T^ie Shepherds^ Guide* 49 



when well preserv-ed, they are among the very 

 best articles of food. Neither of these, but particu- 

 larly the peas or beans, should be suffered to dry 

 be-fore being cut: nor should the peas-haum be 

 threshed very clean : some green pods being left 

 whole, render it at once more palatable, and 

 more nutritious. In some parts of Prussia, a parti- 

 cular species of reed, which grows in ponds, i^ 

 given to sheep : in this country, salt hay and sedge 

 when they can be procured, especially if cut and 

 xnixed with a small quantity of meal, will be found 

 excellent provender. On these, the wethers and 

 barren ewes may be kept all the winter ; and even 

 the ewes with lamb may be fed on them during 

 the early part of the season, reserving the green 

 food for the ewes, towards, and during the lamb- 

 ing season, and until they can be put on fields of 

 rye or rowen. 



With all stock, it is allowed to be very dangerous 

 to pass suddenly from high feeding to that which 

 is scant and poor ; or from plenty of green food, to 

 that which is altogether dry. Hence arises a 

 very important maxim respecting sheep ; which is, 

 as soon as the pastures fail, towards the end of 

 autumn, to put them to turnips or cabbages, if 

 wc have them ; and this will perhaps be found our 

 best system respecting turnips : to sow a sufficient 

 quantity for our sheep, to be eaten after the grass 

 fails, and before the snow falls, so ?vS permanent- 

 ly to cover the groimd. If they are fed with any 



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