The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-11-03
CONFER ON
| SHEEP GROWING
Plans Considered for the
Upbuilding of the
Industry
SPEAKERS EMPHASIZE
DANGER OF DOG
State Appropriations and
Federal Aid Urged-Lo-
cal Wool Men Ready

Boston, Nov, 3.--New England lnteres
1 in the more sheep and more wool" move
ment was demonstrated yesterday Mt
conference held at the Chamber of Com
merce under the auspices of the Unitet
States department of agriculture. Tn
meeting, which was attended by abou
$50 interested in various phases of Thu
industry, was for the purpose of discuss
ing plans for developing the sheep grow
ing industry in the northeastern states
including New York. Growers, the WOO
trade, state agricultural colleges and de
apartments of agriculture and the rail
roads were represented.
Professor William ID. Hurd, special as
sistant to Secretary Houston of the de
partment of agriculture and director OF
the extension service of the Massachi.
sets Agricultural college, was chairman
After calling attention to the purpose OF
the conference, Professor Hurd said that
war conditions have brought to the
front at least four things concerning
the sheep industry:
THE United States and other coun
tries need more lamb and mutton.
2More wool is demanded in times of
peace as well as war.
3-The production of cheap lambs can
not rapidly increase under present CON
ditions
4-The wool, lamb and mutton will
command high prices ip the future is an
accepted fact, and general farms should
in many cases be restocked with sheep.
"There is total net decease in sheep
among the western allies and the United
IS
grazing homestead act will curtail the in
dustry in the range states. The 1917
lamb crop in the range states is rated at
80 to 80 per cent of normal.
New England and the northwest are
admirably adapted to sheep raising In
1910, go per cent of the wool clip in the
country came from New England and
the North Atlantic states. Vermont Mer+
mos were once world famous, good breed |
ing specimens selling at from $4,000 to
$4,000 each
'The most marked decline came when
the western ranges were opened up. The
conditions which caused eastern breeders !
TO go out of the sheep business no long |
er exist.
York have. not counting woodland III
100000 acres of unimproyed land. Much |
of this is good for sheep pasturage. There
are also hundreds of thousands of acres
Of rough land and poor pastmage listed
as improved nov producing practically
nothing which will support thousands of
sheep. These states could easily take
On and raise ten times the sheep they
ire now keeping
Several things are needed to bring
sheep raising back to northeastern farms.
Farmers must be made to understand
hat conditions have changed from what
hey were thirty years ago All the meat I
md wool that we are likely TO produce is /,
leeeded. Educational work must be car
led on in the proper care of sheep. Sheep
will not thrive without proper attention,
tut they do not need as much care as {
ther stick.
Sheep must be made more valuable in s
he minds of the public than dogs Dogs s
ill more than S2,500,0 900 worth of sheep
rolling the stray and worthless dog Q
hould be enacted and then enforced.
tanks are usually willing to finance the
ringing in of more livestock. Farmers
hould take advantage of this help. 4
"The United States department of ag-
culture is helping to build up the sheep
ldustry in states which should have
lore sheep by employing in cooperation !
18th the state agricultural colleges, sheep !, u
who devote their time to this u
dustry, by encouraging boys and girls ,
leep clubs, and by assisting in finding :
nd transferring to regions desiring them 7
BOD sheep for breeding and feeding pur y
1ses.'
+. y. Perkins, secretary and tr asluer a. :,
the Boston Trade association. said
at the farmer must be shown that def
tie profit may be found in sheep-raising :" !,
ibstantial financial help must come :.
ON the federal government The Bos- -
n wool trade, he said, stands ready to
ntribute thousands of dollars for at
asst one year, to see what can be done
put the industry on a stronger foot m
2. In response to questions by Chair to
an Hurd, Mr.. Perkins said that he did hs
t mean to suggest any subsidy, but the bu
e of government money for propaganda pl
d educational work. In this connec-
m, Professor Hurd announced that it is on
e plan of the department of agriculture on
place sheep specialists in Massachu- by
is, New Hampshire, Vermont, and
line and New York within the next
o or three years. !,