DISEASES AND TREATMENT OF SHEEP. 331 



IS soon as this is done cut the cord off half an inch below the 

 string, then operate on the other testicle in a similar manner. As 

 soon as both testicles are cut off fill the holes up with salty butter 

 and let the sheep up. If he swells ^tterwards bathe the bag- and 

 cuts with luke warm water and open the cuts by putting- salty 

 butter on your fing-ers and run them up into the cuts. The main 

 thing after castration is not to'let the sheep get wet. In castrat- 

 ing young ram lambs, perform the ojteration in tlie same manner 

 as in rams only it is not necessary to lie the cord, but cut it off 

 with a sharp scissors and this will stop it from bleeding and be 

 better than tieing. As soon as the cords are both cut off fill the 

 hole up with butter and let the lamb go, and if it swells afterwards 

 give it the same treatment that is given for swelling in rams after 



castration. 



CUTTING LAMBS' TAILS. 



This operation is generally performed on ewe lambs and on 

 ram lambs that are being kept for breeding purposes; the opera- 

 tion is best done in the latter end of May when the lambs are from 

 two to six weeks old. The best way to do this is, catch the 

 lambs and have someone to hold them while you take hold of the 

 tail to find the second or third joint; after deciding al which joint 

 you wish to cut, place the knift at that joint and cut it right 

 off with one stroke, which is very easily done. They 

 usually do not bleed much, but if they do put some of Monsell's 

 solution of iron on, with a feather, and if you have Jiot this, burn 

 with a red hot iron by touching it to the end of the tail. 



LAMBING. 



Sheep are usually put in with the ram in the month of 

 November, and a good way to tell when a ram has served a ewe 

 is to shake dry red paint on the ram's breast and when he has 

 served a ewe the paint will be on her back. The length of time 

 the ewe carries the lamb from the time the ra.m served her till she 

 is delivered is five months. 



SIGNS OF LAMB1W9. 

 In the young ewe about the third month she commences to 

 to make a bag; in the old ewe it is about the fourth moiith whe^ 

 she begins to make a bag; after this time the bag keeps getting 

 larger until a day or so before she lambs; her bag and teats get hard 

 and full for a few hours before lambing; she i« rery cross to dogs and 



