43 The Shepherds' Gizide. 



When roots or cabbages are not provided for 

 the purpose, ewes near lambing, and such as have 

 early lambs, must have some moist food, or they 

 will probably fail as nurses ; and many lambs will 

 be lost. For this purpose, I have found a pint of 

 that better kind of bran called shorts, twice a 

 day to each ewe answ^er perfectly well, and occa- 

 sion such a jRush of milk, that whilst the lambs 

 were young, it became necessary to milk the ewes 

 occasioK^ilh , to prevent injury to the udder. Oil 

 cake, ground or soaked, and crushed beans, peas, 

 or oats, are all more nutritious than bran, and 

 when mixed with water, are excellent substitutes 

 for green fodder. In Denmark, Sweden, and 

 Saxony, they eke out their hay, with chopped rye, 

 barlev. and oat straw. These, mixed in about 

 the proportion of seven pounds of meal to 300 

 wt. of straw, is allowed to every hundred sheep 

 per day, and fed at three several periods. This, in 

 the commencement of winter, makes for store 

 sheep a very good substitute for hay ; as the 

 winter advances, more and more hay should be 

 allowed, giving at one period chopped straw 

 twice, and hay once a day ; at another, hay twice, 

 and chopped straw once a day ; which has the 

 farther advantage of compelling the shepherds or 

 servants to fodder the flock three or four times a 

 day, which is not only saving of fodder, but bene- 

 ficial lO the sheep. Of peas, beans and corn tops, 

 the sheep are fonder than of the best hay ; and 



