508 THE COMPLETE GRAZIER. BOOK iv. 



will not attempt to bring the lamb forward although its full time has 

 expired, and all the usual signs of lambing are present. It is often 

 found that there is a dead lamb present on occasions like these. 

 Artificial pains may be induced by ewe-drinks containing ergot, but 

 though they are doubtless of use, they cannot always be relied upon. 



As soon as the lamb is born the caul should be wiped away from its 

 nose, and if it does not sneeze so as to open a passage to the lungs as 

 is often the case when a lamb has been partially strangled during pro- 

 tracted labour the shepherd should blow hard into its nostrils and 

 mouth until the windpipe is cleared and breathing begins. The ewe's 

 teats should be drawn to see that they are not blocked with dirt, and 

 that she is possessed of milk. She will lick her lamb, and in a very 

 short time it will get on its legs and suck without assistance. When 

 the ewe is short of milk the lamb may be suckled from another ewe 

 with a surplus quantity, or it may have cow's milk ; this latter, however, 

 often produces scour, and therefore is not so good, but it is impossible 

 in most cases to get through the season without having recourse to it. 

 Lambs may be made to take to foster-mothers very quickly, but the 

 ewes are a little more particular, though, with the exercise of patience, 

 and some skill, the difficulty may be overcome in the course of a few 

 days. The substituted lamb should be covered with the skin of the 

 dead one it is to replace, and if this is not sufficient the ewe must be 

 tied up so that she cannot avoid the lamb. Dead lambs and sheep 

 should be buried, otherwise the dogs may become sheep worriers if 

 they get accustomed to gnawing carcasses. A plentiful supply of a 

 mixture of carbolic acid and olive oil (in proportion of 1 to 7) should 

 be kept in the sheep-yard to pour inside the ewe after she has experi- 

 enced much difficulty in lambing, or has thrown a dead lamb, and 

 carbolic acid should always be available so that the shepherd may rinse 

 his hands after handling any sheep which does not appear absolutely 

 free from disease. It is very necessar} r to keep the ewes' teats sound, 

 otherwise they will not allow the lambs to suckle, and mammitis or 

 garget, will result. Ewes should be got out of the lambing pen as soon 

 as possible, or foot-rot may attack them. When taken out in very 

 cold weather the lambs should have shelters provided in the fields. 



Perhaps the most serviceable mode of giving practical information 

 on the subject of the food supply to the flock will be to quote descrip- 

 tions of the methods adopted by several prominent flock-masters with 

 different breeds. 



Mr. Charles Howard, of Biddenham, Bedford, thus describes his 

 practice with his famous flock of Oxford Downs : 



" The ewes are generally put to the rams about the second week in 

 August, and are from that time, with the run of the stubbles, the 

 scavengers of the farm. I usually grow some white peas for the use of 

 the rams ; immediately these are harvested, the stubble is either 

 ploughed or dragged, and mustard sown, which is ready at the latter 

 end of September, upon which the ewes are folded at night. After this 

 is disposed of, they run the grasses, and are folded at night upon the 



