SHEEP, DISEASES OF. 



scarcely exceed 5 Ibs., and the ewes 2^ Ibs. 

 By running in the same blood, and poor keep- 

 ing, the fleece may be made finer, but it will be 

 lightened in proportion, and of a weak and 

 infirm texture. Thereare few stock-keepers who 

 have mixed the Spanish with the Saxon breeds 

 but what either do or will have cause to regret it. 

 In this part of the country a real Spanish Me- 

 rino is not to be obtained. Sheep-raising has 

 ceased to be a business of any profit nearer to 

 the maritime coast than our extensive moun 

 tain ranges, whether for carcass or fleece. I 

 sold, the last season, water-washed wool of 

 very fine quality, for 30 cents per Ib. At such 

 a price for wool, land near our seaports can be 

 turned to better account, even in these dull 

 times, than wool-growing. Stock-sheep do best 

 in stony and elevated locations, where they 

 have to use diligence to pick the scanty blade. 

 Sheep on the seaboard region should be kept 

 more for carcass than fleece: and feeding more 

 than breeding, ought to be the object for some 

 H)0 miles from tide-water. It is now a well 

 ascertained fact, that health and vigour can 

 only be perpetuated by not running too long on 

 the same blood. The evils I have witnessed 

 were due to a want of care on this head more 

 than to any endemical quality in our climate. 

 Sheep kept on smooth land and soft pasture 

 are liable to the foot-rot. I have found this 

 readily relieved by a little spirits of turpentine 

 or salted grease and tar, or tar only. The hoofs 

 of the Merino require paring occasionally, for 

 want of a stony mountain-side to ascend. It is 

 no longer a problem that this is to be a great 

 wool-growing country as well as a wool-con- 

 suming one. There is, in our wool-growing 

 country, land in abundance, held at a price 

 that will enable the wool-grower to produce the 

 finest qualities at 30 cents per Ib., the cloths to 

 be manufactured in proportion, and the market 

 to be steady. I have seen Merino wool since 

 1810 range' from $1 per Ib. to 18| cents, though 

 I do not recollect selling below 22 cents. The 

 best variety of sheep Stock I have seen, putting 

 fineness of fleece aside, was the mixed Bake- 

 well and South Down, imported by Mr. Smith, 

 of New Jersey. The flesh of the Merino has 

 been pronounced of inferior flavour. This, 

 however, does not agree with my experience, 

 as I have found the lambs command a readier 

 sale than any other, from being preferred by 

 consumers." 



In regard to the particular distribution of 

 sheep through the several states, we find, ac- 

 cording to the returns accompanying the 

 census of 1840, that there were in Maine, 

 649,264; New Hampshire, 617,390; Massachu- 

 setts, 378 226 ; Rhode Island, 90,146 ; Connecti- 

 cut, 403,462; Vermont, 1,681.819; New York, 

 5,118,777; New Jersey, 219,285; Pennsylva- 

 nia, 1,767,620; Delaware, 39,247; Maryland, 

 257.922; Virginia, 1,293,772; North 'Caro- 

 lina, 538,279; Tennessee, 741,593; Kentucky, 

 1,008,241; Ohio, 2.028,401 ; Indiana, 695,982; 

 Illinois, 395,672 ; Missouri, 348,018. 



SHEEP, DISEASES OF. Jjpoplexy<B\eed 

 copiously ; then give 2 ounces of Epsom salts 

 in a quarter of a pint of water. 



Blackwater. Keep the bowels open with Ep- 

 som salts ; and give a tea-spoonful of elixir of 

 992 



SHEEP-HOUSE. 



vitriol, or sulphuric acid, diluted with 7 parts 

 of water, in an infusion of oak bark. 



Elnckmuzzle. Mix an ounce of verdigris 

 (acetate of copper), 4 ounces of honey, half a 

 pint of vinegar ; simmer them together over a 

 fire for 10 minutes in an earthen pipkin. Ap- 

 ply it to the mouth on a piece of rag. 



Cough, or Cold. Bleed ; give a solution of 

 Epsom salts. 



Diarrhaa. See CALVES, DISEASES OF. 



Dysentery. See DIAHIIHCBA. 



Fly. Fly powder : Two pounds of black sul- 

 phur, half a pound of hellebore; mix them to- 

 gether, and sprinkle the sheep from the head 

 to the tail with a dredging-box. Sheep wash : 

 The farmer will find this an excellent recipe: 

 Half a pound of powdered white arsenic (ar- 

 senious acid), 4 pounds of soft soap. Beat 

 these for a quarter of an hour, or until the 

 arsenic is dissolved, in 5 gallons of water. 

 Add this to the water sufficient to dip 50 sheep. 

 The quantity of arsenic usually recommended 

 is too large. 



Foot Rot. One drachm of verdigris (ace- 

 tate of copper), 1 drachm of blue vitriol (sul- 

 phate of copper), 1 drachm of white vitriol 

 (sulphate of zinc), 2 ounces of water,2 drachms 

 of nitric acid, 2 drachms of butter of antimony; 

 pare away the horn, and apply the lotion upon 

 a feather to the part affected. " 



Redwater. See RED WATER, 



Rot. See ROT. 



Scab, or Schab. Apply a lotion formed of 1 

 ounce of corrosive sublimate, 4 ounces of sal 

 ammoniac, dissolved in 4 quarts of rain-water. 

 This is a powerful stimulant, and must be used 

 with caution. 



Ticks. See FLY. 



Wounds. Wash the part, and apply a lotion 

 formed of vinegar 1 pint, spirits of wine 1 

 ounce, spirits of turpentine 1 ounce, Goulard's 

 extract 1 ounce. If the wound be a recent one, 

 it is better to stitch it up with separate liga- 

 tures, which can be easily withdrawn, and 

 dress with cold water. 



SHEEP-FOLD. A yard or other contri- 

 vance for the purpose of confining and keep- 

 ing sheep during the nights or in bad weather, 

 in order to afford them protection and shelter. 

 They are sometimes fixed, being constructed 

 of any convenient sort of light material, so as 

 to enclose a space in proportion to the number 

 of sheep, which is kept constantly well littered 

 with some dry substance, such as stubble, re- 

 fuse straw, dry sand, &c., during the time the 

 heep are folded and foddered in them, in order 

 that as much manure may be raised as pos- 

 sible. In some cases, also, for the more perfect 

 protection of the sheep, they have sheds all 

 around them, under which the sheep may lie 

 without injury from rain, snow, or any sort of 

 moisture. These usually are termed standing 

 foldf, and are either formed about the home- 

 stead or on some dry, rather elevated situation, 

 on the farms, having the bottoms well laid with 

 some sort of material that is capable of keep- 

 ing the sheep dry and clean. See FOLP, FOLD- 

 ING, and HUHDLKS. 



SHEEP-HOUSE. A slight wooden building 

 constructed for the purpose of containing and 

 protecting sheep in bad weather, &c. Houses 



