aA

*26 SHEEP.

would suppose, had received a West-India edu- cation, hung up a poor suspected dog alive, by the heels, two hours, in order to ascertain, by his vomiting, whether he had eaten mutton; but the© supposed culprit proved innocent, and the tragedy was succeeded by, in my opinion, a very plea- sant comedy: the dog, on being released, instantly flew upon the miscreant, and tore him nearly to pieces.

The business of suckling HovsE-LAmss, des ) pends entirely on being provided with good keep; by the aid of which the commodity may be pro- duced either at Christmas, or any other period, the year round. The Dorset ewes, and those of Wilt- ee shire and Hampshire, had an exclusive preference | for this purpose, long before the days of Morti- mer; but I should suppose any other species, of convenient size, equally well kept, would succeed equally. The early grass of the watered meadows of Dorset, is supposed highly instrumental in bring- ing the ewes forward, an effect which might be produced with equal certainty, on a good soil, by cabbages, carrots, and hay. Sucking-lambs, like calves, should be kept very clean with straw, in their pens, and suckled every three or four hours, throughout the day; and I think Mr. Duckst’s practice, who does more largely in this way than any one else, of suffering the ewes to sleep with their lambs by night, ismuch the best. It was the prac- tice formerly, to give the lambs corn and fine hay, which may be very advantageous with the weakly: oatmeal, fine pollard, and ground malt, or wheat- meal, are proper. The ewes, rather than be suf- fered