The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1915-08-27
More Asses and Hogs
Now Than in 1914

L 4 { 70 4I.4 y +
The Auditor Of States department
has just completed the table Of live
stock statistics Of the eighty-eight
counties of the state for 1915, as re-
ported by the district assessors. There
are increases over 1914 in cattle, mules
and asses, and decreases in horses,
sheep and hogs.
There are 891, 24O horses in the
state, decrease Of 1887 over 1914.
In 1914 there was in increase of co.
957 over 1918. AS usual Darke
count yleads with 2O,913 and Vinton
is lowest with 2,788.
The total number Of cattle in Ohio
is 1858, 1878, in increase Of 94, ,9O2 over
1914. There was an incvrease il 1914
Of 228,895 over 1913. Last year Ash
tabula led in cattle. This year Lick
ing win 30,949 is first, Trumbull with
30,684 is second and Achtabula with
28,843 is third. Pike still stands at the
foot Of the list with Gill.
There are now 36,581 mules and
asses in Ohio, gain Of 1928 over
1914. The increase in 1914 over 1918
was 7,133. Hamilton couny leads in
these long cared beass of burden with
| 1,747. Ottawa still seems to ostracisc
the mule, as she has but 35. There
are very few mules in most northern
Ohio counties.
There are 26O,461 fewer sheep in
Ohio today than 1914, the total num-
ber l:sted this year being 1927, ,904.
Last year there was a decrease Of 94,-
628 from 1918. Knox still retains the
lead with 85,587 and Harrison with
80, 922 is second. Sc:oto with 1853 is
the only county with less than one
thousand sheep.
The number Of hogs listed in the
state in 1915 is almost Identical with
1914, the decrease being only 141.
The total this year is 1,972,645. Hogs
in 1914 increased 459,911 over 1918.
Darke is still far in the lead with 62,-
098. There are four other counties
with over $4,000 hogs each-Fayette,
Hancock ,Preble and Clinton. Vinton
with 2,976 hogs and Cuyahoga with
1866 rank lowest.
The variation in the numbeo rf live
stock in Ohio for different periods is
an interesting study. While the num-
ber of sheep has rapidly decreased,
Ohio has more cattle today than she
has had for thirty years. The most
remarkable fact Of all is, that n spite
of steam roads, interurbans, bicycles,
motorcycles and automobiles, Ohio has
today more horses than at any time
in her past history except last year,
and this is true also of mules. Cattle
reached the highest record in number
in Ohio in 1860 with total Of 1902
772, or over four hundred thousand
more than at present. The record
number Of hogs in the state was2,-
765, 900 in 1862. In recent years the
number of hogs in Ohio has been in
creas:ng,
| The decline in the number Of sheep
during the past half century is Ohio's
most serious agricultural loss. The
high prices Of wool during and follow
in gthe Civil war caused the numberof
sheep in the state to increase from
3,968,174 in 1860 to 7,688,845 in 1868.
At that time there were rs counties
with over one hundred thousand sheep
in each, and as late as 1885 there were
fifteen with over one hundred thousand
each, and one, Licking, with 227,6O4.
In 1885 there were ten counties with
more sheep than the total today in the
eighty-eight counties. There is not a
single county in Ohio today that has
one hundred thousand sheep. This de-
cline in the number Of sheep is a seri-
Gus loss to the hill counties of Ohio.
and the decrease is not justified by the
recent price Of wool. With wool
above rs cents per pound, there ought
to be not less than four million sheep
in the state, and that number at the
present average weight per fleece
would produce a large numbre of
pounds of wool than were shorn from
the 7,688,S45 sheep in Ohio in 1868.