[Sca-cooks] A few more words on lambs

[Patrick Levesque]

As promised:

"Ceux qui ne tirent de leur brebis qu'une ventree chacun an, leur donnent le
belier environ la mi-Juillet; afin d'aigneler dans le mois de Decembre, leur
portee estant de cinq mois. Mais pour avoir deux aigneaux en mesme annee,
serons empreigner nos brebis dans les mois d'Avril & d'Octobre, dont
naistront les aigneaux en Septembre & Fevrier."

>From "Le Theatre d'Agriculture et mesnage des champs, par Olivier de Serres,
seigneur du Pradel." Paris, 1600. P. 318. I do believe it's the first
edition, I'm unaware if it was subsequently reprinted, and how many times it
would have been. 

"Those who only get out of their ewe's only one pregnancy each year, bring
the ram to them around mid-July, so that they give birth in December, their
pregnancy being around 5 months. But to have two lambs in the same year, our
ewes will be impregnated in the months of April and October, and the lambs
born in September and February. "

(I'm not familiar with breeding terms in English, so the translation may
sound a bit unusual - don't hesitate to correct the language if necessary).



On 22/05/06 09:13, "Patrick Levesque" <petruvoda at videotron.ca> wrote:

> Exactly - For the Languedoc region, at least. De Serres also states that ewes
> (is this the right word for female sheep?) could give birth after a 5 month
> pregnancy, allowing the possibility of a second lamb around 6 months later
> (June July). 
> 
> Will get you the exact page number and edition this afternoon.
> 
> Petru
>