120 THE DOMESTIC SHEEP. 



and it is a well known fact that the Black-faced Highland 

 sheep is much improved when it is transferred for final feed- 

 ing to the same kinds of soil, and the rich pastures of Cen- 

 tral England. The Cotswold had its home on the limestone 

 hills of which the rich soil furnished the sweetest and most 

 nutritious pastures. And generally, it has been found that 

 the flocks least subject to the many zlls of which the sheep 

 is pre-eminently heir to, have been fed and reared where 

 limestone prevails, or where the soil is well drained and 

 yields the most perfect growth of the best herbage. It is 

 also to be remarked that on the light lands of Norfolk, 

 where the turnip and its related fodder crops grow to per- 

 fection (as witness the invaluable white Norfolk turnip, 

 there grown for feedings flocks in the fields along with 

 rape and other crops that are rich in sulphur), there the 

 sheep bring the most satisfactory results to the feeders, 

 who go to distant pastures to procure the stock for this feed- 

 ing by which the farms are enriched. Low lying meadow 

 lands that are made up of the debris of such geological 

 formations, but when thoroughly well drained for the 

 sheep must have a dry foot have been found excellently 

 well adapted to the growth of sheep, aind it is only on these 

 low lying lands, undrained, that the destructive liver fluke 

 is found injurious. 



These suggestions are made to stimulate the study of 

 this most important matter, by American shepherds, so that 

 in selecting farms or range feeding grounds, a proper and 

 sufficient study of the geological conditions of the locality 

 may be made. 



