386 SHSEP HUSBANDRY. 



bing these bare places against trees and fences till they become great 

 sores. 



Treatment. Many preparations have been tried and found effect- 

 ive, but many are objectionable on account of their poisonous properties. 

 The tobacco and sulphur wash recommended for sheep tick is a reliable 

 remedy. The water should be applied at a temperature of 120° F. and 

 the sheep kept in the liquid until the wool is penetrated down to the 

 skin. This softens the scab, and as they are removed (which should be 

 done with care) the raw surfaces should be thoroughly wet with the 

 mixture. Do not let the sheep out on the pasture till the water has 

 ceased dripping, because the tobacco and sulphur might sicken the ani- 

 mals that ate the grass which it had fouled. Repeat the operation after 

 ten days to kill any newly-hatched insects. "With care the animals can 

 be thoroughly rid of this parasite, and they can be kept free from them 

 as well as the sheep-tick and sheep-louse by dipping twice a year. 



Castration. ' 'This necessary operation should be performed as early 

 as possible, as there is less danger of evil effects following it than when 

 the lamb is older. The lining membrane of the scrotum is a continua- 

 tion of that of the abdomen, and when inflammation follows the opera- 

 tion, it is readily communicated to the abdomen, ahd peritonitis or in- 

 flammation of the membrane lining the cavity and enveloping the bowels 

 results, and this is generally fatal. A lamb a week old may be deprived 

 of the whole scrotum and testacies, by one stroke of a pair of shears, 

 without any danger or the loss of more than a few drops of blood. But 

 when the lamb has become some months old, the organ has become fully 

 developed as to nerves and vessels, and a more careful operation must 

 be performed. An excellent method is for the operator to sit upon a 

 long bench, with one of the lamb's hind legs beneath each of his thighs, 

 the head and fore legs being held by an assistant. Taking the scrotum 

 in the left hand, he presses the testacies towards the lower end, making 

 the skin tight and smooth. He then makes a free incision with a sharp 

 knife at the bottom of the scrotum beneath each testacle; the membranes 

 which surround them are cut through, the cords and vessels which are 

 attached to them are scraped, not cut asunder, and the operation is com- 

 pleted. To castrate a mature ram, an incision is made at the bottom of 

 each compartment of the scrotum, each testacle being removed sepa- 

 rately, the cords and vessels being always scraped asunder. The main 

 point to secure is, to have the wound at the bottom of the scrotum, so as 

 to allow the pus, which will form within it, to escape. If this pus is re- 



