SHEEP. 



w6ol on, under the name of (hearlings, and immediately 

 turned into the marfh to fatten ; the graziers take their 

 fleeces, and having wintered them, get the kindHcft to 

 Smithfield in the coiirfe of the fucceeding fprlng ; thofe 

 that do not fat fo eafily, yield the grazier a fleece at Midlum- 

 mer, and are got off the ground in the courfe of the next 

 autumn. Here you fee a combined fyftem of fheep agri- 

 culture, for as the animals are eternally either changing 

 hands or yielding fleeces, they make a return of fome kind 

 or other to their owners, nearly half-yearly from the time of 

 their birtii, to that of their final diflblution at Smithfield. 

 See Ram. 



In the ftieep fyftem of management which is praftifed on 

 the large rich trafts of the Rornney, Walland, and Denge 

 marfhes in the county of Kent, there is alio n local pecu- 

 liarity and difference which is worthy of notice. The ufual 

 praftice with the lambs in thefe marlhes, is that of [ending 

 them about the beginning of September to be kept by the 

 neighbouring upland or hill farmers during the winter. Tliey 

 go in feparate lots, being received at certain appointed 

 places by the farmer^, and driven to the houfes, or taken to 

 the farms by their fervants. They are then commonly put 

 upon the Itubbles or graltons, as they are called ; but in 

 fome cafes they iiave alio pailures to run upon, though too 

 little attention is, in general, paid to the changing of them, 

 by which they fuffer much, and are often greatly uijured, 

 efpecially fuch as are weakly and delicate. Much advantage 

 I would probably be gained by having them put, in leparate 

 lots, in different fields, and by giving them in wet feafons, once 

 a day, fome fort of dry food, fuch as hay, or thofe of better 

 kinds in particular cafes. It is not improbable, indeed, that 

 lambs might be fafely kept in thefe marfhes through the 

 I winter, by the ufe of fuch food and proper care. It is 

 l found that there is a prodigious benefit in keeping the lambs 

 in winter, in fuch fituations, in having the grounds dry and 

 warm, inllead of bemg of a cold, wet, clayey nature. Lambs 

 I (hould by no means be flocked along with the ewes, as the 

 old fheep will conitantly take the feed, zxiAJlench the land, 

 by which the lambs may be greatly hurt. They fhould al- 

 ways be flocked feparately, and the pailures be frequently 

 changed, circumltances which are little regarded here. 

 Some think tliat lambs do not thrive well on being put to 

 I'rals, after having been fed on luxuriant food, fuch as 

 turnips, old tares, rye-grafs, &c. 

 I The price of the keeping of lambs in thefe cafes is very 

 ' different ; fome paying only 4.r. 6d. the lamb, while others 

 pay ^s.; and where no neat Itock are kept, they charge as 

 high as from 6s. to 6s. 6d. the head, for the fpace of about 

 fix months. This is but a late advance ; however, it makes 

 the price of keep a ferious objcft. The lofs of lambs in 

 this fyftem of winter management, is occafionally confidcr- 

 able, but depends much on the nature of the leafon, as to 

 mildiiefs or feverity, amounting in fome cafes to four or 

 more in a hundred. 



The tegs, or one-year old lambs, in this fyftem are brought 

 from the uplands, where they have been wintered too often 

 in a low ftate of condition, for the fupply of the marfh gra- 

 ziers, wliich enables them to keep more ewes and fattenmg- 

 fheep on the marfh lands. This is done about the be- 

 ginning of April, when the upland farmers are indulged 

 with a fcafl or treat at the expence of the graziers, as 

 a rccompenfe for their care and attention to the lambs, 

 in which liberality has a great effcCf. As the flocks reacii 

 the marfti, they are put upon the pooreft pafhires, at tiie 

 rate of five to the acre, their old fticcp being juft fold to 

 make room tor them. Tliefe are commonly the hefl condi- 

 tioned tegs, in which there may fometimes be lofs from the 



8 



fudden tranfition from poor to too good keep, though they 

 are not, in general, fo fubjeft to fome forts of difeafe as the 

 old ones, on fuch changes being made in their fc/od. 



