134 SHEEP FARMING IN AMERICA. 



The symptoms of infection -from stomaxih 

 worms are, first, the wool appears lusterless 

 and if pressed with the hand does not spring 

 out again as when the animal is in vigorous 

 health. Looking more closely, the red in the 

 veins in and about the eye seems pale and 

 when you part the wool the skin has lost its 

 pinkness and if the disease has progressed 

 far it looks white and chalky. There is a dis- 

 ordered digestion and perhaps a depraved ap- 

 petite, the animal may gnaw earth, rotten 

 wood or bark, there may be diarrhea or con- 

 stipation. Before death comes there will prob- 

 ably be "black scours." Old sheep seldom 

 die from stomach worms but are depleted in 

 vitality by the pest while lambs may die in 

 great numbers. 



Stomach worms seldom trouble shepherds 

 in cool regions and there is some evidence 

 that a temperature of 50 degrees in the soil 

 prevents their development. Therefore they 

 do not spread through the flock until warm 

 weather, which may come in May and certain- 

 ly comes in June. Up to that time the lamb 

 crop is comparatively safe to run with the 

 mothers; after that the idea of the twisted 

 stomach worm must be kept ever in mind. 



It may be well here to call attention to the 

 fact that there are considerable regions in 

 America where fear of the stomach worm is 

 not felt. In Massachusetts, Maine, New Hamp- 

 shire and Vermont there is little or no evi- 

 dence of strongylus infestation. Northern New 

 York and the mountain regions of that state 



