150 SHEEP FARMING IN AMERICA. 



these reluctant ewes by compulsion. To catch 

 the ewe and permit the ram to serve her seems 

 to cause her afterward to come into season 

 naturally. * We are hopeful of good results. 



Where one is within reach of tracts of rough 

 and poor mountain pasture the problem is 

 solved in a natural way, by turning the flock 

 onto this thin grass where they must take 

 abundant exercise by walking and climbing 

 and will not find an excess of food. This is the 

 natural way of preventing an excess of flesh. 



It is not a safe plan to attempt reduction of 

 flesli by over ]iasturing of small and fertile 

 fields. The result is to cause the ewes to gnaw 

 into the ground for the herbage there and para- 

 sitic infection is pretty sure to follow. 



THE USE OF RAPE. 



T?ape belongs to the same order of plants 

 as the cabbages and rape leaves have a similar 

 taste and appearance as cabbages. On rieli 

 soil rape yields an astonishing amount of for- 

 age, which must be eaten green, as owing to 

 its watery nature it can not be cured into hay. 

 There seems a peculiar affinity between the 

 cabbage family and the sheep. Common cab- 

 bages, thousand-headed kale, rape, swede tur- 

 nips—all are greedily eaten and make good, 

 healthful development. 



Eape comes in good play during the 

 drouths of autumn and after cool, frosty 

 weather has stopped the growth of grass in 

 the fall. It may be sown in the corn at the 

 time of the last working, using about three oi 



