12 The Sheep-Fluke. 



close to the ground, so close in some cases that they pull their food up by 

 the roots. Such a method o£ feeding obliges the animal to run a greater 

 risk of taking in the cysts of fluke, and we must add to this the weakened 

 state of the digestion due to improper, and often insufficient, food. I have 

 pointed out before, and may again here repeat, that it is beyond question 

 that perfectly strong and healthy digestion is one of the greatest barriers 

 any animal can set up against the invasion of such parasites as inhabit the 

 digestive canal and its appendages, and which depend on gaining an entrance 

 to the body through the stomach. If the digestive fluid is abundant, strong, 

 and healthy, the chances are considerably against the parasite. On the 

 other hand, a weak digestion is an open door to the parasite. Hence it is 

 that, quite apart from the greater risk of infection through shortness of 

 feed, overstocking is a dangerous practice. 



It is well known that stock, more especially sheep, to a certain extent 

 avoid the grasses and other fodder plants growing in swampy places, these 

 plants being less palatable to them. Overstocking, however, often compels 

 the animals to resort to the swampy places for food, when, of course, they run 

 the greatest possible risk of taking in more fluke. 



Again, we have to add to the foregoing risk the fact that overstocked 

 pastures often reek with manure, and in consequence the eggs and young of 

 the fluke soon become very abundant, being of course derived from the 

 manure. The more stock, the more manure ; the more manure, the more 

 fluke-eggs from which to derive more fluke ; the more stock, the more close 

 feeding ; the more close feeding, the more poor digestion and weakness, and 

 the more resort to swampy areas ; the more indigestion and the more resort 

 to swampy areas, the more the stock become infested from their own super- 

 abundant dung. The more fluke the more weakness, the more weakness the 

 more fluke — and so the weary tale goes on, and when the poor animals drop 

 to rise no more, the owner who has overstocked his run is himself largely to 

 blame. 



Treatment of Young Sheep. 



The losses from fluke depend largely on the manner in which young 

 sheep are treated. Young sheep suffer more from a given number of 

 fluke in the liver than do older sheep. One-quarter the number of fluke 

 that an old sheep would bear with equanimity would kill a lamb. If, 

 therefore, lambs and weaners can be kept comparatively free from fluke 

 a great point is gained. I can never quite conceal my astonishment that 

 this fact is not acted on, and I can only conclude that it is not generally 

 known. The whole case may be briefly stated by saying that whatever 

 regulation can be adopted with benefit to the whole flock will be of even 

 greater benefit to the lambs. Give the lambs the best food, the pick of the 

 paddocks, and be especially careful to keep them away from wet and flukey 

 places. Eun no risk with lambs, is the golden rule for the prevention of 

 deaths from fluke. 



Water, Water-sheds, Dams, Swamps, Drainage. 



There is no fact more firmly established than that fluke require water for 

 their development. All fluke are derived from fluke-eggs found in dung ; 

 but these eggs can hatch and develop only in the presence of moisture. The 

 measures I would recommend against fluke are based very largely on these 

 two fundamental facts : Keep the dung away from moisture, and you will 

 have no fluke ; keep half the dung away from moisture, and you will have 



