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The foot-rat is a difeafe which will attack 

 numbers at the fame time. Sheep, when feed- 

 ing on a hot fandy foil, are very liable to con- 

 tract it, from the particles of fand or gravel 

 getting into their feet; as likewife in wet 

 weather, when the grafs is long. If one fingle 

 fheep fhould be attacked by the diforder, it 

 would be advifeable to feparate him immediate- 

 ly from the reft at. the time of folding ; for, 

 if the fhepherd does not ufe fuch precaution, 

 he may expect a great part of the flock to be 

 infected by the fheep treading on each other's 

 feet. I had from a gentleman a ram who had 

 the foot-rot, and I was fo negligent as to put 

 him in the month of September, with fifty ewes, 

 upon land where I never knew fheep to be 

 troubled with the difeafe ; nor had the ewes 

 been affected before. I had before known that 

 it was contagious, or what fhepherds czWfmit- 

 tingy though I did not fuppofe it was fo dange- 

 rous. I thought the worft confequence that 

 poflibly could enfue would be the giving me a 

 little trouble : and I am fond of trying experi- 

 ments. A great number of the ewes caught 

 the diforder : nor could I get them entirely 

 clear the whole year 5 although I attended 



them 



