SHEEP. 



Tares, rye, and cole, are in great requeft as fpring food 

 for flieep-ftock, the firfl; being raifed on the itronger forts 

 of land, the fecond on fuch as are of a lighter quuhty, and 

 the laft on many kinds, even the hilly calcartous fort. 

 They are all fufficiently early for being fed in April, or the 

 following month, when turnips are done. Spring tares are 

 likewife often put in to be fed off at the clofe of theautumH. 

 Thefe praAices anfwer very well ; but mixed crops of tares 

 and rye never do well for the purpofe of (hecp-feed ; as they 

 do not by any means come well together, of courfe there is 

 much lofs. Thcfe and other mixed crops are, however, 

 frequently had recourfe to in this fort of management, with 

 evident benefit. 



The Itubble turnip fyltem of food is very good in this 

 iort of hulbandry, for late fpring or other feed ; where 

 crops of fuch kinds take well in fuccefiion to thofe of 

 other forts. 



The plan of preferving after-grafs for the purpofe of 

 flieep-feed is certainly very ufcful, efpeeially for the fupport 

 of ewes and lambs in the early fpring. It provides well for 

 the time of fcarcity. 



The praftice of converting young wheat crops to fpring 

 fteep-food is feldom good. It is moftly the bufinefs of ne- 

 jceffity and want of forecall in the (heep manager. On light 

 and dry lands it may occafionally be ufeful, but it often does 

 much harm. 



Winter barley, and fome other forts of crops, have alfo 

 been tried as (heep-food, but hitherto only by particular in- 

 dividuals on a fmall fcale. 



Whatever the Kature of the food which is raifed with this 

 defign may be, it (hould always be provided in ample 

 abundance to the quantity of fheep-ilock which is to be 

 kept, as no fort of pinching ever anfwers any good purpofe 

 in this management. Good water (hould likewife be con- 

 itantly attended to in this practice. 



By thus cultivating proper quantities of proper Iheep-food 

 in connexion with the keeping and managing of ftocks 

 of this fort, many important benefits and advantages would 

 neceilarily refult, a far greater quantity of fheep would be 

 kept on the fame extent oi ground, they would be preferved in 

 X much better Hate of condition, and they would be in a much 

 more defirable fituation for the purpofes of breeding or be- 

 ing fattened, and confequently be in every way greatly more 

 profitable to the (heep-farmer ; while the growth of fuch 

 forts of food would prepare admirably for grain crops, by 

 which little expence would be incurred. Befides thcfe, it 

 Kvould contribute in feveral other lefs important ways to 

 the benefit of the ilock-farmcr, in many cafea and fitua- 

 tions. 



And it is obferved that, by the means which have been 

 ftated above, the ftieep and lambs are capable of being con- 

 tinued in good healthy condition, a matter of great confe- 

 quence to the (lock, until the period of turning on the 

 paftures, when they ftiould be feparated, where the lands are 

 inclofed, into proper divifions, in proportion to tlie quantity 

 each pafture can fupport, care being taken not to ovcr-ltock 

 the fieldn, though hard (locking in fome cafes may be bene- 

 ficial. With fome farmers they are put upon the richcll 

 pallure of the farm, while with others it is the cuftom to 

 let them have thofe of the infirior kinds. This muil depend 

 much upon circumltaiices ; but whatever mode is adopted, 

 the ppmt of liavinfT the Hock preferved in good condition 

 is never to be loll fight of. It is advifed, that in keep- 

 ing ftu'i-p on inclofed paltures, particularly where the 

 lands are much occupied with wood, conllant care is neccf- 

 iary, in order to guard againd the mifehief of the fly, as its 

 eflefts are often irremediable in the courfe of a very ftiort 



time in fuch fituationt, if not attended to, in hot feafons. 

 With the view of fully guarding again (t this infeft, a very fre- 

 quent and particular examination muft be made by the 

 ihepherd. 



Further, on this fubjeft it may be noticed, that the next 

 circumftance in the management of thefe animal;; is that of 

 weaning the lambs, which is a bufinefs that fhould be effefted 

 when they are three or four months old, as about July, but 

 it is done more early in fome diftrifts than in others. And 

 to effeft it in the bell and molt beneficial manner, a proper 

 referve of louie frefh pafture grafs, where there may be a 

 good bite for the lambs to feed upon, fhould be hadrecourfe 

 to, as it is of much confequence that an ample provifion of 

 this fort be had, in order that the growth of this young 

 ftock may not fuffer any check on being taken from the 

 mother. Where they have been continued fo long as to 

 graze with the dams, little check will be fuftained in their 

 feparation, if turned upon fuch good feed. Some advife 

 clover in bloflbm as the moft forcing fort of food in this in- 

 tention, and with others fainfoin rouen is highly valued for 

 the fame purpofe. When good feed is not provided, of 

 fome of thefe kinds, the lambs foon decline in flefh, or in 

 the technical language of the (hepherd, the flock are faid to 

 pitch ; and when once this happens, they never afterwards 

 thrive fo well, however good the management may be. 

 With regard to the ewes, they Ihould be removed to fuch 

 dirtant paftures or other places, as that they may not be 

 heard by the lambs, which would caufe them to be dillurbed 

 in their feeding. And where the ewes fuilain any inconve- 

 nience from their milk, as by their udders fwelling, it (hould 

 be drawn once or twice, as by this means bad confequence* 

 may be prevented. And as foon as the lambs have been re- 

 moved, the ewes are returned upon the pailures deftincd for 

 their fummer fupport. There is, however, one caution to 

 be attended to in firft turning the lambs upon rich keep, 

 which is that of letting them be in fome degree fatisfied with 

 food previoufly, that they may not be furfeited by too 

 quick and full feeding, and heave or hove, as it is termed ; 

 keeping them gently moving about the field has alfo been 

 advifed in this intention. In fome places where the lands arc 

 of the more poor kind, it is a cuftom to fend the lambs to 

 the more rich vale ormarfh diftricts, to be brought forward 

 in condition, or fattened. In thofe cafes, where the lamb* 

 of the male kind are reared on the home lands, as wether», 

 they are ufually rcftorcd to the flock in the latter end of the 

 year, but which is not by any means a good prafticc, at 

 they often fiirter for want c f proper keep in the winter, 

 and lofe what they had previoufly gained in growth and 

 condition. 



And in the ufual management of fheep-flocks, it is the 

 common praftice to remove a certain number of the old 

 ewes or crones every year, replacing them by the bcft lambs, 

 in order that they may be kept up in the greatelt perfeition ; 

 it is, of courfe, a matter of confiderable importance to have 

 this done in a proper manner. And in almoll all the fheep 

 diftrifts in the fouthern part of the ifland, this fekdion, or 

 fetling of the lamb-Jlock, is performed about Auguft, at which 

 period the fairs for the fale of lambs molUy take place. 

 And as at this time the whole are collcfted together for draw, 

 ing into different lots, it is a very fnitible period for ftlc6\- 

 ing or clioofing thofe that are to fupply fuch deficiencies in 

 the breeding Hocks. In his Calendar of Hulbandry, Mr, 

 Young has well remarked, that in making this fcle£\ion, the 

 farmer or his (hcphird ufually (whatever the breed may he) 

 rejedls all that manifefl any departure from certain figns of 

 the true breed ; thus, in a Norfolk flock, a white leg, and 

 a face not of a hue fufficiently dark, would be e\cludc4, 

 3 K J however 



