208 SHEEP I BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



severely stripped of its horn, and especially if a considerable 

 portion of the sole has been removed, it may be necessary to 

 bandage it ; but in most cases, after dressing, the sheep is 

 turned away without this safeguard. One or two dressings will 

 usually complete the cure, but in a large flock it is difficult to 

 get rid of it altogether. Prevention is better than cure, and 

 the best safeguard against foot-rot is to dress the feet from 

 time to time so as to prevent the wall of the hoof from growing 

 to such a length as to double under the foot. 



This over-shooting of the horn is the cause of pellets of hard 

 earth becoming inserted between it and the sole, and this 

 causes irritation and inflammation. This evil may be pre- 

 vented by care, and points to the necessity of supervision on 

 the part of the master, and the allowing to the shepherd a 

 sufficient amount of assistance to enable him to give increased 

 .attention to the health and comfort of his flock. Foot-rot is 

 most prevalent upon marshy, low-lying, or stiff soils, .and we 

 frequently have experienced an outbreak when the flock has 

 been removed from the uplands and brought into the richer 

 and more unctuous portions of the farm. Lambs contract the 

 disease at a very tender age, and are evidently much distressed 

 with it. When this is the case advantage should be taken of 

 the first dry day to "go round " them carefully, paring their 

 little feet, and applying the remedy already mentioned. 



FLIES. 



Flies of various species are a great cause of annoyance to 

 sheep and to shepherds. It is scarcely too much to say that 

 a principal work of the shepherd during summer is to guard 

 his flock against the attacks of flies. Of these I shall speak of 

 three: (i) common flies ; (2) the sheep bot fly; (3) the sheep 

 tick fly. 



COMMON FLIES. 



It may not be entirely satisfactory in these days of science 

 to speak of common flies without, at the same time, strictly 



