THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



949 



means of re(rainingr the cliavactov for good wool formerly 

 enjoyed by the colony, pledged themselves not to shear 

 their sheep's wool under a ten months' growth and well 

 got up. They also determined on appointing an agent, 

 to send homo the wool of such members as wore de- 

 sirous of selling in the London market, under the 

 guarantee and mark of the Society, with the owner's 

 name in full on each bale. 



Wool has made the Cape Colony what it now is ; its 

 towns, villages, and lands owe their value to wool. 

 England itself is mainly dependent, in her present 

 greatness, on wool ; and its acknowledged worth is ra- 

 pidly inducing other nations to cultivate its growth. 



Russia is holding out inducements for experiments on 

 an extended scale in her vast dominions. India and 

 America are also fast bringing themselves into notice 

 as wool-producing countries. The quantity of wool 

 now received from India nearly equals that from the 

 Cape. Her soil, her climate, her race of hardy enter- 

 prising men — all favour the rapid and successful growth 

 of wool in South Africa ; and it is a well-known fact 

 that there is a tendency (attributable to the very dry 

 nature of the climate) in wool to become fine. Yet 

 we hear of dirty, kempy, ill-washed, short wool— a 

 character which ought not longer to attach to Capo 

 wools. 



THE LAMBING SEASON 



The importance of this subject to every sheep-breeder 

 prevents the necessity of an apology for so repeatedly 

 recurring to it on the approach of every season. My 

 great aim and desire is to call immediate attention to its 

 many details in management, and to the various methods 

 and plans in general use for ensuring a prosperous 

 lambing season. 



The Preparation of the Ewe Flock. — One of 

 the most important is the preparation of the ewe flock 

 for this hazardous and interesting time. This must 

 chiefly depend upon the variety and nutritive value of 

 the food supplied. Ewes depastured upon good grass 

 pastures through the winter, with an occasional supply of 

 roots in precarious and severe weather, so that they are 

 kept in a fair and thriving store state, generally produce 

 a healthy fall of lambs, without much loss to the flock. 

 My own flock is always wintered in this way, except 

 that they are daUif supplied with a few mangolds, rather 

 than with an occasional supply in bad weather. The 

 usual allowance is at the estimate of a small mangold to 

 each animal per day, commencing on the 1st of January. 

 By this course the stamina of the ewe is upheld to the 

 time of lambing, whereas an occasional feeding only 

 causes restlessness and worrying in the animal — they are 

 running after every cart; and what is worse, this 

 irregular feeding is injurious to the constitution, and 

 fever is induced after parturition. Ewes cannot be kept 

 too quiet, and they must be fed with great regularity 

 and upon food of like nature — a change from grass to 

 turnips, from turnips to mangolds, from mangolds to 

 swedes, or vice versa, or again to grass ; or if these 

 various roots are given them on grass, or in inverse 

 order as named, it is almost certain to have a decidedly 

 bad eff'ect upon some of them. Great care, then, 1 re- 

 peat, must be given to keep them well, without any 

 violent changes, taking care not to get them up into too 

 high condition. Depend upon it, much of the success 

 in the season is owing to their previous good manage- 

 ment. If their condition is too high, fever and mortifi- 

 cationarethe certain accompaniments of lambing in many 

 cases, besides a short supply of milk, the secretions for 

 which having gone into the animal's fatting matters. If 

 their condition is too low, then typhoid fever, loss of 



milk, sloughing of wool, and in very many cases death 

 ensues, or the animal becomes a worthless crone. A 

 moderate allowance of oats, or cut chaff from oat- 

 sheaves, is a very useful addition in very bad weather, 

 but not necessary or desirable throughout the winter. 



Ewes wintered upon coleseed or turnips, if they are 

 not too "fresh," generally do well, provided the food 

 itself is of healthy quality ; but I have known very 

 serious losses arise from wintering them on mildewed 

 crops of either sort. To keep the ewe flock thriving 

 and healthy, it must be fed upon good and sound food, 

 without much variation in kind, as I have already said. 

 It is also indispensable that, as they are wintered, so 

 they must continue on such keeping till the season is 

 over. It will by no means do to take them from tur- 

 nips or coleseed to grass in order to lamb, or vice versa; 

 but if such a change is imperatively necessary, it must 

 be very gradually made. It is, however, better to per- 

 mit them to lamb upon the same kind of keeping as 

 that upon which they have been kept for the three pre- 

 vious months, and then make the change. 



I am by no means sure that the customary plan of 

 collecting them into "a lambing pen " or paddock is 

 the very best course ; at all events it should merely be 

 for the night, to have free egress in the morning to 

 rove about their fields. Close confinement after a win- 

 ter's freedom is bad ; besides, the paddock soon becomes 

 tainted with various matters connected with the lambing 

 season, and contamination with mortifying substances 

 is sure to produce the like effects in whatever animal 

 comes in contact with them. Air, exercise, abundance 

 of nutritious food, and cleanliness are great elements of 

 success in every lambing season. I highly approve of 

 the roomy paddock, well sheltered, and provided with 

 many separate pens, closely made, and through which 

 the rough storms can find no entrance. In this pad- 

 dock I would collect the flock on dark nights and un- 

 settled weather, but on the fine and moonlight nights I 

 would leave them in the field, provided the shepherd 

 could have a fair oversight of them. I am convinced 

 that this is the most healthy course, and with ordinary 

 care no loss of lambs will take place. It is at some in- 

 convenie nee to the shepherd ; but bis accustomed ear, if 



