GENERAL FARM MANAGEMENT. 309 
creatures to drink, in the face of a north-wester. Yet such 
cruelty is very common in the West. 
Young Cattle and Calves. —Steers and other young stock 
deserve a proper share of attention in winter ; they ought to 
have warm sheds into which they can retire at leisure. The 
sheds must be furnished with racks, that none of the fodder, 
consisting of hay and good oat straw, be wmsted by spreading 
it, according to’the vulgar custom, all over the yard, by which, 
perchance, half of it is consumed, and the other half destroyed. 
Care must be taken that animals of the some age be yarded 
together, that they may not be disturbed and hooked by the 
bigger ones. Heifers should always be two years old, before 
they are allowed to go to bull. By observing this precaution, 
they will gain largely in size and vigor. Calves should occupy 
a separate shed, with an adjoining yard, in which they may ex¬ 
ercise themselves ; it is a bad plan to shut them up in narrow 
quarters ; they should always have as much freedom as is com¬ 
patible with their health and the development of their bodies. 
Calves will do well on hay, with a small allowance of meal, 
and occasional doses of flax-seed, to keep them in condition. 
It is very important that calves be well-wintered the first year, 
for if neglected then, they become stunted in their growth, and 
mal-formed in their limbs, and they will never afterwards get 
over these defects. It is also important that they come early, 
for a late calf will never be worth more than his hide—a June 
or July calf is always a most miserable looking object. 
Sheep.— Sheep are valuable animals on a farm, on account 
of the useful and various offices they perform ; they keep the 
field clear of weeds and briars, glean them after harvest, yield 
an annual crop of wool and lambs, and finally give up their car¬ 
casses for mutton. Where sheep are kept exclusively for their 
wool, the Merinoes, are doubtless preferable to all others, but 
for general use, the South-Downs are the best ; their wool is 
respectable, while their mutton is superb, and infinitely supe¬ 
rior to pork as a general article of diet. I am convinced that 
