SHEEP. 1013 



under which it would be advisable to have lambs begin to come 

 by March 1st. If the flock is small not exceeding fifty; if the 

 owner is an excellent care-taker, cleans out the sheep-house so 

 often through the winter (say once a month) that the flock keep 

 in perfect health; if he is prepared to feed liberally with clover 

 hay and bran or roots, and willing to spend much time and 

 trouble with recusant ewes, he may with advantage begin 

 lambing early in March. But if the flock is large, and he has 

 no roots, and is a rather careless shepherd, he had better lamb 

 on grass, even if he has to employ a little extra help to carry 

 forward other farm-work. If the coupling season is thrown 

 late, and the pasture is scanty or slushy from excessive rains, 

 the ewes should receive a daily grain ration, say a half-bushel 

 of shelled corn to the hundred. This assists to bring them in 

 season, and to prevent a failure of the service and the neces- 

 sity of repetition. They ought to be housed in cold rains as 

 early as October 15th. 



It is impossible to overestimate the importance of good treat- 

 ment of the ewes during winter ; on this depends in large 

 measure the success of lambing. The number of men who feed 

 too little is comparatively small ; a good many feed too much. 

 But the matters in which most flock-masters come short are 

 water, exercise, and clean quarters. It is absolutely necessary 

 that pregnant ewes should have all they want of clean water 

 at least every other day ; better every day. Pure cistern water 

 is better than ice water, of course, though the injury resulting 

 from ice water does not amount to much if it is furnished daily. 

 Better ice water with exercise than cistern water without far 

 better. But the shepherd should never be without a cistern at 

 each sheep-house, for use at convenience. The ewes ought to 

 have at least three hours' exercise every day. A piece of 

 woods or an old tough blue-grass or June-grass sod (they will 

 injure clover or timothy) is best; but an excellent substitute is 

 a corn-stubble, from which all the fodder has been hauled off. 

 A sheep derives a great deal of satisfaction and the all-important 

 exercise in searching for a portion of its feed "in place." It 

 will often quit first-class hay in the rack to roam a field after 



