FITTING SHEEP FOR SHOW RING AND MARKET. 201 



poisoning. A solution of carbolic ?.cid makes a splendid 

 antiseptic and disinfectant for tnis purpose. 



In making the post-mortem examination instead of cutting 

 the sheep down throu^n the breast and belly as is usual in 

 dressing an animal to; the market the operator lays the ani- 

 mal on its back, takes one of the hind legs in his hand and 

 with his knife cuts through the flesh of the "groin," or the 

 inside of the leg, to the bone. If the operator has pressed 

 rather heavily on the leg he will notice that his knife has 

 managed to steer in the exact direction where the thigh 

 joint lies. This should be dislocated or unjointed and laid 

 on the ground. Now the skin should be removed from the 

 side with one or two passes of the knife. In the hands of 

 a skillful operator the whole of the skin along the animal's 

 side and whole shoulder is removed. Of course none but 

 those having had considerable practice along this line are 

 expected to accomplish this very readily at first. The skin 

 of the side and shoulder being loosened and allowed to lay 

 on the ground, the whole of the abdomen is laid open. Now, 

 instead of opening the breast bone in the center, as the 

 slaughterman does in dressing an animal, the operator 

 should take his knife and cut through the ribs at a point 

 about an inch below the breast. Here the bone is very soft, 

 being little more than a soft cartilage. To expose the cav- 

 ity of the chest it is necessary that the whole side of the 

 ribs be disconnected from the vertebrae, or backbone. This 

 is very easily accomplished by cutting down through the 

 ribs, taking about two at a time, in the exact same manner 

 as a butcher would in cutting off a mutton chop. As soon 

 as the knife reaches the backbone the operator presses hard 

 on the ribs, and they will readily leave the backbone or 



