124 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



twins may go some ways toward the accomplishment of his 

 object l)y placing liis ewes on somewhat better pastnre and 

 allowing theni a few tnrnips or other stimulating food, before 

 the ram is let with them. 



Mr. James Bird, of Berwickshire, in Scotland, in a prize 

 essay, which received the gold medal of the Royal Agricultural 

 Society, says : " To insure a large proportion of twins, the ewes 

 have a short time before, and during the procreative season, 

 a liberal supply of green food given them, such as rape or tur- 

 nips ; at one time the former was thought absolutely necessary, 

 from its being believed to have a stimulating effect in their 

 prolification ; now, however, turnips, when given in sufficient 

 quantities, are found practically to be equally efficacious. 

 Either rape or turnips, experience has proved, assist more suc- 

 cessfully towards the desired result, when given a week or so 

 before the ram is let among the ewes. The sex may also be 

 somewhat controlled, the animal at procreation being in the 

 most vigorous and active condition, will be most likely to 

 impress on the offspring its own sex. A ram w"ill serve from 

 forty to sixty ewes, according to his age and condition ; if 

 two years old, the first number is enough for him. A very con- 

 venient and important thing to do is to raddle the ram when 

 let to the ewes, or smear his brisket with red ochre, or lami> 

 black mixed with lard. Every ewe served is thus marked, and 

 those which are not, may be supposed to be barren, and should 

 be fattened. The age of a sheep is told by its teeth ; from twelve 

 to fifteen months old the two middle front teeth are shed, and their 

 place is supplied by two broader teeth ; two of the lamb teeth 

 continue to be shed annually, and their places supplied with 

 the permanent ones, till the sheep becomes, what is called full 

 mouthed, at nearly five years of age, having the eight broad 

 teeth. 



A great and very general mistake among our farmers, is that 

 of allowing sheep to remain out late in the fall, even till after 

 snow covers the ground, without any additional food. After 

 the middle of November the grass has been so repeatedly frozen 

 and bleached out by the autumnal storms, that there is but very 

 little nutriment left in it. The food that sheep eat goes to 

 support life, to form fat and wool ; they fill their bellies with 

 this dry, worthless, dead grass ; but there is nothing there to 



