SHEEP. 



fort of food, but they moftly come on gradually, until a fcore 

 will eat a peck a day. Peas are fometimes given in this 

 manner, till they reach fix (hillings a bulhel, and found to 

 anfwer. A great many forts of food of thefe and other 

 kinds may be ufed with fuperior advantage for (hecp in thefe 

 yards, and a vail lupply of good manure be provided at the 

 fame time. 



SuEEP-C/atter, in Rural Economy, a term applied in fome 

 fheep diftrifts to the perfon who has the care of clatting the 

 ewes juil before the lambing-time begins. 



SHEEP-Lamier, a name given to the perfon who has the 

 care and management of the ewe-flocks, which are under the 

 ftate of lambing, in fome fheep diltrifts.- It is of very great 

 advantage to a (heep-farmer to have a careful, fteady, aftive 

 lamber, unlefs he attends to the bufincfs himfelf, which is 

 always the bell way where it can be done ; as few will be 

 found who are fufficiently attentive and diligent at this pe- 

 riod, and, of courfe, much Ic.fs may be fuitained. 'Where 

 perfons are hired for this purpofe, they fhould, it is fup- 

 pofed, be rather elderly than young, as being more expe- 

 rienced and lefs apt to be hally, as the bufinefs is intricate, 

 tedious, and often fubjeit to much trouble, confufion, and 

 diforder, which Hand in need of a great deal of patience to 

 have them properly attended to and rcftitied. If they are, 

 or have been lookers, it is fo much the better, but this is 

 far from being always the cafe, even in the principal fitua- 

 tions where flieep are kept. In the great fheep diftricl of 

 Romney-M.irlh, it is the cullom for the lambers to have the 

 fivins of the dead lambs as a pcrquifite; which are ukially fold 

 at about ^s, the dozen. This is certainly a bad practice, 

 as it tends to the making of rogues. The intereft of the 

 fheep-mallcr and his fervant, which ought to be the fame, 

 are feparated, as what is the lofs of the one is the c',ain 

 of the other, and much injury and difappointmcnt relult 

 from it. 



In the above great dillrift for fheep, it is ufual for the 

 lamber to go his regular rounds at four o'clock in the morn- 

 ing, and to continue with the ewes until about feven or eight, 

 returning to the fields until dinner-time ; then going oif 

 again at one, and returning about five ; fetting oif on his 

 lafl round at fix o'clock, when he does not return until 

 dark. There is indeed fometimes fo much to do, that he 

 cannot com.e home above once or twice a day : the lambing 

 fhould on no account be ever left until the lamber has every 

 thing in a fair way, efpecially at the time of night. 



SuEEP-Looier, the name of the perfon who has the 

 overlooking and management of the (heep-flocks, in fome 

 uiflriifts. Perfons of this kind fliould always be of careful, 

 Heady, active difpoiitions ; with fnfficient experience, and a 

 full knowledge of tlie different modes of fheep management. 

 See Shepherd. 



Sheep LawLin^-Hooh and ATnrks, the inflruments of 

 the hook and mark kind, which are made ufe of in laying 

 hold of the lambs, and in marking them, in particular cafes 

 and circumilances. In the former the handle is about feven 

 feet in length, the head, or circular open part, three inches 

 in width ; the neck, or opening part to it, two inches and 

 one-eighth wide ; and the guide, or bill, fix inches and a 

 half in length. The latter have the handles about feven 

 inches and a half long, with llraight and curved or circular 

 marks at the ends, one inch and three-eighths in length, and 

 one inch and two-thirds in width, infide the circle. Thefe 

 inflruments arc vcrv ufeful on many occafions. 



Sheep Hay-Rack, that fort of rack which is provided 

 for the ufe of fheep in their confumption of hay and other 

 forts of fodder of the fame nature. They are made in many 

 dillcrent ways, as open or covered on the tops, and boarded 



or barred up a little height at the bottom part, as well as 

 raifed on low wheels, or wholly without them. 



They are ufually from about fix to nine feet in lengtii, 

 and about two feet and a half in height ; the fpace for the 

 hay at the top about one foot ten inches, but which is fome- 

 times contrafted at the bottom fo as for the two fides to come 

 nearly together, ftanding out in the manner of common 

 horfe racks. The openings for the Iheep to feed through 

 from three, four, or five inches to feven or eight. The 

 fmaller they are the lefs lofs there will be, provided they are 

 fufficient for the flieep getting at the fodder. The bars and 

 boards put at bottom in fome forts of thefe racks prevent 

 the animals getting into them. When formed with covers 

 and fcrcens for keeping the hay or other food, and the fheep, 

 while feeding, from being wet ; they are the moft complete, 

 efpecially if, at the fame time, they be provided with low- 

 wheels, fo as to be c.-.pable of being moved from place to 

 place. In imall racks, where wheels are put at one end, they 

 can be eafily moved about. 



Thefe racks are of very great ufe and convenience on all 

 farms where (lieep are kept in any quantity. See Rack. 



Sheep Com-Ehi, any fort of trough or bin formed for 

 the purpofe of containing the corn, or any other fimiiar kind 

 of food for fheep, either in fattening, or in other modes of 

 managing them. Bins or troughs of this nature are ufually 

 contrived in a light manner, fo as to be moveable on low- 

 wheels ; having covers at fome height over them, fupported 

 from below by the ends and upright pieces in fomewhat the 

 roof-form, fo tliat the wet may be prevented from getting 

 to fuch provifions, and the flieep enabled to feed dry. They 

 are generally made very narrow, but of confiderable length, 

 the box or trough for the food having only the depth of a 

 few inches. 



Sheep-bins of this fort are very neceffary and ufeful in many 

 kinds of flieep management. 



SuEEV-Dung, the manure afforded by flieep, which, by 

 means of proper folding in yards properly littered with llraw, 

 ftubble, &c. may, in many cafes, be increafed to a confider- 

 able extent, fo as to render it an objeft with the farmer. 

 See Dung, Folding of Sheep, and Manure. 



Sheep- Z)riJ/«j, a name fometimes given to thofe fmall 

 drains which are frequently formed upon the more loft and 

 damp fhccp-walks and paflures in different parts of the 

 kingdom, in order to render them in a Hate of greater dry- 

 nefs. They are often made not more than two feet in width 

 at the furfacc, and one fpit and the (hovelling in depth. 

 They are moil fuited to that fort of wetnefs where the bot- 

 tom is of a clayey or tilly nature. Such fort of work can, 

 in fome places, often be done at three-halfpence the rood of 

 fix Scotch ells; Thefe drains (liould conltantly have a 

 gentle (lope or declination acrols the declivities of the 

 grounds on which they are made. 



SHEEP-Fann, that fnrt of farm which is principally 

 condufted iindtr fome fyftem of flieep management. Many 

 fituations are fuited to fome branch of this hufbandry, which 

 cannot be converted to the purpofes of raifing grain or fat- 

 tening cattle, &c. See Sheep, and Farm. 



The more dry the lands are, and the more fine at.d (hort the 

 grafs is which is upon them, the better and more proper and 

 fuitablethey are, in general, for the purpofes of fheep-farms. 

 Where the fubllratum is of a lime-Hone quality, this is moftly 

 the cafe, in the mofl favourable degree. But in many in» 

 fiances now, arable farms are likewile (heep-farms, to a very 

 confiderable extent ; artificial food being grown and raifed 

 for the fheep-flock in fufficiently fuitable proportions. 

 There is probably much sdvantage in this combination in 

 all cafes in which it can be properly admitted. Sheep- 

 X farm* 



