84 On Sheep Foldijig, 



to lay themselves clown, there will not be sufficient 

 room for that purpose. 



To avoid these inconveniences, a space containing 

 room enough to afford three or four square yards to 

 every sheep, would answer the purpose much better, 

 and though this large area would not receive so much 

 advantage from one night's folding, yet by allowing the 

 sheep to remain upon it for two or three nights, it 

 would be sufficiently manured, with this additional be- 

 nefit, that no part of the fodder would be destroyed, 

 by trampling upon, and the animals would have a dry 

 bed, and plenty of room. 



The second defect in the present way of folding is 

 equally bad, if not worse ; that is the custom of fold- 

 ing sheep of every description together. When a great 

 number, eidier sheep or other animals, are put toge- 

 ther to feed, unless they have an over quantity of food 

 given them, (which every good farmer wishes to avoid) 

 there will always be a struggle, who shall get most of 

 it ; in a contest of that kind, it is evident that the strong- 

 est will succeed, and by depriving the weaker ones of 

 their food, their weakness will be increased, and a 

 risk incurred of losing them altogether ; whereas by 

 picking the flock, and folding the strong and weak 

 sheep separately, both would be benefitted thereby ; 

 the strong ones would still have a sufficiency of food, 

 and the weaker sort would be allowed to feed, and lie 

 at their ease : in this situation they would gain strength, 

 and improve in value ; in the former, they would be 

 daily growing worse. 



In short, wherever folding is practiced, it should be 

 a principal object with the farmer to assort his flock, 



