SEVENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK-PART X. 491 



A great amount of vital energy is unnecessarily expended in walking 

 by a sheep with overgrown toes, especially if the animal is kept in yards 

 or pens where cornstalks or other course litter are allowed to accumu- 

 late, or if it is pastured in stubble fields or where the grass has become 

 long and tangled. 



The heels of the hoofs seldom require any cutting, and the labor of 

 trimming may consequently be entirely expended upon the toe. Soak- 

 ing the feet for a time will be found to soften hoofs that are at first 

 too hard to yield readily to the knife. It will be found satisfactory, 

 where practicable, to select a time for trimming the hoofs when the 

 flock may be brought up to the pens directly from an excursion through 

 wet grass. The early morning, following a heavy fall of dew, is fre- 

 quently selected for this purpose, or the work, if not neglected too long, 

 may be deferred until a suitable rainy day. 



Should the infection of foot-rot have been introduced into a sheep 

 yard, trimming the feet will not prevent the spread of the disease, ex- 

 cept as it indirectly assists nature in keeping the cleft of the foot free 

 from dirt, and the wise shepherd will not relax his vigilance at the 

 time of admitting fresh arrivals upon his premises, as it is at that time 

 that he may most easily prevent the spread of this disastrous malady 

 among his healthy animals. 



Experience has shown that sound sheep may be safely pastured on 

 land that has previously been occupied by sheep suffering from foot- 

 rot, provided that a winter's frosts have been allowed to intervene. The 

 contagion of the disease seems to be effectively subdued by this means, 

 and pastures that have become contaminated one season may be con- 

 sidered safe for their customary usage during the following season. 

 The sheepfold, however, must be carefully disinfected to prevent the 

 recurrence of the disease, as this bacillus will retain its virulence under 

 suitable conditions in or around stables for several years. 



The walls, racks, and troughs should be sprinkled with a solution 

 containing 1 pound of pure carbolic acid to 5 gallons of water, to which 

 enough lime has been added to make the sprayed area conspicuous. 

 The manure and four inches of the surface soil should be removed and 

 spread on a field that is to be tilled. In turning sheep on grass care 

 should be taken to avoid low, marshy, or boggy lands, and to keep them, 

 if possible, on high, dry pastures. 



TREATMENT. 



One of the first steps to be taken in the treatment of a flock of 

 sheep affected with foot-rot is to separate all that are in any degree 

 diseased from those that are healthy. After this has been accomplished 

 much will depend upon the stage which the disease has reached among 

 the animals of the flock in determining upon further action. Should 

 the disease be in its earliest stage, with but few animals affected, it will 

 doubtless be found sufficient treatment for those that appear sound to 

 pass them through a shallow trough containing a solution composed of 

 1 pound of chloride of lime to each 12 quarts of water. This solution 

 should have a depth of at least 4 inches in the trough, and the animals 

 should be made to pass through it slowly, allowing time for the mixture 



