212 THE FARMER'S AND 



month. It is natural for sheep to move about and change 

 situation. Turn a flock of hungry sheep into a pasture, 

 they will run to the end of it before they begin to eat , 

 feed them in troughs, they will run over all till they come 

 to the last, when they have it in their power. They are 

 almost continually shifting situation from hill to dale, from 

 one kind of food to another ; and it is a fact, that sheep 

 will thrive better on two or three different kinds of ordi- 

 nary fodder, than they will to be confined to one kind that 

 is of a superior quality. 



" The proper time to yard sheep in the fall, is while 

 they are yet in good order from fresh feed, and before the 

 frost takes the nourishing qualities out of the grass : but 

 a time in which many sheep are not folded, they are left 

 to nibble over the frozen pastures till they lose the flesh 

 of half a summer's keeping, and which takes half a sum- 

 mer to regain. It is a great error which is persisted in, 

 with an idea to save fodder. But setting aside the injury 

 done pastures by close feeding at this season of the year, 

 the sheep which stray away and are lost, and the time 

 spent in hunting them, which are not idle considerations, 

 the farmer would more than get repaid for his extra fod- 

 der, and a few weeks' attention in yarding his sheep soon- 

 er, by preserving their health and condition. When they 

 are put in winter-quarters, they require as much variety 

 as possible ; not that they want so much room, but they 

 need a number of apartments. Two yards and one shed 

 will do very well for one flock ; or what will answer the 

 same purpose, if a large number of sheep are to be kept 

 near each other, have the yards in a row, and one more 

 yard than flocks of sheep. Then, by shifting one flock to 

 the spare yard, it leaves another vacant, and so on. Thus 

 may all be changed, which should be done at every time 

 of feeding. As fast as the yards are empty, the fooj 



