the Austro-Hungarian Empire. 357 



in England. Neither must they ever be out in the rain, and on 

 the approach of a shower the shepherds hurry them home. They 

 follow the shepherds like dogs, both in and out of their stables, 

 and he leads them to the pastures in true oriental style. 



In April the flocks are classed according to the quality of their 

 wool, and the examination is conducted upon the principle already 

 explained (p. 41). There are two lambing seasons ; the first in 

 April and May, the second in August and September. Lambing 

 takes place under cover, and the ewes are good mothers, but 

 middling milkers. Shearing takes place in Alav, and is done 

 by women, who shear in a shearing-house with strong scissors. 

 Washing is very carefully attended to, and is done in cold or 

 in hot water. In cold washing they are dipped two or three 

 times, and then allowed to stand and sweat to soften the dirt. 

 They are then washed with the hand and swum through clean 

 water. In hot washing they are first dipped two or three times 

 in cold water to soften the dirt, then they are washed in a large 

 tub in warm water with soap, and lastly douched in cold water. 

 Some flock-masters are now clipping their sheep dirty, and 

 selling the wool to the factory washers, who wash the wool and 

 preserve the potash contained in it. The lambs falling in the 

 spring are washed and clipped in August, and yield about f lb. 

 of wool. 



As wool is the principal object in keeping sheep, the wethers 

 are kept on to ten and even thirteen years old. The old-fashioned 

 practice, fifteen to twenty years ago, was to feed in winter upon 

 coarse hay and straw. Mangold-wurzel is now generally used for 

 breeding-ewes, and this is pulped and given mixed with hay and 

 straw-chaff. The stock or store sheep at the present day only 

 receive mangold upon the most advanced estates. Corn or cake 

 is never given unless to rams, and occasionally to lambs and 

 culls which are fatting. 



The cull sheep are run on the stubbles, and are then sold to 

 the butchers at low prices, being only culled on account of 

 extreme old age. This is the course upon less advanced estates. 

 Where a more enterprising management exists, and especially 

 where there is a distillery, the culls are fed through the winter 

 upon wash and mixed meals, and are sold fat in the spring either 

 rough or shorn. Examples will be presently given of sheep- 

 feeding under the best circumstances. 



Upon large estates the sheep flock is divided into sections, 

 according to quality. Thus, for example, on Count John Palffy's 

 estates the fourth-class flock is always kept on two particular 

 districts ; the third, second, and first classes also have their 

 localities, as also the Pepenier or highest quality of flock. In 

 April, when the sheep are thoroughly inspected, any bad or 



