RURAL ECONOMY IN YORKSHIRE IN 1G41. 73 



are not to beginne to fother if yow see that they can come to 

 the grownd, or bee likely to come to the grownd. 



Sheepe will make a shift for a longe time in a thinne snowe 

 to scrape for theire livinge. Yow are neaver to begirni to fother 

 sheepe soe longe as they can gette any thing on the grownde ; 

 neyther are yow to beginne to fother them in softe weather ; 

 for give them neaver soe little, and lette theire fother bee neaver 

 soe good, and yett they will wast part of it ; but on the other 

 side, if there come a thicke snowe, that bee aUmost halfe a foote 

 thicke, and allsoe frostes come with it, that wiU make both olde 

 sheepe and hogges fall sharply to theire hard-meate. Olde 

 sheepe will fall to theire hard-meate sooner than hogges, for 

 hogges wiU usually forbeare a night and a day, or two nights 

 arid a day, although they bee taken quite of the grownde ; and 

 if there come any storme, or very colde weather with the snowe, 

 that pincheth them vilely, and they will in five or sixe dayes 

 goe cleane backe, and bee worse like by 10s. in a score ; then, 

 after that, if there fall a good thicke snowe and frosts with it, 

 that the depth and hardnesse thereof keepe them from comings 

 to the gTOwnde, it will make them fall to theire hard-meate 

 most sharpely and keenely ; and after a weeke of such weather, 

 your hogges will beginne to belly againe, and good fother and 

 carefull servinge will (with that weather) make your hogges 

 very stoute, and putte them in use with hard-meate, that yow 

 shall neede noe more to doubt them, nor have noe more trouble 

 with them then the olde sheepe all the winter followinge. 

 Shepheards are to have an especiall eye to theire hogges, and 

 aUwayes to give them the shortest, learyest, and best hey ; and 

 if they see any that forbeare and doe not worke on theire meats, 

 they are to take them from the company, and putte them into 

 some close wheare some bankes are bare that lye against the 

 sunne, till it recover some strength, and then to putte it to them 

 againe, and they wiU fall to. Wee allwayes putte three or fower 

 of the eldest ewes to the hogges to shewe them the way, and 

 teach them to eate hard-meate ; if there bee any of the hogges 

 that bee stm-dy, lame, weake, give over, and bee not able to 

 keepe company vvdth the rest, wee putte them into the closes to 

 the fatte-sheepe, wheare there is grasse sufficient, whearby they 

 may gette flesh and bee made worthy theire death, or other- 

 wise recover hearte and strength to helpe them over winter. It 

 doeth hogges a world of good to bee putte to an hey-stacke 

 wheare they may serve themselves, and beside if the hey-stacke 

 stande in such a place wheare there is good beeld and shelter 

 against a storme, many will putte them to it as much for the 

 beeld as the fother ; and if they doe chance to puU out more 



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