The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1915-03-12
THE MEANDERING DOG.

1nlS is the season or the yea
when almost daily one hears of tn
depredations of the meanderin
ours upon the sheep of this county
Dogs make their raids upon sheep il
all parts of Maury county. Ever,
section is subject to this menace
the one real menace to the sheep In
dustry Of Maury county. In a nigh
the profits of years effort and tot
and watchful care over a flock O
sheep are wiped out and very, very
seldom is there any redress for the
loser All too often in despair the
owner of the sheep abandons that
industry, one of the most profitable
from every standpoint, to the farm.
ers of this county.
With the dog menace eliminated
we believe that great majority OF
the farmers of Maury county will
agree with us when we declare that
small flock of sheep is more pro-
fitable on the farm than any other
kind Of stock. In fact the same
amount of money invested in sheep
will, taking 1t one year and another.
yield greater returns than that
amount invested in any other way
by the average farmers of the coun.
~. There are scores of farmers in
this county who can, from personal
experience, testify to the truth of
this statement. This county should
have four times as many sheep as
II now has. In spite Of the almost
complete decentralization of the cat
tie and hog markets during the past
two months because of the foot and
mouth disease, sheep and lambs !
last week reached the highest March
price ever known at the Chicago
stock yards with tLe exception Of
9ne year The men who have sheep
I'm this county this year, despite the
adverse weather during the past
winter, will find thvm most helpful
in recouping losses occasioned by
the depressed and cratic cattle and
hog markets.
Practically every farmer in this
county should have a small flock of
sheep. Many more would have
them were it not for the threat of
the cur. We have had dog laws in ,
this state but they havu never proven :
amy sort of protection because they ,
have not been enforced. They are
not enforced because where there ,
are score of progressive farmers .
In section who have sheep there :
are hundred more who keep a pack !
II worthless dogs. The dog has :
more friends in this state than the :,
sheep In the proportion OF about five =
10 one. We enforce laws that have :.
,ublic sentiment behind them. While ),
argely more than nine-tenths of the D
logs Of this county are absolutely :
worthless, not good for any useful !,
'urpose, and all sheep are valua. !,
lie, 1t has been impossible to create !.
NY considerable sentiment against /,
be dog.
There is only one remedy for this :.
situation and that Is -
through campaign of education to !.
1crease sheep holdings in the coun- :,
=. The more sheep we possess the !,
aver dogs we will have. The COM =
er
lnnity in which every farmer keeps :,
small flock of sheep is not menaced =,
sheep killing ours. The lover of >,
aeep is almost always the enemy of -
Re dog, at least he places q higher =
Alue upon the former than he does -
pom the latter. If the 1000 farmers :,
this county owned on an average \,
ny sheep we would have 100000 -
leep worth, at the very least one
Id a quarter million dollars and
would have very. very few dogs =.