12 THE SHEPHERD'S MANUAL. 



to his flock, he must have a farm suited to its special needs or it 

 will not thrive. Sheep cannot bear damp ; and undrained pastures 

 are fatal to their welfare. Luxuriance of herbage is not generally 

 favorable unless the land is heavily stocked and the pasture kept 

 short and closely cropped. Old permanent meadows, in which a 

 variety of grasses are found, are better than artificial meadows 

 which form part of a rotation with other crops. With a portion 

 of such permanent meadow, there may be many cultivated crops 

 grown upon the other portions of the farm upon which the sheep 

 may be folded with benefit both to themselves and the land. 



The land most suitable for sheep is one that is naturally drained, 

 with a sandy loam or gravelly soil and subsoil, and which bears 

 spontaneously short, fine, herbage, largely mixed with white clover. 

 It should be rolling, and may be hilly in character rather than flat 

 and level. Any low spots or hollows in which aquatic or marsh 

 plants grow, are very objectionable, and should be thoroughly 

 drained. One such spot upon an otherwise admirable farm may 

 infect a flock with deadly disease. No domestic animal is more 

 readily affected by adverse circumstances than the sheep, and none 

 has less spirit or power to resist them. Virgil, the ancient poet, a 

 close observer of such matters, says of them, " Oves semper infelix 

 pecua," (Sheep are always an unhappy flock), and many shepherds 

 since his day have found reason to hold the same belief. But the 

 experienced sheepmaster has no fear on this score. He knows 

 that a reputation for success with sheep is " never gained without 

 merit, nor lost without deserving," and that failure is not want 

 of luck, as is so frequently declared, but the consequence of ignor- 

 ance or bad management. The careful shepherd will not wait 

 to cure, he is prompt to prevent ; and every defeat is made a new 

 lesson for study and an example for future avoidance. It is by 

 long experience that shepherds have learned that the first requi- 

 site for success in their business is, the choice of a farm upon which 

 their flocks will enjoy perfect health, and that dry ness of soil and 

 of air is the first necessity for their well being. By a careful and 

 judicious choice in this respect, most of the ills to which sheep are 

 subject, with all their contingent losses to their owners, are 

 avoided. 



The character of the soil upon which sheep are pastured has a 

 great influence in modifying the character of the sheep. Upon 

 the kind of soil of course depends the character of the herbage 

 upon which the flock feeds. Certain soils, such as those consist- 

 ing of decomposed granite or feldspar, and which are rich in pot- 

 ash, are not generally favorable for sheep. ^Jvep turnips raied on 



