264 THE NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FOOD OF 



fine old grass laad at the bottom of my hill, because the sheep 

 would be sure to lie too much on it and spoil themselves." All 

 that he actually has to do is to see the shepherd attends to his 

 duty, and the sheep will be much the better for it. An excellent 

 method of securing warmth, which is much the same as shelter 

 to lean sheep — useful also if there should be an excessive death 

 rate in a flock from lung disease produced by parasites or any 

 other cause — is, to cover their backs with cloth. For ewes 

 ordinary canvass wrapping made waterproof by brushing on 

 boiled liuseed oil does well, cut into 2 feet squares, and sewed 

 on firmly to the wool with stocking yarn. 



Artificicd Food. 



The question, as to whether under any circumstances artificial 

 food, such as corn, &c., should be given to hill sheep, has been 

 long a subject of controversy, and is yet unsettled by the 

 agricultural public. The facts stand thus. Certain lands have 

 not a sufficiency of early growing plants, more especially in a back- 

 ward year, to keep the usual stock of the place in good condition 

 during the spring months. The consequence is, that the death- 

 rate is frequently doubled, the crop of lambs lessened by 

 half, and the constitutions of the living sheep are so shaken 

 by being reduced in condition, that even the great advocates 

 of non-feeding admit they take years to get over the evil con- 

 sequences. The question then arises ; are these consequences 

 less serious than those that follow feeding ? The answer will 

 depend much on how the process is carried out. Injudicious 

 and excessive feeding, though no doubt it might save the lives of 

 those sheep that would otherwise die of poverty, and thus secure 

 a good crop of lambs that year, might not, to speak of the expense 

 incurred, leave the constitutions of the flock so changed for the 

 worse that the result in time would be greater disaster than if 

 thev had been left to nature. This is the blackest side of the 

 picture, and, though possible, would be difficult to bring about, 

 and very unlikely to occur. Feeding highly, nevertheless, has a 

 tendency to reduce constitution. There is, however, a middle 

 course in this matter, which is the right one to adopt. What is 

 wanted can be attained by a little trouble and forethought, viz., 

 the " tiding " of hill sheep through hard cold winter and spring 

 months by a sufficient, though not extravagant or excessive, aid in 

 the shape of artificial food — enough to keep them neither improv- 

 ing nor falling off, but " at the bit," until nature finds the means 

 of providing that which is more natural and congenial to them. 

 When the feeding results in failure, the methods adopted in 

 the actual giving of the food are often quite as much at fault as 

 the quantity or quality given. It is too frequently the case. 



