10 



Management of Sheep. 



required. The strongest advocates for folding are the " Hill- 

 side " farmers, who state it to be better for the sheep to deposit 

 manure in those situations than by carting- — an endless task. 

 Would it not, in such situations^ be better to lay them down to 

 ''sheep-walk," or use artificial manure ? 



Many breeders in the Southdown districts and southern counties 

 adopt the system of fattening a part of their lambs for the London 

 market. In this case those ewes that are intended to produce lambs 

 are drafted from the general flock the year previous, and put with 

 the ram at an early period. The management of lambs from their 

 birth is allowed by all breeders to be the most difficult task in 

 sheep-husbandry ; it is regulated throughout by the period or age 

 at which the breeder intends to realize. When they are intended 

 for the earliest markets, some breeders adopt the plan of producing 

 what is termed "house-lamb." For this purpose they invariably 

 procure the Dorset ewes, which have been previously put to the ram 

 for the purpose of dropping their lambs at Michaelmas. After 

 the usual preparations for the lambing season, and the lambs begin 

 to come, they are (after a few days) separated from the ewes and 

 placed in a suitably prepared house, or large barn, well littered 

 with straw ; the ewes are taken to them three times a-day, but are 

 not allowed to remain beyond the time required for suckling, as 

 the extra heat occasioned by their presence for a longer period 

 would have the effect of producing an uneven and consequently 

 unhealthy temperature — a point to be avoided if possible, as upon 

 the lamb-house being kept at one regular degree of heat depends 

 the more certain and quick composition of animal food, by an 

 union of the elements of the milk, food, and oxygen consumed. 

 The ewes when turned from their lambs are kept as near home 

 as convenient, and supplied with a liberal quantity of turnips, 

 cabbage, coleseed, or other succulent food within reach at this 

 season of the year, together with grains, broken corn, or linseed. 

 Chalk is supplied to the lambs in troughs, both in lump and 

 powder, to prevent looseness — particular attention being paid to 

 cleanliness and a free circulation of air. When the business of 

 drawing them for the London market has commenced, it is not 

 uncommon to suckle the next run of lambs upon the ewes that 

 have had their lambs taken off (in addition to their own dams) 

 which is done by the shepherd holding the ewe a proper time, 

 otherwise the ewes are turned away and made fat. If young, they 

 are sometimes kept on for another season, and sent to fold. The 

 lambs while fatting are also regularly supplied with sweet clover, 

 split peas, broken corn, or bran ; in short, it being an artificial 

 production, both the lamb and dam, for the time, are given any- 

 thing they will eat. When they are intended for the next stage 

 or run, many breeders provide well-iittered yards, with covered 



