FEEDING OF SHEEP 241 



XXXIII. FEEDING OP SHEEP. 



The provision of food for sheep is a matter of very 

 great importance, but the kind of food required on 

 different farms varies considerably. On the mountain 

 and hill land the flocks may have to rely on grass 

 almost entirely for their living except in very severe 

 weather in winter, when they will, in all probability, 

 be given a little hay. On such farms there is no 

 attempt made to fatten sheep off, consequently they 

 are disposed of, in store condition, to lowland farmers, 

 who fatten them off at the age of two and a half to 

 three years. 



The breeding ewes are generally sold after they 

 are five years old to lowland farmers, where they may 

 be fattened off, or crossed with a good fattening breed 

 of sheep. In the latter case, both ewes and lambs 

 would be fattened off the following year. 



The all-important point for these farmers is how 

 to get an abundant supply of grass throughout the 

 greater part of the year, either by improving the old 

 grass-land, or, when land is laid down to grass, by 

 seeding it down with a good pasture mixture (see 

 p. 89). A good supply of hay should be preserved 

 for the snowy weather in winter. 



On some lowland farms where grass is abundant 

 in autumn, these hill or mountain sheep may be 

 purchased in late August or early September, and 

 simply allowed to fatten themselves off on the pasture 

 grass, foggage, or young grass and clover seeds, which 

 give them a much more sappy and nutritive feed 

 than that on which they have been reared. In about 

 two to three months time they will probably be 

 sufficiently fat to sell, leaving 6d. to gd. and, in 



Q 



