302 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



are turned away on the most distant pastures ; and the owner 

 thinks he does his full duty if he sees and salts them once a 

 week. This really is not justice to the flock. The acquaint- 

 ance between the flock-master and the sheep should be inti- 

 mate, and be maintained. Accidents to sheep and lambs are 

 liable to occur, which may be remedied : a gap in the wall, 

 or a hole in the fence, may be noticed ; and one might be able 

 to anticipate or identify some sheep-killing dog, and save his 

 flock from destruction. 



The operations of castrating, when the lambs are to run as 

 wethers, which should be done before they are ten weeks old ; 

 of docking, which should follow soon ; of tagging, before 

 they are turned out ; of washing (now much less done than 

 formerly) ; and of shearing, — are all well enough known. 



In salting sheep in pasture, when it can be done in troughs 

 it is an excellent plan to smear the bottom and sides with 

 tar, a little of which, sticking on" the nose of the sheep, will 

 be a pretty effective preventive against the fly which enters 

 the nostril, and deposits the eggs from which the grub in the 

 head is produced, causing great annoyance, and sometimes 

 death. 



Sheep should be brought to the barn before the herbage is 

 gone : if left out in cold storms, with nothing to eat but a 

 meagre supply of frosted grass and weeds, they must neces- 

 sarily suffer in condition, and require unusual feed and atten- 

 tion to bring them up. 



Another result from this treatment is a damage to the 

 wool, which stops growing, and is greatly injured in fibre. 



DISEASES. 



We are, in this State, comparatively free from many of the 

 diseases that affect the sheep of England. There is no doubt 

 that our climate and soil are exceedingly favorable to sheep- 

 husbandry. Our sheep are more generally in smaller flocks, 

 and are better cared for than formerly ; and for this reason, 

 perhaps, all forms of disease that affect the sheep are becom- 

 ing less every year. 



The diseases of the old country and of old times, sucli as 

 the "rot " (not foot-rot), caused by flukes or parasitic insects 

 in the liver; "louping ill," or "trembling," something like 

 apoplexy ; " sturdy," or " turnsick," caused by hydatids on 



