SHEEP HUSBANDRY IN THE SOUTH. l7Ji 



LETTER XIl. 



SUMMER MANAGEMENT OF SHEEP. 



T<»gdng- necessity of— method of doing it .. Burs— how nvoided.. .Lambing— time of— Incloeuies for— 

 Mectanit aI Assii?tance— when rendered— assisting the Lamb— Feeding— necessary care in— Warming— 

 Fo8t/;r Kwes.-.Pens..." I'inniiig ".. .Numbering and Registering— advamaijes of— Von Thaers t=ystem (rf 

 Numliei-ina— manner of doing it conveniently— Mr. Groves torm of a lie^ii.-ter. . .Castration and Dockinn 

 —proper tune and method. r.\VHshing—lime—neces:-ary apparatus — " wetting ''—manner of washing- 

 ordinary waste in subsequent cleansing.. Cutting the Hoof;^ — best time— miplements— method.. Time 

 betwe<-n Washing and Shearing.. ..-hearing— proper conveniences for— eatclier's business— directions to 

 shearer -general directions.. .Shearing Lambs— siiearing Sheep semi-annually— objectionable practices. .. 

 Doing up Wool- Wool Table and Trough— handling Heece— HiTangement on tabit:— folding— rolling- ty- 

 inu— pi oper twine... Storing Wool— Wool-Room.. .Sacking V\ ool— methods... Sorting the i^ock at shear, 

 inf^-how done... Marking Sheep-ihe proper way. ..Cold Storm.* after .-hearing.. .Sun-scalil.. .Ticks- 

 how destroyed.. Maggots— preventives. . .Cuttina the Horns. . .Division of Flocks for Summer. . .Hop- . 

 pling— Clogging, &c. ..Dangerous Uams... Fences.. .Salt. . .Tw.. .V\ ater... Shade... Weaning Lambs... 

 Fall Feeding. . .'Shepherd's Crook. 



Dear Sir : Agreeably to your request, and that of various other South- 

 ern friends, I pi'oceed to give directions for the practical management of 

 sheep " plain and minute enough for the guidance of those entirely unac- 

 quainted with the sul^ject." I will begin with their Summer Management.* 



Tagging. — If sheep are kept on dry feed through the winter, they will 

 usitally pursue more or less, when let out to green feed in the spring. The 

 v/ool around and below the anus becomes saturated with dung, which 

 fcims into hard pellets, if the purging ceases. But wdiether this takes 

 place or not, the adliering dung cannot be removed from the wool in the 

 ordinary process of washing. It forms a great impediment in shearing, 

 dulling and straining the shears to cut through it when in a dry state, and 

 it is often impracticable so to do. It is difficult to force the shears be- 

 tween it and the skin, without frequently and severely wounding the latter. 

 Occasionally, too, flies deposit their eggs under this mass of filth prior to 

 shearing, and the ensuing swarm of maggots, unless speedily discovered 

 and removed, will lead the sheep .to a miserable death. 



Before sheep are let out to grass, each one should have the wool sheared 

 from the loots of the tail down tlie inside of the thighs, 

 over the surface included between the dotted lines in ^'s- 16. 



the cut. The w^ool should be sheared from off the en- 

 tire bag of the ewe, that the newly dropped lamb may 

 more readily find the teat, and from the scrotum, and 

 so mucli space round the point of the sheath of the ram, 

 as is usually kept wet. If the latter place is neglected, 

 SDieness and ulceration sometimes ensue from the con- 

 stant maceration of the urine. 



Sometimes each tagger catches and holds his )wn 

 eiiecp, but it is, on the whole, better, I think, to have an assistant catch the 

 sheep and hold them while they are tagged. The latter process requires 

 a good snearer, as the wool must be cut off' closely and smoothly, or the 

 ubiect is but half accomplished, and the sheep will have an unsightly and 

 ridiculous appearance, when the rem.ainder of their fleeces is taken off; 



* I have not thousht it necessary to mark with quotation points, various extracts in this Lf Iter, from i 

 •ene* of Let'ers written by me a number of years since, and published in the " Valley Fannei " 



