SHEEP HUSBANDRY IN THE SOUTH. 2o7 



of blue vitriol made the necessary arrangements and once more took 

 the chair as principal operator ! Never were the feet of a flock more 

 thoroughly pared. Into a large washing tub, in which two sheep could 

 stand conveniently, I poured a saturated solution of blue vitriol and water, 

 as hot as could be endured by the hand even for a moment. The liquid was 

 about four inches deep on the bottom of the tub, and was kept at about 

 that depth by frequent additions of hot solution. As soon as a sheep's feet 

 were pared, it was placed in the tub and held there by the neck; by an as- 

 sistant. A second one was prepared and placed beside it. When the 

 third one was ready, the^ri^ was taken out, and so on. Two sheep were 

 thus constantly in the tub, and each remained in it about five minutes. 

 The cure was perfect ! There was not a lame sheep in the flock during 

 the winter or the next summer! The hot liquid penetrated to every 

 cavity of the foot, and doubtless had a far more decisive effect even on the 

 uncovered ulcers, than would have been produced by merely wetting them, 

 Perhaps the lateness of the season was also favorable, as in cold weather 

 the ulcers of ordinary virulence discharge no matter to inoculate the healthy 

 feet, and thus, at the time of applying the remedy, there are no cases where 

 there has been inoculation not yet followed by those lesions which admit 

 of cure. Whether so thorough a soaking would destroy the virus in the in- 

 oc.ulated foot, I cannot pretend to decide. 



I think that the vitriol required for the above one hundred sheep was 

 about twelve pounds, and that it cost me fifteen cents per pound. The ac- 

 count then would stand thus : 



12 Ibs. of vitriol at 15 cents $1,80 



Labor of 3 men one day each 2,25 



Total $4,05 



or about four cents per sheep. I have not a doubt that three such appli- 

 cations at intervals of a week, would effectually cure the disease, as every 

 new case would be arrested and cured before it had time to inoculate 

 others. I have no doubt that it would do this at any time of year, and 

 even during the first and most malignant prevalence of the contagion, PRO- 

 VIDING THE PARING WAS SUFFICIENTLY THOROUGH. The second and third 

 parings would be a mere trifle, and the liquid left at the first and second 

 applications could again be used. Thus sheep could be cured at about 

 twelve cents per head. This is vastly cheaper in the long run than the 

 ordinary temporizing method where people count the cost of a few 

 pounds of blue vitriol, but not their time, and who thus keep the disease 

 lingering in their flocks for years. Indeed, if partial and temporizing 

 treatment is all that is aimed at, if the flockmaster is content to simply 

 keep the disease under I can point out methods quite as efficacious aa 

 the common one by paring and applying washes from a bottle as ordina 

 rily performed and not costing a tithe as much. 



Between the corners of two sheep-pastures (1, 2, of fig. 69,) construct 

 the dividing fence as represented in the cut. 'A 



narrow passage is thus left from one field to an- -^-^ . 



other. This passage should be about 2 or 2J feet 

 wide and 12 feet long. The fence on each side 

 of the passage should be an upright board fence, 

 so that the space can be entirely filled on the bot- 

 tom with a flat trough, (the bottom formed of a { 

 plank) with side and end boards about five inches 

 high. In this trough place say a bushel and a half or two bushels ot un. 



