SHEEP— CARE AND MANAGEMENT. 



223 



afterwards, and pat the sheep on fresh 

 and good pasture. 



SHEEP, Dizziness in.— Mr. Gunther 

 says: "Sheep are often observed to 

 describe eccentric circles for whole hours, 

 then step forwards a pace, then 

 again stop, and turn round again. 

 The older the disease the more the 

 animal turns, until at length it does 

 it even in a trot. The appetite goes 

 on diminishing, emaciation becomes 

 more and more perceptible, and the state 

 of exhaustion terminates in death. On 

 opening the skull there are met, either be- 

 neath the bones of the cranium or beneath 

 the dura mater, (the membrane which lines 

 the interior of the skull), or in the brain 

 itself, hydatids varying in number and 

 size, sometimes a single one, often from 

 three to six, the size of which varies ; ac- 

 cording as these worms occupy the right 

 side or the left, the sheep turns to the 

 right or left ; but if they exist on both 

 sides, the turning takes place to the one 

 and the other alternately. 



The animal very often does not turn, 

 which happens when the worm is placed 

 on the median line ; then the affected an- 

 imal carries the the head down, and 

 though it seems to move rapidly it does 

 not change place. When the hydatid is 

 situated on the posterior part of the 

 brain, the animal carries the head high, 

 runs straight forward and throws itself on 

 every object it meets. 

 Treatment. — Take 



Powdered Worm Seeds ......I ounce. 



" Sulphur X " 



" Charcoal 2 " 



" Linseed, or Flaxseed I pound 



Mix. Divide into eight parts, and feed one 

 every morning. Make a drink from the white In- 

 dian hemp (asclepias incamata), one ounce of 

 which may be infused in a quart of water, one- 

 fourth to be given every night. 



SHEEP, Grub-in-tlie-Head;— The Grub- 

 in-the-head is the grub of the gadfly of 

 the sheep. The egg is deposited within 

 the nostrils of the sheep, where it is im- 

 mediately hatched by the warmth and 

 moisture; and the larvae crawl up the 

 nose to the sinuses, where they attach 

 themselves to the membrane and remain 

 until the next year, feeding upon the 

 mucus. 



Some farmers protect their sheep meas- 

 urably from the attacks of the grub, by 

 plowing a furrow or two in different por- 



tions of their pastures. The sheep thrust 

 their noses into this on the approach of 

 the fly. Others smear their noses with 

 tar, or cause them to smear themselves, 

 by sprinkling their salt over tar. Those 

 fish oils which repel the attacks of flies 

 might be resorted to. Blacklock sug- 

 gested the dislodgement of the larvae 

 from the head, by blowing tobacco smoke 

 up the nostrils — as it is said to be effectual. 

 It is blown from the tail of a pipe, the 

 bowl being covered with cloth. Tobac- 

 co-water is sometimes injected with a 

 syringe for the same purpose. The last 

 should be prevented from entering the 

 throat in any considerable quantity. 



SHEEP, Leaping. — The manner of 

 treating rams has lately received a very 

 great improvement. Instead of turning 

 them loose among the ewes at large, as 

 heretofore, and agreeably to universal 

 practice, they are kept apart, in a sepa- 

 rate paddock, or small enclosure, with a 

 couple of ewes only each, to make them 

 rest quietly; having the ewes of the flock 

 brought to them singly, and leaping each 

 only once. By this judicious and accu- 

 rate regulation, a ram is enabled to im- 

 pregnate near twice the number of ewes 

 he would do if turned loose among them, 

 especially a young ram. In the old 

 practice, sixty or eighty ewes were es- 

 teemed the full number for a ram. [Over- 

 taxing the male gives rise to weak and 

 worthless offspring.] 



"The period during which the rams* 

 are to go with the ewes must be regulated 

 by climate, and the quantity of spring 

 food provided. It is of great importance 

 that lambs should be dropped as early 

 as possible, that they not only be well 

 nursed, but have time to get stout, and 

 able to provide for themselves before 

 winter sets in. It is also of good ad- 

 vantage to the ewes that they may get 

 into good condition before the rutting 

 season. The ram has been known to live 

 to the age of fifteen years, and begins to 

 procreate at one. When castrated, they 

 are called wethers ; they then grow soon- 

 er fat, and the flesh becomes finer and 

 better flavored." 



SHEEP, Fractures, Wounds and Bites 

 in. — It is not often that the sheep gets a 

 broken bone by any fault of his own, but 

 the shepherd is sometimes a brutal fellow. 

 If he is a youngster, he is too frequent- 



