BARNS AND STABLES. 



207 



the purpose. As a row of the thatch was laid another was 

 laid on it, and fastened down with the twine. As each row 

 of thatch was laid it was beaten down with a light mallet 

 to flatten it. The top of the roof was tied in a similar way 

 by winding the twine in and through the grass so as to 

 secure it firmly. The roof so made was perfectly water- 

 tight, and after being clipped with shears made a smooth, 

 neat appearance. 



The front was made of wire fence seven feet high, 

 and the strands three 'inches apart for four feet up, and 

 seven inches for the rest. Sufficient gates, made of split 

 stakes, were put in the front. There were five separate 

 yards, each eighty feet wide, and the Winter stock of fodder 

 was stacked in these yards to which the sheep had free ac- 



- o 24- 



PLAN OF SHEEP SHEDS. 



cess. Corn was fed on the ground, and this without any 

 waste; the sheep eating it clean from the ground; and each 

 getting its due share better than whe/u fed in troughs. The 

 whole enclosure was about three acres. The sheep fed out 

 on the range most of the time, and were brought into the 

 shelter only when storms threatened. A barometer, of the 

 kind known as aneroid (a perfect portable instrument) was 

 daily consulted and at every considerable fall the flocks 

 were brought up. This is a good practice to follow oai 

 the range, as in every instance the prediction of the barome- 

 ter was verified, and many sheep were saved that would 

 surely have been lost without these warnings. A plan of 

 the sheds is given, the gates are seen to open inwards, a con- 

 venient precaution for safety. 



