34 ECONOMY OF SHED-FEEDING SHEEP. 



It will be observed that tbe slieep of the Leicester breed 

 increased more during' the first months, when it will also be 

 perceived that the half-breds g-radualh'- began to increase 

 more, and continued so to do imtil the time they were slaug'h- 

 tered. It appears from the above tables of weights, that 

 the Leicester sheep would for a limited time, on first putting* 

 up, g"ain a g-reater weight than the half-breds, but if kept for 

 a moderate length of time the half-breds will obtain the lead 

 of weight, and continue so to do as long as it may be the 

 wish to keep them, for I find that when the Leicester breed 

 of sheep has obtained a certain weight, their increase after- 

 wards is but a mere trifie compared with the half-breds, and, 

 as far as my judgment and experience goes, I should prefer 

 for general feeding on poor soils the half-breds. 



Agricultural Gazette, Oct. 3, 1846. 



Art. X.— economy OF SHED-FEEDING SHEEP. 



By the Editor of the Agricultural Gazette. 



In calculating on the number of slieep that may be fed oiF 

 a given acreage of tiu'nips (white and yellow, Swedes and 

 mangel-wiu'zel), it is assumed that good crops of the above 

 roots, on ordinary soils, will yield per acre 24, 20, 20, and 20 

 tons of clean roots respectively ; and that a fatting animal, 

 either sheep or ox, supposing it full-grown, will in general, 

 when out of doors, eat a weight of these roots equal to about 

 a cpxarter of the carcass weight it is expected to attain when 

 ready for the butcher. If fed under shelter, three-fourths of 

 this quantity may be assumed as the basis of calculation. 

 '^ Three-fourths ! " if this be true, and from a somewhat 

 extended experience on this sidDJect, we believe it to be so, 

 what a saving does this shed-feeding hold out to the winter 

 grazier! It is objected to the system that it entails the 

 heavy expense of carting the crop to the buildings, and the 

 dung back again ; and, in the case of sheep, that it renders 

 them especially liable to the foot-rot; but the first item 

 may be grefitly diminished by erecting a temporary shed on 

 the neighbouring stubble-field, which will require all the 

 manure made there for the ensuing green crop, and thus the 

 second item will disappear. Such a shed may be easily erected ; 

 the subjoined is a plan of it, which has already appeared in 



