70 The Shepherds* Guide* 



heat of the sun should be afforded ; and at all 

 times he should be kept as quiet as possible for a 

 day or two. 



All persons who are careful in raising a fine 

 breed of sheep dock the tails, and many shorten 

 the horns. Both operations rid the animal of a 

 useless appendage, and are easily performed : 

 that of the horns by a fine saw, when the lamb is 

 about one year old : the tail may be cut off about 

 two or three inches from the root, as soon as the 

 lamb has recovered from castration. Some of 

 the Merino sheep, especially of the hornless 

 breed, have long crooked hoofs, which, unless 

 sawed off once or twice a year, become extreme- 

 ly troublesome and inconvenient to the animal. 

 I think I have found some injury to follow saw- 

 ing them too short. 



Every person desirous to make a flock of Me- 

 l-inos, by crossing the common sheep of the coun- 

 try with Merino rams, should be particularly 

 careful to mark his lambs soon after they drop : at 

 least, so soon as that the dam cannot be mistaken : 

 that in future crosses no error may happen from 

 ignorance of the grade of his ewes ; and that in 

 selling, no deception may be practised on the pur- 

 chaser. On this subject, Mr. Laysterie has giv- 

 en so perspicuous and easy a system, that I be- 

 lieve I cannot do better than to copy it, (as I have 

 done many other useful hints and observations) 

 from his book. It a flock of pure Merino sheep. 



