AGRICULTURE. 



ated to each field, according to what it is 

 enabled to carry, and suffered to remain, 

 without any other change than what de- 

 pends upon the state of individuals from 

 accident or season. They will thus inevi- 

 tably flourish. By adhering to the prac- 

 tice of folding, which, however, in certain 

 cases may be necessary, much loss is of- 

 ten sustained; much food is spoiled; and 

 injury arises from numbers being so close- 

 ly crowded together : and although the 

 practice may be highly beneficial, as pre- 

 parative for corn, this advantage is often 

 too dearly paid for. Another point of very 

 considerable consequence with respect to 

 sheep is the practice of close feeding. 

 Even in pasturage shorn completely to the 

 ground, the herbage is found rapidly to 

 spring up ; and when drought is observed 

 nearly to destroy the produce of fields 

 treated in a different manner, by being 

 permitted to run to bent, such as are ma- 

 naged in this close way are in comparison 

 at least highly productive. In all plants cul- 

 tivated for pasture, the moment the seed 

 stem runs, the grand effort of the system is 

 directed to the formation of the seed ; and 

 the way to produce the greatest abun- 

 dance of leaves,therefore,is to prevent the 

 rising of these stems, which, by close feed- 

 ing, is of course effectually accomplished. 



In the whole range of husbandry, per- 

 haps, the most perplexing point of ma- 

 nagement is the providing for flocks of 

 sheep in the months of March and April. 

 Turnips and hay are generally depended 

 upon ; but being frequently inadequate, 

 rye is sometimes sown on purpose, and 

 crops of wheat are also sometimes eaten 

 down by them. All, however, is too fre- 

 quently found insufficient, and they are 

 permitted to run over the clover and pas- 

 tures of the farm, committing great waste 

 and damage. To prevent these evils, 

 burnet should be cultivated by the farm- 

 er. It is a most hardy plant, and pre- 

 serves its green leaves through the win- 

 ter, and under deep snows vegetates with 

 singular luxuriance. This will be an ad- 

 mirable feed for sheep in April, when 

 turnips ought no longer to remain upon 

 the ground. But kept grass on dry mea- 

 dow and pasture, or what is called rouen, 

 is preferable to every other dependance, 

 and though consisting as it were of hay 

 and grass in the same mouthful, being the 

 autumnal growth at top, sheltering the 

 more recent vegetation beneath,the sheep 

 eat both together without the slightest 

 hesitation, and are found to thrive upon 

 it extremely. Ten ewes, with their lambs, 



VOL, I 



may be supported throughout April on 

 one acre of this rouen, and no cheaper 

 mode of keeping a full stock in April can 

 possibly be adopted. 



In June the washing of the sheep should 

 generally take place previously to the 

 shearing. The washing may be best per- 

 formed by a stream of water ; and those 

 who are engaged in it, instead of standing 

 in the water, in which their uncomforta- 

 ble situation leads them to hurry negli- 

 gently over the business, should, by means 

 of a cask or tub, be freed from such un- 

 pleasant and dangerous exposure. The 

 shearing, which speedily follows this ope- 

 ration, should be as close as possible, and 

 the circular is by far preferable to the lon- 

 gitudinal met hod with a view to this object. 



Sheep that are kept in inclosures, and 

 particulai-ly in a woodland country,should 

 be examined twice every day, to guard 

 against injury to them from the fly, which, 

 in twenty-four hours after having struck, 

 sometimes produces incurable disease. 

 The most efficacious treatment on this 

 subject is,after partingthe wool wherever 

 the maggots are found, and picking them 

 out with a knife, to scrape a small quan- 

 tity of white lead among the wool, so that 

 it may be carried evenly down to the 

 wound. Regular and minute inspection 

 will prevent such a circumstance as a 

 broken coat in any of these animals, from 

 a cause so dangerous and fatal, where 

 they are neglected. 



When ewes are about to lamb, their 

 keep should be of the most nourishing 

 kind, consisting of plenty of turnips or 

 cabbage. Till this period they may do 

 without them. But all cattle that have 

 young require as good keeping as those 

 which are fatting. The turnips or cabba- 

 ges should be drawn for them, and given 

 them on dry ground. A standing rack of 

 hay should "be left for them on the field, 

 which will be of great advantage to them. 



Swine. 



The quick multiplication and growth of 

 swine render them a species of stock high- 

 ly profitable, and if reared systematically, 

 and upon a large scale, none will be 

 found to answer the purpose of the farmer 

 better. Though supposed to be filthier 

 than any other animals, they enjoy a clean 

 and comfortable place for laying down in, 

 and their thriving and feeding are at least 

 as much improved by cleanly manage- 

 ment as those of any other stock. Their 

 styes should therefore be constructed 



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