330 MODERN SHEEP: BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



in their endeavor to gain their feet, which in only very rare in- 

 stances did they succeed in doing, and then- died. On the same 

 farm was kept a large Hock of well-bred grade ewes, which carried 

 in a very marked degree the blood of the Leicester. They were 

 bred to high-class Shropshire rams; their rations consisted of 

 clover hay, oat straw, pea straw and a moderate allowance of roots 

 and their drinking water was from the same spring as supplied 

 the Shropshire flock. Now, while not a goitred lamb made its 

 appearance in ttye grade flock fully 50 per cent of the Shropshire 

 lambs died of goitre without ever gaining their feet. The next year 

 this same Shropshire flock under similar treatment *to that given 

 to the grade flock gave pretty close to a 150 per cent increase with 

 only one case of goitre to record. 



My experience tends but little to encourage a belief that the 

 water the sheep drink has much to do with goitre, although it is 

 well known that the human race acquires goitrous troubles in cer- 

 tain sections through the water it drinks. Especially is this true 

 of Derbyshire, England, where people attacked with goitre are said 

 to have "Derby neck." Where sheep have unlimited exercise and 

 have to work a little for their living, as it were, goitred lambs are 

 generally conspicuous by their absence. Goitre is very readily 

 cured in full grown sheep, but not so easily with the young lamb, 

 as its constitution is not sufficiently strong to undergo the severe 

 treatment necessary for the destruction of the growth. In the 

 treatment of strong animals suffering with this trouble the cure 

 is cut into the growth quite deeply and just as soon as it has 

 stopped bleeding inject with a small syringe a small quantity of 

 full strength tincture of iodine. The enlargement should also be 

 painted with iodine at regular intervals, say once in two days. 



STURDY AND GID. 



This is a species of paralysis brought about through hydatids 

 or bladder worms in or around the brain. The parasite is sup- 

 posed to be the young or larvae of the tapeworm which infest dogs. 

 There is but one cure for this and that is by the removal of the 

 hydatid or bladder. The fact is that when a sheep once suffers 

 with these troubles the best thing to do is to kill it and make 

 mutton of it, for no sheep after it has been operated on, as would 

 be necessary for these ailments, is worthy a place in the flock, and 

 any recommendation of veterinarians or others to tamper with a 

 sheep suffering with this trouble is simply a waste of words. We 

 are living in a twentieth century age and should be twentieth cen- 

 tury people. There are a good many methods advocated by old- 

 time veterinarians and writers that are not worthy of countenance 

 in our day. All sheep that are attacked with the trouble in ques- 

 tion are not always seriously affected thereby. The writer has met 



