CHAP. in. FEEDING TURNIPS TO SHEEP. 521 



season; but in most situations turnips, swedes, and kohl rabi con- 

 stitute the farmer's chief dependence for the winter-keep of his sheep- 

 stock. 



There are various methods by which turnips may be supplied to 

 sheep. Some farmers turn the sheep promiscuously into a large section 

 of a field fenced off, and allow them to eat the roots at pleasure. 

 Another practice, not so common, is to enclose the sheep insuch a space 

 as they can clear in one day, advancing progressively through the field 

 until it is cleared. But. in either case, care should be taken not to 

 turn them on to fresh roots very early in the morning until the 

 dew is off, lest by eating the wet leaves they may possibly become 

 affected with hoven (page 548). Another method is, to pull such a 

 quantity of turnips as will be consumed in a few days, and cart them 

 off the land to the sheep pastures ; and, in wet weather, or when it is 

 not an object to feed off the turnips on the ground on which they are 

 grown, this is a commendable method. 



The best sheep managers pull most of the roots up and slice 

 them with a turnip-cutter before giving them to sheep. This is doubt- 

 less the most economical method of feeding the root crop, although the 

 cost of getting up and cutting is considerable. When the crop is got 

 up and sliced there is practically no waste of roots, and the sheep being 

 able to satisfy their appetites more quickly have longer time to rest, 

 and they consequently fatten sooner than when they have to devote the 

 greater part of the day to gnawing hard roots. Rest is essential to all 

 fattening animals, and sheep require it as much as any. 



The most convenient way of feeding sliced roots is to have the crop 

 pulled and thrown into heaps a chain square apart : these heaps in a 

 20-ton crop would contain 2 tons each. Therefore, allowing 1 cwt. per 

 sheep per week, the pen -^ of an acre would carry 280 sheep one day, 

 or if the sheep were bigger and required as much as 22 Ib. per day, the 

 heap would furnish a day's food for 200 sheep. It is usually considered 

 that a man can clean and slice sufficient roots for 200 sheep, pro- 

 vided they are heaped for him. In addition to this, he can " shepherd " 

 them, which includes setting hurdles, getting chaff and corn, keeping 

 the sheep's feet sound, and their bodies free from dirt : and, if the 

 land is not very foul he can dig out occasional pieces of couch in front 

 of the pens. If he has no cutting to do, the shepherd should look after 

 400 sheep. 



The practice of allowing sheep to graze or gnaw their roots is most 

 common on light chalk soils, where the greater part of the root crop 

 consists of soft turnips, or green topped plants such as rape. 



When sheep are folded upon turnip-land (swedes) that is, where the 

 turnips have not been taken up the great purpose of the system is to 

 manure the soil, and also in the case of light lands, for which it is 

 specially adapted, to tread down and consolidate it for succeeding crops, 

 as wheat, which requires a firm seed-bed. In carrying out these two 

 objects, care should of course be taken to arrange the feeding off of the 

 turnips in such a way that the manuring and consolidation of the soil 

 is effected as uniformly as possible. This is done by staking or divid- 



