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let the skin of the tail he drawn up towards the root, and 

 placing a chisel on the tail about an inch from the rump, 

 strike it a smart blow with a mallet and sever it at one 

 blow. Have at hand a pot of tar, turpentine and lard, and 

 smear the stump with it and turn it off. There will be 

 little or no bleeding, especially if the operation is performed 

 about night, so the lamb will be quiet soon after the dock- 

 ing. Castration should be performed about the same time. 

 The longer this is delayed the more liable the lamb is to 

 die. I have known every lamb to die from this operation 

 being delayed until shearing time. This is a delicate ope- 

 ration and must be carefully performed. A cool day should 

 be selected, and gentle hands to assist. Take the lamb with 

 a fore and hind leg in each hand, and hold in an upright 

 position with the back against the body ; draw the hind 

 legs up and apart, and press the lamb's body sufficiently 

 hard to cause its belly to protrude between the thighs, ex- 

 posing the scrotum to full view; then, with a sharp knife, 

 cut about two-thirds of the scrotum off, and take each tes- 

 ticle in turn between the thumb and forefinger, and, after 

 sliding down the loose enveloping membrane to the sper- 

 matic cord, pull out, not jerk, the testicle with a moderately 

 quick but not violently jerking motion. The connecting 

 tissues easily break, with but little bleeding. If any of the 

 nerve should remain exposed, pull out and cut it off, as it 

 must not be left. After cutting, place a quantity of the tar 

 and grease in the scrotum and all over it, to keep off flies, 

 and it will quickly heal. This operation should also be 

 performed just at nightfall, to ensure quiet until it begins 

 to inflame. Formerly castration was practiced far more 

 than at present, and we think it better for the farmer to sell 

 the buck lambs instead of converting them into wethers, as 

 with the most careful operation many lambs will die. 



Many persons suppose a pasture will suit sheep let it be 

 composed of whatever herbage it may. It is true sheep 

 will devour more sorts of herbage than any other species of 



