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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



which before had been panting, heaving, and throe- 

 ing, becomes instantly quiet, soothed, calmed, and 

 reUeved, while the cold icy spring-liquid descends 

 upon her. By-and-by, however, the throes return, 

 when the water is again had recourse to with the 

 same visibly good effect, and so continued at in- 

 tervals until the gradual and finally permanent 

 cessation of the throes plainly indicates that the 

 malady, with its concomitant dangers, has been 

 energetically met and conquered. This cure, how- 

 ever simple — so simple that some may peihaps 

 never try it from unbelief in its efficacy — I have 

 experienced as almost infallible. The prescription 

 of it was given me by a friend three or four years 

 ago, who first procured it from a hill sheep-farmer, 

 whose name at present has quite escaped my 

 memory, although to him, I believe, is due the 

 credit of the discovery. The shepherd here has 

 tried it in at least a dozen of cases, which he 

 stoutly affirmed, and I from unsuccessful practice 

 believed, would, by the ordinary treatment of 

 bleeding and administration of sedatives, such as 

 opium, &c., all to a certainty have died, but which, 

 by the application of the water, all but two, I 

 think, recovered. While undergoing this treat- 

 ment of cure, the ewe is kept sheltered from 

 draughts of cold or scorching heat, both being ex- 

 tremely hurtful. A dose of two ounces of Epsom 

 salts is also given to keep the bowels in j^roper 

 order. 



Garget. — Garget, or inflammation of the udder, 

 is first prognosed by a slight redness and heat in 

 one or both sides of the udder, which is accom- 

 panied by an unusually large secretion of milk, 

 which very soon degenerates into milk and serum, 

 ne.xt into bloody serum, and lastly to gangrene, 

 which, if not checked, rapidly spreads down inside 

 the thighs and along the abdomen, ending fatally. 

 The supposed causes of its production are — from 

 the ewe having sore teats, refusing to allow her 

 lambs to suck, inflammation being in consequence 

 set up by her retention of milk ; sudden changes in 

 the weather from heat to cold, and vice versa j too 

 succulent pasture. But, in reality, cases now and 

 then occur seemingly without any exciting cause 

 whatever. When a ewe is observed to move off 

 whenever her lambs attempt to suck, she is at 

 once caught and examined, and if her teats are 

 seen to be all sore, cleaned, and touched with a 

 little caustic or other application, and her udder 

 emptied at least once a-day by the aid of an ordi- 

 nary silver teat-tube. When it is thought to be 

 the pasture that is the cause of it, they are changed 

 to another. 



In the cure of garget I have seen poultices, fomen- 

 tations, cold washes, each and all applied at the first 

 stage, to endeavour to stay the inflammation from 

 running to gangrene, with seldom any success, the 

 most of the cases going to gangrene in at least 

 part of the udder. When this shows itself by dis- 

 coloration outside,!^ a deep free incision is made, 

 and oil of turpentine, or some other potent stimu- 

 lant, poured into it two or three times a-day, to 

 bring it to a healthy suppuration. A liberal allow- 

 ance of strong sweet ale is also given. Bleeding 

 and purgatives are avoided almost from the 

 very first, being found to hasten on mortification. 



when purgation arises spontaneously. Notwith- 

 standing all that can be done, some of the ewes will 

 sink and die, while others gradually rally; healthy 

 suppuration ensues, and the gangrenous portions 

 slough off, when the sores, though very deeply 

 seated and bad to look at, from the acquired 

 healthy action, rapidly heal up, the ewes in a short 

 time becoming again quite strong and healthy — 

 unable, however, from their udders being wholly 

 or partially destroyed, to rear their lambs, which 

 have to make the best shift they can on cow-milk. 



Such are a very few of the most common diseases 

 attacking sheep, which I have experienced as giving 

 unmistakable symptoms to guide the judgment as 

 to what treatment to pursue, and often with suc- 

 cess. And yet, I again repeat, as to the generality 

 of diseases, especially those prevailing most among 

 feeding sheep, my firm belief is, we must look to 

 the prevention of them as the real sheet-anchor of 

 success in sheep husbandry. Probably, let the 

 treatment pursued in the management of sheep be 

 ever so good, and naturally adapted to the promo- 

 tion of their health, a certain quantity of deaths 

 annually will occur amongst them; and this is 

 what every stock-farmer believes and expects as 

 a matter of course — a law of nature. But it is also 

 a well-known fact that on certain farms many 

 more deaths occur than on others, influenced, no 

 doubt, greatly by soil, situation, management, and 

 methods of feeding. In some seasons this ex- 

 pected and wonted fatality becomes doubled, 

 tripled, and more. The question then is, What is 

 the cause of this, and what the prevention ? One 

 of the chief causes most believe to be, and in all 

 probability correctly, some peculiarity in the sea- 

 son, mild wet winters, want of frost. But then, 

 allowing that either of these is the predisposing 

 and active cause for the time, how does it happen 

 that some extensive farmers even in such seasons 

 escape with little or no more loss than usual? 

 Most probably because their management in sum- 

 mer and autumn had been more adapted to the 

 healthy and steady progress of the sheep, telling 

 favourably for months afterwards. In the treat- 

 ment of lambs, for instance, one thing which is of 

 great effect towards their living and doing well on 

 turnips during winter is, to keep them in a steady 

 progressive state on grass, but especially to have 

 them so when they leave it for turnips. 



Going oft" grass in thin and poor condition, 

 diarrha?a amongst many of them is almost sure to 

 be produced at once, by the luxuriant tops and 

 juicy nutritious bulbs of the turnip. It is much 

 better when lambs are poor, before folding them 

 on continuously, to allow them for a few weeks at 

 first to go on only so many hours each day, and turn 

 again to grass, however bare, gradually increasing 

 the length of time allowed on the break till it is 

 thought they may with safety be permitted to stay 

 on day and night. By this management I believe 

 turnips not only to be saved, but the flock much 

 more benefited, and their health in a great measure 

 preserved. 



When any disease whatever attacks a flock, and 

 day after day one or more fall victims to it, a 

 change of food infallibly proves of very great effect 

 in mitigating its ravages, and finally eradicating it. 



