Diseases 281 



have been recommended. Those given in the form of 

 a drench are more eflScient than solids, as the latter 

 are apt to pass into the first stomach. An eflScient 

 remedy is two drams of extract of male shield fern 

 administered in a half cup of milk, and followed in 

 two hours by four ounces of castor oil. This is the 

 dose for mature sheep. Lambs should be given 

 correspondingly smaller doses. 



The second tapeworm, taenia fimbriata, is much 

 smaller, not exceeding six inches in length. Yet 

 it is a really more damaging parasite, as it often 

 plugs the biliary duct. On account of its location, it 

 cannot be reached by medicine, so that all remedial 

 treatment is in vain. The only rational course to 

 pursue with a flock suffering from invasion of this 

 parasite is to send all that can be gotten into suitable 

 condition to the market. The preventive treat- 

 ment is the same as for all intestinal worms given 

 in the following paragraph. 



Intestinal roundworms. — There are several of 

 these, but as they usually appear together and the 

 method of infection and nature of external symptoms 

 are the same, there is no reason for treating of them 

 separately or even naming them, except to call at- 

 tention to a specific symptom of one species, that 

 producing nodular disease, or "knotty gut," as it is 

 generally known. The life history has not been 

 generally worked out, but from the vast number in 

 comparatively young sheep, it seems probable that 



