144 SHEEP : BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



means the young creatures can run forward and crop the first 

 green food of the season in the form of succulent swede or rape 

 -tops. They are at this time in receipt of eight different sorts 

 of food namely, hay, turnips, turnip or rape greens, linseed 

 cake, peas, oats, malt, and milk. Their progress is wonder- 

 ful, and their short and smooth coats evidence their perfect 

 health. As the season advances into March further change is 

 obtained by an outrun on young grass for three or four hours 

 in the middle of the day. This system is pursued until early 

 in April, when they enter upon a succession of spring and sum- 

 mer fodder crops which were sown extensively the previous 

 autumn. This series begins with rye, over which swedes or 

 mangels have been heaped, and from this fold they go daily 

 in many cases into water-meadow, always returning to the 

 rye-fold in the afternoon. These sheep are always between 

 hurdles throughout the year, although a "spread" over a 

 field is frequently allowed during a few hours of the day. 

 The lambs also continue to enjoy the privilege of choice of 

 food by means of the lamb hurdles, so that while the ewes are 

 close-folded the lambs enjoy much greater freedom. There 

 are generally two descriptions of green food going at once, 

 and, in many cases, three or four, according to the season of 

 the year. Following the order in which the fodder crops 

 mature, we find that these lambs are, successively, fed upon 

 turnips and rape, rye and water-meadow, winter barley and 

 water-meadow, winter barley and trifolium, trifolium and 

 vetches, vetches and rape, rape and cabbage. There are at 

 least two distinct changes of food every day, and as vegetation 

 becomes more luxuriant they often have a variety of courses 

 which is quite epicurean in its character. Take for example a 

 fine midsummer day, when the lambs awaken upon a fold of 

 vetches. The shepherd is up betimes, and begins by giving 

 them an allowance of cake. He then grinds some mangel into 

 troughs, which they eat with great relish. They are next 

 admitted to a fresh fold of vetches, after which they are 

 walked quietly away to a neighbouring piece of good rape or 



