58 MANNER OF FEEDING SHEEP. 



en them in the middle of the day, such as cabbage 

 leaves, carrots, parsnips, skirret, radibhes, turnips, 

 potatoes, topinambours, a species of potatoes, beets, 

 horse chesnuts, acorns, &c. 



Q. What quantity of cabbage leaves should be 

 given to a sheep at one feeding ? 



A. It is found that a sheep of a middling size eats 

 about five pounds of cabbage leaves in a day ; there- 

 fore it is proper to give him a pound and an half at 

 once, when the leaves are tender, like those of the 

 headed cabbage, brassica oleracea capitata, which he 

 eats clean ; but when they are hard, like the leaves of 

 the running cabbage, chou de bouture, he leaves 

 nearly a third of them in weight : to make up for this 

 loss, you should give him two pounds of such leaves 

 at each feeding. 



Q. Why is it necessary, to give sheep fresh food 

 at least once a day ? 



A. It is because fresh grasses and roots are the 

 natural food of sheep : they are accustomed to it dur- 

 ing the whole of the warmer seasons ; and when it is 

 altogether changed by giving them only straw, they 

 are not sufficiently nourished, and they gradually 

 grow thin : the shepherds say they lose tallow, that 

 is, they fall away. Dry food makes them thirsty 

 and drink a great deal of water, and thereby lays the 

 foundation of many diseases, particularly the rot : a 

 feed of fresh food every day, prevents them from fall- 

 ing away, or being too thirsty. 



Q. When you have no fresh food to give, what 

 other food will prevent sheep from falling away ? 



