266 THE SHEEP OP GREAT BRITAIN. 



the ewe — another advantageous point, as she sooner conies into 

 condition for renewed breeding. Therefore, provided we have a 

 fair chance of maintaining the growth of the animal, we 

 advocate preparing suitable food for the lambs, and placing the 

 same in small sheltered troughs in advance of the ewes. If 

 asked what kinds of food we recommend, we say something that 

 combines flesh-formers with fat-producers. The following 

 mixture will be found advantageous : Dust linseed and decorti- 

 cated cotton seed cake, bean meal, and palm-nut meal ; these 

 may be used in equal proportions, and given with fine hay 

 chaff ; until weaning two ounces per head daily will be ample ; 

 afterwards, and until the lamb goes to turnips, a quarter of 

 a pound, which may be increased to half a pound during the 

 winter. 



Probably the management of the Hampshire and Wiltshire 

 down lambs offers the very best example of judicious feeding 

 that can be found. Here the primary object is to get the lamb 

 to market in the autumn, and no expense is spared to provide 

 frequent changes of food. As soon as the lambs can eat they 

 are allowed corn and cake in troughs in front. After the 

 turnips are eaten, the flock is placed in water meadows by day, 

 and on late swedes, if any remain, at night ; then on rye and 

 winter oats, Italian rye-grass, &c. If there are no water 

 meadows, a portion of the clover layer forms excellent food ; this 

 should always be folded off, the lambs having the front pen. 

 At this time they will eat a considerable quantity of food. There 

 are two plans, either to keep the ewes in close quarters, having 

 a lamb pen ahead, and shifting often twice a day, or else to let 

 them He back on the ground they have already cleared. The 

 first plan is, on the whole, preferable, and may be safely carried 

 out when the sheep have a night change. If, however, we are 

 necessitated to keep them entirely on the seeds (which, of course, 

 is very undesirable), more room is necessary ; but even then we 

 must not keep them on the ground long, otherwise the lambs eat 

 the young shoots, and scour. If we can go rapidly over the 

 surface — that is, eat the crop down close — and then pass on, it 

 grows again evenly, and in due time we secure another crop 

 either for the ewes or for hay. It is at this time, when the 

 sheep are on clover, that sliced or pulped mangolds prove of 



