6 82 Live St6CK**-+$fap Management of, 



notice of the firmer,* that wool of the fined quality may be produced in this 

 country by means of Spaiiijh Jheep, and their being judicioufly crofled without 

 vvn rme-wcolicd breeds ; a circtimftance of the greateft national importance, 

 ns afford ing a probable means of rendering us independent of the foreign fupply 

 of this expeniivc but indifpenfible article. Too much attention cannot therefore 

 be bellowed by the breeding fheep-farmer, in promoting this fort of improvement, 

 wherever the nature of his land will admit of it; which may be the cafe, in moft 

 jituations. where the fhort-woolled breeds of fheep can be properly kept, or pro 

 bably on more than one half of the pafture-lands of the kingdom. + There is one 

 inducement to this, which is that of its not interfering with the production of the 

 rnoft valuable fort of mutton, a point to which the fheep-breeders of this country 

 have till lately been particularly attentive, almoft without regarding the quality of 

 the wools ; as it has been found that the quality of the flefh in the different divi- 

 iions offheep inclines to the nature of the wool, the fhort-woolled fheep being 

 clofe in the grain of their flelh, of courfe heavy in the fcale, and in the tafte high 

 flavoured ; while the polled long-woolled fort are more open and loofe in this re- 

 fpect, larger in fize, and the mutton more coarfe, and in general Jefs faleable. % 



Management ofjheep. In the management of fheep different fyftems are pur- 

 fued, according to the nature of the farms on which they are kept, and the me 

 thods of hufbandry that are pradifed ; but whatever thefe may be, it is a principal 

 object with the belt fheep- managers to preferve them in as good condition as pof-, 

 fiblc at all feafons of the year. This is particularly the cafe with the pafture kinda 

 of fheep. In order to accomplifh it in the beft manner, it is ufeful to divide them 

 into different parcels in refpect to their ages and forts, as by fuch means they 

 may be kept with more convenience and advantage than in large flocks together 

 tinder a mixture of various kinds. In this mode there will be lefs wafte of food, 

 and the animals at thefame time thrive better, and thepaftures be fed with more 

 cafe and facility. The benefit of this management has been fully experienced in 

 many of the northern diftricts,where they fcparate the fheep- ftock into lambs, 

 yearlings, wethers, and breeding ewes. It is probable, too, that in this practice 

 a much larger proportion of ftock may not only be kept, but the fheep be preferred 

 in a more thriving and healthy ftate. 



*Lord Somerville s Syftem of the Board of Agriculture. 



-V Lord Somerville in Communications to tb Board, Vol, II, 



