SHEEP. 



general application. A great deal 

 depends on the kind of sheep, and 

 the nature of the pasture and the 

 food. 



" Suppose the larger kind of sheep, 

 and on arable ground. The ewes are 

 generally ready to receive the ram 

 at the beginning of October, and the 

 duration of pregnancy is from about 

 twenty-one to twenty-three weeks, 

 bringing the period of parturition to 

 nearly the beginning of March, at 

 which time most of the lambs will be 

 drojjped. It is best to postpone the 

 tupping till November, so that the 

 lambs may be dropped in April, when 

 there is grass. Tlie ewes should be 

 fed rather better than usual a short 

 time previous to the male being in- 

 troduced. Rams are fit to propagate 

 their species in October and Novem- 

 ber of the second year, and that is 

 also the proper period for the im- 

 pregnation of the ewes. The ewe is, 

 after impregnation, suffered to graze 

 on the usual pasture, being supplied, 

 as occasion may require, with extra 

 food, and especially in cases of snow, 

 until within five or six weeks of 

 lambing, when turnips or roots are 

 given to her, and continued from that 

 time until the spring of grass renders 

 them no longer necessary. The tur- 

 nips are laid out for the ewes in the 

 grass fields in certain quantities each 

 day, but by no means so many as 

 they would consume if permitted to 

 feed without restriction, as it is con- 

 sidered to be most important that 

 they should not be too fat when the 

 lambing season approaches. The 

 hogs and the fattening sheep of the 

 previous year, now one year and a 

 half old, are put upon the turnips 

 whenever the pastures cease to im- 

 prove their condition. The turnips 

 required for the cattle, or the ewe 

 flock, are then drawn off in alternate 

 rows, in the proportion of one half, 

 one third, or one fourth, as the con- 

 venience of the situation, the good- 

 ness of the crop, or the quality of the 

 land may dictate. The remainder are 

 consumed on the ground by the oth- 

 er sheep. 



"As the period of parturition ap- 



proaches, the attention of the shep- 

 herd should increase. There should 

 be no (logorin<^r then, but tiic ewes 

 should be driven to some sheltered 

 enclosure, and there left as mucli as 

 possible undisturbed. Should abor- 

 tion take place with regard to any of 

 them, altiiough it does not spread 

 through the flock as in cattle, yet the 

 ewe should be immediately removed 

 to another enclosure, and small doses 

 of Epsom salts, with gentian and gin- 

 ger, administered to her, no great 

 quantity of nutritive food being al- 

 lowed. 



" The ewes should now be moved 

 as near home as convenience wdl 

 permit, in order that they may be un- 

 der the immediate observation of the 

 lamber. The operation of dalting 

 (tagging), or the removal of the hair 

 from under the tail and around the 

 udder, should be effected on every 

 long-woolled ewe, otherwise the lamb 

 may be prevented from sucking by 

 means of the dirt which often accu- 

 mulates there, and the lamber may 

 not be able at all times to ascertain 

 what ewes have actually lambed. The 

 clatting before the approach of win- 

 ter is a useless, cruel, and danger- 

 ous operation. 



" The period of lambing having ac- 

 tually commenced, the shepherd must 

 be on the alert, yet not unnecessari- 

 ly worrying or disturbing the ewes. 

 The process of nature should be per- 

 mitted quietly to take its course, un- 

 less the sufferings of the mother are 

 unusually great, or the progress of 

 the labour has been arrested during 

 several hours, or eighteen or twenty 

 hours or more have passed since the 

 labour commenced." 



" The following very useful obser- 

 vations, from an essay by Mr. Cleeve, 

 in the first volume of the ' Journal of 

 the Royal Agricultural Society of 

 England,' are worthy of much con- 

 sideration : ' The shepherd must not 

 be led, by the appearance of uneasi 

 ness and pain, to interfere premature 

 ly ; he must w'atch the ewe closely, 

 and so long as she rises at his ap. 

 proach, he may be assured that, what 

 ever uneasiness she may exhibit, aH 



705 



