No. 4.] REPORT OF CATTLE BUREAU. 375 



ered, and no more cases have a|)peared when they were put 

 in clean pens on fresh ground and the food changed. Un-' 

 doubtedly much of the sickness among swine can be pre- 

 vented by paying more attention to keeping tliem clean and 

 feeding them carefully. Whererswill is fed, cooking prevents 

 disease by destroying the germs in it. 



Diseases of Sheep and Goats. 



During the winter and spring sickness was reported in 

 two flocks of Angora goats and two flocks of sheep. The 

 flocks of goats were in Bedford, and on an island near 

 Chatham oft' Cape Cod. The flocks of sheep which seemed 

 to have trouble are in Grafton and Granby. 



Investigations of the sickness in the flocks of sheep by 

 Dr. Paige at the Agricultural College showed them to be 

 sufiering from parasitic infection ; the nodular disease due 

 to the oesophagostoma columbianum was present, but it is 

 doubtful if this disease caused the fatalities. In the fourth, 

 or true stomach, of the infected sheep, large numbers of 

 round worms (sfrongylus contorttis) were found ; and in the 

 flock of sheep at Grafton another form of round worm was 

 found in the small intestine {^cernuus dochmms). It is 

 thought that the round worms were sufficient in number to 

 interfere with the processes of digestion, and cause the death 

 of quite a number of sheep. The flock in Granby numbered 

 18, and all have died ; and the one in Grafton was reduced 

 from a flock of nearly 100 to 27 or 28. 



Bulletin No. 35, of the Bureau of Animal Industry of the 

 United States Department of Agriculture, refers to some of 

 these parasites of sheep, and the treatment. The owners 

 of these two flocks have been advised to write for this bulle- 

 tin, and follow the recommendations made in it. 



A request was also made to this office to investigate sick- 

 ness in the two flocks of goats mentioned above ; but no 

 cases of disease have occurred since then where post-mortem 

 specimens could be obtained for examination. 



