17^ Essay on Sheep,— Appendix. 



the disorder does not yield to those remedies, 

 a dose of castor oil, and housing, with dry 

 food, particularly a crust of wheat bread, will 

 generally restore them. 



Scab. — The disorder which most affects our 

 sheep is the scab. This appears first by the 

 sheep rubbing themselves and pulling out 

 their wool. As soon as this is observed, or 

 when loose locks of wool appear to rise upon 

 their backs and shoulders, they should be ex- 

 amined, the wool taken out, and a little spirits 

 of turpentine and hog's-fat rubbed on the 

 place. If this be neglected for some time, and 

 the disorder increases, the skin will feel hot 

 and hard to the hand; and, if longer neglected, 

 the wool will pull off in large quantities, and 

 the scab be converted into a sore, from which 

 a small quantity of matter will ooze and clot 

 the lower part of the wool; and if altogether 

 left to itself, the whole fleece will drop off, and 

 the sheep pine away; but they will generally, 

 in a certain degree, recover from the first attack 

 when they get to grass; they will, however, be 

 very liable to take it again the next winter, and 

 then it generally proves fatal. I have never 

 failed to cure mine in ten days by the follow- 

 ing treatment. First, I separate the sheep (for 

 it is very infectious); I then cut off the wool 



