the tap-root is held, and the shell and root pulled up together. It is found, however, that the tap-root contains an acrid juice detrimental to the stomach of sheep, so that the better plan is to cut it off and leave it in the ground to rot, as is done by the best form of blade, b, fig. 46. Notwithstanding the very general use now of turnip-slicers, which have dispensed with the turnip-pickers, I still give the figures of these, as on many farms too few turnips are raised to require the services of the largest class of turnip-slicer. 935. Only half the ground occupied by the shells should be picked up at onceevery alternate double row-to make the sheep occupy a larger space of ground while consuming them. When the ground is dry, the shells should be nearly eaten up before a new break of turnips is given; but on a few shells being left, the sheep will come over the ground again and eat them, especially in frost; and though then in a shrivelled state, shells are sweeter and softer than turnips. adopted of serving turnips to sheep, cut into small pieces with a turnip-slicer in troughs conveniently placed, should be in general use, while the sheep have still liberty to eat the turnips from the ground. 937. The most convenient, and a simple form of turnip-slicer, is the lever turnipslicer for sheep. It is easily moved from place to place, on two small wheels, drawn along by means of two handles. It is sufficiently effective to supply sliced turnips to a small flock of sheep, and is peculiarly convenient for use where a few sheep are placed by themselves, such as tups in the corner of a grass field, or ewes in a paddock at the period of lambing. The view of the instrument is seen in perspective in fig. 48, which consists of a wooden frame supporting a trough, together with the cutting apparatus. The frame is formed of four posts, a a a a, spreading a little below. Each pair is connected by crossrails, bb, and they are connected longitudinally by the bars, d d, which form also the handles of the wheel-barrow, being 936. But the mode more recently bolted to the posts at a suitable height for of the cutters, for throwing off the sliced turnips. The cutting apparatus consists of a grooved frame of iron, f, in which the compound cutter moves up and down by means of the lever handle, g. A forked support, h, is bolted by a palm to the further side of the wooden frame, and at the extremity, i, of the fork a swing link is jointed. The lower end of the link is jointed to the extremity of the lever, which is likewise forked, forming its fulcrum ; and the gridiron-cutter, k l, is also jointed by its top-bar to the lever at 7. While the point 7, therefore, of the cutter moves in a parallel line by its confinement in the grooves of the frame f, the fulcrum is allowed to vibrate on the joint i of the swing link- thus allowing an easy vertical motion to the cutter through the full range of its stroke. I have known one field-worker supply 220 sheep with sliced turnips by the aid of an instrument such as this. It is worked by moving the handle, g, with the right hand, while the left pushes forward each turnip successively to be sliced by the gridironcutter. 938. A more efficient machine is to be found in the wheel turnip-slicer for sheep, fig. 49, which is a perspective view of it. The wooden frame, spreading a little wider below, is formed with four posts, a a a a, one of which is only partially seen in the Fig. 49. figure. The posts are connected on the sides by top-rails, bb, and two brace-rails, cc, below, one of which serves to support the spout, d, which discharges the sliced turnips. The sides of the frame thus formed are connected by cross-rails above and below, e e e, and is there furnished with the handle-bars, ff, bolted to the posts, and projecting a convenient length beyond them at one end. The barrowwheels, gg, are fitted to an iron axle, which is bolted to the posts in front. The it is turned by the winch-handle m, fixed upon this axle. This machine is now generally made of the disc of cast-iron, carrying the cutters, mounted on a wooden frame, which is most conveniently mounted on wheels like a wheel-barrow. It was at one time made entirely of iron, but was found inconvenient to move about. 939. Fig. 50 is a simple and convenient form of trough for containing the turnips Fig. 50. THE TURNIP-TROUGH FOR SHEEP-FEEDING. as they fall sliced from any of the above machines. Its most convenient length is 8 feet, and it should be acute at the bottom, for the more easy seizure of the pieces of turnip by the mouths of the sheep, and it is so made by nailing two boards, of 9 inches in breadth, upon the two triangularshaped ends, and in the niches formed in the two billets of wood to serve for feet. The troughs are set in a line along the outside of the 2 rows of turnips about to be pulled for slicing. The turnip slicer, fig. 49, is wheeled to each trough successively by one field-worker, who works the handle, and the hopper is filled by another worker who tops and tails the turnips. The sheep range themsleves on either side of each trough. 