194 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Winter lambing was continued from 1822 to 1848. Summer 

 lambing was tried in 1838 with a part of the flock, in order to 

 get a greater yield of wool, the lambs coming in June and July. 

 Now, since 1848, they all come in May and the first half of 

 June. They get, on an average, 69 lambs to 100 ewes. One 

 hundred Saxonies had 63, one hundred comb-wools had 75, one 

 hundred Justiugers had 67, one hundred English Merinos had 

 72, one hundred Grades had 101 lambs. In summer lambing 

 it was found that buck lambs predominated, while in winter and 

 spring lambing the ewe lambs were more numerous. A pair of 

 twin lambs occurs on an average with Grade sheep, in every 

 nine births ; with English Merinos one in every 24, with comb- 

 wool sheep one in every 26, Justingers one in every 49, Elec- 

 torals one in every 60. The average of all is twin lambs in 31 

 births. 



It would appear from this that the farther we go from the 

 highest type of fine wool the more prolific the sheep become. 

 The Holstein sheep, at the international fair, a long-woolled 

 breed from the marshes, had, in some cases, five lambs; in 

 others, four ; in others, three ; eighteen lambs were dropped 

 and nourished by five dams. 



The twins are most frequently of different sexes, but occa- 

 sionally of the same, and when of the same, two males quite as 

 often as two females. As the lambing time approaches, the 

 ewes are separated from the rest of the flock by hurdles, and 

 kept apart some days after. At four weeks old the lambs are 

 separated part of the time from the ewes, some hours at first, 

 then gradually for a longer time, until they are allowed together 

 only at mid-day and at night. Castration and cutting the 

 tails take place from three to four weeks of age. At four 

 months old they are weaned entirely and put upon separate 

 pastures. The sheds are so arranged that the different sexes 

 and classes by age can be kept apart. The sheds are roomy, 

 dry, and quite healthy. 



The feed in summer is partly on natural pastures, that is, 

 those where the natural grasses grow, and partly on artificial 

 ones, that is, on clover stubble. The pasturage lasts from the 

 fifteenth of April to the fifteenth of November, frequently to the 

 middle of December, or from seven to eight months. The 

 sheep are driven out in the morning as soon as the dew is dried 



