454 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



and confined in the grasG-fiekl regularly every night 

 for the benefit of a more comfortable lie, as well as 

 change of food. Indeed, in such weather, it is 

 often found necessary to shut them out from the 

 break for days together; turnips being carted to 

 them on grass, until the turnip-field gets again into 

 a condition dry enough to receive them. In severe 

 frosts and snow continued, a very small break is 

 given them daily — what is found they can consume 

 before nightfall : the portion of the bulbs above 

 ground being eaten in the forenoon, and the roots 

 picked up to them in the afternoon. Supporting 

 this method with plenty of good oat-stravv', sheep 

 are enabled, in the hardest weather, to get on 

 tolerably well. Towards the middle or end of 

 January, twelve to fifteen scores of the best hoggs, 

 of either sex, are drawn out, and have yellow or 

 Swedish turnips cut and given to them in troughs, 

 a store having been previously prepared, in heaps 

 of ten or twelve cart-loads pitted at regular inter- 

 vals over the field in which they grew. All young 

 sheep beginning at and before this time to lose 

 their front teeth, it becomes of very great further- 

 ance to their mcrease of growth and condition for 

 the market, to cut the turnips for their use'. It 

 insures them a proper supply of food in a form 

 easily consumed ; and thus, in place of wandering 

 about from root to root, nibbling from morning to 

 night with almost toothless gums, without ever 

 being satisfied, they walk forward to their troughs, 

 eat what they desire, and then lie down to rest, ru- 

 minate, and assimilate. If enough of hands could be 

 had to pull root and store in fine weather, there is 

 little doubt but that it would amply remunerate to 

 cut all kinds of turnips to hoggs at this time. But 

 where there are large flocks and a number of cattle 

 to provide for, this is not often practicable, when 

 it is considered that dry weather for the purpose is 

 absolutely necessary. 



Those which are left to eat the turnips on the 

 break, get a good proportion of the bulbs broken 

 for them on the ground by the common picker, as 

 soon as the green tops are eaten over. Such num- 

 ber of the hoggs having by that time lost the whole 

 of their incisors, and the turnips getting so much 

 thicker and tougher in the skin, makes it almost 

 impossible for them to break them themselves. 

 But when split into two or three pieces, allowing 

 them to get an edge on which to bring their 

 grinders into effectual use, helps much to get them 

 sufficient to keep them from falling oflfin condition 

 until they get to grass, when they improve very 

 rapidly, more so than the lot that gets cut swedes. 



If there is not all the greater scarcity of turnips, 

 hoggs are kept oflf grass imtil it has grown strong 

 and luxuriant, so that it may not be endangered of 

 being easily cropped before the genial weather of 

 summer sets in to insure its rapid second growth, 

 nothing proving more destructive to young grasses 

 than the eating of them too closely in spring; but 

 where numbers of ewes and lambs are kept and 

 reared such can rearly be avoided. 



The lot of hoggs taken from the cut swedes or 

 yellows are allowed the best grasses, to keep them 

 still progressing as rapidly as possible for the mar- 

 ket. The greater proportion of them are in prime 

 condition about the middle or end of May, vi'eigh- 



ing then, on the average, from 17 to 18 pounds 

 a-quarter. Having been washed eight or ten days 

 previously, they are then shorn, and, a few of the 

 worst having been drawn out, sold to the best ad- 

 vantage ; the sliotts being kept on grass a week or 

 two longer, till also fit for sale. 



As to the secondary lot fed on white turnips 

 alone (uncut), they too are put to grass about the 

 same time as the others, washed about the end of 

 May, and shorn in June; a few of the best being 

 alterwards drawn out at intervals of a few weeks, 

 according as they are found to get into market- 

 able condition, and sold ; what remains on the 

 ground in the end of August being fed oft' on tur- 

 nips during the ensuing winter. The half-bred 

 ewe lambs bought in, to replace in due time the 

 ewes drafted out, are usually allowed only about 

 half turnips during the first month or two of 

 winter, but afterwards as many as they can con- 

 sume ; for although it may appear an expensive 

 way of treating keeping stock, the enhanced quality 

 and the increased weight of the wool cause it more 

 them to pay. 



And now for a very few remarks on the diseases 

 of sheep. 



Sheep, on the most of farms, and especially in 

 certain seasons, and during their first year, are ex- 

 ceedingly liable to disease and death. Indeed, 

 with some farmers, the mortality is so great as 

 almost to preclude them from feeding any with a 

 profit, confining their attention in that department 

 wholly to cattle, which are sometimes, in that 

 respect, from lung disease, &c., little better. It 

 therefore becomes a question of very serious im- 

 portance to all, but especially to such, whether 

 something cannot be done in the way of, in a great 

 measure, effectually ])reventing or successfully 

 curing those diseases to which sheep generally fall 

 victims. Some of our best veterinary authors, in 

 their works of pathology, minutely and graphically 

 describe the causes, symptoms, and means of cure 

 of the most of these, and which I have read care- 

 fully and with due attention. Yet, with all respect 

 for the opinions of these learned and able men of 

 science, I cannot avoid being deeply impressed 

 with the behef — and my impressions are produced 

 by practical observation and experience — that the 

 real and important question is, not so much as to 

 how many of the diseases affecting sheep are to be 

 cured, as to how they are to be prevented. 



I attended at Clyde-street Veterinary College, 

 session 1851-52, and listened to the able and 

 thoroughly practical instructions of Professor Dick 

 on pathology — to the calmly delivered, clear, scien- 

 tific, and never-to-be-forgotten lectures of the late 

 Mr. Barlow on comparative anatomy — to the ear- 

 nest and intelligent Mr. Finlay Dunn on materia 

 medica— and to the highly-interesting and im- 

 pressive lectures of the late Dr, George Wilson on 

 chemistry — than which a better and more able staflF 

 of teachers of the veterinary art need not exist. I 

 returned home in spring, flushed in theory with the 

 already sanguine anticipation of seeing the most 

 of diseases affecting the domesticated animals 

 vanish before the potent appliances of ray newly- 

 acquired art. With horses and cattle I was not 

 altogether disappointed. In them the symptoms 



