8O SHEEP : BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



year. As the wonderful reproductive powers of this breed 

 become better known they will, without doubt, extend their 

 borders, not only in England, but wherever sheep for mutton 

 and lamb are kept. I would add that within my recollection 

 about half-a-dozen flocks of Dorset Horn sheep only were 

 kept, and at the present time they are as numerous as Downs, 

 if not more so. This is in the neighbourhood of Dorchester.* 



* I am much indebted to Mr. Chick for so fully answering my questions, 

 thus giving readers the main facts as to the properties of Dorset sheep up to 

 the present time. There is one point upon which his information does not 

 bear out the statements of writers on this breed, as to the time at which house 

 lamb is available for the market. March or April seems somewhat late, as we 

 are told that Christmas lamb is chiefly obtained from Dorset ewes lambing 

 down in September. Youatt tells us that many farmers carried out the prac- 

 tice of house-feeding on a large scale. A building is usually set apart for the 

 purpose, divided into coops for lambs, according to their age. Every evening 

 the ewes are turned into their respective divisions of the lamb house, and each 

 mother speedily recognises her offspring. They remain together until the 

 following morning, when they are separated, and the ewes driven back to the 

 pasture. About a couple of hours after the mothers have been taken away the 

 ewes whose lambs have been sold are driven in and held until the lambs have 

 emptied their udders of milk, when they are driven to a separate enclosure. 

 At twelve o'clock the mothers are again brought, and remain with their lambs 

 an hour or two. At four o'clock the foster-mothers are again brought, and after 

 an hour's compulsory sojourn are again removed. At eight o'clock the mothers 

 return for the night. The greatest attention is paid to the cleanliness of the 

 place, and the lambs are supplied with good wheat straw for them to nibble, 

 and pieces of chalk to lick. Such was the practice in 1837. Those breeders 

 who lay themselves out for this special trade still manage to have lambs in 

 their flocks in October and November, and these are ready for sale at Christ- 

 mas. 



