New Britain herald., 1915-04-15
DOCS KILL 1OO,OOU
 SHEEP ANNUALLY
Canine Proof Fences oI Uniform
 State Law is Suggested.

without serious interference with the number of other animals. An in crease of 150 per cent. in these 36 states would mean in money $144,- PCT ,000. In new publication of the Department of Agriculture, Farmers Bulletin 652, the responsibility for this loss to the country is laid upon the sheep-killing dog.'
 Sheep-killing dogs, it is said, are the principal cause of the marked de- crease in the numbers of sheep on American farms. In the ten years between 1900 and 1910 the number of sheep in the country, exclusive of the states in the western division, de- ] creased 5,00O,000 head, in face of the | fact that during these same years the market value of sheep rose so rapidly i that the total value of sheep in this 1 area was sis, 100000 or approximately 23 per cent. more in 1910 than in 1900. Favorable though the market condi- tons were, they were not a sufficient i incentive to induce farmers to risk : the heavy losses from stray dogs.
 100000 Killed Annually.
 The number of sheep killed annually y dogs cannot be stated exactly since ,nere are many cases which are not .eported at all. Judging from the I1ures in those counties and states
 .. which reasonably complete reports -.e obtainable, however, it may be
 did that in the 36 farm states more
 .an 100000 sheep are killed each
 ar by dogs. This, it is true, is less
 ..an l per cent of the business num-
 i of sheep conducted on d profit
 sis of or per cent. cannot be
 ,nored. This estimate it must be
 membered is also probably much
 Wer than the actual figures. It is
 rtain too that many men have been
 ,pt out of the sheep business
 trough fear that in their own par
 -cular cases the loss would be much lore than 1 Der cent. Any one who .las actually seen sheep killed, injured, or frightened by dogs is likely to think twice before engaging in the business. In many cases while only one or two sheep may be actually bitten by the dogs, the whole flock is chased until it dies from exhaustion.
 If the dog question could be sat l isfactorily disposed of there seems to be no reason why the number of sheep i in the country could not be increased to the extent already indicated. In I for each 25 acres of the total area. 1 In the 36 farm states in this country l there is one sheep or lamb for each l SIS acres. The British farmer han 1 les his land on an intensive basis and feeds his sheep on forage-crop pas | lures. Such pastures not only in | crease the fertility of the land but also free the sheep from many internal par | asites contracted through grazing upon | permanent pastures. In particular l the use of succession of forage-crop l pastures will prevent stomach worms, one of the most prevalent and disas- 1 trous scourages of young stock, and ] will enable the farmer to market by 1 the end of June or the first of July, ] when market prices are usually the 1 highest, the lambs that were born in 1 the late winter or early spring. Han | died under such conditions and on | high priced farm land the importance | of d small flock of sheep cannot be l overlooked.
 In addition to pointing out these l facts the bulletin already mentioned, The Sheep-Killing Dog," discusses the possible means of preventing in the future the loss from dogs. At the pres ent time the various state laws on this subject differ widely some states us- ing the money obtained from dog li- censes of reimburse sheep owners, while others permit the sheep men to recover damages from the dog owners and two offer them no recourse what soever. Dogs, however, are very sel- dom caught in the act of killing sheep. It is always difficult to determine their l owners, and where the damages are paid by the state direcly from the dog tax funds the money very frequently is far from sufficient to meet all the claims,
 Uniform Law Wanted.
 A remedy that is suggested for this situation is uniform state dog law embodying the principle of a tax upon dogs sufficiently heavy to discourage those who are not willing to take care of their pets from keeping them.
 Under this plan all dogs over six months of age must be licensed each year, the tax paid at the time of li- censing and a metal tag bearing the | license number attached to the dogs collar. Any dog found without this tag, unattended and off it's owners premises may be killed. When found
 unattended on farm where sheep are kept the dog may be killed whether ii has the tag or not, and under any