254 
On the Feediny of Stock. 
650/., with larger allowance made for the cost of replacing the 
ewes and other contingent expenses. 
I now come to the other branch of sheep-farming, — that of 
preparing wethers for the butcher or shearling ewes for the 
flock. About 200 lambs are held over the winter, at an average 
value of 35s. a-piece, or 350/. for 200 lambs. Nearly 120 of 
these are ewe-hoggets, the remaining 80, wethers, such as are left 
after the 50 best male lambs have been selected as rams. The ewe 
lambs are the more valuable. If 38s. 6t/. be the price put on 120 
ewe-hoggets and 30s. on the 80 wethers, the aggregate value will 
be 351/. instead of 350/., and the comparative worth of the two 
classes fairly represented. Both lots live together until the end of 
January, and are kept in (/ood store condition for the sake of the 
staple of the wool as well as for the growth of the young sheep. 
If they live entirely on turnips, they probably consume li cwt. of 
bulbs per head per week (besides leaves and stalks), or at the rate 
of 22 lbs. per day (we have seen that in a yard, with two-thirds of 
a pound of cake, hoggets ate 16 lbs. of turnips). If artificial 
food were given, this consumption would decrease. If we value 
the turnips at 6s. 8c?. per ton, Ij cwt. would cost Qd. per week, 
a sum much higher than the customary price of the neighbour- 
hood warrants, even for swedes when consumed on the spot. 
Such a value, therefore, can only be regarded as new or theo- 
retic, adapted to the present times, when roots are no longer 
to be subsidiary to corn, but to pay their own way. As the 
season advances, however, the hoggets receive nearly half a pound 
of rape-cake per day, which may be considered to increase the 
cost of their keep by 2d. a week. 
If, however, we take a comprehensive view of the 20 weeks, 
beginning from Michaelmas, during which the ewe and wether 
hoggets are together, we may fairly balance the earlier weeks, in 
which rape and white turnips are eaten at a cost of Ad., against 
the later weeks, when swedes and rape-cake cost 8d. a head per 
week, and consider 6rf. a week as an ample average estimate of 
keep throughout the entire period. 
Besides the cost of keep, losses by death and other small 
expenses should be allowed for. I find that the losses from 
1856 to 1859 inclusive were 9, 4, 6, 5 respectively, and the 
average sum received for the damaged stock about 21. If 6 be 
taken as the average number of deaths, and 21. as the price of 
each lamb lost, 12/. will be the value of the lambs, from which 
21. may be deducted fdr sale of skins and carcases, leaving a loss 
of 10/., or of Is. per head on 200 hoggets. Dressing the hoggets 
Avill cost 11. 10s., washing and shearing 21. 10s. ; a charge of 5d. 
per head will cover these expenses. 
The cost of keeping the ewe-hoggets from the time of parting 
