue Ridge with it's lofty and roll
ing hills covered with Japan clover
and Bermuda grass, its rich creeks
and river bottoms covered with
various other kinds OF natural
grasses with all these natural ad-
vGntages, we should raise thousands
and thousands OF dollars worth Of
sheep and other kinds OF stock an
nually. Not many years ago stoc',
dealer drove down from Charlotte
and paid one OF my neighbors $500
per heed for months old lambs and
to make out his load he went just
across the way the same day and
paid another neighbor $3.50 each
for his lambs. These lambs possibly
had not cost so cents each per head
TO raise so you see there IS money
in raising sheep.
But what about the dog? The
last assembly of the Virginia state
legislature placed n tax so high on
tho do. that they will he con,pallad
TO go out of business. and now Nir-
ginia is going 10 raising sheep
Thcrc a~e various Kinds OF sheep,
some for their wool, some for the
Slaughter per and some for both
WOOL and mutton. and when our
people have been forced 10 do away
with so many dogs on account OF the
high tax that should be placed upon
them at sometime in the near flu
ture, then we can safely go into the
sheep raising business, too, like
Virginia. with the expectation of
realizing net profit from our eff
forts. Not many summers ago.
when ! had n nice flock and the dogs
got among them and went to killing
so many, / would often butcher
eight or ten annually, always reserv-
ing one quarter and selling the re-
mainder. realizing from $3.50 TO
$3.50. So you see If had marketed
the whole mutton / would have
easily realized SO so for it,
Although it has been said the man
who tampered with the dog and dog
law, his political head would GER
tainly come off the next election.
1t is hoped b. many Of Lancaster
county's good farmers that our rep