SUPPLEMENT. 777 



year's mangolds remaining, and will apparently be for a month. These are yet in excel- 

 lent condition, and two or three tons a day are thrown into the fold, the lambs eating 

 them Ireely, and, owing to the ripeness of the roots, they thrive admirably on them 

 showing no si^s of scouring. A large square of compressed white salt is in a box in. 

 every told. Mr. Webb prefers the refined blocks to rock salt, as the sheep take more of 

 It. rhey certainly nibble it off, or scoop it off in large quantities, with an evident rel- 

 ish. Ensilage m an incipient form, as compared with the knowledge we now have of 

 this practice, has been long in use at Streetly Hall, and it is still continued with the 

 success which has previously attended the system. The sweetest straw of the farm is 

 cut mto chaff by one of Maynard's riddling machines, and it is packed in the bay of a 

 barn, mixed with as much cut green tares, clover, or grass as will cause it to heat totha- 

 degree of temperature of a well-secured haystack. When the autumn filling of a bay 

 has been consumed, and it is necessary to prepare another supply lor spring use before 

 tares, ryegrass, or lucem is fit for the scythe, a small quantity of mangolds is used to 

 generate the required heat for giving a relish to the straw chaff. The layers of this chaff' 

 amd Its fermenting accompaniment are liberally sprinkled with salt while it is being well, 

 trodden down by the men who level it. 



These points of Mr. Webb's practice clearly seem to be worthy of general consideration;. 



W. W. G. 



The flock of ewes consists of about 300, after about 70 yearlings are put in annually.. 



H. W.. 



FRENCH SHEEP. 



NOTE BY MB. M. KAINS-JACKSOIT, OF TBE PARIS SHOW, 1883-'84. 

 tlnclosure No. 5 in Consul-General Merritt's report.] 



To most English breeders these would be disappointing, as they formed but a lighft 

 contingent and ragged regiment in comparison with our Cotswolds, Lincoln, Shropshire, 

 and Downs sheep; whilst their being exhibited out of the wool, and many of the best 

 clothed up like greyhounds, gave a very forlorn appearance to the pens. 



The breeds of France are headed by the Merino and mixed Merino varieties, said to- 

 be the most widely distributed of any over the globe, and these came direct from Spain 

 at the close of the last century. A good Merino often has wool, fine, soft, and elastic, 

 from the tip of the nose down to the feet. The chief flocks are called after their dis- 

 tricts — Soissonnais, Chatillonnais, Beauce, Champagne. Native French breeds crossed, 

 by Merino rams have been greatly improved, and are called Mdtis-Merinos. The cross, 

 of our New Leicester or Dishley breed with Merinos has made Dishley-Merinos great 

 fevorites in France, especially in the Beauce district and the departments of Berry and 

 Sologne. The French long-wooled breeds are called Artesienne, Normandy, Picardy, 

 Flemish, Saintongeoise, and Vend^enne, and have long legs, long falling ears, thighs- 

 and legs devoid of covering, and coarse, long, pointed wool on their backs. All are rep- 

 resentative of the Flemish breed, which has the good quality of fattening easily and 

 cheaply. Crossing vrith the Dishley or New Kent rams, the stock is improved much, 

 from its former meagemess. 



In the great central sheep-breeding provinces of Berry and Sologne are hardy low- 

 land breeds — the Berrichon and Solognot; but the wool is hard, dry, and scanty — head, 

 belly, thighs, and legs being bare — and the size is often small; the ears are broad and- 

 hang backwards, and the whole animal is the antithesis to an English fat sheep. But 

 the flesh is delicate, and the breed fattens well. The Sologne sheep attract notice by 

 their coffee-colored heads and legs. , 



The mountains have local breeds of small size, compact trunk, thick, hornless head, and' 

 well-flavored meat. The chief are the Larzac, Lauraquais, Causse, andSegala varieties, and 

 they are found in the southern departments, giving much milk, that is made into cheese. 

 The fii-st n.amed produces the celebrated Roquefort cheese. English Downs sheep have- 

 made many cross and valuable varieties in France, and our New Kent and Berrichon> 

 have created what is now often spoken of as the distinct Charmoise breed. 



At the show held last February, 1884, the prize group of sheep were Southdowns,. 

 bred in the Nievre by M. Colus, and the lot of 15 were an excellent group, and 

 iwould take a good place at an English show, probably gaining second or third prizes. 

 The next breeds that gained notice were the Leicesters (Dishley), Southdown-Berri- 

 chons, and pure Berrichons, and Artesiennes. The pure and cross-bred Merinos alwaysi 

 occupy front rank. The Oxfordshire Downs cross with the French breeds is much es- 

 teemed. In 1883 the prize group was of the Merino breed. French breeds of sheep can- 

 not be recommended for export. 



H. KAINS-JACKSON. 



