250 THE XATUPtAL AXD ARTIFICIAL FOOD OF 



THE NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FOOD OF 

 SCOTCH HILL SHEEP. 



By Robert Wallace, Professor of Agriculture, and Edward Kinch, 

 Professor of Chemistry, Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. 



[Premium — Twenty Sovereigns. ] 



Part L— By Professor R. Wallace, F.R.P.S. and M.R.A.S.E., &c. 



A LIVELY interest has been awakened within recent times as to 

 the grasses which form the best of the old pastures of England, 

 and also as to the seeds that should be sown in the laying out of 

 new permanent pastures. A good guide to the value of most of 

 these has been given by analysis. We are not aware that the 

 composition has ever been determined of those plants grown on 

 hills and moorlands that are found by experience to be valuable 

 to sheep. 



Such information is quite as necessary to the hill farmer as 

 the former is to the lowland grazier. In consideration of this, 

 analyses have been carefully made by Professor Kinch, of the 

 Royal Agricutural College, Cirencester, of all we considered 

 important or necessary. The results, along with his remarks, are 

 published in Part 11. of this paper. 



It is quite true that in a hill country we cannot determine 

 on the kind of grass that shall grow by sowing the seed, as a 

 lowland farmer can ; but very much may be done by the altera- 

 tion of natural conditions, so as to make them better suited to 

 the healtby growth of the more valuable plants ; and again, by 

 laying out the boundaries for any one lot of sheep in such a 

 manner as to include a suitable change of food, not only for the 

 one season of the year, but for all different times and seasons. 

 It is often the case that the boundary fence or dyke of a farm, 

 or subdivision of same, runs on the borders between the land 

 good for winter food and for that only on the one side, and on 

 the other, hard green land excellent for summer pasture, but of 

 little use in winter. It is clear, that if a certain " stock " or 

 number of sheep were put on each division, the one lot would be 

 doing well when its pasture was at its best, and the other lot 

 would be going back because its pasture was bad, and 

 vice versa ; wdiereas, if both lots of sheep were put together, 

 and the shepherd, understanding his business, were to turn 

 them at different seasons of the year over the land best 

 suited at the time, the sheep would not only be in good 

 condition the whole year through, but more stock could be kept 

 in good order on the same land, as the amount of stock any 



