Evening star., 1917-02-11

500 to 10000 acres in size. and the
flocks Craze in safety and herders are
not needed to keep them together or
to protect them from dogs and wild
animals. There is no dog problem in
that part of the world.
Il am no enemy of dogs. but if the
dog population of the United States
could be reduced-painlessly. let us
hope-by about 10000. 900, it would re-
dound to our reputation as sensible
nation. Probably, at present market
prices. million dollars worth of sheep
will be destroyed by dogs this year.
by them in 1913. They killed about
1900 in Indiana and nearly $4,000 in
Iowa.
'The Americans are a patient and
sentimental race. The crocodile is
sacred along the Ganges, and the dog
appears to be east of the Mississippi.
We have been compelled to inquire into
the habits of the sheep-killing dog be-
cause he figures largely and disastrous
ly in the wool industry, distinction
that is denied him in all other parts
of the world
II speak of dogs somewhat in detail
because they effectively prevent the
development of the sheep industry on
farms. They are the worst enemy that
the eastern lock-masters have and are
known to be the principal cause of the
marked decrease in sheep throughout
New England and the central west
The moral effect upon persons who have
seen sheep killed, injured or frightened
by dogs, let me add, is more de-
structive to the industry than is the
actual damage done to the fiocks them
selves.
'In my discursive talk I have tried
to show why sheep are highly profita
BILE in Australia and not SO profitable
In this country. During normal times
that is. when the world is not at war
the price of wool, on the whole, tends
upward. Wool is an expanding indus
try. although the f1ocks of Europe.
South America and Asia may not show
industry that is slowly taking place.
Possibly had better say that the de-
mand for wool is constantly becoming
greater as the population of the world
mounts upward.
81 have explained why the United
States is compelled to buy half the wool
it uses from foreign countries. We
have land enough and men enough to
grow our own wool. So long as we
do not grow it we are, in that respect,
at least, inefficient. We have $4,000, 600
sheep-14 100000 less than in 1903, and
100000 less than in 1913. Not so
much wool is grown as was the case
a quarter of a century ago. although
the increase In our population has been
80 per cent. The Australian states,
with 11O.0OO,000 sheep; Russia. with
S3. 100000. and Argentine, with SO.-
100000, lead the world. We rank
fourth.
France, which is smaller than Texas,
has 16,0O0. 900 sheep. and Great Britain,
which is about the size of New Mexico.
has nearly 2S,000,0o0. Land is not
cheap in either Of those countries.
"The worlds flock numbers COO, ,OO0-
600. While Great Britain controls 2OO,-
100000. or third of the total, it's con-
troll of the supply of clothing wool is
proportionately much greater. London
Is the dominating wool market It's
prices are quoted everywhere.
The principal wool centers in the
United States. are Boston Philadel-
phia. Chicago. New York and st. Louis
The finest of our wool Is grown in
Ohio, a few counties in western Penn
sylvania. and a small region in West
Virginia. along its northern border
saThere is no Strouger wool in the