MAY.] SHEEP. 267 



the year, on whatever food, is to keep them in 

 good and healthy order : these flocks are proper 

 for farms on poor soils, and belonging to which 

 are extensive commons, wastes, or sheep-walks : 

 such tracls will only keep the sheep. 



Another management in enclosed countries, is 

 to buy ewes in August or September, to turn them 

 on to the fallows, or the poorest grass on a farm, 

 till Christmas, and then to begin to give them some 

 turnips or cabbages, keeping them in good heart 

 through their lambing, and afterwards as well as 

 possible, that the lambs may be drawn fat by the 

 butcher, soon enough to get the ewes fat and gone 

 by September or October. This is a profitable 

 practice. 



A third system of conducting sheep is, to buy 

 in two or three-year-old wethers in the beginning 

 of this month ; to keep them rather bare till about 

 three weeks after the hay is cleared, then to give 

 them good keeping by degrees, and from it put 

 them to turnips or cabbages to fatten, &c, contrived 

 so as not to be sold till March, during which season 

 they sell better than at any time in the year. This 

 is a good sheep management, and will pay the 

 farmer well. 



Whatever the stock is, this is the time for turn- 

 ing them from spring to summer food. In the 

 distribution of it, you should attend to the dis- 

 tinclion between those sorts of cattle that do -well 

 on clover, and such as require natural pastures. 



Sheep, 



