Ewes are such as have beene twice shorne or clipped; for fron lambinge time, which (usually with us) is about the middle of March, till clippinge time, which is aboute midsummer, they are called gimmer lambes; and from that time till clippinge time come againe, they are called gimmer hogges; then after they are once shorne, they are called gimmer shearinges; then after that they have beene twice shorne, are they called ewes. Weathers are such as have formerly been tuppes, but nowe are gelded; and they are usually called

{Cleane weathers: riggon weathers :}

A cleane weather is such an one as hayth had both his stones taken away. A riggon weather is such an one as hath formerly beene a riggon tuppe, and hath had that stone taken away which was in the codde, but not the other which was in the ridge of his backe.

OF LAMBES AND LAMBINGE TIME.

Tuppe lambes are none till they bee called tuppe hogges. A gimmer hogge is sayde to goe just 20 weeks with lambe: A gimmer shearinge of her first lambe to goe 20 weekes and odde days; and an old ewe for the most parte just 21 weeks. A gimmer hogge with high keepinge will sometimes take tuppe and bringe a lambe. Gimmer shearinges for the most parte bringe lambs, unless it be by reason of their extraordinary lowe keepinge; yett is it a custome with many (of the most understandinge sheepe-men) to clowte their shearings to hinder them from tuppinge, that by this meanes they may make them more lofty sheepe. A two sheare ewe seldome goeth gelde, unlesse shee bee such an one as is a tuppinge evere moneth, and then is shee called (of the shepheards) a moone rider, and such an ewe is not to bee kept for profitt, because she'le neaver proave with lambe. A three sheare ewe is allwayes better for the buyer then the seller, for then is all dainger past both of sturdie and bringinge up of lambes, and yett all her prime to come.

A foure sheare ewe is in her prime;
A five sheare ewe in lambinge time
As good; sixe past, she will decline;
Ere seaven come away with thine.

Lambs are best unshorn the first summer. The inducement to shear, endangering comfort and health, has been the price of lambs-wool; for hogget wool is not always the more valuable of the two; the prices varying according as articles requiring short or long wool are in fashion.

Barren ewes are often called eild or yeld.

Yett many men (for profitt) keepe

In warme lowe grounds and pasture sweete
An eight, a nine, or tenne sheare sheepe."

The best way (for those that have inclosed and warme grounds and good succour for lambes) is to keepe their tuppes and ewes togeather all the yeare longe, and to strive and endeavour by all meanes possible for timely lambs; and that for these reasons:

1. For their better succour: for grounds that are to be layde upp for hay, are not to bee eaten above a fortnight after Ladyday att the most, and therefore these lambes which come aboute the middle of February will have two moneths time or thereabouts; whereas these that come aboute the middle of March shall not have above a moneth's time; and the longer and better succour that lambes have, before they goe to field, the better able will they bee to shift when they come there, and the loftyer sheepe will they make afterwardes.

2. For the owner's profitt; for he that hath lambes within a week or fortnight of Candlemasse will oftentimes have fatte lambes to sell aboute St. Hellen-masse, att which time they are rare, and very harde to come by; whearefore goode, fatte, and well-quartered lambes will usually (att that time of the yeare) give nobles and seven shillinges a peece.

3. To ease the shephearde that hath a great keeepinge of ewes; for the tuppes goinge allwayes with them, some of the ewes will tuppe sooner, and some later, soe that the lambes fallinge not over thicke togeather, hee will have the more time to suckle and provide for one lambe after another.

4. To make them harder sheepe; for beinge once nipped (aboute Candlemasse) with frosts and colde weather, it will bee a meanes to make them like better when God sends better weather; for as the sayinge is, Sheepe that will live in winter, will live and thrive in summer; and sheepe that growe fleshy with foure teeth, will growe futte with eight.

It is usuall, in pasture growndes wheare they take not upp theyre tuppes, for them to ride about a fortnight or three weekes before Michaellmass; and these lambes that are gotten then will fall aboute Candlemasse, and sometimes a weeke afore;

The whole system of sheep husbandry and agriculture is changed. The turnip and artificial grass system not only affords an ample supply of food to the flock, but a double number of sheep, at least, can be maintained with comfort and plenty on the same space of ground. They come to maturity twelve or sixteen months earlier than formerly, and are fattened off with less outlay. The individual profits may be slightly less, butthe quick returns and rapid increase of capital decide in favour of fattening at one year old. Aged ewes are useful to put in the field with newly weaned lambs, to teach them to select their food. Old mountain wethers or guides have been known to arrive at the age of twenty years.

a

but the ewes will beginne to tuppe whollily about Michaellmas, and theyre lambes most of them come aboute the middle of February; but those that take up theyre tuppes, putt them not to the ewes till St. Luke day, and then theyre forwardest lambes will fall aboute the middle of March. The reason why they take up theyre tuppes is want of succour for theire lambs, and theirfore they woulde not have them to come, till the Springe beginne to shewe itselfe on the grownd.

A tuppe, if hee bee kept loftily and in lust, is sayd to be sufficient for fortie, or fiftie ewes, yett the usuall and best course is to allowe foure tuppes to an hundreth ewes, i. e. to everie thirtie ewes, a tuppe. The most judicious sheepe-men endeavour by all meanes possible to provide goode tuppes for their ewes; for they say, a bad ewe may bringe a bad lambe, yett she spoyles but one, butt an ill tuppe is likely to spoyle many.

HOWE TO CHOOSE A GOOD TUPPE

Lett him bee large and well quartered, of a snoode and goode stapple, with a longe and bushie tayle, withoute hornes, and havinge both the stones in the codde; and lastly, neaver under two sheare, nor seldome above five; for beinge over younge, their bloode is hotte and the scabbe procured, and beinge over olde their radicall moisture is wasted.

