On  Winter  Feeding  of  Sheep. 
89 
months  of  the  year.  I have  doubts  whether  in  general  the  shed-feed- 
ing sheep  in  summer  will  prove  the  best.  I believe  to  Sir  Richard 
Simeon,  who  for  some  years  has  fattened  a large  number  of  sheep 
throughout  the  year  in  stalls,  is  due  the  merit  of  having  first 
adopted  this  practice  as  a system,  and  on  a large  scale.  The  late 
Lords  Talbot  and  Yarborough,  and  a few  other  gentlemen,  fol- 
lowed Sir  R.  Simeon’s  example  to  a certain  extent,  but  general 
attention  has  not  been  drawn  to  the  practice,  and  it  appears  to 
have  been  so  little  considered  in  all  its  bearings,  judging  partly 
from  remarks  of  many  who  have  visited  my  sheep-sheds,  that  I 
venture,  though  with  diffidence,  to  address  you  on  the  subject. 
Careful  experiments  that  I made  led  me  to  the  conclusion, 
urged  upon  me  by  Mr.  Huxtable,  that  I was  wrong  in  using  Sir 
R.  Simeon’s  method  of  stalling  or  tying-up  each  sheep,  and  that 
they  fatten  quicker  when  loose,  in  pens  of  half  a dozen  ; and  if 
so,  there  is  economy  in  carpenter’s  work  and  materials  in  fitting- 
up  the  shed,  whilst  less  time  is  occupied  in  feeding  the  sheep  than 
with  the  stalling  plan;  and,  therefore,  although  I still  use  both 
methods,  because  it  has  not  been  convenient  hitherto  to  alter  the 
arrangement  in  my  first  sheep-house,  I much  prefer  penning  to 
stalling  the  sheep  ; and  the  butchers  invariably  select  the  loose 
sheep  first  (for  I usually  sell  at  home)  ; and  another  advan- 
tage in  the  loose  system  is,  that  the  sheep  will  be  found  more  fit 
to  travel  to  market  than  stalled  sheep,  which  often  require  to  be 
removed  out  of  their  stalls  a few  days  previous  to  sending  to  mar-  v 
ket,  unless  they  are  conveyed  there  on  wheels. 
I will  now  endeavour  to  convey  to  you  my  notion  of  the  more 
general  application  of  this  system  of  feeding,  and  then  to  describe 
what  I conceive  to  be  as  economical  and  useful  a building  (be- 
yond a mere  make-sliift)  for  the  purpose,  on  the  majority  of  farms, 
as  I can  suggest.  Given  a crop  of  turnips,  the  question  to  be 
determined  is,  the  most  profitable  method  of  consuming  it  with 
sheep  in  the  winter  months,  assuming  that  the  owner  of  the  crop 
desires  not  only  to  maintain  a certain  quantity  of  store  sheep,  or 
his  breeding  flock,  but  also  to  fatten  off  wethers  or  draft  ewes.  If 
the  land  is  strong,  it  will  be  injured  by  much  treading  in  wet  wea- 
ther, and  the  sheep  will  then  thrive  little,  barely,  if  at  all,  main- 
taining their  condition  for  weeks  together.  If  the  land  is  light,  it 
may  no  doubt  be  benefited  by  treading ; still  here,  the  sheep  will 
at  times  not  fatten,  exposed  to  cold  and  wet,  and  great  is  the  ex- 
penditure of  extra  or  artificial  food,  improving  in  some  degree  the 
land  perhaps,  but  not  fattening  the  sheep,  or  very  slowly;  mean- 
while the  consumption  of  the  turnip- crop  is  rapidly  proceeding, 
the  interest  of  one’s  money  long  dormant,  and  the  benefit  the 
land  is  to  derive  from  the  manure  dropped  daily  upon  it  is  very 
greatly  neutralized  by  evaporation  and  the  washing  away  of  a 