The marfti Iheep-graziers have lately been much in the 

 practice of prevailing on the farmers to keep fuch flocks a 

 fortnight, or even double that time, on turnips, which has 

 the advantage of enabling them to double the ftock on the 

 fame paftures during the f'ummer ; while on the other hand, 

 it is evident, that when they are fo hard Itocked early in the 

 fpring, they can neither have fo luxuriant a growth, nor be 

 fo full of grafs. The paftures are likewife eafed gradually, 

 as the fat ewes or wethers are taken off, and their places 

 fupplied by the wether-tegs, while the ewe-tegs are fuffered 

 to remain on their original paftures, until they are feledled, 

 or fet for going to the rams. 



In the ewe management of the marfh fyftem, which is by 

 no means well reguiattd, the ewe-tegs, one-lamb, two-lamb, 

 and three-lamb ewes, are all mixed together, fo that thev 

 cannot be diftinguiflied by the grazier, as they are not 

 marked until turned off for fattening. A better and more 

 convenient vv-ay would, however, probably be to keep the 

 different kinds feparate as much as pofTible, as many advan- 

 tages would refult from it. In winter the land is itocked in 

 proportion of from two to three ewes on the acre, as it mav 

 be of a more or lefs good quality, and in fummer with from 

 three to four and their lambs. In cafe of twin lambs, with 

 not ever more than three to the acre upon the bell paftures. 

 The fummer flocking with ewes is here fuppoled to have too 

 much uniformity in it, though it may perhaps be proper in 

 the winter, yet when that feafon is mild more might certainly 

 be kept than under the contrary circumflanccs, for which no 

 fort of allowance is made. It is conceived, that it would 

 be good pohcy, when there is the probability of plcntv of 

 keep, to increafe the number of ewes on the breeding paf- 

 tures, though there ftiould be a neceffity, on that account, 

 to provide an additional pafture field or two ; however, fo 

 prejudiced are many fheep-farmers in favour of the common 

 pradice, that they do not even make the necefl'ary additions 

 of flock to keep the grafs properly under, by whicli m.eans 

 it is apt to become benty, the pafture injured, and con- 

 fiderable wafte fuftained. The old (heep, or thofe which 

 have had the third lamb, are commonly cait off for fat- 

 tening, and the others marked for llores, and weaned 

 from their lambs, by putting them into one of the pafture 

 fields for fome days ; which not only improves the field, but 

 prevents the ewes from receiving injury bythe flow of milk. 

 This is a praftice which in the marfti management is termed 

 bleating the ewes. Some rejetl this mode, and put the ewes 

 immediately on the fattening ground, from the conviclion 

 that more injury is hkely to enfue by keeping thom in a 

 ftarved condition, for even a fhort time, than by tiirowing 

 them at once into frefli keep. Whichever of thefe is the 

 moll eligible praftice is not attempted to be decided, but 

 the moft general oi:e is that of bleating : aged fheep arc not 

 fo liable to be ftruck with difeafe as young ones in inch cafes, 

 or the iealon of the year fo favourable. 



The fyftem of the marfti for the management of the 

 wethers, and the time of drawing them for the market, is 

 this : the wether-tegs are in the general pradice put upon 

 tlie fattening land for the winter abcnit Michaelmas, in the 

 proportion of from two to three upon the acre, as may fiiit 

 the defigns of the grazier. Thole who intend to keep them 

 for a whole year, commonly put three on each acre of the 

 bell paftures for the winter ftock; but thofe whofe intention 

 is to make a lecond or third return, are fatislied witli two 

 on the fame extent ; in whicii cafe, however, it is necelfary 

 that they be put more early upon the land, in order that they 



may 



