42 
The Sheep Stock of Gloucestershire. 
more compact animal on shorter legs, with plenty of bone, and 
at the same time more attention is being paid to both quantity 
and quality of wool. 
Such a modification is in harmony both with the develop- 
ments of modern sheep-breeding in this country and with the 
requirements of the foreign, and more especially the North 
American, buyer. These requirements, on the authority of a 
well-known exporter, may be summarised as follows : — A 
sheep well set on its legs, with a leg — so to speak — at each 
corner, especially strong on its joints ; not over-fed, but with 
the greatest possible quantity of lean flesh ; with a good 
straight spine, capable of growing a thick-set, heavy fleece of 
good quality, but not too fine. 
Some account of the management of a Cotswold flock may 
not be without interest. The ram is turned out with the ewes 
at such a date that they bring their lambs soon after the New 
Year. Shortly before lambing, the ewes are brought to the 
lambing-pen erected in the field of roots reserved for the ewes 
and lambs. The lambs, as they are strong enough to leave the 
pen, are drafted off with their mothers to another part of the 
field, provided with some temporary shelter, where they are 
hurdled on the roots, the lambs running forward and picking 
the tops of the swedes, and receiving cake and corn in troughs 
to themselves. The ewes with single and double Iambs are 
usually kept separate, the latter being better done. The 
swedes are succeeded by seeds — or better, sainfoin, which crop 
is a sheet-anchor of Cotswold sheep-farming, being regarded 
as an almost infallible corrective, if the lambs need a change — 
all foldings being supplemented by mangolds carted on to the 
land. Though hurdling, with a forward run for the lambs, is 
sometimes resorted to, the more usual practice is for ewes and 
lambs to run the whole field. 
Weaning takes place about the end of May or beginning 
of June, shortly after which the winter-grown vetches will 
be ready, and the lambs are hurdled on them, eating off the 
crop or having it cut and put in racks according to the 
heaviness of yield and the state of the weather. By the 
time the vetches are finished there will probably be after- 
math seeds or sainfoin on which the lambs run thinly, being 
frequently changed from one field to another, until the early 
turnips are ready for folding. A good practice is to combine 
a fold of turnips at night with a run on the seeds by day. 
As soon as the lambs are on turnips they are given hay in 
racks at night and chaffed hay with their cake in the 
morning. The turnips being finished, the lambs are changed 
on to the swedes, which are generally cut and given them 
in troughs. 
