26 
THE SHEEP. 
THE CHEVIOT BREED. 
in the same latitudes in Europe. In no other country, similarly situated with respect to climate, are the Sheep kept so entirely 
exposed to the inclemencies of the weather, without the shelter of pens and houses. The absence of Wolves is the cause of 
that freedom which is allowed to these mountain flocks, and the shepherds have been taught by experience, that the animals may 
be exposed by night as well as by day without harm. Were these Sheep managed as in other parts of the Continent of Europe, 
penned and fed in houses, and prevented from taking their natural food, the mountains of the country could not maintain one-fifth 
part of the present numbers. 
The great desiderata in the elevated countries of these mountain Sheep, are the supply of food and shelter in winter. The 
essential food at this season is hay. When there exists no land capable of yielding hay, a field or two should be formed, one of 
which should be mown annually. Rough boggy ground, producing the rushes proper to the situation, as the sharp-flowered 
jointed rush or sprit, is suited for yielding a kind of hay, which, though coarse and comparatively innutritious, will be eaten by 
the Sheep in the absence of other food. Where irrigation is practicable, watered meadows should be constructed, as affording the 
cheapest and securest means of supplying provender in these elevated countries. In all cases a quantity of hay should be provided 
equal to three months’ consumption, at the rate of one and a half pound per day to the breeding ewes, and one pound to the younger 
sheep. When whins grow naturally, they should be preserved with care, as affording not only food but shelter. 
When the pastures consist of rough heath, it is common to burn it at intervals of several years, in the early part of spring. 
This, destroying the more shrubby stems, produces an increased growth of the more tender shoots. 
Draining is very important in the countries occupied by these Sheep. The drains are narrow open trenches, a spade’s breadth 
in width. They are carried along the flat marshy grounds, or along the declivities of hills, wherever water may stagnate. They 
are designed to allow a speedy egress to water on the surface, and the effect is to improve the pastures, and lessen the tendency to 
the dangerous malady of rot. 
When land exists capable of cultivation, the resources of food may be greatly extended, for then turnips as well as hay can 
be supplied. But an error, too common in such districts, should be avoided, of ploughing more land than is required for the ends 
proposed. The purpose of tillage in such situations is the raising of turnips and clover hay for the supply of the stock, and this 
end being attained, the farmer ought never to carry his system of tillage further on a breeding farm. 
In order that the Sheep of these farms may pasture without disturbance, and that the labour of the shepherds may be 
abridged, it is highly useful that each farm be enclosed. The suitable fence for such situations is the stone wall, for the forming 
of which ample materials are for the most to be found on the grounds. This species of wall is formed of stones without the aid of 
lime, and may be from four and a half to five feet in height. Sods are sometimes used in place of stones; but the fences are 
greatly less permanent and useful, and ought never to be formed where better materials exist. Besides the general fence of 
the farm, it is proper or necessary that at least two lesser subdivisions or fields be formed, generally adjoining the farm buildings; 
and in all cases where a part of the land is kept in cultivation, it should be separated by sufficient fences from the pasture 
grounds. 
The uses and value of shelter in countries so elevated and exposed will be apparent. When natural valleys and glens exist, 
these will be taken advantage of to shelter the flock from the piercing storms of the inclement season. In such cases, the shepherd 
will himself drive his flock to the places which afford shelter, and the Sheep of their own accord will betake themselves to the 
natural coverts of the farm. But though the instincts of the animals will cause them to avoid a coming tempest, by repairing 
to the lee sides of eminences for shelter, these are the very situations in which they may be overwhelmed by heavy falls of snow, 
which, when accompanied by winds, sometimes fill up all the hollows in a few hours. These accidents occasionally occur, and so 
sudden and violent is the storm, that whole flocks of Sheep are hurried under masses of snow. Nay, sometimes the shepherds 
themselves, in their attempts to discover and save the scattered flocks, are bewildered and suffocated in the tempest. 
It is of high importance, then, not only to provide shelter against the piercing blasts of these elevated countries, but to afford 
places of refuge to the stock in cases of danger. Plantations are always beneficial in these mountain farms, and when the means 
exist of rearing wood, may be formed with profit. They should be of the size of four or five acres, so that the trees may shelter 
one another, and formed with salient angles, so that the Sheep may have shelter from whatever point the wind may blow. They 
should be enclosed with high stone walls, so that the trees may be protected from the inroads of the Sheep. The wild pine and 
spruce are the best suited for the purpose, though the larch will grow in situations more elevated. But wood cannot always be 
cultivated in situations so bleak and exposed, and a simple substitute may be every where adopted. This is a small enclosure, 
termed a stell, capable of containing a flock of Sheep. It consists of a dry stone wall, six feet high, and is usually circular, with 
a narrow opening, and may be made of a size to contain 200 Sheep or more. Into these places of refuge the Sheep are driven 
when occasion requires. They are thus protected from danger, and a stack of hay being placed at the entrance, or within the 
