State Agricultural Society. 463 



the major-domo will find a perfectly competent man who, however, is a 

 confirmed "shirk." However proficient he may be, this man ought to 

 be got rid of the first chance he can be spared; he is a costly hand at 

 any price. Such an one, too, knows two many tricks to cover his lazi- 

 ness. At times a lamb may, from castration, or other causes, become 

 paralyzed, so that he may have to be carried home at night. He will 

 often make a good sheep after all; but one of these shirks will knock 

 him on the head, or get rid of him in some way. I have had them mj^s- 

 teriously disappear, and afterwards found the carcass in the hollow of 

 an old tree, or other hiding hole. Or an old shirk can, by a little judi- 

 cious training in warm weather, have the sheep stay in the shade four 

 fifths of the time and (as it is termed) " shade them poor." When grass 

 is good it does not take a sheep long to fill itself, and it will then lie 

 down, even without a shade. 



SHADE — CONTENT. 



This has led some to contend that shade is of no real use to sheep; 

 but this is a mistake. Any close observer will see that sheep gauge the 

 distance to shade, and on a hot day feed toward it as regularly as they 

 do to the watering place. There is no doubt in my mind that they are 

 more contented thus, and all experience and observation goes to show 

 that one of the most important items contributing to the well-being of 

 sheep is content — the absence of fretting or worrying in all its forms. 

 Sometimes there may be a wether flock which it is desired to fatten, 

 and to accomplish this some managers will move this flock from time to 

 time so as to keep it always on flush food, moving the bands of ewes on 

 the ranges as the wethers are moved off. It is to be remarked that 

 this is not always a good plan. Like other animals, but in a special 

 way, sheep form an attachment for a range that they may run on, and 

 exhibit a contentment there that they do not feel in a new locality. 

 When, therefore, the wild grasses only be relied on, it will often be 

 found that a sufficiency of short grass, with contented minds, will fatten 

 sheep better than a new range on which no stock may have run since 

 the rains. During the drought year I knew many cases where sheep 

 did much better on their own rauge than those that were moved to 

 newer ones. It was often remarked at that time that those who secured 

 new ranges often fared worse than those who, from inability to find or 

 rent other places, were compelled to stay at home. 



HERDING IN THE HILLS. 



Herding in the hills or mountain country is much like that of the 

 plains. The sheep have to be kept in smaller bands, but they have the 

 same habits in feeding and want the same sort of judicious " letting 

 alone" on the part of the herder. They will start up some particular 

 gorge, feed for awhile, lie down for their noon siesta if grass be good, 

 then strike out over the hills, working back toward camp at night. 

 They "ask no odds " nor wish any instructions, nor need any so long as 

 they "come home with their little tails behind them." 



ACORNS — SALT. 



In a timbered country during the Autumn, sheep may be quite trouble- 

 some in acorn time; for if the trees be far apart or acorns scarce, the 



