572 PHYSIOLOGY AT THE FARM. 



must not be allowed more than six or seven laps, or they would 

 get too much. 



" In summer an extra cow or two will be of advantage in 

 the dairy ; for the milk, after it has been skimmed, may be 

 used instead of flesh. There must always be a little flesh in 

 hand for the sick, for bitches with their whelps, and for the 

 entry of young hounds. About Christinas is the time to 

 arrange the breeding establishment. The number of puppies 

 produced is usually from five to eight or nine ; but in one 

 strange case eighteen of them made their appearance. The 

 constitution and other appearances in the dam will decide the 

 number to be preserved. When the whelps are sufficiently 

 well grown to run about, they should be placed in a warm 

 situation, with plenty of fresh grass, and a sufficient quantity 

 of clean but not over-stimulating food." * In round numbers, 

 the allowance for each hound per day is 3 Ib. of horse-flesh 

 and 18 ounces of oatmeal. 



The shepherd's dog, the rearing of which more especially 

 belongs to the farmer, deserves all the care that can be bestowed 

 upon him. In respect to his food, daily attention to his condi- 

 tion and appetite will teach more than any rules drawn from 

 theory. 



On Feeding of Poultry, On the rearing of poultry there 

 are a good many observations made in the 'Book of the Farm.' 

 Some extracts from these, with a few additional observations, 

 will suffice under the present head. " Of all the animals reared 

 on a farm," it is said, " none are so much neglected by the 

 farmer, both as regards selection of their kind and disposition 

 to fatten, as every sort of domesticated fowl. . . . Few farmers 

 kill their own mutton, that is, keep fat sheep for their own 

 use. Lamb they do kill in the season ; but as to beef, it is 

 * Youatt, 'The Dog,' p. 83. 



