THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



319 



trable forests of America— the vegetable earth contains 

 always the same fertilizing principles, the same that we 

 find in larger doses in compost, the spoils of what has 

 vegetated and lived on the globe; ammonia, or nitric 

 acid, the most ordinary of ammoniacal salts united to 

 nitrates ; phosphates mixed with alkaline and earthy 

 salts ; and constantly organic azotous matters, of which 

 the carbon, given by analysis, is evidently the index, and 

 in some sort the measure. Complex matters incom- 



pletely studied, to which, in the mean time, according 

 to my experiments I recognize that singular property of 

 producing, under certain influences acting in the normal 

 conditions of arable land, nitric acid and ammonia, that 

 is to say, the two combinations in which azote is assi- 

 milable by plants. Boussingault, 



(Member of the Academy of Science, and of 



the Imperial and Central Society 



of Agriculture.) 



THE EWE.— THE LAMBING SEASON. 



It can never be out of time to bring this subject be- 

 fore the breeders of sheep, particularly when all are so 

 anxiously looking forward to the lambing season, I say 

 this, because I have for several years taken this liberty 

 in the columns of the Mark Lane Express ; and to me 

 it does seem to require an apology for again and again 

 recurring to it, as nothing new can be said upon it. It 

 is too true, however, that the great bulk of mankind 

 require to be reminded of mere common truths and 

 common practices, even in the most ordinary things. I 

 shall, therefore, again trespass a little upon the patience 

 of my readers, with a few common observations and 

 directions. 



Before doing so, however, I would make a few re- 

 marks upon a subject I mooted a few weeks ago — i. e., 

 " Will the ewe breed twice in the year i^ " I have to 

 thank those gentlemen who have so kindly and promptly 

 contributed information upon it, and which, as known 

 facts, are very valuable of their kind. I did not ask 

 " if it could be profitably done !" but I wished to ascer- 

 tain a few plain facts as to its actually being accom- 

 plished within a limited period, and with what results. 

 These have been satisfactorily furnished by the several 

 correspondents of the Mark Lane Exjiress, and from 

 which I gather that it is easily to be done, but not with 

 such beneficial results as might be anticipated. Well, 

 then, herein lies the difficulty : Can it be profitably 

 done 1 I am not in a position to answer this question. 

 My aim is to promote inquiry, and, if possible, to prove 

 this to be a very fact. If we look at what has been 

 accomplished in almost every department of business, 

 be it in agriculture, manufactures, chemistry, me- 

 chanical science, steam appliances, or, indeed, taking in 

 the whole field and scope of scientific ressarch, we are 

 struck with astonishment and wonder to find what the 

 skill and industry of man has discovered and brought 

 into full and effective usefulness. 



From this, we may rest assured that the care and 

 skill of the breeder of sheep would, in this instance, 

 ultimately discover a process or means whereby this 

 double crop of lambs may be turned to profitable ac- 

 count. For my own part, I must confess, I see no 

 great difficulty in it ; and I would suggest that a goodly 

 number of breeders would judiciously undertake the ex- 

 periment, each accoiding to his own view of the case, 

 and carry it out in the most liberal and best manner he 

 can devise ; each breeder to try with ewes of his own 

 flock, 80 that the different breeds may be thus proved ; 

 the result to be from time to time given to the public 

 through the columns of the Mark Lane Express and 

 other papers. I certainly propose being one of that 

 number, upon a small scale ; for I would by no means 

 counsel going extensively into it. My intention is, to 

 commence with about a score ewes of different ages. 

 The flock being large " longwools," and not very pro- 

 lific breeders, I consider my prospects of success to be 

 very doubtful. My predilection is in favour of the 

 light-woolled breeds for this purpose, as they are gene- 



rally better sucklers, and produce also more lambs. The 

 Hampshire or Shropshire Downs are, I think, to be 

 preferred for this experiment ; but, as it is an experi- 

 ment, all our popular breeds should be called upon to 

 test it, and thus prove their adaptation. 



The course I shall pursue is this : My ewes have just 

 commenced lambing. Ewes will generally take the ram 

 at three weeks. By this time I shuU select those I 

 choose to experiment upon, and confine them in a pad- 

 dock where the ram can have ready access to them. I 

 shall feed them with mangolds, cut oat- sheaves, cake, 

 and corn. They will have the run of my best pastures 

 in the summer, and be well fed; and as soon as the 

 lambs have become accustomed to the corn and cake, 

 and ar* fairly grown, I shall wean them, taking care to 

 keep them in the best way I possibly can, to prepare 

 them for wintering. 



The ewe will thus have time to dry up her milk, and 

 have a rest, to prepare for the next lainbiny season, 

 which, I calculate, would fall in August and September. 

 Thf se lambs I prefer preparing for the butcher — i. e., 

 " fat lamb" — as they would not gain strength enough to 

 abide our severe winters unless they were housed, and 

 which might ultimately be adopted, in preference to 

 fatting them. The ewe, to accomplish this, would re- 

 quire the best and most nutritious food ; in fact, the 

 favourable result of the experiment rests solely upon ma- 

 nagement — upon management yet to be developed, but 

 which, I doubt not, the tact, care, and skill of the 

 British farmer will successfully achieve. The ewe, at 

 her three weeks' end, will probably take the ram again, 

 when, of course, she again becomes a part of my regular 

 flock, after having reared one lamb, and having another 

 at her foot. 



I am not very sanguine as to the result of these ex- 

 periments ; and I have no doubt the question itself will 

 meet with its full share of ridicule. Still, the thing is 

 worth trying. Something must he done. Population 

 is vastly on the increase ; the whole fully employed. 

 Sheep, on the contrary, are decreasing. Mutton and 

 wool are at prices never heard of in times of peace — an 

 evident scarcity. Graziers and breeders have done 

 much to cause this, by fatting the lamb and the dam 

 the same season. Here, then, is one way of increasing 

 the number by breeding ; and I think it a poor compli- 

 ment to our modern agriculture, if, amidst all its re- 

 search, it cannot discover a mode of profitably 

 accomplishing this desideratum. 



But to the lambing season. I have so often given 

 directions, in the Mark Lane Express, relative to the 

 management of ewes in the lambing season, in detail, 

 that I must now barely give an outline of the principal : 



1st, I take it for granted that the flock has been pro- 

 perly kept, and prepared for the season. 



2nd, Prepare the lambing-field with a sufficient 

 number of temporary pens and shelters, warm and dry. 



3rd, Prepare a dry, warm lambing paddock or en- 



