380 DOMESTIC ANIMALS, DAIRYING, ETC. 



longer, without being suckled, provided there is sufficient tender for- 

 age to satisfy his needs. If these natural requirements are kept in 

 mind and judgment used in handling a band of ewes and lambs, 

 there will be little danger to the ewe from accumulation of milk, and 

 the growth of the lamb will not be retarded. 



If the sheep are contented, the bunches can not be too small for 

 the good of the range. But until the lambs are from 4 to 5 months 

 old the small bunches made up of ewes whose lambs perhaps are 

 in some other bunch and lambs whose mothers are elsewhere are 

 restless after they have been separated from the band for several 

 hours. As a result they move about considerably, to the detriment 

 of both sheep and range. Toward the close of the season, when the 

 lambs are practically independent of their mothers, the small bunches 

 are contented and the destruction of forage by trampling is at a 

 minimum. The aim, always, should be to keep the sheep contented 

 and grazing quietly and openly. It may be advisable and even nec- 

 essary at times to drive small bunches to the main band. 



Open Grazing. It has already been said that the sheep should 

 be contented and graze openly and quietly. Close bunched grazing, 

 massing, running, and trailing should be prevented if possible. The 

 destruction of forage by trampling is greatest when sheep are in 

 large bunches, under herders who are continually using the dogs on 

 the leaders and the "drag bunch" to make them keep pace with each 

 other. It is least when the sheep are in small bunches, each ewe with 

 her lamb at her side, grazing openly and quietly. The actions of the 

 pasture band were not ideal in this respect, but the tendency to open 

 quiet grazing was much more pronounced than under most herders, 

 and it increased as the season advanced. 



During the first month the entire band was together most of the 

 time, but it spread out over so large an area and grazed so quietly 

 that the unnecessary damage due to trampling was limited to occa- 

 sional running and to trailing over pine grass areas from one choice 

 glade to another. As the season advanced the sheep grew more inde- 

 pendent of each other, were less easily frightened by any slight noise, 

 and the number of small bunches increased. As a result, close 

 bunched grazing was rare and there was very little trailing. Before 

 the experimental period closed it was almost impossible to keep them 

 close bunched without using a dog. Bunch them up and immediately 

 they would spread out in every direction. They simply would not 

 graze close bunched. 



Rambling About. The distance covered by the sheep during 

 twenty-four hours varied from one-fourth mile to 2% miles, the usual 

 distance being 1 mile or less. The distance traveled varied consid- 

 erably, even under the same conditions of forage crop and atmos- 

 phere. In general, sheep travel less when the forage is choice than 

 when it is dry or scarce ; less on hot days than on cool days ; less ^in 

 timber than on the untimbered areas, and less after the lambs are in- 

 dependent of the mothers than when they are from 3 to 4 months 

 old. When the lambs are very young, of course, the ewes, if unmo- 



