The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-09-13
MUTTON INDUSTRY
IN CHESTERFIELD
Lewis Dog Law Adopted by SUI
pervisors-Oficers Alert
to Enforce It.
CHANCE FOR CHESTERFIELD
With Strolling Dogs Eliminated,
People May Grow Great FIocks
Of Sheep Protitably.

MARK the prediction" said citizen
or Chesterfield County TO me a few
days ago, as he was calling my at
| tontion TO some very fine pasturage In
the northern part of the county, lin
less than ten years Chesterfield Is going
10 be the greatest sheep-raisins county
! in the State
Jew sheep in the County of Chester
| ield while. according to tho citizen
above referred to. there is no county
!" me State or anywhere clse in which
.ne sheep raising industry could be
! carried on TO better advantage or to
greater profit. but for one dra back
ana that Is tho dog. guess there are
- inc present writing more dogs In
, r1ncsterhcid than there are sheep
There is ] think, going to be n chang.
In this condition.
., ~ the last session OF the LEGISLATURE
Representative John r. Lewis. a farmer.
MEMBER from Mecklcnburg County, did
MS .esei ocst TO get through the law
making body OF tho Commonwealth ;:
drastic dog Law. His bill Was n sin,nle
one, providing that dogs should be M,
:" INC same category as other beasts
IN tnis fcnceless state: that il shouId
y. "cpt confined on the owners prem
Uses except when in use by the ovner
and accompanied by such owner or HE
agent or representatives The obioc,
OF Mr.. Lcwis's proposed statute w..
20 encourage the shecp-raising ind,,e
! try all over the State By shutting NJ,
the Struggling hounds and curs ma,
infcst every county from the ocean to
the mountains
But from time immcmorial it ha.
neen impossible to get a drastic dog
M throush Virginia Lcgielnturc
MT Lewis's proposed law was amended
an out OF its original shape. and when
| II dld get on the statute books IL an
pcared as follows:
IL BE IL enacted by ,he General As
sembly OF Virginia. that II shall be IN.
duty Of every person owning or hayinr
| IN charge any dog or dogs TO at Ali
ZINES confne such dog or dogs 10 the
limits OF his own premises, or the
premises on which such dog or dogs Is.
/ or are regularly Kept
! Provided. that nothing in this act
shall be construed to prevent the
owner OF any dog or dogs. or other
person or persons having such dog or
dogs in his or their charge, from al.
lowing such dog or dogs to accompany
such owner or other person or persons
elsewhere than on the premises on
which such dog or dogs liz, or are.
! regularly kept.
y; Any person violating this act
snail be deemed guilty OF "A INSIDE
meanor. and shall be tncd not less than
/ " nor more than $50
=. This act shall not apply to the
running At large or any dog or dogs
| within the corporate limits of any city
| or town In this State that require q
license tag to be kept OF dogs. But
this act shall not apply in any county
! in this State until the same has been
| ADOPTED by the board of supervisors or
such county"
That last paragraph. which was
WORKED In as an amendment. WAS the
one intended TO and we'll calculated TO
make the whole act n dead letter.
me hoiitician or politicians who
Wo,Neu IN mat amendment felt sur.
that in most OF the counties II would
DE difficult matter TO get ihe SUPER
Nisors 10 adopt the act, for the sheen
lovers would probably he slow to urge
such action on the part OF the board
OF supervisors. and the dog-Iovers
would be prompt enough TO use ali
OF their political and other kind OF
Innuence 10 prevent ITS adoption
CHESTERFIELD SUPERVISORS
COME PROMPTLY TO RESCUE
however on the 27th day OF JULY
last TIC Board oC Supervisors OF Chcs
'erheid county unanimously adopted I;
and made II the law OF the state, so
iar as Chesterfield lis concerned and
am told that the officers of the
county are going 10 inforcc II to the
bitter end" The clerk OF the courts
mas furnished all OF the justices of the
peace and all other county officers with
printed copies OF the act and the action
OF the supervisors thereon. and these
.
| or tho districts In the Midlothian
rnagisterial district Squire s. c. Gowan
mas them stuck up In every public
place whore they can meet the owe or
inc aos-owners and other Interested
! people. and he and the other oricial.
In that part OF the county intend 10
go the limit In tho matter Of inforcInc
the statute Not only this, they will
40 All they can to get good citizens. who
i l good sheep better than they do
OF
10 rehder the proper assistance. The
officers, however diligcnt they NAV be.
cannot do It all. They must have the
! support OF tho citizens of the sheep
ioVihe Kind So far as ] know, Chester
field County is the only one In the
State in which the supervisors have
adopted this dog law. There may be
| others perhaps several that have come
up 10 the scratch, but have not
heard OF any other. The effect so far.
ana the action Of the board of super
Vlsors is not yet generally known
throughout the county, has been to
put quite a number Of good farmer.
ana landowners nightly in the notion
10 embark on more or less large
scale In the sheep-raising Industry.
have heard several farmers say they
are only waiting to SEQ ii tho law
Is going to be so rigdly enforced ms
TO really keep the strolling hounds out
OF the sheep fold. and in these days
nonenforccment OF certain laws that
some kinds of people object 10, they
may be justified in hcsitating for a
while at least This fact should, and
doubtless Will, put the ofnccrs on their
metal, and lead them to be more active
III efforts to keep the law from being
a dead letter.
The soil OF Chesterfield is we'll adapt-
cd TO the cultivation OF the grasses
and the grains. There is none in the
state that is better, and there is no
county more convenient to the Sheep.
lamb and mutton markets. Tic people
can grow the sheep all right if the
dog is out Of the way by being penned
up like other animals on its owners
promises, and then they can sell all
the lambs and mutton and wool they
can produce. and sell them for good
profits on the cost OF production. The
nearby markets of Richmond, Peters
burg and Norfolk would take all the
lambs Chesterfield could grow Tor a
good several years to come, and should
those markets experience an overflow.
where Is there a sheep growing region
more convenient to the markets OF tho
country. outside of Virginia, than
Chesterfield? Truly there is a fine
opening for the good old county. an
AKtI