RURAL ECONOMY IN YORKSHIRE IN 1641. 11 



But as for puttinge of sheepe which in the fore ende of the 

 yeare wante wolle, are thimie skinn'd, wormy skinn'd, shorte 

 skin'd, or kempe hair'd ; the best way is to take of the whole 

 fleece, and aboute Michaelmasse to putte them up and keepe 

 them in goode phght against All-hallowe faire, which beinge 

 the last faire heareaboutes, such kinde of goodes goe then well of, 



Tuppes beinge fedde are to bee kept noe longer then Latter- 

 lady in harvest ; because, ridinge time approchinge, they wiU 

 beginne to hnger after ewes and decHne, theyre flesh waxe 

 reade and ranke, and they themselves scarce to be bee guided, 

 or kept within bowndes. 



Other Eemembrances for Ewes and Lambes. 



Such lambes as att theire flrst faUinge are very weake and 

 not able to followe theire dammes, the best way is to suckle 

 them on the ewe, aU the day, and in the eveninge to taka it 

 from her and lay it in an hopper or baskett upon a httle sweete 

 hay, settinge up the baskett in the chimney corner a goode 

 distance from the flre ; then are yow to suckle it with cowes 

 milke three or four times before yow goe to bedde, and soe to 

 lette it lye in the hopper all night, covered over with a cloath, 

 and in the morninge yow shall find it to have recovered some 

 strength : then in the morninge are yow to fill the belly of it 

 with cowes milke, and soe to putte it to the ewe, 



Lambes, tiU they bee fower or five dayes olde, will usually 

 shoote and scower extreamely, that if they bee gimmer lambes 

 they can neyther make water nor dimge tiU they bee helped, 

 and that by reason of theire excrementes which berke togea- 

 ther theire tayles and hinder partes, and soe stoppe theire fun- 

 dament ; the sheapheardes phraise is that such lambes are 

 pinded, and that they must bee sette att hberty ; the cause of 

 this is say'd to bee by reason of the ewes beasthnges, (for an 

 ewe is say'd to give beastlings three or fower dayes, during 

 which time the lambe will shoote), and after this will it neaver 

 be troubled in this kind : as for such lambes as scowi-e when 

 they are abovite a moneth old, it is aboute that time when they 

 fall to the grownd, which perhapps may worke an alteration in 

 them and soe bee a cause of theire scominge, these kind of 

 lambes in hotte weather will have maggetts, for these the 

 sheapherdes phraise is to say that they have company ; and 

 they are then to bee looked att immediately, and forthwith to 

 bee di-essed and have theire clagges chpped from them. 



After Lady-day, that ewes and lambes are putte forth of the 

 carre, our farmers usually hyre boyes or girles to keepe them 

 aboute the towne, towne-side and lanes till mid- April], 



