CASTRATION OF RAMS. 243 



by washing the eye with a solution of four grains of sulphate of 

 zinc in an ounce of warm water, and keeping the sheep in a dark 

 stable for a day or two. If the eye is seriously inflamed, and the 

 sheep distressed with pain, give a dose of an ounce of Epsom salts 

 dissolved hi water, and twenty drops of laudanum may be added 

 to the zinc solution above mentioned with good effect. 



Castration. This necessary operation should be performed as 

 early as possible, as there is less danger of evil effects following it 

 than when the lamb is older. The lining membrane of the scro- 

 tum is a continuation of that of the abdomen, and when inflam- 

 mation follows the operation, it is readily communicated to the 

 abdomen, and peritonitis or inflammation of the membrane lining 

 the cavity and enveloping the bowels results, and this is generally 

 fatal. A lamb a week old may be deprived of the whole scrotum 

 and testicles, by one stroke of a pair of shears, without any danger 

 or the loss of more than a few drops of blood. But when the 

 lamb has become some months old, the organ has become fully 

 developed as to nerves and vessels, and a more careful operation 

 must be performed. An excellent method is for the operator to 

 sit upon a long bench, with one of the lamb's hind legs beneath 

 each of his thighs, the head and fore legs being held by an assist- 

 ant. Taking the scrotum in the left hand, he presses the testicles 

 towards the lower end, making the skin tight and smooth. He 

 then makes a free incision with a sharp knife at the bottom of 

 the scrotum beneath each testicle; the membranes which sur- 

 round them are cut through, the cords and vessels which are at- 

 tached to them, are scraped, not cut asunder, and the operation is 

 completed. To castrate a mature ram, an incision is made at the 

 bottom of each compartment of the scrotum, each testicle being 

 removed separately, the cords and vessels being always scraped 

 asunder. The main point to secure is, to have the wound at the 

 bottom of the scrotum, so as to allow the pus, which will form 

 within it, to escape. If this pus is retained hi the wound, it 

 becomes absorbed, inflammation is communicated to the adjacent 

 parts, and a fatal termination is likely to ensue. To prevent 

 this, a small lock of wool is sometimes left in the wound, by 

 which it is kept open and the danger averted. 



Docking. This operation should be performed on all the lambs 

 when a week or two old. It is then but slightly painful. The 

 best method is to take the lamb between the knees, holding its 

 rump closely against a block of wood. Then drawing the skin of 

 the tail towards the rump, witb the fingers of the left hand, a 



