254 THE NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FOOD OF 



is more necessary. Heather may be neglected to almost any 

 extent on soft moss, and grow again after burning, but it is not 

 so with the slow-growing heather of dry land. 



By far the best way is to burn it in strips, not too small. 

 Of course, it is more expensive than simply burning a large 

 patch here and there, as more men are required to keep the fire 

 within control, but there are many advantages. A clear road is 

 made through the rank heather for sheep to get about from one 

 part to another, without having to go a long way round, as would 

 often be the case ; and again, the different ages of heather are all 

 close together, which is an advantage both to sheep and game. 

 The latter have the best and youngest shoots to feed on along- 

 side of the roughest parts, which are only good for shelter. 

 Another loss to the farmer, from allowing heather to get too old 

 before burning, is the large amount of wool which is torn from 

 the bellies of the sheep, as they walk over the ground, by the 

 stalks or " birns" left standing for years after. If farmers and 

 proprietors could only come to see that their interests in 

 heauher burning are identical, it would do away with almost the 

 only source of difficulty between them in these high districts. 



The two plants, Erica Tetralix, or bell heather, and Erica 

 cinerea, or ling, are of comparatively little use as food either for 

 sheep or grouse. There is a little confusion in some botanical 

 books as to which of the so-called heathers is " ling." Tn Scot- 

 land there is no doubt that ling is the Erica cmerea, that plant 

 with the long slender stem growing in wet moss land, and made 

 into the brooms which are regularly seen in farm kitchens. 



We will next take the useful Juncacece, or rushes. First, stool 

 bent, Juncus squarrosus. This little rush, like heather, has the 

 valuable property of being evergreen. It is much eaten by sheep 

 when grown under suitable conditions ; i.e., on black-topped or 

 moss land which is moderately moist. If very wet, the plants 

 that do grow are small, and not relished. The leaves are succu- 

 lent, particularly where they join together at the crown, and 

 agreeable to the taste, and are greedily sought for by ^heep in 

 *'hard " weather, when no snow, or only a slight covering, is on the 

 ground. In snow the plant is not easily got at, from its habit of 

 growth being to spread out its leaves all round from the centre 

 close to the ground. When not covered up, however, a sheep 

 gets right into the crown of the plant, and leaves but a small 

 portion of it, reminding one of the shells of turnips which sheep 

 hollow out when eating a standing crop. Like some other plants 

 on which sheep fall back in winter and spring, stool bent is 

 entirely neglected by them when the full flush of grass in 

 summer arrives. These plants are very well in a sense, and 

 invaluable at their season, but grasses grown in the summer sun 

 have far more flavour as well as feeding value. 



