62 BOARD OF AGIUCULTURE. [Jan. 



Mr. . Mr. Cbairman, there is one thing that I would 



add, and that is, that the manure in the sheep shed is packed 

 so tightly that you can leave it as long as you choose with- 

 out danger of its heating. This is quite an advantage. 



Question. In feeding lambs, do you feed them fine or 

 coarse food? 



Mr. Avery. I do not usually have mine ground fine. 

 The oil meal which I have is usually cracked. Sometimes, 

 instead of cracked corn, I give them corn and oats ground 

 together, or cracked corn mixed with whole oats. The 

 sheep I usually feed with whole corn. 



Mr. Clapp of Easthampton. I would like to know the 

 most convenient method of feeding sheep, whether in man- 

 gers or racks, or any other way. 



Mr. Avery. My method is to feed the hay and grain in 

 the same rack ; the bottom of the manger or rack is close 

 for feeding grain. Some have a sort of trough at the side 

 for feeding grain. 



Mr. HiCKOx of South Williamstown. How many can you 

 keep together profitably ? 



Mr. Avery. I do not usually keep more than twenty-five 

 or thirty in a pen together. I have had fifty or sixty, and 

 even more in a shed together, with only a partition between. 



Mr. Hardeng of Deerfield. For years the theorists have 

 told us that all you need to do is to turn sheep into a poor 

 pasture and make a strong fence around it, and the sheep are 

 coming out fat. Now, any one who has kept sheep knows 

 better. It is a fact that a few sheep may be kept in a poor 

 pasture where you would not think of turning in anything 

 else, and they will do tolerably well ; but sheep want good 

 feed, and they will pay for it as well as any stock we have. 

 Three tons of hay for ten sheep is a liberal allowance. I 

 think it is full as much as they will eat with their grain, and 

 perhaps more. 



Mr. Lyman of Southampton. I would like to know 

 whether sheep turned into flush feed will do as well as when 

 the feed is fed short. 



Mr. Avery. I should prefer not to turn them into flush 

 feed. I think it best to turn them out in the spring, wheu 

 the feed is short. 



