SUMMER MANAGEMENT. 205 



gttxe early in the morning, before the dew evaporates, and 

 again for a while in the evening, when the temperature of 

 the season is warmest. In the hot month of August, howT 

 ever, when the feed is less succulent, they appear eager for 

 it, and should be gratified, if possible. But the lambs, when 

 suckling,' will do better if the mothers have access to it at 

 *all times. Therefore, since every pasture is not supplied 

 with water, the master should appropriate those which con- 

 tain it to his breed ewes. It should be considered, that the 

 milk secretions cannot be so abundant if the ewe suffers too 

 ihuch from thirst, nor in any wise do as well. 



WEANING LAMBS. 



This period necessarily varies somewhat with locality, 

 the particular breed, the time of parturition, and the disposi- 

 tion afterwards to be made of the lambs. 



The time usually allotted for the lamb to suckle is about 

 four months, and if the weaiiing lakes place about Septem- 

 ber 1st, which is about the common period in the Eastern 

 and Middle States, it supposes the birth to have been in the 

 early part of May. If the lambs are of the mutton breed, a 

 longer or shorter time is taken, depending on the condition 

 they are in for the butcher. But with sheep kept for wool 

 culture, in about this latitude, weaning should not be delv- 

 ed beyond August 25th, or at most a few days after. W^ 

 early as this is quite necessary, as the time is full short for 

 the ewes to recover their wonted order for renewed gesta- 

 tion, and pass with safety through the jigorous winters inci- 

 dent to our cUmate. 



The first thing to be attended to, is to remove the la.mbs 

 and the ewes as far as possible from each other. There 

 wiU be plenty of confusion and unhappiness for a while, and 

 which would be prolonged until it was injurious both to the 

 mother and the offspring, if they were able to hear each 

 other's bleating. The lambs should be placed on better pas- 

 ture than that to which they had been accustomed, in order 

 to compensate for the loss of the mother's milk. But it 

 must not be too luxuriant, otherwise, they overgorge them- 

 selves, and acute diseases in some form will follow. From 

 this cause flock-masters often complain of losing their lambs 

 soon after weaning, which might, however, have been pre- 

 vented, if they had previously been trained to eat salt, 



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