PROVIDING SHEEP WITH WATER AND SALT 317 



that the sheep will not take enough to fully supply their 

 needs. The better way is to keep a supply of common 

 salt constantly accessible to them in the pastures. It is 

 best supplied in a trough or troughs, covered so as to keep 

 it where rain cannot fall upon it, as in the event of rain 

 falling upon it much of it would dissolve and thus be lost. 

 The trough or troughs in which it is kept should be placed 

 near the watering troughs, as the sheep are more prone 

 to congregate around these places than in other parts of 

 the pasture. The recommendation to distribute salt 

 around harmful plants is of doubtful value. The object 

 sought is to kill the plants through the adverse influence 

 of the salt on growth and the close cropping that follows 

 from the sheep. The results from such application are 

 seldom commensurate with the outlay. 



In very many instances salt is supplied to sheep on 

 pastures only at intervals. The shepherd visits the flock, 

 calls the sheep around him and places the salt in small 

 piles on the ground. The craving of the sheep for the 

 salt is shown by the eagerness with which the sheep con- 

 sume it. But when thus supplied, they consume too large 

 quantities at once, hence the benefits from taking the salt 

 are in a sense neutralized. In fact, the consumption of 

 large quantities of salt at one time may be positively in- 

 jurious through the excessive drinking of water that fol- 

 lows and the disturbance which such a condition creates. 



The need for salt increases with increase in succu- 

 lence in the pastures on which sheep graze. Succulent 

 grazing tends to relax the bowels, and to such an extent 

 in some instances, as to lead to purging, if the condition 

 is not corrected. Salt, it is believed, acts so far as a cor- 

 rective, hence the necessity for having it plentifully sup- 

 plied to sheep thus grazed. While it is important that 

 sheep shall be thus supplied with salt on all kinds of 

 grazing that is succulent, it is of special importance that 

 they shall be thus supplied when grazing on rape, owing 

 to the large quantities of that plant which they consume. 



