Management of Sheep. 



II 



sheds all round them : these lambs are always kept in like the 

 house-lamb." 



The front of the sheds are fenced with lamb -trays," which 

 have upright bars at a sufficient distance to admit of the lambs 

 passing between them, the shed being entirely reserved for their 

 use^ and they easily pass in and out when the ewes are brought 

 up for suckling ; the only difference in their management being, 

 that these ewes remain in the yard all night. The next run are 

 usually kept up in the lambing-yard for a week, to gather strength ; 

 they are then taken with their dams to the turnip -field during the 

 day, and brought back to the yards at night for about a week ; 

 after which they are allowed to remain on the turnip-land with 

 the ewes. By the use of the " lamb-trays," the lambs are allowed 

 to run over the unstocked turnips, and have their corn given them 

 outside the trays^ apart from the ewes, which have clover -chaff ; 

 thence they are removed to the young clover, until drawn for the 

 butcher. The late or grass-fed lambs are produced in the mid- 

 land counties with common treatment, but of course do not fetch 

 near the price ; but as their cost of production is moderate, a 

 question arises whether they do not make as good a return for the 

 food consumed as the more early ones. 



The Long- Wools are principally classed under the head of 

 Lincolns, New Oxfords, Cotswolds, Teeswaters, and Kents. 

 The long-woolled Lincolns were formerly the chief or only variety 

 produced in the county : they seemed formed for the then rich 

 marshy soils or cold situations (there being little or no heath-land 

 under cultivation), and their principal property was their long, 

 strong w^ool to protect them against the vicissitudes of the eastern 

 winds upon their bleak open pastures during the winter -months. 

 They were further known by their large white heads and ears, 

 long thin carcase, vrith exceedingly large bone; and, from their 

 wool-bearing propensity, they were scarcely ever fattened previously 

 to the third year. In consequence of the rapid advances of our 

 manufactures in the production of finer woollens, and the altered 

 tastes of the people, this breed of animals has happily gone nearly 

 out of fashion ; some few are yet to be found in the neighbour- 

 hood of Louth, Caistor, and Boston, and are sought after by 

 some breeders, who sell their lamb-hogs in the spring to the 

 marsh graziers, to be by them fattened — if possible. 



With the new era of improvement, when the lieaths, wolds, and 

 rabbit-warrens were converted by the spirited breeders into till- 

 age, arose the great importance of adapting the large unwieldy 

 Lincolns (hitherto produced for the rich marshes) to the more 

 moderate production of the heathy soils under improvement ; 

 consequently rapid advances have been made in their improvement 

 by judicious crosses with the Leicesters ; and at the present time 



