Ch. XXXIX.] ON SHEEP. 457 



take of the character of each parent in various degrees of combination : 

 generally, the produce may derive pretty equally from both ; but in some, 

 the bad shape of the one may be seen united to the bad fleece of tbe other, 

 while a favoured few will exhibit a large share of the good qualities of the 

 parent stock.* 



"The flock-master, attending in the first instance to these general rules, 

 ought therefore to consider what are the defects among his ewes, either as 

 to shape, quality of mutton, or wool, which he wishes to remove, and to 

 select the tups which he uses who possess in an eminent degree the merits 

 in which his ewes are deficient; having done so, he then must carefully 

 divide liis ewes, and place with each parcel the tup from among those 

 w Inch he has selected which is most suited in form to the ewes which com- 

 pose this parcel. For this reason it never can be right to put more than 

 one tup with the same pen of ewes, because this leaves to chance the selec- 

 tion which ought to be made by the judgment of the owner." 



In this — which is the remark of a distinguished agriculturist — we fully 

 coincide, and its justice will no doubt be admitted by every breeder who 

 wishes to maintain the reputation of a superior flock ; but, with great 

 deference to his opinion, we yet submit, that on those unenclosed downs 

 where large flocks are pastured, the use of more tups than one is almost un- 

 avoidable. The majority of farmers are contented with the stock which they 

 liave acquired, or which they can obtain at the neighbouring fairs, and seek 

 no further improvement ; they, therefore, look to nothing more tlian the 

 choice of as good rams as they can select, and put as many of them to their 

 ewes as they think will be sure to serve them all efficiently, without caring 

 whether they be tupped by one or the other. They besides entertain a 

 very general idea that two rams amongst double the number of ewes usually 

 put to one, will get more lambs than one ram alone; and, for that reason, 

 do not trust to one only.f 



The period of the gestation of the ewe is usually estimated to last during 

 twenty-one weeks ; but according to the experiments to which we have 

 alluded on the subject, as having heen made on other animals by M. Teis- 

 sier at Paris, it has been found that out of upwards of 900 ewes of which 

 the date of tupping was severally noted — 



140 lambed between the 146th and 150th day. 



676 ,, 150th and 154th day. 



90 ,, 154th and 161st day. 



Thus showing an extreme interval of fifteen days, and constituting a mean 

 duration of about 152 days, or nearly twenty-two weeks. 



VEANING. 



The ewes, when put to the ram, should be in fair, but not liigh condition ; 

 nor should they be so highly fed during the period of gestation as to allow 

 them to get fat, for that would occasion such a difficulty of lambing as 

 often proves fatal ; but if evidently poor in flesh, and consequently weak, 

 they should be put upon better food for a short time, as the yeaning 

 approaches, in order both to give them strength to go through with it, and 

 to furnish them with an abundant supply of milk for the support of their 



♦ See Stevenson's Survey of Surrey, p. 528. 



\ A remarkable instance of superfcEtation is mentioned by the Rev. St. John Priest, 

 ill the Buckinghamshire Report, of a flock of ewes to which were put both Norfolk and 

 Leicester rams, and several of the ewes which bore twins, had one a true Norfolk, and 

 the other a half-bred lamb, between the Leicester and the Norfolk, p. 309, 



