TYPES AND MARKET CLASSES OF LIVE STOCK 217 



The stomach worm of sheep, Haemonchus contortus, is 

 one of the most serious pests affecting live stock. Sheep of all 

 ages are subject to it, but infested lambs show much more serious 

 effects than do mature animals. The lambs become infested 

 from the older sheep through the medium of the pasture. The 

 symptoms are anemia, loss of flesh, general weakness, dullness, 

 thirst, loss of appetite, and diarrhea. When the fourth stomach 

 of an infested animal is opened and the contents allowed to 

 settle, the parasites may be seen actively wriggling about. They 

 are }/% to 1J4 inches long and about as thick as a pin. The 

 worms in the stomach produce eggs which pass out in the drop- 

 pings onto the pasture, and, if the season is spring or summer, 

 a tiny worm, nearly one-thirtieth of an inch long, hatches out 

 and crawls up a blade of grass. Uninfested sheep or lambs soon 

 become infested on such pastures. No treatment has been found 

 that will rid a flock of this pest, although dosing with a solution 

 of copper sulphate or with gasoline* is fairly satisfactory and 

 will hold stomach worms in check so that they will not injure 

 the flock. The best means of combating the parasite is by 

 preventative measures. Rotation of pastures is imperative. 

 Permanent pastures for farm flocks are almost certain to cause 

 trouble. Rape should be sown as early in the season as possible. 

 It is easily grown, has a high value as feed for sheep and lambs, 

 and helps prevent stomach worms, especially when temporary 

 fences are used and the flock is changed to fresh ground frequently. 



The western rangeman with great areas of pasturage is 

 able to keep his flocks on fresh ground, while on farms this is 



* It is advisable to treat infested sheep when they go into winter quarters 

 and again in the spring after they have been on pasture for a short time, and 

 at any other time during the summer when they show symptoms of attacks. 



Only clear blue crystals of copper sulphate should be used, dissolving 

 1 ounce in 2 quarts of water. Care must be used in preparing the solution, 

 for too strong a solution will kill the sheep and too weak a solution will not be 

 effective. The sheep should be kept off feed for 18 to 24 hours before treat- 

 ing. On the day they are treated they should receive no water either before 

 or after treating. The size of the dose is as follows: 



For a lamb 3 months old give ^ of a fluid ounce (about 20 c. c.). 



For a lamb 6 months old give lj^ fluid ounces (about 40 c. c.). 



For a yearling give 2 fluid ounces (about 60 c. c.). 



For sheep 2 years old give 3 fluid ounces (about 90 c. c.). 



(From Ohio Experiment Station's Monthly Bulletin, 

 June, 1918, p. 174.) 



The gasoline treatment consists in giving a tablespoonful each of gasoline 

 and raw linseed oil in about 6 ounces of cow's milk for a lamb, and half as 

 much again for a sheep, giving three doses, one dose a day for three days, on 

 an empty stomach. 



