Yorkville Enquirer

SHEEP KILLING DOGS.

From time to time we hear people say that sheep raising cannot be made profitable in this country on account of the dogs. We have seen a great deal of the same kind of talk in the newspapers; but as a matter of fact we have long since arrived at the conclusion that much of it is buncombe.

There is such a thing as the sheep killing dog. Certainly. But he has always been an exception, and he is an exception now. Long years ago there used to be a great many sheep raised in this country, and occasionally some of them were killed by dogs; but this was very rare—so rare that only the fewest number of sheep raisers ever saw a sheep killing dog.

No, it is not the sheep killing dog which hinders the sheep raising industry. He has not one thing to do with it. The trouble is that when cotton came into vogue as an alleged sure money crop, every other agricultural industry, in which cash money was less quickly apparent, was thrown in the background.

People are now beginning to realize that cotton never was the money crop it was reputed to be. Of course it has all along been important, and it is just as important now; but generally it has proved a veritable ignus fatuus, followed after blindly by many who might have gone into other lines with much more profit.

The sheep killing dog business is merely an excuse. People who felt that they should give more or less attention to sheep raising, quieted their consciences with the assurance that they could not do it on account of the dogs—imaginary dogs it was—but all the same, sheep killing dogs.

Of course, if a man does not want to raise sheep, he does not have to. Even if cotton can be raised only at a dead loss and sheep raising is more or less profitable, he has a perfect right to give his entire attention to cotton. But then, for his own interest, he ought not prevent the other fellow from engaging in the other line of industry. To kill an important business like this with dogs is too bad—especially imaginary dogs.