78 Essay on Sheep, 



the whole season with the flock, one will serve 

 more ewes than if kept apart till late in the 

 autumn. 

 I should suppose that every good farmer 

 would provide some sheher for his ewes in the 

 winter; if he does not, he ought by no means 

 to let his lambs drop early, or he will meet with 

 great losses. — It will be proper here to mention 

 the manner in which I think the flock should 

 be treated in the winter, which the attentive 

 farmer will either adopt or improve upon, as 

 circumstances may demand. It is common to 

 let the sheep run about the barn door, and pick 

 up what the cattle drop. This may be econo- 

 mical, but is not a practice calculated to make 

 a fine flock. The sheep will frequently be 

 hurt by the cattle, and the timid ewes will be 

 driven from their food. It might not be amiss 

 to have a few wethers kept for that purpose, 

 who would probably winter well with little ex- 

 pense by running with the cattle. The stock 

 wethers, if the flock is large, should be kept 

 by themselves. If they run in an open field, 

 in which there are hills, trees, fences, or houses, 

 and are foddered from the hay-stack, they need 

 no other shelter; though I should prefer a rick 

 out of which they were fed, and on the wind- 

 ward side of which tlicy could lay. If they 



