336 Sheep. 



slaughtered before they are fully fat, which happens when food 

 is scarce or mutton unusually dear. 



The following is a contribution from an able pen on a subject 

 which has attracted popular notice in these times of dear meat : — 



" The consumption of lamb is not so wasteful as might at first 

 sight appear, because the young animal, if highly fed, is ripe for 

 the butcher before it has received any check in its development 

 by those constitutional changes which form breaks in the progress 

 of all animals towards maturity. The season of the year is also 

 then generally favourable for obtaining good economical results 

 from a liberal use of the richest food. But neither the seasons 

 nor the constitution of the sheep allow us to maintain continuously, 

 with profit, such a high rate of feeding. Rich food, therefore, 

 would not be so liberally used but for the trade in lamb, and our 

 store of mutton-making materials would be so far diminished. 

 Fewer breeding ewes would probably be kept if a larger portion 

 of their produce had to be supported for a longer period, so that 

 if the butcher had heavier carcases on the average, their numbers 

 would be diminished. 



"If wo admit that the lamb at birth is chargeable with nearly 

 two-thirds of the cost of feeding .a ewe for a year (the wool 

 paying the balance), and that this cliavf/e falls twice as heavily 

 on a carcase of 40 lbs. as on one of 80 lbs., still wa should bear 

 in mind that the ewe (except so far as she is dohu/ her lam))) is a 

 handy and thrifty animal, and sustains life much more eco- 

 nomical Iv than a hoggett, when first encountering the cold and 

 wet of autumn. 



" The question, therefore, practically resolves itself into this. 

 Is it more economical, on the Avhole, to keep for a year, say from 

 June 1, a larger number of lambs, to be sold fat the following 

 year, or to keep nearly a like number of ewes in excess, in order 

 to produce fat lambs ? Which requires most food for a year's 

 keep, a hoggett, or a ewe with her lamb ? Which gives the best 

 return?" 



This seems to me to be a correct and logical view of a subject 

 which is Avorthy of further illustration and discussion in detail. 



Assuming that a lamb costs IO5. at its birth, whether it is to 

 be killed as lamb at 5 stones, or as mutton at 10 stones, then the 

 incidence of what we may call this poll-tax is 2s. per stone on 

 lamb, and only l.s\ per stone on mutton. The chief item of the 

 extra cost of lamb is food ; and it appears to be a rather popular 

 notion that by giving up the wasteful process of making fat 

 Iamb, we should necessarily have food on hand for the growth of 

 heavier carcases, saving the extra Is. per stone, or rather spending 

 it in the production of mutton. 



On this view it must be concluded that the community is 



