Portable Fencing for Sheep. 
545 
tlie lowland farmer, who may Lave no flock of Lis own, finds his 
advantage in providing such accommodation. The sheep thus 
sent out probably range over the old lea pastures or adjacent 
moors daring the day, and at night are folded on any convenient 
spot which requires to be so manured. The use of nets as a 
portable fence, easily set up and readily removable, is almost 
essential to this system of management. 
Again, an annual draft of the two or three-year-old wedders is 
disposed of in autumn to the lowland graziers or dealers, to be 
fattened upon turnips, and then sent either to the local markets 
or to the larger centres of consumption — Edinburgh, G lasgow, or 
Newcastle. A flock of about three hundi-ed and fifty sheep is 
placed for the season under the care of one shepherd, who 
is expected to attend and feed them, set the nets, shift the flock 
from field to field, — or farm to farm, when needful, — to stock 
up the bottoms of the turnips, &c. tScc. 
Hence arises the desirability of having a really portable tem- 
porary fence, suitable for distant removals, and not very costly in 
the original outlay. 
The Rev. Mr. Headrick, a well known local writer, remarks, 
in his Survey of Forfarshire, that the feeding of sheep on turnips, 
by means of nets, had then (1813) been recently introduced. 
Since that time the practice has extended, but has not greatly 
varied in its nature. Let me briefly describe it from the recol- 
lection of youthful days. This I can the more readily do, be- 
cause that period was spent with a farming friend who fattened 
sheep extensively in the winter, and had also a breeding flock of 
three 'or four hundred ewes. As he approved of 3 0ung men 
being actively employed, I was sent off for a couple of w inters, 
when aged sixteen and seventeen respectively, in charge of a 
lot of more than three hundred. This phase of life, with its 
wanderings from farm to farm as the exigencies of food-supplies 
demanded, was a pleasant one — having plenty of variety, -a fev/ 
hardships, but a larger amount of enjoyment, and abundance of 
time for reading or other occupation. If you are going with a 
grazing lot of sheep — hoggets or ewes — little tackling is required, 
just sufficient for folding room over night, and if you give them 
about half an acre of fresh ground every few nights, from two to 
three hundred yards of netting will suffice ; but if out with fat- 
ting sheep for the season, then a thousand yards or so will be 
required. 
The material is either hemp or cotton — the latter article 
having been introduced, to a limited extent, during the past few 
years ; but the rate for which it is at present sold may justly 
be regarded as prohibitive. Mr. Welsh, a large flockmaster in 
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