114 BRITISH SHEEP AND SHEPHERDING. 



insure a clear passage for the milk, as sometimes they are blocked 

 with dirt. Whilst handling ewes, the shepherd should keep his 

 hands well washed, or, going from a foul one, he may take disease 

 to a healthy one. This is especially necessary in cases where there 

 is a dead lamb. If the sheep is long in lambing, or gets the skin or 

 womb ruptured, or has produced a dead lamb, a good quantity of a 

 mixture of carbolic acid and olive oil in proportion of 1 to 7 should 

 be injected, and the shepherd should rinse his hands in the mixture. 

 Dead lambs should be buried, as also should the afterbirth of any 

 lamb which is born prematurely. Dogs should never be allowed 

 to eat dead lambs before they are skinned, as they are liable to 

 acquire a taste to satisfy which they may become sheep worriers. 



Prevention of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in the Lambing 

 Pen. Mr. Harold Leeney, in a very instructive paper on " The 

 Lambing Pen," which appeared in the Royal Agricultural Society's 

 Journal of March, 1897, says in respect to infection in the lambing 

 pen : " The bulk of losses at lambing time occur through want of 

 systematic disinfection of hands, implements, appliances, and 

 buildings. Nor is it any disproof of the efficacy of antiseptics to 

 point to a record of success. The infectious elements are not 

 always equally active, and we have to consider whether those 

 * unlucky ' or bad lambing seasons might not turn out a 

 great deal better if attention were given to some of the 

 simple precautions about to be mentioned. The remedies 

 and medicaments with which the shepherd should be provided 

 are not many, but their constant use is of importance. They 

 include a bushel or two of lime, fresh burned and ready for slaking, 

 when it is desired to disinfect the earth ; a gallon of Jeyes' fluid, 

 or other similar preparation that will readily emulsify in water ; 

 a quart or two of carbolised oil, in proportion of 1 J oz. of carbolic 

 acid (pure) to each quart of olive oil ; a cake or two of carbolic 

 soap preferably Calvert's or some maker's whose guarantee 

 that it shall contain 15 per cent, of acid can be relied on the 

 common soaps are variable and cannot be trusted ; half a dozen 

 penny sponges ; some clean rags, such as old calico underclothing ; 

 and a bowl or metal pail (not a wooden one) for washing hands, &c. 

 These are the essentials for disinfection and for antiseptic purposes." 



In relation to this paper of Mr. Leeney's it can with confidence 

 be stated that it was an epoch -making one in shepherding ; for 

 it instituted a general attention to sanitary and hygienic matters 

 which were practically unknown to shepherds and flock-masters 

 previously. It has resulted in decrease in the losses of ewes and 

 lambs which it would be difficult to compute, but it is very great. 



Daily Work in the Lambing Fold. The general procedure in the 

 lambing pen can be best explained by describing the shepherd's 

 daily work in the pen. In the case of large flocks, the shepherd 



