IX.] CORN IS APPLICABLE. 



all tell you, that it is next to impossible, do what 

 you will, to keep the flesh of these sheep up, 

 after taking them from their rich pasture ; and, 

 indeed, they say, that, even if your pasture be 

 more rich in itself, the sheep will, more or less, 

 fall off in their flesh. It does not suit me to kill 

 sheep at once, and, therefore, these six were 

 killed, one every week. When four of these had 

 been killed, 1 happened to be visited by a butcher, 

 who has, I dare say, examined the condition of 

 more sheep than ever he had hairs upon his head 

 and upon his face in the bargain. He had been 

 warning me against keeping sheep, against buying 

 live fat sheep, iniless I killed them directly ; and 

 this for the reason before mentioned; and he 

 was totally incredulous as to the effect of the 

 corn. After this he went out into the yard, and 

 examined the sheep ; and he declared, that, they 

 had not only not lost flesh, but that they were 

 actually thriving. So much for fat sheep ; and 

 the farmer will know that that which will add 

 fat to a Lincolnshire wether, which is already fat, 

 cannot fail to fatten any other sort of sheep. 

 But the master-work of farming, with regard to 

 sheep, is the rearing and fattening of house-lambs. 

 To do this, oats, bran, grains, cut chaff fer- 

 mented, all sorts of schemes are resorted to, to 

 make the ewes give milk; and, to give the 

 lambs a little food at the same time, which shall 



