122 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



no better authority than Mr. Campbell, who is one of the 

 most successful breeders of fine-wool sheep in America. 



It used to be the practice of most sheep-breeders in New 

 England to have their lambs 3'eaned from the 10th to the 

 20th of Msij, particularly when we used to breed the Saxon 

 and their crosses, as the lambs Avere tender, and devoid of 

 wool, at yeaning-time ; and the least scarcity of fall feed told 

 very destructively on them, and left them small and weak 

 when winter set in, in consequence of which nearly one-half 

 of them perished before the close of cold weather. The best 

 time, in our opinion, to have lambs come is from the 1st of 

 April to the 1st of INIay, and we have tried March, April, 

 and Ma}'. We have had Merino lambs dropped on the 15th 

 of April which weighed one hundred pounds on the 20th of 

 September. It is understood, of course, that lambs dropped 

 earlier than May, in New England, must be yeaned in stables ; 

 but this, in reality, diminishes, rather than increases, the 

 work of the shepherd, as the ewes are kept together, and 

 no time is spent in traversing the farm in search of chilled 

 lambs, and sheep which get cast and frequently die from 

 exposure, having been overlooked by the shepherd (which 

 is often the case in the yeaning-season), or driving the flock 

 in at night before storms. The lambing-season may be got 

 through with before the farmer commences his work in the 

 spring. 



Lambs coming in the stable are the safest, even in quite 

 pleasant weather, provided the stable is roomy and well light- 

 ed, and provided the sheep are docile, and can be handled by 

 the shepherd without crowding from side to side, and running 

 over their lambs. While the stable should not be kept too 

 hot and tight, it should be capable of being closed all round, 

 and it should be so close that in a cold night the heat of 

 the sheep will keep up a moderate temperature. On the 

 other hand, the stable should be provided with ventilators, 

 so that too much heat and impure air can be avoided. 



Too much care is not necessary with hardy sheep in lamb- 

 ing, and too much interference is not as well for ewes or 

 lambs. It is well to look into your sheep-shed before retiring 

 for the night, and see if all is right, and, if so, leave the flock 

 undisturbed until morning. We believe that a lamb that 

 cannot get up, and suckle and take care of itself until morn- 



