SHEEP. 



aware, but the price of wool in England at the time of the 

 American war (the period of his celebrity) was fo low, 

 that he ufed to fay, it would be defirable to grow (heep 

 without wool, and confine the attention to the carcafe ex- 

 clufively. 



In felefting the mod profitable breed of (heep for a 

 farm, it can never anfwer to Ikock hilly diftrifts with a 

 heavy race of (heep, and in fuch diilrids the improvement 

 of the wool is an objeft more particularly deferving atten- 

 tion, becaufe we believe it would be poffible to grow an 

 equal weight of wool of a much finer quality than what 

 is produced by many of our coarfe-wooUed breeds of (heep, 

 and particularly by the Heath (heep, which palture the 

 mountainous parts of North Britain. 



In rich paAures, weight of carcafe muft in a confider- 

 able degree fuperfede the improvement of the wool, at 

 lead fo far as relates to its finenefs ; for the real intereft of 

 the grower of lon^ wool is to produce a heavier fleece. 

 At the prefent price of wool, a Lincoln(hire fleece of tw-elve 

 pounds being more valuable than any other native Englilh 

 fleeces. To combine, therefore, the perfeftion of form in 

 the Difhley breed with the heavy fleece of Lincoln, is what 

 will beft reward the owners of long-woolled flocks. 



There are, befides long and (hort-wooUed flieep, numerous 

 flocks which produce wool fuited for the comb, but of a 

 finer and (horter kind than the heavy combing wool. The 

 worfted yarn made from this wool is fpun foft, and manu- 

 fafturcd into hofiery. A very confiderable quantity of 

 wool, fuited for hofiery, is grown in the county of Kent ; 

 but the breed of (heep which produce it, has not any dif- 

 tinft name, and appears to have originated from an inter- 

 mixture of the (hort-wooUed (heep of the fouthern coun- 

 ties with heavy long-woolled (heep. We beheve there is 

 no country in Europe, which at prefent produces combing 

 wool of this kind equal in quality to that grown in Eng- 

 land. See Wool and Worsted. 



Sheep, Stealing of, is now made felony without benefit 

 of clergy. See Cattle. 



By an ancient ftatute, no perfon (hall keep, at one time, 

 above two thoufand fheep ; but lambs are not to be ac- 

 counted (heep till they are a year old. (25 Hen. VIII. 

 c. 13.) Perfons exporting flieep fliall forfeit them, and 

 20s. for every fheep, &c. (12 Car. II. c. 32.) And 

 perfons in the counties of Kent and Suflex, within ten 

 miles of the fea, are to give an account, in writing, after 

 (heep-ftiearing, of the number of fleeces, to the next 

 officer of the cuftoms, &c. (9 & 10 W. III. c. 40.) 

 See Wool. 



Sheep, Chitting of, in Agriculture, a term sfiven to the 

 bufinefs of preparing the ewes of them for lambinj^ in fome 

 places, which commonly takes place about a week before 

 the lambing feafon commences. In fuch cafes the ewes 

 are ufually driven into a pound, when the clatter, looker, 

 or fhepherd, draws them out fingly and feparately, turning 

 them upon their backs, and removes with the (hear^ the 

 locks of wool from the underfides of their tails, from about 

 their udders, and from the infides of their thighs. This 

 becomes neceflary, in conlequence of the dirt and filth 

 which often adhere to the wool about thefe parts, efpe- 

 cially in moid growing fpring feafons, when the ewes are 

 afl'efted with much purging. The wool being removed in 

 this manner, not only renders the parts more neat, but en- 

 ables the lamber, or perfon who has the care and direftion 

 of the bufinefs of lambing, to didingui(h when the ewes 

 have lambed, by the mark or dain which is generally left 

 on the back parts of the udders ; as, if fuch marks were 

 not to occur, he would fometimes be at a lofs, as the 



young ewes not unfrequentlj defert their lambs, and en- 

 deavour to efcape along with the other ewes, pafluring as 

 unconcernedly as if nothing had happened to them. 



Some think, that it would alfo be a good method at 

 this time to have the different ewes marked in a different 

 way about the face, in the order of their lambing, and to 

 have thofe of different forwardnefs put together into fepa- 

 rate fuitable paftures, to be taken care of in the moft 

 proper ways. 



The barren ewes, or thofe not with lamb, are likewife 

 now didinguifhed by the clatter, looker, &c. by their not 

 having any enlargement of their udders or their bellies, as 

 well as by their jumping and fkipping about in a nimble 

 m.anner ; fuch being ufually turned off direftly upon the 

 fattening grounds. 



Sheep, Lambing of, the bufinefs of managing the lamb- 

 ing of the ewe flocks, which is very effential and important, 

 though but little known or attended to in many places, even 

 where fheep are almod the whole dock of the farmer. 

 However, in confequence of this, and the employing of un- 

 fKilled perfons, m.uch lofs is not unfrequently fudained, to 

 the great injury and inconvenience of the fheep-grazing 

 farmer. In fome fituations, as thofe of the inclofed, dry, 

 and warm kind, and the more poor mountainous ones, as 

 well as the upland padures and downs, fuch a very minute 

 attention to this bufinefs need not, perhaps, be bedowed, 

 as accidents lefs frequently occur, than on rich padures or 

 marfhes, where the lambs are much expofed to danger and 

 dedruftion from many caufes, unlcfs very carefully attended 

 to at this time. The nature of the principles and praftices 

 which are neceffary in the bufinefs of lambing, are, in fhort, 

 yet much too confined and too little known to (heep-farmers 

 in general to be of any great advantage. The fird thing 

 which is requifite in preparing for this bufinefs, is the mak- 

 ing choice of proper dry warm fields and padures for the 

 purpofe, and having them made as fafe and fecure as pof. 

 fible from the danger of aU forts of accidents and incon- 

 veniences to the lambs. Where they have large wet open 

 expofed ditches, or any other fort of inconvenient fences on 

 their fides or other parts, they (hould be well guarded and 

 fecured by means of fuitable low dead or other hedge* 

 being raifed on the fides of them, by the ufe of fmall light 

 hurdles, about two feet in height, with two racks, fixed 

 down around them or in the mod dangerous parts ; by 

 placing brufh-fagifots of a proper fize round the fides of 

 their banks, and daking them well down to prevent their 

 being didurbed by the winds and dorms : by hanging old 

 fea-nets along their banks or borders ; or by fome other 

 kind of cheap low defence, which the local nature of the 

 fituation may fugged. The nature of the padures for this 

 ufe (hould cnndantly be fuch as are fine and fhort in their 

 grafs, and neither of too poor nor too rich a quality, as in- 

 conveniencies are liable to take place from each of thefe 

 dates. 



It was formerly the praftice to have the lambing of the 

 ewe flocks performed on a great breadth of padure-land, 

 as two or three to the acre, or in a very thin manner, which 

 was extremely tronblefome ; but it is now found that much 

 benefit attends its being done in a clofer or thicker way, as 

 ten or twelve more to the acre, in fome cafes ; as it is not 

 only more convenient and fuccefsful, but far more profit- 

 able. By thus doing it in a narrow compafs, according to 

 the date of the grafs, the work is more fafely gone on with, 

 is more under the direftion of the manager, and more con- 

 venient in cafe of difficulties arifing in it, while there is 

 much lefs danger of lofs among the ewes in confequence 

 of the nature of the keep, which is very material, as it is 



often 



