when growing as a tree, as the bark is then in the most natural position for repelling rain. used in Fig. 42. 906. A net is set in this manner: If the ground is in its usual soft state, the stakes may simply be driven into the ground with the hardwood mallet, fig. 41, in the line fixed on for setting the net, at distances of 3 paces asunder. The wood of the appletree makes the best mallet, as not being apt to split. Should the soil be thin and the subsoil moderately hard, a hole sufficiently large for a stake may be made in the subsoil with the tramp-pick draining; but should it be so very hard and a larger hole required than can be easily formed by the tramp-pick, or should the ground be so dry and hard as to require the use of any instrument at all, the most efficient one for the purpose is called a driver, fig. 42, formed of a piece of pointed hard-wood, strongly shod with iron, with its upper end protected by a strong ferrule of iron to prevent its splitting by the strokes of the mallet. The stakes are driven that their tops may not be less than 4 feet high, along as many sides of the enclosure as are required at the place to form a complete fence. THE DRIVER. 907. The net is set in this manner: Being in a bundle, having been rolled up, when no longer required, on the arms and fastened together by the spare ends of the top and bottom ropes, these are unloosened and tied to the top and bottom of a stake driven close to the fence, and run out loose in hand towards the right as far as it will extend on the side of the stakes next the turnips. On coming to the second stake from the fence, with your face to the turnips, the bottom rope first gets a turn to the left round the stake, then the top rope a similar turn round the same stake, so as to keep the meshes of the net straight. The bottom rope is then fastened with the shepherd's knot to this stake, 3 inches from the ground, and the top rope with a similar knot near the top of the stake, drawing the net even along and upwards; and so on, one stake after another, until the whole net is set up, care being taken to have the top right hand by taking a hold of the loose end of the rope d, and putting it between a and the stake at e, pull it tight round the stake till it comes to b, where its elastic force will secure it tight when the stake is let go. The bottom rope is fastened first, to keep the net at the proper distance from the ground, and then the top rope is fastened to the same stake in the same manner at the proper height; and so on at stake after stake. A net may be set up either towards the right or the left as the starting-point may be situate, but in proceeding in either direction, the top and bottom ropes should be wound round the stakes, so as the rope should always be uppermost towards the direction in which the net is to be set up. Thus, in fig. 43, the end of the rope d is above a, and continues uppermost until it reach the next stake to the left. If both the cord and stake are dry, the knot may slip as soon as made, but if the part of the stake at b where the knot is fastened is wetted a little, it will make the rope keep its hold until the cord has acquired the set of the knot. It is difficult to make a new greasy rope retain its hold on a smooth stake even with the assistance of water, but a little earth rubbed on it will counteract the greasy effect. 909. Some precautions are required in setting a net besides this of the ropes. If the net is new, it may be set as tight as you please, because all the cords will stretch considerably; but if old, the least damp or rain afterwards will tighten them so as to cause them to break. If the net is at all damp, it should be set tight, because rain cannot make it tighter, and if not then set tight, the first dry weather will loosen all the knots, and cause the cords to slip down the stakes; but although it should not be slackened to that degree, it will shake about with the wind, and bag down and touch the ground. Such an occurrence will cause the shepherd to reset the whole net, which is a just punishment to him for either not having the nets dry, or not setting them with judgment when damp. In wet weather shepherds take the oppor tunity of a dry moment of setting a dry net in anticipation along a new break of turnips, and they also hang up wet nets to dry on the stakes drawn along another break. Nets should never be wound up in a wet state, even for a short time, as they will soon mould and rot. 910. On connecting the setting of one net to another, its top and bottom ropes are fastened to those of the last net, and the ends of the nets themselves are brought together by lacing the meshes of both with a part of the twine left there for the purpose, as at a, fig. 44. Here the knots in the top and bottom ropes are seen, and the twine a b lacing the meshes are made Fig. 44. THE NET SET FOR CONFINING SHEEP ON TURNIPS. bottom rope to keep it down, for some sheep acquire a habit of creeping under the net, where they find an opening. Where nets cross twice-gathered-up ridges a stake should be driven at the side of the open furrows, and another at the crown of the ridge, and the bottom rope tightened parallel to the surface of the ground. to appear strong, to let it be perceived. One net is set after another, until the whole area is enclosed. Where there is a turn in the line of nets in going from one side of the enclosure to another, as seen on the right side of fig. 51, if a large piece of the net is still left at the turn, it should be brought down the next side; and the stake at the corner should be driven very securely down, to resist the strain upon it 911. In setting nets, each side of the by the nets pulling from different direc- enclosure should be a straight line, and the tions, and