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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



No one would be more gratified than myself to find 

 that some of our breeds could be made to fatten two 

 crops of lambs in one year. The average gestation of a 

 ewe is about one hundred and fifty days, consequently 

 there would be about sixty-five clear days for the early 

 sucklings. But as she would generally take the ram in 

 about three weeks after lambing, she would require the 

 best and most nutritious keeping to enable her to fat 

 her lamb and keep herself in condition. I am quite 

 sure that nothing of this kind need be attempted ex- 

 cept "under high keeping, and the most careful and 

 constant attention ; but with these in full exercise I 

 fully believe the system is a practicable one, and could 

 also be profitable. The following extracts being to 

 the point, I would rather give them than add more of 

 my own ideas upon it : 



" The ewe will breed twice in the year, if it be 

 made a point to produce such an effect by attention 

 and high keep ; she will receive the male in- 

 differently at any season, and, like the rabbit, very 

 soon after bringing forth. Lisle gives an instance 

 of three of his ewes, well kept, lambing at Christmas, 

 fattening off their lambs at Lady-day, and producing 

 lambs again the first week in June. . . Could the lambs 

 be advantageously weaned at two months, sufficient 

 time would, he conceives, remain for the ewe to bring 

 forth twice within the year. For example, suppose the 

 young ewe tupped in August, the lamb would be 

 dropped in the middle of January, and might be weaned 

 in mid. March, the ewe again receiving the ram on the 

 turn of the milk, like the sow, perhaps in or before 

 j^pril, she would then bring forth^within twelve months 

 or in August. This plan would, continues Lisle, 

 injure the dam infinitely less than suckling during 

 gestation." — Loudon's EncylopcjEdia. 



The practice of obtaining lambs twice from their 

 ewes in the year was the almost invariable custom 

 throughout Flanders some years ago. " The custom of 

 breeding twice in the year was never generally adopted 

 in great Britain. It occasionally happened, but mostly 

 unsought for, among the Dorset sheep ; and by some 

 farmers it used to be followed on the Mendip Hills." 

 " There is an instance on record of the power of thus 

 producing two families in the year not being confined to 

 the Mindip and Dorset breeds." " In the spring of 

 1801, Mr. Sheriff, of Kinmyles, Inverness, bought a 

 parcel of ewes in lamb, of the white-faced Highland 

 breed. They lambed in March and April. The old 

 ewe, without a tooth, dropped a second lamb on the 

 1st of November, 1801 ; a third on the 29th of April, 

 1802 ; and a fourth on the 12th of January, 1803 ; so 

 that she brought forth four lambs at different times in 

 the course of twenty-one months." — Agricultural 

 Magazine, Feb., 1803, 



These facts are decisive as to its practicabihty. I 

 offer no remarks or inducements to influence breeders : 

 my object is to promote inquiry and gather information, 

 for sure I am that the present practice of slaughter- 

 ing the lamb and the dam in the same year will 

 ere long bring a crisis in the sheep market. Some- 

 thing must be done to uphold and increase the breed of 

 sheep ; and if any of my readers will be kind enough to 

 furnish facts and data of any useful application of this 

 system as suggested, I shall be most happy again to take 

 up the subject, and old-fashioned and obsolete though 

 it be, try and make the best of it, with the hope of ulti- 

 mately providing a better supply of that much coveted 

 dainty, " fat lamb," without so fatally detracting or 

 destroying our breeds of sheep. P. F. 



CAN OUR SOILS BE MADE TO PRODUCE 

 TWO CROPS IN ONE YEAR? 



I take the liberty to ask the question proposed above, 

 with the view of ascertaining what double crops the land 

 can be made to produce ; and I trust some of my in- 

 teUigent readers will be kind enough to give their ex- 

 perience in the columns of this magazine. This is one 

 way — and I think an excellent one, too — of promoting 

 agricultural progress. 



I will endeavour to explain my views in seeking this 

 information. We have now arrived at a point in agri- 

 cultural progression which has almost placed us beyond 

 the vicissitudes of seasons, or the poverty of soils. 

 Subsoil-drainage and steam-cultivation have done very 

 much to obviate the difficulties arising from our sin- 

 gularly fickle climate; and our artificial manures, 

 scientific rotations, and excellent management, have 

 overcome the poverty of our soils. We are, then, com- 

 paratively independent. No sooner is one crop removed 

 or eaten off, than we are ready for another. The 

 gigantic power of steam, with its ploughs or its culti- 

 vators, is at once at its work ; the soil is soon prepared, 

 and a succeeding crop is immediately provided for. 

 There can be no hesitation in adopting a course like 

 this ; it is infinitely better than to permit the soil to lie 

 idle for months. By breaking it up and extending the 

 cultivation, it becomes enriched by atmospheric andam- 

 moniacal influences, alike imbibed both from the air and 

 the subsoil. It is thus, under cleanly management and 

 good drainage, that soils may be prepared to receive two 

 crops in one year. 



We will now inquire what these crops are to be. 

 Not corn crops, of course. Our climate, although greatly 

 improved by drainage and cultivation, is too cold to 

 produce two corn crops of any variety in one year ; and, 

 even if it could, I am not sure they would be so profit- 

 able as the course we may and can adopt, and which, 

 under existing circumstances, appears to be most de- 

 sirable. I mean this : the production of animal food 

 for the multitude has for the past few years become more 

 profitable than the production of grain. The latter is of 

 ready importation : the former is far otherwise, particu- 

 larly in a fresh state ; consequently if by any process in 

 management we can produce more green food and root 

 or vegetable crops for our domestic animals the better, 

 andof these it is possible to produce two crops in one 

 year. Mr. Pusey, in his Essay on the Progress of 

 Agricultural Knowledge, published in the Royal Agricul- 

 tural Society's Journal, 1850, says: "These matters are so 

 well known to good farmers, that I am almost ashamed 

 of describing them : still, I wish them to be not only 

 common, but universal ; that is, on all the lands suited 

 to them." The "matter" or course recommended is 

 this : As soon as the wheat crop is off, the land is to be 

 immediately prepared for rye on one field, which is first 

 sown, and for tares on another. The rye " comes soonest 

 to feed" ; " the land ploughs up after rye in a friable 

 state," and the crop is eaten off in time to sow the land 

 with swedes. The tares succeed the rye for feeding, and 

 are eaten off in time to sow with common turnips. This 

 is a frequent course in many districts, and under steam- 

 cultivation will undoubtedly be widely extended. In 

 other cases early peas, to be followed by turnips, are by 

 no means uncommon. In others, early cabbages, early 

 potatoes, and the like, are eaten or removed, and turnips 

 or coleseed follow ; but it is not my intention at this 

 time to offer suggestions, but to request information. 

 My next question will be. Can our soils be made to 

 grow two crops atone time ? My object is to excite in- 

 quiry, and elicit facts out of the ordinary path, with the 

 hope that some good may arise out of it. P. F. 



