Henry Stephens on Sheep

Henry Stephens is the author of the immensely popular Book of the Farm. Published in 1844, it enjoyed numerous re-prints and again became a highly sought after farming guide in the 21st century after being highlighted in BBC's Victorian Farm. Stephens himself was a Scot who studied chemistry, mathematics and agriculture in Dundee and in Edinburgh, and later went on to apprentice on a farm for several years. A tour of the continent allowed Stephens to compare methods and technologies, of which there seemed to be new ones every day. In the end, financial difficulties forced him away from farm management, and toward writing. He published a series of articles and books before his death in 1874 at the age of 79.

The following excerpts come from the edited version of Stephens' work produced by Alex Langlands of "Victorian Farm" fame. 

The Shepherd
His duty is to undertake the entire management of the sheep; and when he bestows the pains he should on his flock, he has little leisure for any other work. His time is occupied from early dawn, when he should be among his flock before they rise from their lair, and during the whole day, to the evening, when they again lie down for the night. To inspect a large flock at least three times a day, over extensive bounds, implies a walking to fatigue. Besides this daily exercise, he has to attend to the feeding of the young sheep on turnips in winter, the lambing of the ewes in spring, the washing and shearing of the fleece in summer, and the bathing of the flock in autumn. And, over and above these major operations, there are minor ones of weaning, milking, drafting and marking, at appointed times; not to omit the unwearied attention to be bestowed, for a time, on the whole flock, to evade the attacks of insects. (20)

By-Products of Sheep
The sheep is one of the most useful, and therefore one of the most valuable, of our domestic animals; it not only supports our life by its nutritious flesh, but clothes our bodies with its comfortable wool. All writers on diet have agreed in describing mutton as the most valuable of articles of human food. But the products of sheep are not merely useful to man, they also promote his luxuries. The skin of sheep is made into leather and, when so manufactured with the fleece on, makes comfortable mats for the doors of our rooms, and rugs for our carriages. For this purpose the best skins are selected, and covered with the longest and most beautiful fleece. Tanned sheepskin is used in bookbinding. (65-66)

Sources
Alex Langlands' 2011 edited and abridged Book of the Farm (I'm quite partial to my own copy of this book, as I had it signed by Ruth Goodman after attending a lecture by her in Waterloo, Ontario in 2011)
Henry Stephens' 1844 Book of the Farm

Further Reading
The Guardian, "TV show turns long out-of-print farming manual into hot seller"

I'd like to thank Caroline Bendiner for contributing to Sheep Month here on Upper Canada Scots. If you missed her three-part series on wool in the 19th century, simply scroll down or click on March 2015 in the archives. I'd also like to thank everyone who visited this blog in the last month - who knew sheep would be so popular a topic? If there's another aspect of colonial life that you'd like me to focus on, just let me know in the comments below. Happy March!