such a strain will be the most surface of the nets perpendicular; and the powerful in damp weather. But the safer different sides should meet at right angles, plan is to take a fresh net at the turn, and so that every break of turnips should either fasten it to another stake, and coil up the be a rectangle or a square; the strain will end of the first net along the tops of the thus be equalised over the entire cords and stakes. All surplus ends of nets, when stakes of each side, and no undue pressure wet, should be hung upon the back of the exerted on any une stake. A shepherd stakes to dry. Part of the nets will cross who pays attention to these particulars, ridges, and part run along them. Where will preserve the nets and stakes much they cross ridges but once gathered-up, or longer in a serviceable state than one crown-and-furrow, the bottom of the nets ignorant or careless of them. will be nearly close to the open furrows, but where they cross a deep gaw-cut, a stake or two may be placed upon the 912. The shepherd should always be provided with net-twine to mend any holes that may break out in the nets; but where nets happen to be set across hare-roads, the hares will certainly keep their runs open; and it is better to allow their holes to remain open than, by filling them up, have them cut daily. 913. After the hurdles or nets have been set round the first break, the ground may be considered ready for the reception of the sheep; and the ground should be made ready before the grass fails, that the fattening sheep may not in any degree lose the condition they have acquired on the grass; for you should always bear in mind that it is much easier for you, and much better for the animals themselves, to improve the condition of lean sheep, than to regain lost condition. Much rather leave pastures a little rough than risk the loss of condition of the sheep for want of turnips. The rough pasture will be serviceable in the winter to the ewes in lamb, and to aged tups. Sheep therefore, to be fattened, should be put on turnips as early as will maintain the condition they have acquired on the grass. sheep, and which soon emaciates them and causes them to sink under it, and none recover from so great a relaxation of the system until after a considerable lapse of time. 916. Another precaution is, to avoid putting sheep on turnips for the first time in the early part of the day when they are hungry. Danger may be apprehended from luxuriant tops at all times, but when they are wetted by rain, snow, or half-melted rime, they are sure to do harm. The afternoon, when the sheep are full of grass, should be chosen to put them first on turnips, and although they will immediately commence eating the tops, they will not have time to hurt themselves. Should the weather prove wet at first, and the ground be cloggy or soft, rather than allow the sheep so uncomfortable a lair, it would be advisable to put them in an adjoining grass field until the ground becomes dry. 917. Sheep for turnips are selected for the purpose. Ewes being at this season with young, are never, in Scotland, put on 914. A break of turnips is that part of turnips in the early part of winter, but conthe field occupied by the sheep. 915. As the tops of white turnips are luxuriant at the commencement of the season, the first break should be smaller than the succeeding ones, that the sheep may not have too many tops to eat at first, on a change of food from grass to turnips, and they eat them greedily on account of their freshness and juiciness; Let the sheep always fill themselves with turnips before taking them from one break to another. The second break may be a little larger than the first, and the third may be of the proper size to contain a week's food for the number of sheep. These arrangements cause the shepherd some trouble for two or three weeks in the beginning of the season; but they are trifling compared with the advantage derived by the sheep. Rather let him have the assistance of a field-worker to shift the nets than neglect them. When the tops wither in the course of the season, and a night of sharp frost will effect this, or after the sheep have become accustomed to the turnip, all danger is over. The danger to be apprehended is diarrhoea, an unnatural state for tinue to occupy the pastures, part of which should be left on purpose for them in a rough state, to support them as long as the ground is free of snow. The reason why ewes in lamb are never put on turnips is their becoming too fat, and producing small lambs, and being attacked by inflammation at the lambing time. 918. Aged tups are most frequently put on turnips, and young tups always, but never in the same part of the field as the feeding sheep, having a snug corner to themselves, or the turnips led for them to a sheltered part of a grass field. 919. Young sheep, lambs of the same year, hoggs, are always put on turnips, whether with the view of fattening them at once, or enlarging the size of their bone. 920. Every year a certain number of old ewes, unfit for farther breeding, from want of teeth, or a supply of milk, are drafted out of the flock to make room for the same number of young females, and are fattened upon turnips. 921. It sometimes happens that the castrated male lambs of last year, instead of being sold, have been grazed during the summer, and are fattened the second season on turnips. 