352 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 24, 1890. 
SHEEP. 
Now that the lambing is ended once more even among the 
latest flocks special attention may usefully be drawn to points of 
practice which are always important, and which go far to ensure 
successful results both with lambing and general flock manage¬ 
ment. Sheep are hardy animals—able to endure much exposure, 
to bear much neglect ; but there is a limit even to the powers of 
endurance in a sheep, and it has been proved beyond question 
that losses to a very serious extent have been caused solely by 
mismanagement. 
Let every flockmaster, and every shepherd too, ask himself. 
How has the lambing gone this season ? If there were cases of 
abortion, was the reason known or was it doubtful ? An occasional 
case of abortion may occur in any flock, but it is when abortion 
becomes rampant and dozens of lambs are lost that it becomes 
•evident the management is at fault. One safeguard against 
aboition is to mark every doubtful or faulty animal during the 
lambing, or immediately after it is over, for drafting from the flock 
when the lambs are weaned. Mark also all full mouth four-shear 
ewes, and do not be tempted to keep them for that other lamb, as 
has so often been done, for the result is to say the least decidedly 
speculative. Rather resolve to draft all ewes at the proper age, 
and to keep up the number by annual selections of the best ewe 
lambs. Were this a fixed rule in all established flocks there would 
be much less risk of loss, and results generally would be altogether 
better. 
When Professor Axe went into Lincolnshire to inquire into the 
cause of the outbreak of abortion before and during the lambing 
season of 1883, he found foot-rot rampant in the flocks of that 
county, and in his report he says, “ That animals should give up the 
fruits of conception when tortured by the pain and suffering 
which extensive and unprotected ulcers of the feet entails, is no 
matter for surprise,” and he adds, “ especially when, as in the present 
case, they are worn down by exposure, fatigue, and the pernicious 
influence of a cold ungenerous diet.” That exposure and low diet 
was mentioned to mark the evils of folding pregnant ewes on 
Turnips. In this instance, of 7800 ewes fed exclusively on Turnips, 
22 per cent, aborted, and of 13,800 others receiving more sub¬ 
stantial food, only 6 per cent, were so affected. Of the 51,475 ewes 
comprised in this inquiry, 6234, or about 12 per cent, aborted, and 
1494 died. Foot-rot may be kept down by incessant watchfulness 
and care, so that the general health of the sheep is not seriously 
affected, and in so mild a form it will not cause abortion. But at 
the date of the inquiry the practice among the Lincoln flocks was 
of a very rough-and-ready description. The report says that the 
soil of the folds was worked up into a veritable puddle, or, what is 
worse, an impassable slough, rendering the recumbent posture all 
but impossible, and the poor beasts, with their heavy burden of 
young, stood in mud over their hocks and knees for many successive 
days, and some are stated to have got down in the mud and 
were obliged to be killed in the last stage of exhaustion. 
Most lamentable was the mismanagement, the misery, and 
sufferings of the poor animals, and the heavy losses it caused. 
Really, one would suppose flockmasters who could suffer such a 
state of things to exist must not only be blind to their own 
interests, but also sadly deficient in practical knowledge, to say 
nothing of common prudence and the dictates of humanity. In 
his “ Recommendations ” Professor Axe placed much stress upon 
the importance of shelter against cold winds and driving rains. 
He was right, and we repeat here that every field or meadow used 
for sheep should have shelter in the guise of open commodious 
odges, and we know no better structures for this purpose than the 
modern ones, with sides and roofs of corrugated iron sheets. 
The sowing of root crops has begun again in view of the 
provision of food for another winter. If the roots can be con¬ 
sumed upon the land it is altogether best, but do let us try so to 
manage that there shall be no compulsory folding in unfavourable 
weather, and no use of roots for pregnant ewes. With draft ewes, 
store hoggets, and ewes with the lamhs we may surely manage to 
get through our folding and root consumption. The old plan of 
following hoggets with pregnant ewes to consume Turnip shells 
left by the hoggets must be abandoned. Much better is it to cut 
up the “ shells ” with hoes as the hoggets are withdrawn and 
plough them in, for they are excellent manure. Instead of sowing 
so many roots that the ewes must be fed with them, rather let us 
resolve to reduce the root crops within reasonable limits, to have 
more Cabbages and Kale, and to make as much silage as possible, 
for in it we certainly have sound wholesome food good for ewes or 
any other animals. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
The two-year-old colts intended for use are gradually being broken 
to work. This enables us to keep mares with foals from being worked 
too early. Colts require gentle handling and much patience. Leading 
is taught early. They are placed singly in a team of steady horses 
with equally steady men out upon the land first of all, and are fairly 
settled to work before they even leave the farm for road work. Many 
colts prove troublesome when first shod, and by way of precaution we 
usually have this done when a colt is tired from a long day’s work. 
