Cultivation of Grafs Land&quot;~~Houfe~Lamh Suclding-^Sfanagement cfj oSl 



there is not plenty of grafs, as it is of much cGnfequence to keep them well be 

 fore the time of lambing as well as afterwards. They ufually begin to lamb a 

 little before Michaelmas, and when twenty or thirty lambs are dropped they may 

 be put into and confined in the houfc. And in order to their feeding in the rnoft 

 pcrfec t and expeditious manner,, is is necefTary that the houfe be kept conftantly 

 well littered with clean wheat-draw. All the dirt and naftincfs that may arifeor 

 adhere to the coops, hurdles, or other parts, fhould be often carefully removed and 

 wa flicd away,as without care in this rcfped: the lambs never thrive well. It is 1 ike- 

 wife nccelTury to provide a proper fupplyof calcined chalk, both in the lamp and in 

 powder, in order that by licking it they may correct the fuperabundant acidity of 

 the ftomach, and thereby prevent the tendency to loofenefs,and preferve thcmfelves 

 in health. Proper fupplies of frefh wheat fhould likewife be placed in a mallow 

 trough every day for their feeding upon. And as they are apt to fuck any thing 

 that comes in their way, a little clean wheat.ftraw mould be put, with the ear ends 

 downwards, in a rack within their reach, for them to nibble and eat of. If there 

 be pitch-marks on the ewes, they fhould alfo be clipped out. The foot-rot and fcab 

 are likewifc to be well guarded againft. 



The method of management that is ufually adopted in thefttckfftig-btvfe is this : 

 &amp;lt;f The mothers of the lambs are turned every night at eight o clock into the 

 lamb-houfe to their offspring. At fix o clock in the morning thefe mothers are 

 feparated from their lambs and turned into the pafhires ; and at eight o clock fuch 

 ewes as have loft their own lambs, and thofe ewes whofe lambs are fold, are 

 brought in and held by the head till the lambs by turns fuck them clean : they are 

 then turned into the paflure ; and at twelve o clock the mothers of the lambs are 

 driven from the paflures into the lamb-houfe for an hour, in the courfe of which 

 time each lamb is fuckled by its mother. At four o clock all the ewes that have 

 not lambs of their own are again brought to the lamb-houfe, and held for the 

 lambs to fuck; and at eight the mothers of the lambs are brought to them for the 

 night. 



&quot; If an ewe gives more milk than its lamb will fuck, the fuperabundance is 

 given to the twins, or to any other lamb whofe mother may not be able to furnifh 

 it with lufficient food. The fhepherd muft in this cafe hold the ewe, or me would 

 not fuffer the ftrange Iamb to fuck. From their timid nature, it is extremely 

 eflential that they (hould be kept free from every fpecies of unnecefTary difturb- 

 ance.* &quot; 



* Middlefex Correded Agricultural Report. 



