40 On Merino Sheep, 



on meadow pasture, and commencing this season with 

 the wet weather, and ceasing when it became dry. 



This disease I beheve to be peculiarly incident to me- 

 rino sheep. I have never known it to affect the natives of 

 our country, or any coarse-woolled foreign sheep ; and I 

 have seen but very few instances wherein it has attacked 

 the half bloods, but the crosses, as they approach nearer 

 the full- breed merino, are more subject to it. This opi- 

 nion is partly corroborated by the experience of an intel= 

 ligent friend, whose flock last summer consisted of sixty 

 or seventy common ewes and two merino rams. In the 

 latter part of the season they were pastured on his marsh 

 meadow, and the rams were soon perceived to grow very 

 lame. At length one of them became incapable of walking 

 on his feet, pined away, and finally died ; but the other 

 being less affected, recovered. His common ewes all es- 

 caped the disease. 



The cause of this peculiarity I have fancied to exist in 

 the construction of the hoofs of most merinos, which have 

 a wonderful tendency to increase, and, in some instances, 

 if not frequently cut, will grow to a most inconvenient 

 length. To supply this demand, there must, of course, 

 be a greater determination of blood to that part, which 

 will necessarily produce therein a greater sensibility, and 

 consequently, liability to receive injury from the operation 

 of unhealthy agents. Indeed I believe that merino sheep 

 are more subject to every kind of cutaneous disease (for 

 this is certainly of that description in its early stages) than 

 the natives of our country, or in fact any other coarse- 

 woolled sheep, and I am the last person that would say 

 or do aug;ht to bring them into disrepute. I never have 

 seen these latter breeds affected by scab,^ or indeed any 



* I am perfectly aware of the general belief that our country 

 sheep are equally subject to the scab with the merinos ; but my 



