14 



Management of Sheep.^ 



Each lot was penned across the lands, so that there might be no 

 difference in the crop or after-management. 



The wether-lambs were allowed half a pound of oil-cake each 

 per day during the winter; the ewe-lambs were kept entirely 

 upon turnips; each lot had the turnips cut for them; and when 

 the roots were all consumed, and the lambs met, the land was 

 again measured, and the ewe-lambs were found to have eaten 4 

 acres 0 rood 32 perches of turnips ; the wether-lambs 3 acres 3 

 roods 8 perches, — thus showing a gain of 1 rood 24 perches of 

 turnips by the use of the artificial food, and longer duration upon 

 the land. The field had been highly manured upon the ridge 

 system for the turnip-crop, which by a calculation (after weighing 

 22 square yards in an average part of the field) was estimated 

 at 22J tons per acre. 



When the lamb-hogs were placed upon the turnips, 10 average 

 lambs of each lot were weighed and marked, and again weighed 

 every month during the time they remained upon the turnips, 

 which proved to be 16 weeks 2 days. Having no opportunity of 

 weighing the turnips daily to the respective lots, a calculation 

 was made, and it showed the ewe-lambs to have eaten, upon an 

 average, 22J lbs., and the wether-lambs 20| lbs. of turnips each 

 per day. The average gain of the 10 ewe-lambs during the time 

 proved to be 28ilbs., and the 10 wether-lambs 36|lbs. each. 

 The 8 acres were sown with chevalier barley and mixed clover- 

 seeds in the spring, and each part harvested and thrashed sepa- 

 rately. They were found to produce — the 4 acres 0 rood 32 

 perches, 25 quarters 1 bushel, or nearly 6 quarters per acre ; the 

 3 acres 3 roods 8 perches, 25 quarters 6i bushels, or 6 quarters 

 6J bushels per acre. The young seeds upon the latter, up to the 

 foljowing May, looked weaker than the other ; but this I attribute 

 to the heavy crop of barley. The whole piece was grazed during 

 the summer, when the part fed off with the wether-lambs reco- 

 vered, and was by far the strongest and best crop. The following 

 March the land was sown with Friesland oats, but which were 

 not thrashed separately, the apparent result being so decidedly in 

 favour of the part eaten off by the wether-lambs. 



The breeders upon the heaths, from their peculiar situation, 

 plough everything ; they rarely or ever occupy any grass-land 

 except in some few instances : they procure a portion of marsh- 

 land, which is situated at a distance, and they then require it 

 most for the purpose of growing, or feeding their cattle raised 

 upon the ploughed farm. In setting their flocks at Michaelmas, 

 their object is to select those ewes which possess uniformity of size, 

 frame, fleece, and style. For producing large, well-proportioned 

 animals, they are also particular in having a long kind head and 



