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THE GENESEE FARMER. 



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WASHIXG SHEEP 



IN AUSTRALIA. 



WASHING SHEEP. 



;DOES STOCK KEQUIRE SALT? 



A FRiEXD, wlio has spent some years in Austra- 

 lia, furnisheil us "vvith the above sketch of the pro- 

 cess of wasliiiiir sheep jrenerally practiced in that 

 country. Unfortunately, we have mislaid liis 

 description ; but we think our readers will have uo 

 difficulty in understanding the method from the 

 accompanying illustration. In fact, a similar ])]an 

 is sometimes adopted in this country. A stream is 

 damned up, and a trough placed in tlie hank for 

 'the water to flow through, and the sheep are held 

 under the falling stream. The sheep are in this 

 way washed with considerable rapidity, and the 

 process is not so unpleasant to the men as when 

 they have to stand in the water. 



A farmer in this neighborhood who has tried the 

 method, says there is great danger of getting the 

 head of the sheep under the streanr.. lie men- 

 tioned an instance where a valuable buck was 

 drowned in this way. His head was under only 

 for an instant, but all efforts to bring him to were 

 unavailing. In washing sheep in any way it is 

 very important never to let their nostrils get un- 

 der water, even for a moment. 



Bela DrxBAR, of this county, informs us that 

 he wa«hes his sheep in a tub near the house. He 

 has a boiler wliich he uses for steaming food, and 

 ■ in tliis he heats some water and takes the chill off 

 the water in the tub. He thinks where a farmer 

 has but a few sheep this is the best and easiest 

 method of washing them. 



Eds. Gexesee Farmeu: It has been questioned 

 by many agricultural writers whether stock actually 

 require salt, either aloqe or in connection with 

 their food ; whether it is really one of the neces- 

 saries of life, or simply a luxury, to be used or let 

 alone as convenience may require. Prof. Johnstoh, 

 a Scotch writer, referring to the subject, says : — 

 "We know why tlie animal craves salt, and why it 

 ultimately falls into disease if salt is for a time 

 witldield. Upwards of half the saline matter of 

 the blood (57 per cent.) consists of common salt; 

 and as this is partly discharged every day through 

 the skin and the kidneys, the necessity of continued 

 supplies of it to the body becomes sufficiently ob- 

 vious. The bile also contains soda as a special and 

 indispensable constituent, and so do all the carti- 

 lages of the body. Therefore, if the su)iply of salt 

 be stinted, neither will the bile be able ])roperly to 

 assist the digestion, nor tlie cartilages be built up 

 affain as they naturally waste. And when we con- 

 sider it to be a fact that without salt 7)mn would 

 miserably perisli ; as among liorrible punishments, 

 entailing certain death, that of feeding culprits on 

 saltless food is said to have prevailed in barbarous 

 times, we may l)ecome ]>artially convinced at least 

 of the necessity of feedinir salt to our stock — tliat 

 it is one of tlie nerestsaries as well as one of the 

 luxuries of life for man and beast ; and it should 

 he profnsely ])rovided at sliort intervals, in proper 

 places, if it can not be kept by them continunlly, 

 so that each and every animal may satisfy the de- 

 mands of his nature. Then it shall not be said of 

 us that wliile our pudding is always well seasoned 

 and salted, our stock are allowed to suffer for want 

 of the same ingredient which is as truly necessary 

 for their food as for ours. 

 " ThtMMdwM," Lyndon, Vt. I. "W. 8ANB0EN. 



