158 BOAED OF AGRICULTURE. 



fifty or sixty ewes ; but if used more carefully and not al- 

 lowed to exhaust himself by constant teasing, thrice the 

 number of ewes can be covered in a season by a mature ram 

 in good condition and constantly well fed. Oats are the 

 best feed for a ram while in active service. 



Do not not keep your sheep out too late in the autumn, 

 and expect them to do as well as they ought. 



Frozen grass is no better for sheep than for other kinds 

 of stock. 



Take your sheep from pasture when you house the rest 

 of your animals ; but remember sheep cannot have their shed 

 too cold for comfort and health, if it be dry and afford 

 shelter in case of wet weather. 



A sheep with its warm fleece laughs at zero weather, and, 

 if allowed to choose, will lie out on the ice in an open yard, 

 in preference to a warm, well-littered shed, if the weather 

 be fair and not too windy. 



Here let me add that it is impossible to keep a flock of 

 sheep in a healthy, thrifty condition, unless you so arrange 

 the sheds as to control the ventilation and have a good sup- 

 ply of fresh air at all times. A good-sized sheep ought to 

 be allowed at least ten feet in the shed and two feet at the 

 feeding rack ; the larger the yard for exercise the better. 



Running water is almost indispensable, and you will 

 hardly believe me when I tell you that, in spite of the old 

 belief that sheep do not need or even care for water where 

 there is plenty of snow to eat, I have known a flock of 

 breeding ewes to drink by measure over four quarts of 

 water each per day, besides eating more or less snow. 



Sheep are naturally fond of browsing on all sorts of 

 bushes and foul growth when at pasture, and so in winter 

 they can be kept on meadow hay and all kinds of second- 

 class fodder, that could not with propriety be fed to milch 

 coAvs, and would be entirely unfit for horses. This sort of 

 fodder they really seem to prefer, and with a small ration of 

 grain every day a flock can be kept thrifty and " on the 

 mend " at very little expense. 



In raising lambs for early market you will need a pen for 

 the ewes to lamh in, that can be shut up warm, or rather 

 can be kept above the freezing point, for it is generally de- 



