THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



453 



such a purpose. As a rule however, younjr Iambs 

 are confined as short a time as possible, as they 

 are found never to tlirive so well as in the open air, 

 if the weather will allow at all. 



When the first lot of ewes is getting nearly all 

 dehvered, the second lot is drawn out, and treated 

 in like manner; and so also, in due time, the third 

 and last lot. If turnips can be spared, even in fine 

 weather, a few cart-loads are occasionally laid thinly 

 down in the sheltery bits of many of the grass- 

 fields, which is a great assistance in the way of 

 economising grass, as well as a very acceptable 

 variety of food to the ewes, which eat considerable 

 quantities of them in preference to grass alone, 

 especially when a few cold days set in. For the 

 production of milk, yellow turnips are found to be 

 the best ; oats are also thought to have a good 

 effect that way, and are accordingly at times given 

 to some of the worst milkers. Indeed, neither 

 food nor attention is withheld when called for, as 

 both most strongly and urgently are during the 

 lambing season, every means being resorted to 

 which at the time is thought can be of any avail in 

 preserving the lives of both old and young, as well 

 as promoting the rapid and healthy growth of the 

 latter. 



The tup lambs are castrated when two to four 

 weeks of age, according as weather will permit — 

 favourable mornings being regarded as quite indis- 

 pensable for this operation; choosing, rather as 

 castrate in a frost-tainted atmosphere, or in a chill 

 east or north-east wind, to delay for days until the 

 air becomes genial — mild, soft, misty, growthy 

 mornings being what is really desired for it. In- 

 stead of performing the operation in the scientific 

 style — of making an incision on either side of the 

 scrotum, and extracting the testicles — the shepherd 

 here finds it much safer to excise the inferior part 

 of it entirely, the blood getting thus more freely 

 away without coagulating and causing mortification 

 internally, as it will occasionally do when performed 

 by the former method. About the middle and end 

 of June the ewes are shorn. About that time the 

 wool naturally begins to fall off" itself, and were 

 they shorn a fortnight sooner, more wool might be 

 procured ; only the danger then exists of a cold 

 night or two setting in, and not only greatly and 

 (to the lambs) injuriously lessening the secretion 

 of milk, but even, in extreme instances, causing 

 death to some of the ewes. Somewhere near the 

 end of July the lambs are weaned and removed 

 to the other farm, where grass for some time 

 pi-evious had been lightly pastured on purpose 

 for them ; where they are out of hearing of the 

 bleating of the ewes, ss well as the ewes 

 of them — thus causing both to settle much 

 more quickly than when nearer ; while the lambs, 

 being changed to better pasture, prevents them 

 from feeling to any great extent the sudden and 

 total deprivation of milk. The ewes are afterwards 

 hand-milked for a week or ten days, sometimes a 

 fortnight, according to circumstances ; allowing, 

 near the finish, longer intervals to elapse between 

 milkings before ceasing altogether, thus in a great 

 measure preventing the bad effects that might 

 accrue from an overflow of milk being left to stag- 

 nate in the udder. By gently driving to and into 



the fold or buglit, and the shepherd's waiting 

 closely on to superintend the milking, seeing that 

 no unnecessary rough-handling or other abuse is 

 practised, the milking is found not to be injurious 

 in the smallest to the flock, but rather beneficial, in 

 its preventing udders from going wrong from over- 

 distention, besides yielding a large amount of rich 

 valuable cheese. For a few days after the milking 

 is left off, the shepherd, in walking about amongst 

 the ewes, keeps a careful look out, lest any of them 

 require to be caught and relieved of part of their 

 milk in the field. Immediately, also, about this 

 time, a third part of the ewes are drafted out, 

 and put into one of the best fields of pasture, to 

 prepare them for sale in September; while the 

 others are kept chiefly on the hill pasture, until the 

 oat stubbles are ready for them. 



As to the feeding department, the lambs, which 

 at weaning-time are removed to the lower farm and 

 better pasture, are grazed there until folded on 

 turnips. In dry autumns they are allowed the use 

 of the young grasses as well as the bare stubble ; 

 but in the wet, only the latter, it being found that 

 the former does them then more harm than good ; 

 the/, on the other hand, doing at a very serious 

 and irreparable injury by the poaching of it with 

 their feet. Even in dry weather it is thought ad- 

 visable to turn them oflFto older pastures at night; 

 as when young grass is, as it often is at that season, 

 covered in the morning with heavy cold damps and 

 frosts, they ought not to be on it till some time 

 through the course of the forenoon, or height of 

 the day. The feeding sheep having been put on 

 about a month earlier, towards the middle of Oc- 

 tober the whole of the home-bred or feeding lamb» 

 are folded on white turnips — on either farm — of the 

 earlier or middle sowings, the later-sown, even 

 although of good size, being found to cause more 

 sickness and death. A good-sized break is given 

 to begin with, so that they may not by crowding 

 destroy the turnips under foot. As soon as this 

 is ready for picking, a second is given, and so on 

 as required, never allowing them to get too bare 

 before giving a fresh break, as deaths are in that 

 case more apt to occur from eating too much earth- 

 soiled turnip roots in the one instance,* and too 

 greedily of the fresh turnip tops in the next. 



They have along with the turnips — in the early 

 part of winter — the use also of one or more of the 

 adjoining grass-fields, on which they can run oft' 

 and on at will ; unless when more than the usual 

 number of deaths are occurring, or the turnip- 

 break getting very wet and muddy from heavy and 

 continued falls of rain, when they are driven into 



* In some districts, more es])ecially where the 

 soil is of a sandy nature, large numbers of sheep die 

 from eating soiled roots. Sand accumulates in the 

 stomach, and may sometimes be taken out in 

 handfuls. Cleaning and cutting the roots is the 

 only eflfectual preventive. When it happens that 

 it is not convenient to do so, the stock should 

 never be kept too bare of turnips in wet weather, 

 and more particularly in changes from frost to 

 thaw. This, no doubt, entails a greater waste of 

 food, but the losses arising from deaths will be con- 

 siderably diminished. — Ed. 



