672 THE DISEASES AND DISORDERS OP THE OX. 



which they are engaged, and on which the maintenance of the ' 

 position and prestige of Great Britain so closely depends. 



Some time ago one of the farmers in this district told us that 

 last season he, finding that some turnips of his were unfor- 

 tunately beginning to show signs of decay, removed his in-lamb 

 ewes from ofi^ this particular field, and put them on another crop 

 which was free from all signs of putrefaction. The result was 

 that, although he of necessity lost money by this exchange, he 

 really gained very greatly, for all his ewes did well, and he had 

 no losses during the season. He had learnt by experience the 

 wisdom of this course. There are, in short, very many little 

 causes of a similarly removable kind in regard to which the 

 very greatest care should be taken. It is often exceedingly 

 puzzling to hear that Mr. X. nearly always or very often expe- 

 riences very heavy losses indeed, while Mr, Y., whose farm 

 adjoins Mr. X.'s, seldom or never meets with serious reverses of 

 this kind. No doubt there may be accidental causes, such as 

 bad water, ergotised grasses, faulty drainage, or so forth, all of 

 which may have something to do with Mr. X.'s "bad luck"; 

 but after a fall inquiry it will very generally be found that there 

 is some removable source of mischief to be discovered by careful 

 scrutiny. 



With regard to the evil effects of ergotised grasses, it is very 

 diflBcult to form an absolutely decisive opinion ; but our belief is 

 that an excess of them is very mischievous indeed. Again^ 

 fields which are often run over by the hounds are not very 

 suitable for in-lamb ewes. All these matters should be guarded 

 against, for even if there be a slight expenditure at the outset, 

 large gains may result in the long-run, if due precautions are 

 taken. 



At all times decaying vegetable matter is most unwholesome, 

 and the bad effects which may arise from feeding sheep upon 

 rotting turnips will naturally be most severe when the animals 

 80 kept are young or weak, or are ewes about to be engaged in 

 the most serious and risky of all vital operations. Again, it is 

 unwise to feed any animals upon one kind of food monotonously 

 for long periods of time. This remark applies especially to the 

 mistaken practice of keeping sheep on turnips too long. Change 

 of food — for instance, from grass or seeds to turnips, or vice 

 versa — and, we may add, change of surroundings, are of far 



