178 REPORT OF THE BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 



nately a sheep may have a few parasites and not be seriously affected 

 by them. This is shown by the fine large sheep slaughtered which 

 are passably fat and yet contain tsenise. It is a frequent remark of 

 the ranchman that if he could carry his lambs and yearlings through 

 that they would do well enough afterwards. It is these younger and 

 growing animals that succumb soonest to the parasite. It is a rule 

 that all young and growing animals are more seriously disturbed by 

 the presence of parasites than older ones. Young lambs born in 

 May or June have necessarily but a short time in which to grow be- 

 fore the cold season. When food is plenty, and there is no disturb- 

 ance of their digestion, or other ailments, they enter winter strong 

 enough to endure the weather without particular suffering. Inter- 

 ference with digestion, lack of food, or any ailments render the 

 lambs so much the weaker, and consequently less able to endure the 

 winter storms. The parasites interfere with digestion, and to over- 

 come their evil effect means should be taken to supply easily digest- 

 ible and fattening food, which may replace and add to that lost. 

 Many ranchmen already feed their lambs extra grain during the fall, 

 and have learned that not only are their losses diminished, but that 

 the lambs become larger and stronger as well as fatter. 



Formerly the ranchman depended, as many do still, entirely on 

 the prairie for grass throughout the season. Of late years many 

 are feeding more and more hay during the winter, and find that they 

 profit by it in the diminished death rate and the improved condition 

 of the flocks in spring. This fall and winter feeding is then to be 

 especially recommended as a remedial measure against losses among 

 tape- worm infested sheep. With increased prosperity, flock-masters 

 are adding to their shedding at the home corrals. Though the first 

 cost seems considerable, such are the evident benefits in preventing 

 losses during the extremely cold snaps and blizzards, that not only 

 should they be built at the home ranches, but also at the outliers, 

 where now, with few exceptions, none are to be found. 



Th,e water afforded sheep, more especially lambs, should, if possi- 

 ble, be made warm during the coldest weather. The temperature of 

 sheep is about 103 F. In giving them water which is less than 35 

 F. the heat which is necessary to raise the water to the temperature 

 of the animal is withdrawn from other portions of the body, and 

 digestion is often disturbed and less water is drank. Experiment 

 has proven that animals fatten better on warm water, and were it 

 practicable I would urge that no water cooler than 60 F. should 

 be offered to sheep. The maintenance of the drinking water at this 

 temperature, for the use of the lambs and other home stock, would, 

 I think, repay the Western ranchman, as it certainly would the East- 

 ern farmer. I am aware that this is impracticable at some ranches, 

 but there are many home ranches where lambs and blooded stock are 

 kept at which the system might be pursued with advantage. 



There is another possible chance of infection which I know no 

 means of remedying. If, as I believe may be the case, the tsenia 

 embryo passes with but little modification from sheep to sheep, there 

 is then a certain amount of infection that may occur between the 

 ewes and offspring when suckling, the lambs becoming infected with 

 the embryo by rubbing them from the mother in nosing around 

 while suckling. As older sheep have the tsenise, and as lambs be- 

 come infected after being weaned, this method of infection is only 

 one of ma-ny. 



I can recommend no medicinal remedies or preventives. The reo- 



