76 
On  the  Farming  of  Sussex. 
The  above  systems  are  those  in  general  use ; the  adoption  of 
them  varies  of  course  according  to  the  proportion  of  the  quality 
of  soil  and  the  local  circumstances  under  which  they  are  situated, 
There  are  some  instances  in  large  concerns  in  which  the  same 
system  would  not  be  desirable  to  be  practised  throughout,  and 
consequently  an  incorporation  of  systems  occurs. 
This  district  is  applied  to  the  purpose  it  is  so  eminently  cal- 
culated for — the  production  of  the  justly  esteemed  South  Down 
sheep.  The  usual  course  of  maintaining  the  flocks  is  in  the 
proportion  of  three  ages,  1,  2,  and  3 years  old.  The  third 
portion  of  the  ewe  flock  is  drafted,  on  or  before  Michaelmas, 
for  sale,  with  the  lambs,  (exclusive  of  those  required  for  keeping 
up  the  flock,)  and  sold  at  the  fairs  held  at  convenient  times 
and  places.  The  tegs,  which  are  now  eighteen  months  old, 
supply  the  place  of  the  drafted  ewes.  The  flocks  are  usually 
lambed  down  about  the  latter  end  of  March,  that  being  found 
the  time  best  suited  to  avoid  the  inclemency  of  the  weather  in 
exposed  situations,  and  likewise  to  meet  the  provision  of  food 
made  for  them.  Three  weeks  after  lambing  they  are  collected 
and  put  to  fold,  generally  on  the  arable  lands,  the  manure  being 
very  valuable.  Indeedit  maybe  calculated  at  quite  one-fourth  of 
the  return  made  by  the  flock,  viz.  : — if  100  ewes  produced  100/., 
the  manure  deposited  by  them  would  be  valued  at  25/.,  and  so  in 
proportion,  and  hence  it  becomes  the  occupier’s  interest  to  keep 
them  well,  in  order  to  have  his  land  properly  manured.  A good, 
clean  clover-lay.  folded  in  the  autumn,  is  generally  the  most  pro- 
ductive part  of  the  wheat  crop.  Rape  is  the  principal  provision 
for  autumnal  feeding,  which  is  generally  commenced  being  fed  off 
about  the  middle  of  September,  and  continued  till  near  Christ- 
mas for  a wheat  crop.  The  sheep  generally  thrive  very  fast  on 
this  till  the  frost  comes,  when  they  require  some  portion  of  hay 
or  old  grass  with  it.  About  forty  years  ago  the  feeding  of  sheep 
with  hay  and  water,  shut  up  entirely  in  yards,  was  begun,  and 
found  to  succeed  so  well  that  it  is  continued  by  some,  and  par- 
tially by  the  generality  of  flockmasters.  I have  kept  500  ewes  in 
lamb  this  way  for  more  than  three  months  after  Christmas,  and 
had  them  in  very  high  condition  with  plenty  of  milk  on  their 
lambing  down.  This  may  be  supposed  a very  expensive  mode 
of  keeping  a flock  ; but  when  I explain  that  my  occupation  con- 
sisted of  four-fifths  of  cultivated  land  of  not  more  value  than  12s. 
per  acre  on  the  average,  40  acres  of  which  in  sainfoin  were  more 
than  sufficient  to  produce  this  quantity  of  hay,  it  may  be  thought 
not  a very  expensive,  but  very  profitable  mode  of  applying 
such  land.  Having  represented  the  general  provision  under 
the  flock  system  to  be  in  rape  for  autumnal  feeding,  and  the 
reason  for  this  being,  that  it  is  a good  preparation  for  wheat,  I 
