170 FITTING SHEEP FOR SHOW RING AND MARKET. 



by the liver fluke, is a disease more common on low, wet 

 f and marshy land than on lands that are high and dry, there- 

 fore the benefit accruing from keeping our flocks on dry, 

 healthy land must be obvious. That the fluke does some- 

 times exist in sheep that are to all appearance healthy, I 

 know from the fact of often finding them in the livers of 

 strong, healthy, fat sheep which I have slaughtered for the 

 market. A flukey or "coathed" sheep is rarely found on the 

 salt marshes of England; this shows that salt must be un- 

 favorable to the well-being of the deadly pest. 



Wool Balls in Lambs' Stomachs. 



There is not much doubt but that wool balls in lambs' 

 stomachs are often due to the presence of ticks or other ver- 

 min which at times invests the lamb's body. The irritation 

 caused by these pests causes the lambs to bite themselves, 

 small particles of wool are taken into the mouth, and the 

 wool finds its way into their stomachs. Then, again, no doubt 

 wool balls are sometimes caused by a depraved appetite due 

 to derangement of the digestive organs or apparatus. 

 Further, they may be caused by the lamb getting wool from 

 the ewe when sucking her. When a lamb is suffering from 

 this trouble it usually refuses its food and appears very dull 

 and stupid. 



Lambs of the long-wooled breeds suffer more from this 

 trouble than either the medium or fine-wooled sheep. 

 Whilst frequent doses of linseed oil will sometimes relieve 

 the little sufferer, cures are like angels' visits few and far 

 between. 



