THE HURDLING SYSTEM 339 



of small round poles and twigs ; here they could easily be 

 made of light wood which should be creosoted. He 

 encloses an acre, more or less, of 'good forage which 

 may He of pasture grass, vetches, rape or a mixture of 

 forage crop. In this enclosure sheep are penned until 

 they have eaten the land nearly bare. It is common prac- 

 tice to enclose enough so that it is eaten off daily, so 

 that each evening the flock is given fresh pasturage. If 

 there are lambs, two enclosures are made, and through 

 creeps the lambs are allowed to "go forward" into the 

 enclosure farthest into to the field, the ewes remaining 

 behind but being turned the next day where the lambs 

 had been, while the lambs again go forward to fresh 

 grazing. There is no better manner than this of feeding 

 off stuff, if one has time to attend the sheep and move 

 the hurdles. In America there is often sorrje need of 

 shade, also, which can often be best afforded by letting 

 the flock come at 10 o'clock to the cool barn sheds, which 

 should be airy and clean. At 3 they would go again to 

 their hurdles. Temporary shelters from the sun are 

 also used in America; even tents have been in use, but 

 they are troublesome and subject to windstorms. In a 

 system of feeding off crops by hurdling there is little 

 waste, small danger of the animals becoming parasitic, 

 and thus the greatest bloom and health are seen in the 

 flock. It is a system practiced by some well-known ram 

 breeders in the United States, and with the best results. 

 After the land has been eaten over it is common in 

 England to plow it and sow to Swede turnips, crimson 

 clover, winter vetches or some other quick-growing crop 

 for later use. 



