MUTTON BREEDS. 37 



management on their native sod and observed 

 these features of their practice. Dry ewes in 

 summer time were often grazed on the hill 

 pastures, but under the care and obsei'vation 

 of shepherds at least part of every day. Ewes 

 suckling lambs were in hurdles eating sowed 

 crops of clovers, vetches and grass, with a lit- 

 tle bite of grain, while the lambs "ran for- 

 ward" in other hurdle-enclosed bits of graz- 

 ing. As protection against sun the lambs had 

 small squares of canvas stretched over the 

 corners of their pen. The lambs got a full 

 allowance of "corn and cake;" that is, grain 

 with broken linseed oil cake, which is much, 

 fed in that land and seldom ground into meal. 

 The lambs were as fat and round as little 

 pigs and were sold as they ripened, week by 

 week, at the London market. Of this system 

 of hurdle grazing we will speak later at more 

 length. 



There are few breeds with more adaptability 

 than the Southdown. It is especially useful on 

 •high-priced land and near markets that de- 

 mand fancy lamb mutton. Though a South- 

 down flock will not shear so much as some 

 others of the Down family it is questionable 

 whether there is a more profitable breed for 

 the production of fat lambs to be marketed 

 either from their mothers' sides in late spring 

 or early summer or to be fed later and mar- 

 keted at the age of eight to ten months. Their 

 smaller size is in their favor, seeing that small 

 and very perfect lambs, well finished, command 

 a premium always. Southdown ewes are pro- 



