SKETCHES OP RURAL AFFAIRS. 



but allows time for the food to become dry. He 

 is careful not to allow the sheep to remain by night 

 upon the turnip ground, unless it is in a tolerably dry 

 state, or has been trodden hard by their tramplings. 



VARIOUS FORMS OF TURNIP. 



The most fatal diseases of sheep arise from their lying 

 on wet ground. When the sheep have eaten down the 

 turnips close to the ground, and have scooped them out 

 as much as they can, a small hoe, called a turnip-picker, 

 is used to get up the remainder of the root. Sometimes 

 a sort of double hoe is used, or one in which the blade 

 divides into two forks, between which the tap-root of the 

 turnip is caught, and brought up entire ; but the plain 

 hoe, which cuts off the tap-root, is preferred ; because 

 that part of the turnip is hard and unwholesome, and is 

 better left to rot in the ground than pulled up for the 

 sheep. Dry food is always given to sheep while they 

 are on turnips, that they may not be injured by their 

 juicy diet. Sheep fed on both hay and turnips thrive 

 better than when fed on either alone. The hay is given 

 to them in racks, of which the best have a roof of boards 

 to throw off the rain, and are also supported on tressels 

 shod with iron. A lid opens in the roof for conve- 

 nience of putting in the fodder. These racks not only 

 keep the hay dry and clean, and prevent waste, but they 



