on Heavy and Light Land. 245 



oats or barley, according to soil and climate, with seeds, which 

 need hardly extend over the whole of this break, but may be use- 

 fully supplemented by pulse crops. The course reduced to a 

 tabulated form, stands thus : — 



1. Vetclies, roots, &c., &c. 



2. Oats or bcarley, part seeded down, 



o ("Seeds, mown and fed, or fed entirely, 



IPnlse crops, 

 A J Seeds fed, then rape, or late turnips, &c, 



(After pulse, vetches and supplementary forage crops. 

 5. Wheat, 



If it is desired to have more corn, we may take a barley crop 

 after the wheat, and thus make a six years' course. The 

 farmyard manure would, if possible, be divided between the 

 roots and seeds, or possibly all applied to the seeds, the soil 

 being- enriched by artificial food consumed on seeds, vetches, 

 and root crops. 



General Management of Eioes. 



We now come to the very pith of our subject. The precise 

 period at which the ram should be put to the ewes depends 

 upon climate, nature of the soil, and supply of spring food. In 

 exposed and late districts it is a mistake to have the lamb early, 

 as there it is easier and cheaper to keep the lamb inside than 

 out of the ewe. At the time of going to the ram the ewes 

 should be in good and rather mending condition ; the strength 

 of the lambs and the proportion of doubles depends greatly 

 upon this. At the same time the soil, as affecting the quality 

 of the food, enters into this question. I remember a circumstance 

 that may be cited in confirmation of this. A Berkshire farmer, 

 dissatisfied with the produce of his Hampshire Down ewes, pur- 

 chased a score of Shropshire ewes from a farm where the average 

 produce was always an excess of fifty per cent. He wintered 

 them well, and was disappointed when they only produced one 

 lamb each : evidently the nature of his food was unfavourable to 

 the production of doubles. If the ewes are poor and are suddenly 

 put upon very forcing food, blood is made too rapidly and the 

 ewes are likely to turn from the ram. Rape is said to have this 

 effect, although when the ewes are strong and healthy a moderate 

 amount of such food, as a change, is very beneficial. The plan of 

 using "teasers" is good when the males are very valuable and 

 the feeding-grounds lie adjacent to the homestead. The rams are 

 also sometimes kept from the ewes during the day and turned 

 together at night ; but this is hardly to be recommended, as ewes 

 may possibly be missed. As a general rule the ram may remain 

 with the ewes, having 1 or 2 lbs. of oilcake daily, or a handful 



