424 MODERN FARRIER. 



price, five or six guineas being most frequently 

 given. 



20. Leaping. 



The manner of treating rams has lately received 

 a very great improvement. Instead of turning 

 them loose among the ewes at large, as heretofore, 

 and agreeably to the universal practice of the island, 

 they are kept apart, in a separate paddock or small 

 inclosure, with a couple of ewes only each to make 

 them rest quietly ; having the ewes of the flock 

 brought to them singly, and leaping each only once. 

 By this judicious and accurate regulation, a ram is 

 enabled to impregnate near twice the number of 

 ewes he would do, if turned loose among them, es- 

 pecially a young ram. In the old practice, sixty or 

 eighty ewes were esteemed the full number for a 

 ram : in the new, from a hundred to a hundred and 

 tw^enty are allowed. Seven score have been served 

 by one ram in a season : this is, however, much too 

 great a number. 



This method may be very judicious when a ram 

 is much superior to others, but it is not usual. The 

 shepherd, however, ought to be particular during 

 rutting time. It frequently happens that a tup will 

 drive an ewe, which is in season, out from the flock, 

 and stand by her for a long time, for days even, 

 without doing his duty. They should be separated 

 as far as possible from each other. Sometimes a tup 

 will follow an ew^e not inclined to receive him for a 

 whole day, while others in season will in vain solicit 

 his attention ; nay, he will often be so ungallant as 

 to beat them off. In this case separation is also 

 necessary. 



Some people rub the breasts of the rams with 

 some pigment, and remove every ewe which has 

 any mark of it ^s having been served. This, how- 



