162 BRITISH SHEEP AND SHEPHEEDING. 



and, where provided, a first-run over "seeds " or leys of Italian 

 rye -grass or trefoil. Those who have the advantage of water- 

 meadows are very preferentially placed, and certainly so in respect 

 to very early breeding, because they can be relied upon to find 

 plenty of suitable food for both ewes and lambs from April 1, and, 

 at a hard pinch, after a severe winter, they may be called a little 

 earlier to give the lambs soft, succulent food that the arable cropping 

 has failed to supply. The Hampshire breeder, when he can get 

 the sheep to the water-meadows, considers that his real difficulties 

 in respect to lamb food supply are over, as he looks to the sureness 

 of the ordinary catch crops to fill the gap before the leys are avail- 

 able. Water-meadows make the spring management of the lambs 

 comparatively easy, because, owing to irrigating powers, there 

 is no question as to their failing. In winter the meadows under 

 water are not affected by cold, because running water must be 

 above freezing-point. Meadows which, in the system of alternating 

 the drownings or floodings, are uncovered in frost may get a check, 

 but the effect of frost is soon removed as their flooding comes. 

 Those without water-meadows, of course, have to exercise more 

 skill to assure food at that critical period between the clearing 

 up of the swedes and the coming in quantity of fresh young food ; 

 Italian rye-grass, or that and trefoil, best suit as an alternative 

 to water-meadows, but as there is not the same reliability in them, 

 the general food supply has to be more definitely secured. Naturally, 

 many play for safety by not allowing the ewes to lamb so early 

 as those who have the advantage of water-meadows. 



The need for a large supply of food for lambs in April, where 

 they are born in January, is obvious, for gradually they have been 

 getting the habit of nibbling turnip-tops while running forward 

 through the lamb creeps into fresh folds where their cake troughs 

 are placed. By the time they are from ten weeks to twelve weeks 

 old they have acquired considerable aptitude to feed independently 

 of their mothers. They are fed less through their mothers, and 

 the cake is gradually withdrawn from the ewes and given direct 

 to the lambs, but the ewes are liberally fed on roots and hay. 

 Every week sees great increase in their consuming powers, and 

 they soon acquire the capacity of little sheep. Failure of the 

 catch crops is, therefore, a serious matter. It is a feature of the 

 Hampshire management when the lambs begin to feed independently 

 to give them f olding on a run on more than one kind of food, whether 

 or no it includes help from the water-meadows. Although rye-grass, 

 winter oats, and winter barley are not highly nutritive, they supply 

 tender and easily digested young growth, eminently suitable to 

 lambs, and they possess the value of coming early, therefore con- 

 siderable breadths of these must be provided. Trifolium comes 

 in May, to be followed by vetches or tares, and all the time mangels 



