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their health, for which they will leave the best of grasses to feed upon, 

 which become exhausted in permanent pastures. 



Salt and shade should be constantly accessible. During the summer 

 months they feed early in the morning and late* in the evening, and, 

 during moonlight nights, late into the night. They resort to the same 

 sheltering places of shade and rest day after day, which become very foul 

 and injurious, unless kept covered with litter or cleared off. 



In the months of June and July they are very much annoyed by the 

 gad-fly depositing its egg in the nostril of the sheep. The discharge from 

 the nostril caused by the larva of the fly is frequently called "the rots." 

 Though very annoying to the sheep, it is not a disease. The grub is 

 found in the heads of most all sheep. A similar grub is found in the 

 head of the deer, deposited by the buck-fly. By a copious and oft-repeated 

 application of tar to the nose of the sheep, during the months of June and 

 July, the fly is less troublesome, being repelled by the tar. 



I have lost a few sheep by "staggers," "turnsick," etc., properly hydatid 

 on the brain, by allowing the sheep to range upon low, wet, spongy lands. 

 By removing them at once the disease ceased. 



By changing from dry food or short pasturage to rich, succulent pas- 

 turage, and especially to rank clover pasture, I have had my sheep to 

 scour badly. I have never failed to control it by removing to a shorter 

 pasture, or feed a few days upon dry food, hay, oats, etc. 



They should not be sheared in spring until all danger of cold has 

 passed. After the loss of their fleece they are very liable to take cold, 

 which results in a cough and discharge from the nostril, and frequently 

 in the loss of the sheep. 



They should never be sheared in the fall. They need their warm coat, 

 as well as man, to protect them through the winter. They should have 

 open shelters, accessible at all times, to protect them from severe storm?. 



I have never seen a case of foot-rot, which is a disease of the foot. I 

 have frequently had my sheep to get quite lame in their fore feet, but 

 upon examination found that the lameness was caused by breaking of the 

 hoof, and not unfrequently a small chip or stick would get into the cleft 

 of the hoof, which, by constant irritation, would make a sore and create 

 lameness. Sometimes, after rains, the mud which would be forced into 

 the cleft while soft, would harden, and by chafing, produce lameness; by 

 simply removing the cause, the lameness would soon be gone. If, at 

 shearing time, a little pains be taken to trim the foot, much of this would 

 be avoided. 



When the bucks and ewes are placed together for the purpose of breed- 

 ing, the tail and the buttocks of the ewes, and the wool from the belly of the 

 buck, should be cleanly trimmed. A neglect of this, especially with the 

 long-wooled breeds, frequently results in loss of impregnation of the ewe, 

 and a weakening of the buck by a discharge in the clotted wool of the 

 belly of the buck or buttock of the ewe. 