940. I have constructed fig. 51 to give you a bird's-eye view of a break of turnips in a turnip-field occupied by THE MODE OF OCCUPYING TURNIP-LAND WITH SHEEP. the sheep. There are the turnips a, half of which have been pulled. The ground is represented bared beyond the turnipslicer b in its advance across one side of the break to the other. The turnip-slicer bis proceeding up beside the two drills c, and depositing the sliced turnips into one of the small troughs d, out of another of which some of the sheep are eating, whilst others are eating the turnips in the drills c. The sheep are scattered over the ground as they are usually seen, some following one another in a string ƒ towards the place where their food is preparing for them, whilst others g are still lying resting regardless of food. Some, h, are standing, as if meditating what next to do, and others i, examining matters about the nets. Some nibble at the dry fodder in the racks r, whilst a group k, lie under their shelter. Such are the usual occupations of sheep when they have abundance of food at their command. The fieldworker is slicing the turnips with the machine. The nets m are represented enclosing two sides of the break, the other two sides being supposed to be the fences of the field. The remainder of the net along the upper part of the break is coiled round the top of a stake at p, and there also the mallet and driver await their use. 941. The turnips n, fig. 50, to the right of the nets, appear undrawn, while those, o, above the nets are stripped, indicating that the progress of the break at this time is upwards towards the top of the field, in a line with the drills and the ridges; and this part of the arrangement is not a matter of chance, because the breadth of each break should succeed one another across the field, that the land, when cleared of turnips, may be ploughed into ridges. A large field, that engages the sheep for a considerable part of the season, is ploughed as each stretch of breaks is cleared, to preserve the manure. In ploughing, however, with this intent, the sheep should not be deprived of any natural shelter, which should be secured to them as long as practicable, by arranging the breaks so as to make one first at the most sheltered part of the field, that the sheep might resort to the bottom of the break they are occupying, after the first breadth of breaks had been given up and ploughed from the bottom to the top of the field. Such an arrangement requires some consideration at first, as its oversight may create much inconvenience to sheep for want of shelter, or delay the ploughing. Shelter to sheep on turnips does not merely imply protection from a blast for a night or two, but also the preservation of the fleece, and the comfort to the flock through the winter. 942. I have already stated, that tups or rams are fed on turnips in a separate division from the feeding sheep. Some apportion them in a space in the same, whilst others give them a break in another field; but I prefer giving tups turnips in a small grass paddock, and slicing them with the lever turnip-slicer, fig. 48. Where tups form a large lot of 40 or 50, it may cause more trouble to fetch their turnips than to enclose them on the ground; but it should be borne in mind, in regard to tups, that whenever a tup and ewe in season become aware of the presence of each other in the same field, or in contiguous fields, neither will rest to feed. The air will carry the scent from their bodies reciprocally. Tups in a separate field cause as much trouble to the shepherd in visiting them as a larger flock; whereas, were they near home in a grass paddock, he could visit them frequently in going to and coming from his house. 943. Sheep while on turnips are fed with other substances, such as oil-cake or corn. Either of these is served in a covered trough, fig. 52, to protect it from the weather. Its construction requires no explanation. Fig. 52. THE OIL-CAKE OR CORN BOX FOR FEEDING SHEEP. 944. I have had no experience of feeding sheep on oil-cake or corn, having farmed turnip-land, upon which sheep never failed to become abundantly fat without adventitious aid. On deaf and clay soils, however, oil-cake proves beneficial; and it may also be served in these troughs to sheep on grass in winter as their entire food. Oil-cake has the effect of keeping the dung of sheep in a moist state. It is given them in a bruised form, partly in powder, and partly in pieces, as it falls from the oil-cake breaker, a convenient machine on every farm. There is no use measuring the quantity of oil-cake to sheep when on turnips, as they will eat it when inclined, and some sheep eat it more heartily than others, but 1 lb. to each sheep a day is the usual allowance. 945. Fig 52 gives a perspective view of an oil-cake breaker, wherein aa aa are the four posts of a wooden frame on which the machinery is supported: 6 b are two top-rails. The posts are supported towards the bottom by the four stay-rails c c c; and the top-rails are held in position by cross-rails d, one only of which is seen in the figure. Of the machinery, the acting parts consist of 2 rollers, studded knobs of one roller corresponding to the smooth space in the other. In this figure, 9 g are two pinching screws, which serve to regulate the distance at which the rollers are to work, and, consequently, the degree of coarseness to which the cake is to be broken. The wheel his placed upon the shaft of the roller e, and the pinion i, with its shaft, and the winchhandle k, act upon the wheel h, giving a very considerable mechanical advantage to the power which is applied to the machine. The fly-wheel / is likewise placed upon the shaft of the pinion i, and is requisite in this machine to enable the power to overcome the unequal resistance of the work. A feeding-hopper n is placed over the line of division of the two rollers. The hopper is here represented in section, the near portion of it being supposed entirely removed, in order to exhibit more distinctly the construction of the rollers. 946. Salt is frequently given to sheep on turnips; but with what result, as regards their fattening, I have never learned. I have given them it, and the eagerness with which they at first followed the shepherd when he laid down a small quantity, here and there, upon flat stones, and the relish they manifested, was very remarkable; but the relish lasted a very short time, and then every day they took so little, as if they were trifling with it. Perhaps the cultivator who advocated the |