578 DISEASES OF CATTLE, SHEEP, GOATS, ETC. 



careful examination will show that the mucous membranes of the 

 eyes are pale and bloodless; and, as the animal becomes more seri- 

 ously affected, it appears thin and emaciated, and the skin hide- 

 bound. Soft swellings appear under the throat or in the neighborhood 

 of the neck, owing to the serous extravasations ; the gait becomes fee- 

 ble, the body under-sized, and the head often large. The appearance 

 of being foolish and the difficulty in vision, to which Curtice calls at- 

 tention, we have not noticed. A microscopical examination of the 

 blood shows a large increase in the number of leucocytes. Altogether 

 the picture, therefore, is one of cachexia or malnutrition, and so far as 

 symptoms are concerned there is absolutely nothing which serves 

 to diagnose this from any other of the parasitic diseases of sheep. 

 A positive diagnosis can only be made by conducting a post mortem 

 examination and recognizing, in the manner already indicated, the 

 presence of the fringed tapeworm. 



Prevention. While practical efforts to prevent parasitic dis- 

 eases depend upon a complete knowledge of the parasite's life his- 

 tory, and although no established rules can be given, nevertheless, 

 this does not minimize the importance of providing sheep with a 

 rotation of pastures. No disease results in greater mortality among 

 sheep in the United States than those of parasitic origin. By run- 

 ning sheep over the same ground, year after year, we are courting 

 the infestation and reinfestation of each individual in the flock. As 

 a general rule in the prevention of most parasitic diseases, there can 

 be no question of the utility of occasionally providing fresh pastures 

 over which no sheep have ranged for at least one year. The selec- 

 tion of high, sloping ground for a pasture is advisable whenever pos- 

 sible. The animals should be watered from tanks raised above the 

 ground so that the water does not become contaminated with their 

 droppings. The fencing off of sloughs, ponds and stagnant pools is 

 also very important in preventing infection. The burning over of 

 the pasture will destroy the eggs and young worms on the grass, or 

 on the droppings. As this malady is more fatal in the young ani- 

 mal, a liberal supply of grain will assist in tiding it over and fur- 

 nish vitality to withstand the disease. They should have free access 

 to salt at all times. 



Treatment. During the past few years, as opportunities have 

 been offered, various modes of treatment have been used, including 

 kamala, kousso, etherial extract of male fern, picric acid, copper 

 sulphate, etc., as well as some proprietary compounds bought in the 

 open market. While not recommended as the best, nor as an ideal 

 form of treatment, nothing has proved so uniformly satisfactory as 

 Hutcheson's method with copper sulphate. Our experience with this 

 form of treatment is, therefore, at variance with the results obtained 

 by Stiles. We are indebted to Bulletin No. 19 of the Bureau of Ani- 

 mal Industry for the following description of the Hutcheson method 

 of treatment: 



(a) To prepare the mixture dissolve one pound avoirdupois 

 of good commercial powdered blue stone, sulphate of copper, in two 

 imperial quarts (2 2-5 U. S. qts.) of boiling water. When the blue 



