204 FALL FEEDING OF BREEDING EWES. 



obstinate and enfeebling diarrheas. Low, obscure forms of 

 disease seem to attack them and become chronic. The 

 strength of the lambs and of the very old sheep, rapidly 

 fails. They scarcely move about. The skin around the eyes 

 becomes bloodless. The eyes lose their bright, alert look, 

 and yellow, waxy matter collects about and under them. A 

 discharge frequently commences from the nose — perhaps the 

 result of a cold, but how or when taken it is frequently 

 difficult to say. The viscid mucus dries about the nostrils so 

 that they cannot breathe freely without its removal. The 

 evacuations become dark colored, viscid, and have an offeUsive 

 odor. The strength fails more rapidly; the sheep becomes 

 unable to rise without assistance ; and it falls when jostled to 

 the least degree by its associates. It will taste a few morsels 

 of choice hay, but generally the appetite is nearly gone. 

 Some, however, will eat grain pretty freely " to the last. 

 Finally, it becomes unable to stand, and after reaching this 

 stage, it usually lingers along from two or three days to a 

 week, and then, emaciated, covered with filth behind, and 

 emitting a disgusting fetor, it perishes miserably. 



Post mortem examination shows that this is not the rot of 

 Europe. Some American flock-masters term it the " hunger 

 rot." If to this could be added something to express the fact 

 that the hunger which engenders it, usually occurs in the fall, 

 before the setting in of winter, it would be an admirably 

 descriptive name ! * It is true, that entering the winter poor 

 does not prove equally destructive in all instances. Its effects 

 doubtless may be materially enhanced or diminished by the 

 regularity and excellence of the winter management, the nice 

 condition of the feed, etc., or the reverse of these conditions. 

 And the character of the winter itself exerts a very marked 

 influence. Sheep thrive best when the temperature is compar- 

 atively steady — no matter how cold. A cold, blustering, 

 stormy winter is preferable to one of greatly milder tempera- 

 ture, if its fluctuations are frequent and great — storm and 

 thaw, rapidly succeeding to each other. There comes 

 occasionally what farmers term a "dying winter," when 

 almost any adverse conditions become fatal — and when 

 almost every disorder assumes an epizootic, malignant and 

 fatal type. 



Certain specific, diseases, like cold, catarrh, pulmonary 

 affections, diarrhea) •dysentery, etc. — the most common ones 



* It might not inappropriately be termed tlie " fall-liunger rot." 



