2 SHEEP : BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



life of our forefathers. It is useless to repine, and perhaps 

 the best thing we can do is to cherish those pleasurable 

 feelings with which we may still view the flock spread o'er 

 the down, or listen to the varied tones of the sheep bell ; and 

 to cultivate more of personal interest and affection for our 

 domesticated creatures. There is no doubt that the humble 

 dairyman, the carter, and the shepherd, obtain more enjoy- 

 ment from watching and tending their charges than do their 

 masters ; and the pleasures of farming might be greatly 

 enhanced by devoting more personal attention to live stock, 

 and studying their habits. Love of animals may be culti- 

 vated, and with it comes an interest in the creatures which 

 surround us. 



A few beans in the pocket for the horses, a few pets among 

 the sheep, or a handful of corn thrown to the poultry, soon 

 beget love on both sides, and is not thrown away, even 

 where profit is concerned. Interest and kindness on the part 

 of the master insure and promote similar interest and kindness 

 on the part of the servants, and help to form a good judgment 

 as to the merits of the animals. A judge of dogs and of 

 horses must be really fond of these animals, and unless a 

 man is fond of cattle, sheep, and even pigs, he can hardly 

 hope to excel, either as a manager or as a breeder of stock. 

 Individual characters only become apparent after long 

 observation, and hence we recommend the cultivation of 

 kindly feeling and real interest in the welfare of indivi- 

 dual animals, as one way at least of preventing the merely 

 commercial feeling from absorbing us too exclusively. 



In commencing a book on sheep, we urge the importance 

 of real interest in the animals themselves. The shepherd, 

 if worthy of his position, knows his flock individually ; and 

 it is absolutely necessary that he should so know his sheep, 

 if progress is to be made. This intimate knowledge can 

 scarcely be expected of the master, but he should at least 

 sympathise with his shepherd, and maintain such an interest 

 in his sheep as to encourage him in his work. Frequent 



