FARMERS' REGISTER 



205 



or two-teeth ewes, with iheir Iambs, into a third 

 lot. These lots are kept apart, each havinjz; a 

 separate division of the pasture or Ikilow-jSTrourid 

 to run in, and of I he Swedish turnips to feed. 



The ewes do not get any turnips till tliey drop 

 their lambs. This is only isecause the quantity of 

 turnips on this farm does not aH'ord a supply (or 

 them; and although giving them as many as ihey 

 could eat would prove injurious to them, yet about 

 one fourih ofthat quantity would do them a great 

 deal of gooil. The sheep that are fed upon hay 

 without turnips are allowed an unlimited supply of 

 water; and they drink a great quantity in dry 

 weather. 



In October, the lambs, in three or four lots, are 

 folded on the turnips, and have about one ton of 

 clover hay to an acre of turnips. As it is not 

 desirable that the lambs should clear up all the 

 turnips, the shepherd puts ihem up in the most 

 convenient part of the field, (or about two hours 

 everyday; and, during this time, the young or 

 two-teeih ewes that are fed on Iiay, in the adjoin- 

 ing field, are admitted into the fold to clear up 

 " the hulls" or those bits oft he turnips which have 

 been left by the lambs. This does the sheep a 

 great deal of good ; fiir, although the quantity left 

 for them is very small, yet being moist food, it 

 makes them eat their hay with a much better 

 relish. They are frequently put to run in a fallow- 

 field, if there is not a pasture or clover-field ad- 

 Joining the turnip-field, on which the lambs are 

 folded. 



When the lambs are weaned, they are turned 

 into the clover latter-math ; and the ewes into the 

 grass-field that is intended (or wheat, where they 

 are kept very hard. 



The food, (or the Hock of sheep in the winter 

 and the early part of the spring, is turnips, clover 

 and saint(bin-hay ; in the latter part of the spring 

 and in summer, the second year's clover, vetches 

 and some of the dry pasture-field, the latter math 

 of clover, and of saintlbin, the stubbles, the 

 young clover, till October, and the last year's or 

 worn out saintfbin. 



It is reckoned that a hundred lambs will con- 

 sume one acre of turnips, of twenty tons, and a 

 ton of hay in Iburteen days ; and that a hundred 

 sheep, having a large field to run in, and plenty 

 of water, will consume one ton of hay in seven 

 days. 



Cattle. — Upon this farm there is a dairy of forty 

 cows, of a mixed breed, between the VViltshire 

 long-horns, which are famous for giving a great 

 quantity of milk, and the Gloucester breed, which 

 are good feeders as well as good milkers. 



The cows are pastured upon the old grass-land, 

 and from them are bred yearly twenty heiler- 

 calves ; and six ox-calves of the Hereford breed 

 are bought in every year. The remainder of the 

 calves are sold as soon after they are calved as 

 a purchaser can be (bund for tliem. The six 

 Hereford ox-calves that are bought are reared for 

 the purpose of keeping up the number of working 

 oxen, of which there are always eighteen upon 

 this farm. The stock for working oxen is thirty- 

 six, in all — six calves, six year-olds, six two- 

 year-olds, six three-year-olds, six four-year-olds, 

 and six five-year-olds; so that there are six 

 oxen, coming six years old, for sale every year ; 

 and six young oxen, coming three years old, ready 

 to lake their place. The tvventy heifer-calves are 



bred to keep up the stock of dairy-cows. This 

 exceeds the number generally bred by the dairy- 

 farmers ; but it is required by the quantity, upon 

 this farm, of poor, thin, wet pasturo-land, unsound 

 lor sheep, which must be led off with young 

 beasts. The healthiness, too, of the stock, upon 

 this liirm even upon the poor, thin clay land, un- 

 sound for sheep, is a great inducement to keep a 

 large breeding stock. The cattle are never affect- 

 ed by the husk, the quarter-evil, or the red- 

 water. 



The stock for dairy-cows is. in all, a hundred, 

 and consists of twenty calves, twenty year-olds 

 tvventy two-year-olds, and forty cows of all ages. 

 In the autumn, ten of the oldest or worst of the 

 cows are sold, and their place jis filled up by ten 

 of the bestof the two-year-old heifers, which calve 

 in April or May, when they are three years old. 

 The other ten of the two-year-old heifers are sold 

 sometimes in autumn ; but they are generally 

 kept till May, when they calve, as more money 

 can be got for them then, there being in that 

 month a great demand fiom the dairy farmers for 

 milk heiftirs. 



By the above plan a gradual improvement of 

 the dairy-cows is going on, and the greatest care 

 is taken in the selection of bulls ; for on them, 

 in a great measure, depends the improvement of 

 the stock. 



Willi such an extent of poor pasture land, and 

 such a stock ofstraw upon this farm, it is not (bund 

 advisable to fatten any of the stock for the butcher. 

 Accordingly, the whole of the cows, oxen, and 

 sheep (or sale, are sold to the graziers, generally 

 in the autumn, when they are in excellent store- 

 condition. 



The calves are (bddered during the winter in the 

 pasture-ground, where there is most shelter, and 

 where there is a little pasture. They are (bd- 

 dered with hay in the field from about the middle 

 of'Novemher, till they are turned out to the pas- 

 ture in May. The year-olds are kept in the field 

 all winter, in the same way as the calves, but get 

 straw instead of hay, till near Christmas. They, 

 of course, require more hay than the calves; but 

 much hay is saved by their eating up the rough 

 grass, left by the cows that pastured the ground in 

 the summer, the calves and the year-olds being 

 kept, during winter, in the old pasture-lands, 

 never upon the poor, wet, thin clay. In no in- 

 stance are more than ten allowed to run together 

 in one field ; and they are sorted according to their 

 strength, so that the master bullocks are prevented 

 fi'om running down the weak ones, and the best 

 of tho hay can be givento weak ones and to the 

 calves. Mr. Hayward has found, by long expe- 

 rience, that young stock thrive much belter, when, 

 in winter, they run out in the field, than when 

 they are kept in a house, or shed, or the straw- 

 yard. 



The two-year-old beasts are put up, in winter, 

 by themselves, in a court at one of the remote 

 barns, where they are at liberty, in the day-time, 

 to run out in the field adjoining the court. They 

 are assorted in the same way as the other young 

 beasts, the number put into one court seldom ex- 

 ceeding ten. They are foddered with good straw 

 till Christmas, after which they get hay. It being 

 absolutely necessary that all beasts should have 

 plenty of water, the several lots are at liberty to 

 go to the pond whenever they are iticlined. 