Lowe, moist, and springy groundes, are the best to increase milke in an ewe; yett husbandmen (that want such kinde of succour) will oftentimes give them pease or oates in the strawe, morninge and eveninge, and drive them to the water soe soone as they have done; and sometimes also they will give them oates threshed and feyed, puttinge them in troughs, and servinge them like swine; many also will endeavour (about a fortnight or three weekes before they lambe) to keepe them on lands that are newe plowed, wheare they may gett the rootes of grasse and weedes, which are a great furtherance to milke. It is a goode way to earemarke lambes as they fall, for feare that some exchange a deade lambe for a quicke.

It is a goode way to geld lambes when they are aboute a fortnight olde, the season beinge warme, and the moone decreasinge; and by this meanes may you have them sound and whole againe before they goe to the field.

A lambe will fall to the grownde, or to eatinge of grasse, when it is aboute a moneth or five weekes olde; yett if it have • Old rhyme in the north

"On St. Luke's day let the ram have his play."

This expression seems to be derived from Lord Bacon, in whose Sylva Sylvarum

it occurs.

its fulth of milke, it will forbeare the longer; and the lambes that forbeare grasse the longest, prove for the most parte, the straightest, and best quartered; and these usually that fall to grasse over soone, proove short runtish sheepe, and are of the shepheardes callede dumplinges, or grasse belly'de lambes.

A weake lambe that is suckled a day or two with cowe milke and then putt to an ewe, will shoote and scowre allmost for the space of two dayes, neyther will it throden (as the shepheardes say) till such time as the cowe milke bee all voyded, for the cowes milke and ewes milke will not agree together.

Lambes when they first fall have no teeth att all, till they bee aboute a weeke olde, and then may yow perceive two teeth afore; when they are about a fortnight olde yow may perceive four teeth; att the three weekes ende, sixe; and when they are a moneth olde, eight: aboute which time (if theyre dammes bee not not well stored with milke) they will beginne to fall to the grownde.

The husbandman's sayinge is, that the losse of an ewe's lumbe is as greate as the losse of a cowe's calfe, for a calfe is accounted (at the first) scarce worth the milke which is devoures, and the calfe dyinge the owner hath the benefitt of the milke still remaininge, but that lambe dyinge, the whole profitt is lost, neyther is there any hope of any future benefitt for that yeare.

All lambes, both gimmers and weathers, have att theyre first fall a navele-stringe hanginge downe, which usually in four or five dayes, but howsoever in a weekes space, it will drye awaye and fall off: this stringe in some lambes will sometimes swell and seeme as though it weare filled with winde, whiche if yow strive withall, you are in danger of breakinge the same, and then the gutts fall through and the lambe dyeth immediately.

An ewe putt into a goode pasture three weekes afore shee lambe, is as goode as to lett her goe in a goode pasture three weekes after, for it both strengthens her to bringe forth, and likewise inableth the lambe to seeke after a livinge soe soone as it is lambed: hence ariseth the shepheardes phrase, that

Whiles the grasse groweth,'
Ewe dryeth, lambe dyeth.

Whearefore the best way is to lett the ewe goe in a good pasture three weekes before shee lambe, and five weekes after till the lambe fall to the grounde, and by this meanes may yow make lofty sheepe; therefore, nowe of late, is it accountede a goode way to putt ewes into the Carre three weekes before Lady-day, allowinge five ewes for a lande, which in all cometh to nine score and two, allowinge Pinders East howse farme twelve sheepe, i. e., tenne for his two landes and two for his

odde grownd, but in this grownd is Edward's farme to have noe common att all, because the ownere liveth in another place : this grownde will (if the season bee warme) keepe the foresaid number very loftily for the space of three weekes; yett the best way is to take away the lambes as they fall, and put them into another place, and to make upp the number with other ewes which are to lambe, or else with the weakest sort of hogges.

The reason why the lambes woulde bee taken away is, because the number is soe greate, that oftentimes weake younge lambes are famished before they can meete with theyre dammes.

Younge lambes that shoote, are to be looked att and dressed once a day elder lambes that wriggle theyre tayles, and lye skulkinge with theyre heades close to the grownde, are to bee gotten forwith and searched, for fear of maddes breedinge; the shepheardes phraise is to say, that such lambes have company.

It is a fashion in some places, to keepe ewes with lambe three or four days on landes wheare oates have beene sowne, that they may licke up such oate kernells as lye on the toppe uncovered; others againe aboute the beginninge of March will (if theyre wheate and rye seeme too thicke and rancke) keepe sheepe on the same, and oftentimes suffer them to eate it to the very grownde. The most experienced sheep-men endeavour by all meanes possible to get into a goode stocke; affirminge, that it is a more profittable way so give 10s. for an ewe, that is well quartered, and of a goode stapple, with an handsome straight lambe att her heeles, than to give 5s. for an ewe, that is of a shorte runtish kinde, with a shorte grasse belly'd lambe following her; for they say, the one will have as much woll as three such as the other; and the one lambe will yeeld more profit and with less cost then two such as the other; and, lastly, that the ewe herselfe with the fleece of, will out sell the other 18. 6d. or 18. in a markett.

SIGNES OF A GOODE EWE.

Lett her be dodded; her teeth white, standinge close one to another, beinge neyther bitted nor broken, wearinge rounde, and all alike and falling right with the ringe of the upper chappe; her neck seminge thicke and growne with woll; her showlder thicke and large; her legges shorte; her sceminge broade; her belly deepe and wide; her buttocke broade and large, and shewinge tufty and thicke of wooll downe towardes the hough; her tayle longe and bushy; her stapple snodde, and yett well growne; and, lastly, shee herselfe seeminge every way rownde and full. A doded sheepe is accounted better then an horn'd sheepe for two reasons.