922. All these classes of sheep, of different ages, may be mixed together and occupy the same break of turnips. It is seldom that the lambs of last year are kept on to the second year, but the draft ewes are always fed along with the young sheep, and prove useful in breaking the turnips and eating the picked shells. mixture of old and young sheep are less useful to one another when turnips are cut by machines. A 923. As sheep are best known by technical names given them according to age and sex, I shall enumerate them now, and employ them in future. A new-born sheep is called a lamb, and retains the name until weaned from its mother and is able to support itself. The generic name is altered according to the sex and state of the animal; when a female it is a ewelamb, when a male a tup-lamb, and this last is changed to hogg-lamb when it undergoes emasculation. 924. After a lamb has been weaned, until the first fleece is shorn from its back, it receives the name of hogg, which is also modified according to the sex and state of the animal, a female being a ewehogg, a male a tup-hogg, and a castrated male a wether-hogg. After the first fleece has been shorn, another change is made in the nomenclature; the ewe-hogg then becomes a gimmer, the tup-hogg a shearling-tup, and the wether-hogg a dinmont, and these names are retained until the fleece is shorn the second time. 925. After the second shearing another change is effected in all the names; the gimmer is then a ewe if she is in lamb, but if not, a barren gimmer, and if never put to the ram a eild gimmer. The shearling tup is then a 2-shear tup, and the dinmont is a wether, but more correctly a 2-shear wether. 926. A ewe three times shorn is a twinter ewe, (two-winter ewe ;) a tup is a 3-shear tup; and a wether still a wether, or more correctly a 3-shear wether—which is an uncommon name among Leicester sheep, as the castrated sheep of that breed are rarely kept to that age. 927. A ewe four times shorn is a three winter ewe, or aged ewe; a tup, an aged tup, a name he retains ever after, whatever his age, but they are seldom kept beyond this age; and the wether is now a wether properly so called. 928. A tup and ram are synonymous terms. 929. A ewe that has borne a lamb, when it fails to be with lamb again is a tupeill or barren ewe. After a ewe has ceased to give milk she is a yeld-ewe. 930. A ewe when removed from the breeding flock is a draft ewe, whatever her age may be; gimmers put aside as unfit for breeding are draft gimmers, and the lambs, dinmonts or wethers, drafted out of the fat or young stock are sheddings, tails, or drafts. 931. In England a somewhat different nomenclature prevails. Sheep bear the name of lamb until 8 months old, after which they are ewe and wether teggs until once clipped. Gimmers are theaves until they bear the first lamb, when they are ewes of 4-teeth, next year ewes of 6-teeth, and the year after full-mouthed ewes. Dinmonts are called shear hoggs until shorn of the fleece, when they are 2-shear wethers, and ever after are wethers. The 932. When sheep are on turnips they are always supplied with dry fodder, hay or straw; hay is the most nutritious though expensive; but sweet fresh oat-straw answers the purpose very well. fodder is supplied to them in racks. There are various forms of straw-racks for sheep; some are placed so high that sheep can with difficulty reach the fodder; and others are mounted high on wheels. The form in fig. 45 I have found a very convenient one, containing plenty of straw at a time, admitting the straw easily into it, being easily moved about, of easy access to the sheep, and being so near the ground as to form an excellent shelter. It is made of wood, 9 feet in length, 4 feet act as stays against the wind from either side. The billet c, fixed on the acute edge of the rack, rests upon the ground, and supports it from bending down in the middle. The lid a is opened on hinges when the fodder is put into the rack. There should be at least 2 such racks in use; and when set together at an angle against the weather point, the space comprehended between them affords sufficient shelter to a considerable number of sheep, as seen at r, fig. 51. Such racks are easily moved about by 2 persons, and their position should be changed with a change of wind. 933. It is the shepherd's duty to fill these racks with fodder, and one or all may require replenishment daily; and this he does easily by carrying a small bundle of fodder every time he visits the sheep. When carts are removing turnips direct from the field, they carry out the bundles; it being the shepherd's duty to have the bundles ready for the carters in the strawbarn or hay-house. Though for nothing but shelter the racks should be kept full of fodder. Fodder is required more at one time than another, in keen sharp weather the sheep eat it greedily, and when turnips are frozen they will often have recourse to it, and it is useful along with succulent tops. In rainy, or soft muggy weather, sheep eat fodder with little relish; but it has been observed that they eat it steadily and late, and seek shelter near the racks, prior to a storm of wind and rain or snow; and in fine weather they select a lair in the more exposed part of the break. With a sloping rack of this form, when hay is employed as fodder, the hay should be well shaken free of seeds. as these are apt to get among the wool. With straw fodder no such annoyance is experienced. 934. Until of late years sheep were allowed to help themselves to turnips, and when the bulbs were scooped out as far as the ground would permit, their shells, as their bottoms fast in the ground are called, were picked out with a turnippicker, the mode of using which may be seen in fig. 46. Its handle a is 4 feet long, and blade 6 10 inches, including the eye for Fig. 46. THE BEST FORM OF TURNIP-PICKER IN USE. the handle. By its mode of action, you will observe that the tap-root of the turnip is cut through and the shell separated from the ground at one stroke. A common form of these pickers is with the mouth cleft in two, fig. 47, between which Fig. 47. OBJECTIONABLE FORM OF TURNIP-PICKER. |