CHAPTER XXI. 



MANAGEMENT OF A BREEDING FLOCK ON THE CHALKS. 



A description of the management of a mixed flock, where the 

 sheep bred on the farm are fattened almost exclusively in winter 

 on roots, has been given. It is now proposed to describe the 

 management of a flock mainly kept for breeding purposes, and 

 where few but the ewes and theaves are retained on the farm 

 in winter to be fattened. No breed lends itself better to fattening 

 out on roots than the Hampshire, and none is treated more 

 systematically or on more definite lines as a breeding or wet flock 

 than this breed, where kept on its native Down land. It is well 

 suited, therefore, to illustrate this type of sheep management. 

 Moreover, it shows what an influence catch cropping may have 

 on sheep farming. After the sectioned description of the manage- 

 ment of the general flock, it is not necessary to enter quite so much 

 into detail, or there would be unnecessarily frequent repetition. 

 The treatment in this case will, therefore, be more general. 



In dealing with the management of a specific breed, it has to 

 be borne in mind that what are known as show flocks, that is, 

 those which are kept especially to provide the highest bred sheep 

 to be sold as pedigree stock, are subjected to much more generous 

 treatment than are those flocks where the exhibition of sheep at 

 shows is not intended. In breeds like the Hampshire, which has 

 been so long and so consistently well managed, few really indifferent 

 sheep of the breed are met with in the native district, or on land 

 adjoining of practically similar nature. Some distinction between 

 these classes of sheep will therefore have to be observed while 

 discussing the management. 



Autumn and Winter Food Supplies. In the description of sheep 

 management previously given, it was seen that the greatest call 

 on the food supplies was through the autumn and into winter ; 

 but with a breeding flock in which fattening is little done in winter, 

 and where the lambs are sold away in late summer and early autumn, 

 the lightest call on the food supply is made when the fattening 

 flock needs most. In fact, the Down farm is run at its lightest 

 by sheep from September until lambing commences ; from lambing 



