224 SHEEP: BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



Young lambs from two to six weeks old are mostly its 

 victims, but older sheep are sometimes seriously affected by it. 

 It rarely, however, prevails in stock over two years old. As a 

 rule the fatality arising from this disease is very considerable in 

 sucking lambs, and we have known it on more than one occa- 

 sion to sweep off a large proportion of a promising flock. 



The malady is not limited to any particular localities, but 

 prevails from time to time wherever sheep husbandry is carried 

 on. Our experience, however, seems to indicate its larger 

 presence in strictly turnip countries. 



Seasonal conditions appear to exercise a marked influence 

 over its development. A mild winter and temperate open 

 spring, when turnips shoot into luxurious growth at the period 

 of lambing, and meadows put up rank innutritious grasses, have 

 certainly coincided with the most widespread outbreaks of the 

 affection we have experienced. 



As to the immediate cause of the disease but little is really 

 known. It has been stated to be a strictly dietetic affection. 

 At the time of its occurrence lambs are living exclusively on the 

 mother's milk, and the malady is generally regarded as arising 

 out of some deleterious property which this secretion has had 

 imparted to it by the bodily condition of the dam. It is quite 

 true that ewes whose offspring suffer from this disorder are, 

 generally in low condition and wanting in vigour and bloom, 

 and it is not infrequently the case that they afford indications 

 of impairment of the digestive organs by a loose and unduly 

 active state of the bowels. We have on several occasions 

 found it to arise where ewes, badly wintered, have been 

 allowed to run over turnips about the month of March, and fill 

 themselves with rapidly-grown succulent sprouts. 



The unrestrained use of such a diet is well calculated to 

 disorder the digestive system, and lead to impairment of the 

 lacteal secretion. Sudden changes from roots to the various 

 forage plants provided for spring feed for the ewe flock are 

 possibly also in some way connected with outbreaks of this 

 affection; at least, this has appeared to be the case in such 



