52 ON THE FOOD OF SHEEP. 



A. Yes, after they have been steeped in water to 

 take off their bitterness. 



Q. What chaff is given to sheep in the winter 

 season ? 



A. Bundles of threshed straw, in which some grain 

 is left, make very good food for sheep in winter. 



Q. What chaff is best for sheep ? 



A. Oat chaff, because both the grain and the straw 

 are more tender, and of course better, than the chaff 

 of rye, barley, and mixed grain. In some countries 

 the chaff of wheat and meslin, which is a mixture of 

 wheat and rye, would be the best of all : but in gen- 

 eral these grains are too dear, and ought to be reserv- 

 ed for the food of man. 



Q. Is not chaff made from vegetables ? 



A. It is made from vetches, lentils, peas and beans, 

 which are gathered before or after being ripe ; but 

 that however is best, which is made from plants 

 gathered before they are ripe. 



Q. What other kinds of chaff are there ? 



A. There is a mixture of peas and vetches, of oats 

 and vetches or peas, of oats with peas, vetches, len- 

 tils, lupines or fenugreek (1), and these have charac- 

 teristic names in France. 



Q. What kind of leaves are given to sheep ? 



A. Such as are on branches of trees, which are cut 

 in August, when the sap is in them, and before the 

 leaves are dry : they let them wither a little, and then 

 make them into bundles. 



(1) Trigonella foenum g-roecum, L. 



