FARMER'S ASSISTANT. S29 



When Sheep are badly kept they take colds, and dis- 

 charge a mocus from the nose. Good feeding, together 

 with some pine boughs given them occasionally, will cure 

 this complaint. It pine boughs cannot be had, spread some 

 tar over a board, and over this spread some salt, which will 

 induce the Sheep to hck up all the tar, and this will tffect 

 a cure. 



According -to experiments made by Mr, Daubcnton, a 

 celebrated French Agriculturalist, it seems that the Sheep 

 of France, which are generally oi the height of about twenty 

 inches, eat about eight pounds of grass per day, or two 

 pounds of hay per day, which is about the same thing; as 

 eight pounds of grass, when dried, will make but two 

 pounds of hay. An acre of pasture, then, which in the 

 season would yield of grass what would be equal to two 

 tons of hay, would probably support about eight Sheep 

 through the season. It must be remembered, however, that 

 animals consume food in proportion to their size, and that 

 the Sheep here described are below the common size of 

 Sheep in this Country. 



Mr Daubenton also observes, that When his Sheep were 

 fed on dry todder, during the Winter season, many of the 

 younger ones, and those which were weakly, droped off; 

 that, on opening these, he found the food in the third sto- 

 mach, or that which receives the food after the second 

 chewing, to be so dry as to be unfit for digestion, and to 

 this cause he ascribes their death. This state of the sto- 

 mach, he very justly concludes, is produced by the sudden 

 change of food from grass to that of dry todder; and the 

 remedy pointed out, which is very natural, is merely to feed 

 them with a due proportion of succulent food. For this 

 purpose, carrots, potatoes, turnips, Sec. are all very good. 



Feeding Sheep with a little Indian corn, about half a gill 

 to each per day, is very beneficial ; it keeps the flock in 

 good heart; it enables the Ewes to rear their young much 

 better ; and it serves to prevent the wool from falling off in 

 the Spring. Carrots, potatoes, Sec. no doubt, answer the 

 same valuable purpose. 



For early feeding for the Ewes which have Lambs, a 

 small fir Id of rye, thickly sown, is very good. They may 

 be taken off in time for the crop to come to maturity, and 

 in that case they will do it no injury. A small field of ruta 

 baga would probably be the best. Vetches, clover, tall 

 meadow oats, and other grasses which start early, are also 

 very good for this purpose. 



Sheep should have hay during Winter of the best quality, 

 and for this purpose red-clover is esteemed the best. If 

 about a peck of salt Were applied to every ton of hay, when 



42 



