Soiling Sheep. 173 



sheep than a poor one ; but not one in a hundred 

 puts the statement to proof in practice. The Eng- 

 lish farmer makes no secret of how he produces a 

 flock of sheep that average 200 lb. each, and shear 

 from twelve to twenty pounds of beautiful wool. 

 It is all explained in the one word, feed. Not 

 grain so much as a never-ceasing supply of rich, 

 nutritious forage which keeps the stock growing 

 constantly throughout the 3'ear. To accomplish this 

 they have adopted a regular system of soiling, 

 known as folding or hurdling. 



As a general thing, the English feed less grain 

 than we do. Again, it is very important to the wool 

 grower that his flock should have an abundance of 

 food throughout the entire year. Whenever the pas- 

 tures fail, the growth of wool is checked, and if the 

 sheep be afterward well fed, there will be found at 

 shearing time a weak place in the wool, correspond- 

 ing to the tine in its growth when the food was 

 insufficient. Wool, like milk from our cows, is pro- 

 duced in proportion to the amount of food consumed 

 above that required to support life. Therefore, the 

 want of a proper amount of food is first noticed in 

 the wool, and here is where many farmers are de- 

 ceived. Their sheep look to be in passable condi- 

 tion, and they are satisfied; but the sheep are not 

 growing a profitable amount of wool, as they would 

 if supplied with all they could eat. Says Mr. ^liles, 

 " The great development in fattening quality and 

 early maturity has been secured b}- a liberal supply 

 of nutritious food during the period of growth." 



