174 SHEEP: BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



whatever the feeding crop happens to be. Thus the animals 

 are taken gradually and systematically over the entire area, 

 and the food is always fresh and untrampled. 



Sale sheep are not asked to clear up the whole mass of food, 

 and the close-folding system allows of a perfect regulation in 

 feeding. What the sale sheep leave is eaten up by the stock 

 ewes who follow their more favoured offspring, and gnaw 

 down the fold to the bare ground. A regular system is often 

 followed, by which perfect economy of food is insured. The 

 rno^t forward wether lambs are allowed the first pick, and 

 may be pushed forward without regard to waste. They are 

 allowed to pick the choicest morsels, to bite off the tops of 

 rape or clover, and to eat the hearts out of white cabbage. A 

 second and less forward lot may follow, and still further 

 demolish the feast, and, finally, the old ewes are admitted to 

 clean up and make close work. This completely does away 

 with the charge of wastefulness, and is less expensive than 

 moving and throwing the cut herbage into racks. It is also 

 better than the system, which has its advocates, of constantly 

 shifting hurdles and allowing the sheep to feed with their 

 heads through vertical bars. This system we cannot recom- 

 mend. We have seen hurdles specially constructed for the 

 purpose. They are made in the form of an equal limbed cross, 

 two legs of which rest upon the ground, and by turning them 

 over, a fresh yard of fodder comes within reach of the hungry 

 sheep. We object to this proposal on the grounds of trouble 

 (expense), of insecurity, and of insufficiency of food. Where- 

 ever a mixed flock is kept the different sections may be relied 

 upon to make perfectly clean work and prevent all waste. 



THE LAMB HURDLE 



or lamb creep is a useful and necessary institution when close 

 folding is the rule. By its means lambs are saved the hard- 

 ship of close penning upon a stale fold. Lambs must have 

 change and freedom, and both are secured by the lamb creep. 



