768 CATTLE AND-DA1BY FAEMLSG. 



nected for so many years with Southdown sheep, and though I may be said to regard 

 them with all the admiration felt for one's " first love," I am by no means disposed to 

 praise them by depreciating other breeds. A long experience has taught me to recog- 

 nize the fact that while Southdown sheep are well adapted to upland and dry soils, 

 they are at the same time unsuited to some other soils and conditions. And when 

 pointing out to you the great improvement that has taken place in the breeding of 

 Southdown sheep during the present century, I am not unmindful of the marked change 

 effected in other breeds, such as the Cotswolds, the Lincolns, the Oxfords, the Shrop- 

 shires, and the Hampshires: and were it not for the invidiousness it would involve, I 

 should like to stray from the immediate subject of my lecture to remind you of the 

 honor which attaches to the names of the many breeders of these sheep, who havs 

 earned the thanks of both meat-producers and meat-consumers, but time will not per- 

 mit this digression. 



The Merton flock comprises twelve different families, and the shepherds know, from 

 long experience, how to select the ewes for each family, which ram to put to them, and 

 the kind of lambs that are likely to be produced. By this careful plan of managing the 

 several families we have produced and maintained the large size of the Merton sheep. 

 We have always remarked that when rams have been hired for use at Merton they have 

 only in three instances given us a first-prize animal, but that the second and third gen- 

 erations, after an intermingling of fresh blood with our own sheep, have been most suc- 

 cessful. 



It is a rule at Merton that when a hired ram has left a promising ram lamb the lamb 

 is used to eight or ten ewes to see how far he may be relied upon for use as a shearling, 

 and thus the disappointment which might arise from his produce not being satisfactory 

 is avoided. 



FEEDING. 



For ten days or a fortnight before rams are put with the ewes it is advisable to 

 change the food of the ewes to something more stimulating than that which they had 

 been previously fed upon. This not only causes the ewes to come into use more quickly 

 than they would otherwise do, but invariably leads to a better fall of lambs. The fresh 

 food must be continued for at, least five or six weeks, when doubtless the greater part of 

 the ewes will be seasoned. 



MANAGEMENT OP FLOCK. 



During pregnancy great care must be exercised not only in supplying the ewes with 

 nutritious, health-giving food, but in keeping them from any great excitement; such, for 

 instance, as might be produced by fright from being run by a reckless dog. I may here 

 observe that, while fully recognizing the usefulness of a well- trained sheep dog, I can- 

 not but protest against the way in which I have frequently seen in-lamb ewes and other 

 sheep chased, harassed, and alarmed by a wretch of a dog, apparently under the slight 

 control of a careless and lazy shepherd, who, to save his own legs, will unnecessarily run 

 the dog after the sheep, heedless of the ill-effects it may produce. A good and careful 

 man will not dream of doing such a thing. Many persons are little aware of the injury 

 that is done by the injudicious use of dogs. If they are in-lamb ewes there is great 

 risk of producing abortion, and if they are fatting sheep the effect of the alarm caused 

 by an excitable dog upon them is to take a good deal more off in five minutes than you 

 can put on again in five hours. In both cases the owner is a sufferer. The excitement 

 caused by the action of the dog does away for a time with the quietude which is so de- 

 sirable for fatting animals, and consequently they do not gain flesh so quickly as they 

 would if they were kept free from unnecessary and preventable alarm. 



The question what is the best course of feeding for in-lamb ewes is a most important 

 one. and calls for the greatest consideration and care on the part of the flockmaster. 



There exists no reasonable doubt that where ewes are kept on grass land until after 

 they have lambed there is little fear of abortion, always presupposing that they are kept 

 free from injury, are not jumped over ditches and water-courses, are not over-driven, 

 nor subjected to fright, &c. I have proved beyond question, with the Merton ewes, that 

 keeping them entirely away from turnips until after they have lambed is a decided safe- 

 guard against abortion. Up to the year 1853 the Merton ewes were folded on turnips from 

 the end of October until the spring of the following year. They were then as unhealthy 

 as any ewes in the country. In the early part of 1854 there were something like 110 

 cases of abortion, and 80 ewes died. Feeling that a change in the treatment must be 

 made, I determined that in the future the ewes should not be fed on turnips (except for 

 five or six weeks when the rams were with them) until after they had lambed. Since 

 that time they have been folded and fed on grass land, with the supply of grass daily 

 supplemented by a reasonable allowance of a mixture of hay chalf and fresh-made broad 

 bran, at the rate of four bushels of chaflf to one of bran. At about the fifteenth week of 



