/ O SHEET 



I have known a sheep, when confined in narrow 

 limits, on straw bedding, and the feet neglected, to 

 have a growth of nearly an inch in length, of this sub- 

 stance, in a single winter, which almost " upset her 

 understanding." 



When confined in soft marshy pastures, or in rich 

 fertile pastures which are very smooth and free from 

 stones, there is little opportunity for sheep to keep their 

 hoofs worn down to the natural condition, and if not 

 regularly trimmed or pared by hand, inflamation, ulcers 

 and foot-rot frequently follow as a natural consequence. 

 Such pastures, therefore, being unsuitable for sheep, 

 will not be improved by them, unless the sheep are fed 

 upon them only a few days at a time, while they have 

 access to a more congenial range most of the season. 



Our rough, rocky, hilly pastures, on the contrary, af- 

 ford the most natural and agreeable summer feeding 

 places for most kinds of sheep, and here their naturally 

 active and playful habits lead them to skip about from 

 rock to rock, upon every knoll, through every hollow, 

 prying into every nook and corner, scattering fertility 

 wherever they go, while the natural inclination to keep 

 their feet clean, bright and w T ell scoured, leads them 

 to shun, as permanent stopping places, all wet, swampy 

 or marshy spots, and to seek for repose only in the 

 highest and dryest parts of the pasture ; hence they 

 almost invariably congregate during the heat of the 

 day and at night on the least fertile portions, naturally, 

 of the lot, where the subsoil is most porus, and the 

 ground hardest on the surface, whence their droppings 

 wash down in all directions, bringing in new grasses, 

 and giving an appearance of fertility even to what were 

 previously almost barren, sandy or gravelly knolls. 