Very seldom indeed is it that we have any trouble with a mare in 
foaling. Our favourite arrangement for brood mares is to let each of 
them have a commodious lodge with a sliding door on small wheels or 
runners, so that when the lodge is open the door cannot blow-to 
or become partly closed, and so become an obstruction, and perhaps 
cause injury to mare or foal. When closed the lodge is practically an 
admirable loose box, with just a manger, rack, water trough, roof venti¬ 
lator, and window for the admission of light only, either well protected 
with iron bars or else high up out of reach. The lodge opens into a 
small yard enclosed by posts, rails, and stout boards resting upon brick 
footings. This sort of enclosure answers better than brick walls or 
corrugated iron, both so liable to injury from horses. In front of the 
yard is a paddock, so that by this arrangement we have the lodge, yard, 
and paddock always available, and the mare may foal in either place 
according to the state of the weather. When a mare is exhausted by 
foaling it has a gallon of gruel with a pint or two of ale ; bran mashes 
and corn are given for about a week after foaling, and then the ordinary 
diet is resumed. 
A certain number of new hurdles are required each year, and we 
like to have our supply now, so as to use them for sheep folding of 
roots now and green crops later on. As corn and other crops spring up 
sheep will break out if there is a weak or badly set hurdle in a fold, 
and a few acres of corn are soon spoilt. We allow the shepherd to use 
no old hurdles where it is possible for sheep to do harm, and take care 
to see that his folds are well set. 
Winter Beans, on heavy land especially, have lost plant since the 
severe weather of the first week in March, in some parts to such an 
extent that Oats are being drilled to fill up the vacant places. This is 
all the more provoking as the Beans were exceptionally promising, but 
after a mild moist winter there is always considerable rii of loss from 
a sudden change to colder weather. We shall revert to this flaw in 
the Bean crop next week, as we have heard doubts expressed as to the 
cause. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 32' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
Dt THE DAT. 
d 
•a 
1890. 
April. 
g«m g 
«2§ 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
d . 
73 d 
5o 
isr 
H 
Shade Tem« 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass 
Sunday.13 
Monday. 14 
Tuesday .... 15 
Wednesday.. IS 
Thursday.... 17 
Friday .18 
Saturday .... 19 
Inches. 
29.678 
29.512 
29.407 
29.377 
29.451 
29.579 
29.883 
deg. 
44.2 
48.7 
49.7 
52.8 
49.1 
42.0 
42.1 
deg. 
38.8 
43.4 
46.0 
50.0 
47.4 
42.0 
40.0 
E. 
E. 
E. 
E. 
If.K. 
N.E. 
E. 
deg. 
42.9 
42.9 
45.0 
46.9 
46.9 
46.4 
44.9 
deg. 
51.2 
67.9 
60.3 
58.9 
68.1 
46.4 
40.3 
deg. 
31.9 
39.7 
44.2 
45.2 
43.1 
41.5 
39.9 
deg. 
82.9 
103.7 
102.8 
94.3 
91.0 
49.9 
67.2 
deg. 
24.1 
82.8 
41.1 
44.6 
37.1 
42.0 
39.9 
In. 
0.028 
0.310 
0.010 
0.053 
0.017 
29.555 
4S.9 43.9 j 1 45.1 
54.2 
40.8 
83.0 
37.3 
0-418 
KEMARKS. 
13th.“Bright and cold. 
14th,—Bright day; slight showers in evening and night. 
Isth.—Clondy early; bright, mild morning; a little cloud in the afternoon ; wet night, 
loth.—Cl( udy and mild, with slight showers in morning, 
17tb.—Overcast all day; damp evening. 
18tb.—Drizzle all ihe morning and in the evening; overcast afternoon. 
19tb.—Dull and damp early; cloudy morning; fair afternoon, but no bright sunshine. 
The average range of temperature has been Jess than usual, the maximum on two 
days being below fiO**. There was a sharp grass frost on the I3th. Barometer rather 
low, but with easterly winds.—Q. J, SYMONS# 
