The Breeding and Feeding of Sheep. 
637 
and he attributed tlds to the fact that he did not keep them so well 
as they had been kept by their fonner owner, and that consequently 
they had fallen oif in condition when put to the ram. In this opinion 
he was confii-med by the fact that the great proportion of the remaining 
80 or 90 ewes bore double and treble lambs fi-om the same rams. 
That appeared to corroborate the view of Professor Coleman, that the 
ewes should be in an improving condition when put to the rams. 
Mr. P. Fkeke believed that malt chives given to the ewe flock 
would induce them to eat much more straw in mild seasons than they 
would otherwise be inclined to take. His practice was, to give his 
lambs some artificial food from the first moment when they could 
be coaxed to eat it. When the rapid grofli;h of the lamb compared 
with that of other animals, and the speed with which it obtained the 
stature of its pai'ent, were observed, it would be seen that it was 
particularly adapted to be fed well from the outset. It was his 
practice to pen his ewes and lambs in the manner described by Mr. 
Holland. When the weaning time was come, he substituted common 
hui-dles for the lamb-gates. Thus the lamb and its dam were parted, 
but not far removed or distressed, and greeted one another night 
and morning for a while through the fence. The only objection he 
had heard made to such lamb-gates was, that by ciuving a big lamb's 
back they spoilt its symmetry. 
Lord Berneks had himseK tried cocoanut matting, but foimd it 
eaten through by the sheep in innumerable holes in the morning. 
]\Ir. FisHEE HoBBS said that the system which Professor Coleman 
had propoimded that day so much coincided with his own practice in 
the management of a Southdown flock, that he would trouble the 
meeting vdth. a very few remai'ks. This system would be foimd very 
j)rofitable upon the light lands in an open countiy, since it enabled 
the farmer to produce mutton and lumb of early maturity. The 
flock might be managed imder it in a manner very superior to the 
system adopted in the northern and midland coimties. Indeed, a 
flockmaster might keep from two to four sheep per acre, besides a 
certain number of beasts, if his grass-land were good, and thereby 
make a better return than in any other way. He should like to know, 
however, in what way the washpool was to be used '? Of course, it 
could only be at a period of the year when the ewes were not in a 
state of gestation, and could only be required dm-ing the summer 
months. 
Swedes had been recommended after lambing time. Some years 
since a friend of his, Mr. Edwards, of Sutton, Suffolk, who kept a large 
flock of sheep, having lost 100 lambs before they came to matm-ity, 
wrote to him for his advice in the matter. The first question he 
then put to Mr. Edwards was, " Did you feed your ewes on swedes 
before lambing time ? " and this proved to be the case. The use of 
rape for lambs in the summer months was very important. Within the 
last fortnight he had lost 10 or 12 acres of coleseed entirely through 
the drought. The field had grown winter oats and vetches, and sheep 
and lambs had been feeding upon it with abundance of oilcake ; it was 
well ploughed, but when the seed came up the recent excessive di'ought 
destroyed the whole piece. In his neighbom-hood, especially on such 
